Nightfall
by freowin
Summary: Naruto is stolen from the village and left to die in a forest. He is found on deaths door by a civilian family, but what will happen when Naruto witnesses their Murder and is found by Jiraiya in the Ruins of his old home. Strong Naruto, Rinnegan Naruto, NarutoXOC
1. Getting Rid of the Demon

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall! **

**Chapter 1: Getting Rid of The Demon.**

Three days had passed since Konoha had been attacked. And for the newly reinstated Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, it had been three days of Hell. Strangely enough while most of his woes would have thought to have been caused by the fifty foot tall fox that decimated the village, you would have only been half right.

A small baby born just moments before the attack, an innocent child that had never done anything to harm anyone. He wasn't even capable of supporting his own head let alone causing harm to anyone. But it was unfortunately this exact fear that was causing all of Hiruzen Sarutobi's troubles. For the child was not an ordinary three day old boy. This was a jinchuuriki, the host to the very same fifty foot fox demon that had just devastated the village.

"Hello Sarutobi sensei, you look like you have seen better day's" came a voice from a nearby window from where the Sandaime Hokage was sitting.

"Jiraiya-kun, you are a sight for sore eye's, it has been hell around here. I am missing being retired already" Hiruzen said.

"So he did it after all, I was hoping the stories I heard were false information. Why did he have to use the Shiki Fuin, there were other ways to seal a Bijuu" Jiraiya said sadly.

"Is that why you returned, just to see if the rumors of Minato's demise were accurate?" Hiruzen asked.

"Well yes and no. Minato's son, Naruto where is he?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Ah the boy, he is safe and healthy, he seems to be a happy most of the time, just like his mother. But he looks so much like his father already" Hiruzen said.

"I guess I have to take up my role as Godfather and stay here with him now, or I could take him with me, either way is fine" Jiraiya said solemnly.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that jiraiya-kun" the Sandaime said.

"What! Why not?" Jiraiya demanded.

"Several reasons, for one I need you to look after your spy network, we need it more than ever at the moment. Secondly if Iwa found out you were looking after a child they would know who it was straight away, why do you think they gave him Kushina's last name, Uzumaki. Don't worry about the boy Jiraiya-kun, I will make sure he is safe" the Hokage said with a smile.

"Can I at least see him once before I have to go?" Jiraiya asked.

"Of course you can, strange I didn't quite picture you as the fatherly type Jiriaya-kun, just goes to show just how much there is I still don't know" Hiruzen said with a smile.

Hiruzen left the comfort of his desk and signaled Jiraiya to follow him. They walked until they came to a room with the door slightly ajar.

"He's in here" Hiruzen said quietly.

They quietly entered the room so as not to wake the boy, but he was already awake.

"Three line's on each cheek that look like whiskers, is this the sign that he is a jinchuuriki? Kushina never had them, but then again her seal was different wasn't it" Jiraiya said.

"No from what we can gather, those marks were there before the sealing. So they are only birthmark's if I was to have a guess I would say it was because his mother held the Kyuubi when he was born" Hiruzen said.

It was at that moment Naruto yawned and gazed up into Jiraiya's eyes.

"Would you look at that, same eyes and I think his hair is already becoming spiky like Minato's" Jiraiya said looking down at the boy. "I bet you're going to be a great ninja one day kid, I will be back when you're older so don't go getting too strong without me" Jiraiya said, a small smile crossed his face and he went into his pocket and withdrew a small green wallet that looked like a toad, and placed it in the crib next to the tiny blond.

"A wallet? Interesting present to give to a baby" the Hokage laughed.

"Maybe, but I wanted to give him something that he could use later on in life as well. Anyway, have they rebuilt the bath houses yet" Jiraiya asked changing his tone from serious to that of a super pervert.

"No not yet sorry Jiraiya-kun, you are going to have to wait to do your research I am afraid. It is a shame too because that book you brought out was brilliant what did you call it? Icha, Icha? You could make a killing if you turned it into a series" Hiruzen said.

"Maybe you are right, my last book didn't really sell many but this one is selling like nothing else" Jiraiya said.

"Is there anything else you would like while you are still in the village?" Hiruzen asked.

"No, I should be on my way, if I have to leave I better just get it out of the way now. Keep the kid safe sensei, I do not want to have to face Kushina when I die if Naruto gets there before me. Oh and I am sorry to hear about your wife" Jiraiya said and just like that he was gone.

**(Eight Year's Later)**

A short blond haired boy was sitting alone on a swing watching the other kids play. In the past he had attempted to join them but they had always said they were not allowed to play with him. Even the kids at the Academy seemed to be extra cautious or simply avoid him. There were however some exceptions. The lazy boy Shikamaru was usually nice enough, but unless you enjoyed watching clouds he was not the best person to hang out with, he also liked playing Go and Shogi but Naruto didn't know how to play either of them as he never had anyone teach him.

Naruto still sitting on the swing contemplating whether or not he could find a way to join in the other kid's game when he heard a voice from behind him. "Hey, you're one of those weird people with no pupils who think they are a noble or something. So do you think you are better than us huh" the voice said.

Naruto turned in the swing and saw three older boys bullying a girl from his class, he remembered trying to talk to her once but she went red and was unable to respond so Naruto just figured she was like everyone else and wanted him to leave her alone. '_What do they think they are doing to her. Her name was Hinata wasn't it? She looks scared, maybe I should help her out. I don't care that they are older than I am_' Naruto thought as he got off the swing and started to make his way over to where the bullies were now forcing Hinata to bow and apologize for something.

"Hey what do you guy's think you are doing, leave her alone" Naruto ordered as busting into the clearing.

"What the, oh look she has a little boyfriend" one of the bullies taunted.

"Hey, isn't that the kid our parents said to stay away from, he doesn't look scary to me, he is just as short as this one" the other bully said pushing Hinata to the ground.

"I said leave her alone" Naruto yelled and jumped up punching the bully who had just pushed Hinata to the ground in the face.

"Alright, we will let your little girlfriend go, but you are going to pay for that" the Bully replied and punched Naruto in the gut forcing him to kneel and was unable to block all of the punches that were sent at him.

When they finally relented they left Naruto with two black eyes a bleeding nose and lots of small cuts along his face arms and legs.

'_Oh no Naruto-kun he got hurt to save me, what do I do_' Hinata thought as she slowly approached the blond and became more and more concerned when she looked at the state of him. '_I need to get help, oh where is Kou I need his help_' she thought desperately.

It turned out the young Hyuuga heiress's bodyguard was at that very moment approaching. "Oh Hinata-sama there you are, come it's time to go home, I have a mission tonight and I need to prepare for it" Kou said.

"Please Kou, he needs your help" Hinata said pointing to where Naruto lay still unconscious on the ground.

"Hinata-sama, get away from that... that thing at once!" Kou ordered.

"But he is hurt, he might need to be taken to the hospital" Hinata said.

"That is of no concern of yours, or mine, he got himself hurt it is not our obligation to take care of that thing" Kou said.

"But he got hurt to save me, we should help him" Hinata said bordering on tears.

"I will not help that boy, now come on we need to get you home, just forget that you ever saw the boy, I am sure he wont bother you again" Kou said as he pulled Hinata from the area. She could only look back at the place Naruto was slowly regaining consciousness worried if he was going to be okay.

It was another thirty minutes before Naruto was able to crawl over to a tree to support himself to stand. "Why, what did I do, why wouldn't she help me, I saw her leave as I came back around, why does everyone hate me so much" Naruto said to himself not caring that the sun was no longer lighting the now dark playground. By the time Naruto finally found the strength to begin his walk home the sun had long since set and only the streetlights on the corner of every street lit his way.

"Look's like you finally got what you deserved, who should we send the congratulations too" Came the voice of a man approaching behind Naruto.

Turning around Naruto recognized him as a member of the Konoha police force. Naruto never really had a good relationship with the police force, he had been the cause of far to many pranks for any of them to sympathize with Naruto's current predicament. "Look I have had a bad day, just leave me alone" Naruto snapped in reply.

"Oh I don't think I should, you are a disrespectful little whelp who needs to be put down for the good of the village" the man said and Naruto stared in horror as his eyes turned red with three tomoe in either side. "You know I think most people will cheer for what I am going to do" he said taking out a katana from his side.

Before he could even move to strike at Naruto however he was stopped by the arrival of a man in a weasel Anbu mask. "I think you have done enough to merit an express trip to the T and I department" the Anbu said.

"Itachi, you know what he is, just let me finish him. It is because of that filth, that we Uchiha, have been watched more carefully and had our district compressed until we are almost uncomfortable" the man spat.

"I do not care, I will not allow you to harm the boy" The Anbu said. Before grabbing the man and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto gave a sigh of relief but soon lost his breath as he heard a new voice come from behind him. "Well that got rid of your bodyguard, now you are all alone. Normally I would appose working with that man, but we had the same goal and nobody else was willing to help. But don't worry I am not going to kill you, I wouldn't want to risk freeing the beast and returning it's power. Instead I think I will just take you far from here, so you can either find your own way back or preferably die in what ever way you see fit" the man said. And before Naruto could even call for help he was knocked unconscious with a swift punch to the face.

"It is time that we got rid of the demon from Konoha once and for all" the man said before tying Naruto up and stuffing him into a sack and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

(**With Itachi**)

Itachi arrived at Anbu head quarters with his Uchiha prisoner and took him straight to be handed to Ibiki.

"Ah Weasel I thought you had an easy assignment tonight, I didn't expect to see you here" the scarred torture specialist said.

"Well, tonight my easy job was not as easy as I thought it would be. I was supposed to be watching young Naruto-kun when Kizu here decided that my charge didn't deserve to live any more" Itachi informed Ibiki.

"That's not true, in fact I wasn't going to harm the boy at all, I just want him out of the village" Kizu Uchiha said.

"What are you talking about, I saw you draw a blade on Naruto-kun" Itachi said.

"Maybe I just wanted to scare the little brat" Kizu replied.

"Regardless the punishment for attempted murder of Naruto Uzumaki is death, you should be aware of that, seeing as you are a member of the Konoha police force" Ibiki said.

"Blow it out your ass Ibiki, I'm not scared of your mind games, you would have better luck getting me to break with that snake whore you allow to work here" Kizu spat.

"Anko Mitarashi, happens to be a good friend of mine and I would advise not calling her that in my presence" Ibiki said.

"Or what? You will kill me sooner" Kizu laughed.

"He is clearly drunk so we are not supposed to kill him, but may I recommend a few hours in the torture room with Anko" Itachi recommended.

"Why not, should be entertaining at least. Do you want to stick around?" Ibiki asked.

"No I need to get back to watching over Naruto, kid get's into all sorts of trouble and it is rather amusing to watch" Itachi said smiling beneath his mask.

"Alright, good luck keeping up with him, not many people can, I saw young Tenzo try it, he thought the boy was just going to be at the academy all day so it would be an easy days work. Then by the end of the day he comes into the jonnin bar and collapses from exhaustion. Kakashi and Yugao had to carry him home" Ibiki laughed.

"It's true he can be a handful if you need to chase after him but remain unseen all day. But I like it, there is just something about the kid that is calming and friendly" Itachi said.

"Have you ever thought of talking to him when you are not on missions?" Ibiki asked.

"I am not supposed to, Hokage-sama wants the boy to grow up like any other child and he doesn't think my influence would help that. And my father has forbade anyone to befriend the boy, it is a shame too because I think he would be a good friend for Sasuke" Itachi said.

"Same line Kakashi got, he was not allowed to have prolonged contact with the boy until he became an official ninja. I don't understand it myself, the kid has no friends and is lonely and Hokage-sama is worried that Kakashi might teach the boy more than he is ready for. The only thing Kakashi could teach anyone is how to be over two hours late all the time" Ibiki laughed.

"Anyway I have wasted to much time here already, goodbye Ibiki-san" Itachi said before he disappeared to locate Naruto in a shunshin.

Itachi arrived at Naruto's apartment, he was sure the young blond would have made it home by now. But Itachi arrived to find Naruto's home completely dark and Naruto nowhere to be seen. '_That is odd, I only left him a block from here. Maybe he went to have dinner at Ichiraku's before heading home_' the stoic Uchiha thought and once more shunshined away.

Again Naruto was not at Ichiraku ramen. And now Itachi became slightly worried, even though he would never show it. '_This is not good, I need to find him quickly_' Itachi thought and this time left without using a shunshin, so he could look around the area in case Naruto turned up.

After close to thirty minutes later Itachi was clearly worried. He could not find any sign of Naruto anywhere. Something that was impossible considering the boy wore a bright orange jumpsuit. '_I need to tell the Hokage, if Naruto is missing, he needs to know_' Itachi thought and one last time disappeared.

He arrived at the Hokage tower and quickly entered and went straight for Hiruzen's office.

The Hokage was reading one of his favorite books written by his student and the moment there was a knock on his door the old Sarutobi quickly hid the book from sight in fear of it being one of the many kunoichi who opposed Jiraiya's masterpieces. "Enter" Hiruzen called once his book was well hidden.

He gave a small sigh of relief when Itachi entered.

"Oh weasel, what are you doing here? I thought you were busy with an assignment" the Hokage said.

"That is why I am here, tonight just after nightfall there was an attack on Naruto-kun which I prevented, and I took the person responsible to Ibiki. However when I went to find Naruto-kun after I finished with Ibiki-san I could not find him anywhere" Itachi said urgently.

"Are you saying that Naruto is missing?" Hiruzen said standing up and looking worried.

"Exactly, but it doesn't seem like he is simply hiding anywhere, I have already checked his favorite hiding area's" Itachi said.

"Could it be that Naruto has run away?" The Hokage asked.

"It doesn't look that way, his room has been undisturbed, if I was to hazard a guess I would say he has been kidnapped" Itachi said.

"This is not good. Go fetch Kakashi's team, we need to find Naruto immediately" the old Sarutobi said urgently.

"At once Hokage-sama" Itachi said before giving a small respectful bow and exiting the room.

(**Two Day's Later**)

Kakashi walked into the Hokage's office with a defeated look on his face.

"Ah Kakashi-kun, tell me you found Naruto-kun" the Hokage asked pleadingly.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, we looked everywhere, search parties are still looking but not even the Inuzuka search teams can find any trace of him, all that we know is he left the village with someone from Konoha. And they were skilled enough to loose any hunter ninja or tracking team's we sent after them" Kakashi said.

"Then I guess it is too late... I'm sorry Minato, I have failed you in every way" the old Hokage said sadly.

"It isn't over yet, he could still turn up" Kakashi said.

"Yes and he could also be sold to Kumo you know how much they love jinchuuriki" Hiruzen said.

"If that is the case I hope I live to be far older than you do" Kakashi said his voice shaking slightly.

"That's not a nice thing to say to your Hokage, Kakashi-kun" Hiruzen said.

"Yes but in fairness Hokage-sama, you can only punish me while I am alive, if Minato and Kushina find out we lost there son and failed to protect him, then they will make us pay for an eternity" Kakashi said.

Hiruzen paled when he thought of the prospect of what Kushina would do to him if they failed to recover the young blond. "We need to redouble our efforts immediately!" he said quickly.

"I had a similar response, I will inform the team's at once" Kakashi said before leaving the room via a shunshin.

"Good luck, I do not want to have to tell Jiraiya about this. I promised both Minato and Jiriaya I would keep you safe Naruto, I am sorry where ever you are" Hiruzen said as he looked out over the stone faces of the Hokage monument.

Reaction to Naruto's disappearance was far from one of concern. On the contrary most of the village seemed to be in great spirits. Nobody but the top ranking Jounin and Anbu had been informed of Naruto's kidnapping, but the villagers were just happy because they had not seen Naruto for a few days.

There was of course some people in the village who were worried. The old man and daughter that operated Naruto's favorite place to eat knew something was wrong when he didn't show up for any ramen in two days. And at the Academy only one person seemed to realize he was even missing. A young Hyuuga girl who had been forced to leave the blond when he was battered and beaten.

(**Land of forests**)

A long haired man carrying a large sack was jumping from tree to tree. '_At the speed of an eight year old child it would take months for the demon to return to Konoha from here, that is if he ever found his way_' the thought smirking victoriously.

Suddenly there was movement in the bag he was carrying. "Oh so you are awake again, but don't worry I wont need to knock you out again, I think this would be a perfect place to leave you. After all I still have a mission to do, and I wouldn't want to upset Hokage-sama would I" the man said before jumping down from the tree and tossing Naruto to the ground the bag opening around him.

'_Would you look at the, the demon has healed all the wounds, that might help him to survive. Oh well I guess I cant luck out completely_' the man thought to himself.

"Hey I know you, you're the bastard that left me in the park after I saved that girl from your clan!" Naruto yelled in accusation.

"Looks like you got me. But so what if I am, there isn't anything you can do about it" Kou Hyuuga said smugly.

"So what are you going to do kill me?" Naruto asked angrily refusing to show how scared he really was.

"No I wont be doing that, it is far to kind for filth like you. Instead I am going to leave you here to die in what ever way you see fit" Kou said.

"Fuck you, I am going to make it back to Konoha and then I am going to make you pay!" Naruto roared.

"Well good luck with that, I eagerly await your return" Kou laughed before kicking Naruto in the face one last time and quickly removing the bindings on his arm's and legs before jumping off into the trees.

**End Chapter!**

**So far no idea's for paring's so any requests or suggestions are welcome. On that note I would like to say no way in hell am I doing Yaoi. And I don't really like Naru Saku so that is out.**


	2. A friend for Life

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 2: A friend for Life**

Naruto awoke in the middle of a forest floor his head was ringing. "Oh man what happened to me?" Naruto asked nobody in particular.

Then it all came flooding back to him. The kidnapping, being carried in a large bag and every time he woke up being knocked back out. And finally being dumped in the middle of a forest completely alone.

"Man I don't know where I am, or how I will ever get home, what am I supposed to do?" Naruto yelled hoping someone would hear him. Unfortunately he had no such luck.

'_Guess I am just going to have to find a way to get back to Konoha later, I need to find some people first_' Naruto thought but his mind was soon driven from that frame of mind when he felt his stomach growl. "Oh man I am hungry, I have to find something to eat quickly" Naruto said and began frantically looking around for anything that looked remotely edible.

He could not see much, despite it being the middle of the day the density of the forest made it hard to see far in front of him. As far as anything edible went he was again out of luck. There was nothing, just trees. As far as the blond could see there weren't even any beetles in the area that he could force himself to eat. '_Looks like I have to keep moving and hope to find something while I move_' Naruto thought and he stood up and began running through the forest as quickly as his small eight year old legs could carry him.

(**Konoha Two Days Later**)

Itachi was standing in front of the Hokage with Kakashi. "So how has the search gone? Any sign of Naruto-kun yet?" Hiruzen asked.

"It has been over four days now and there is still no sign of him. It is obvious to me that who ever the culprit was, has a great understanding of how the Konoha Hunter and Tracking Ninja teams operate. I suggest it is probably someone from inside either of those branches" Itachi informed the Hokage.

"Has there been any ninja go Awol in the last few day's?" Kakashi asked.

"No all ninja are accounted for" the Hokage informed the Copy Ninja.

"Then may I suggest you look at what teams left the village that night, and have a team search along any expected routs they may have taken.

"Well let's see if I put together both of your suggestions we have three teams and two solo missions that left on the night that Naruto disappeared. There are two tracking teams that I sent to look for Jiraiya as he has not delivered a report in a few weeks, a hunter team that had reports of a sighting of Orochimaru. Also Shisui Uchiha has been sent to deliver a reply to the rebels facing the Mizukage's forces, to inform them that we cannot give any direct support but will supply some weapons and funding. Finally Kou Hyuuga has been sent to Taki to deliver a message to the new ruler there, Shibuki I believe his name is" Hiruzen said.

"If it is one of the teams then it will mean that this has been planned for some time. However Shisui and Kou are both highly respected members of there clans and are loyal to Konoha" Kakashi said.

"We will have to send teams out to follow the path of each of them, I still do not want to think about the prospect of any of them betraying Konoha like this" Hiruzen said.

"We will send our teams our at once Hokage-sama" Itachi said and gave a respectful bow before leaving.

"I wont rest until we find him Hokage-sama" Kakashi finished before leaving after Itachi.

(**Land of Forests**)

Naruto had been walking almost non stop for the past two day's, and all he had found to eat were several berry's on a bush that while kept him going for awhile were not enough to defeat his hunger.

He had thought of giving up several times, but every time the thought crossed his mind a stronger one kicked in telling him to keep going and to never give up. It was because of this determination he eventually came to a road. '_Yes I did it, I can get out of here, but I am so exhausted. I just need to keep going for a little longer until I can get to a town_' Naruto told himself before picking a direction at random to follow the road and taking off.

Naruto continued to walk and soon he was getting light headed, he was so tired and eventually the excitement of finding a road that he could follow wore off. Naruto's strength was fading, for an eight year old boy to go without proper food for about a week was taking it's toll. It seemed to be a battle between Naruto's will to continue and how long his body would allow him too.

In the end the blond lasted another several hours before he collapsed face first in the middle of the road. '_Is this it? Do I die here without ever accomplishing anything. I was going to be Hokage, I would have gotten everyone's respect. But instead I die here on the side of a road in some Kami forsaken forest_' Naruto thought as he struggled and failed to return to his feet.

"Why?" was the last word Naruto was able to choke out before he fell into unconsciousness.

The blond lay there for close to a day before a horse drawn carriage came along. A small boy sat at the front seat holding the reigns, he was about the same age as Naruto and had shoulder length black hair that was tied up into a pony tail slightly to one side of the back of his head so he fell over one shoulder.

"Hey there is a kid in the middle of the road! Mom Dad, come quick" the boy yelled upon seeing Naruto.

"Who is it Gisei" said a woman who had long black hair that ran down to her waist.

"I don't know, look he is passed out in the middle of the road" the boy said.

"Oh my would you look at that, he is so young, why is he out here all alone" the mother said and grabbing the reins of the carriage she forced the horses to stop. "Kenpei-kun help me with this boy" the woman yelled as she jumped down onto the road to inspect Naruto. '_Oh my look at him, he looks like he hasn't had anything to eat in days. Just how long have you been out here?_' she thought as she checked Naruto's vital signs to make sure he was still alive.

"Is the boy still alive Manako-chan?" a short man with curly brown hair and thin glasses asked as arrived beside her.

"Yes he is, but for how long I do not know, he seems to be holding on by a thread, he needs water and some food" Manako replied.

"Well let's get him into the carriage, we have water in there, and we will have to feed him yogurt until he regains his strength" the man said and picking up Naruto bridal style rushed him into the back of there carriage.

It was over a day later before Naruto eventually stirred. '_Where am I, it feels like I am moving_' Naruto thought before he opened his eyes to find himself inside a rather luxurious room that seemed to be designed to double as a bedroom and dining room.

Naruto tried to stand but his legs felt like jelly and he collapsed on the floor. '_Fuck me, this is just not my week is it_' Naruto cursed mentally.

"What was that?" came a child's voice from just outside the room. Seconds later Gisei entered the room before calling for his parents to join him.

"Oh thank kami you are alright" the mother said, concern etched through her voice.

"Alight? I cant stand or move, how is that alright. Where am I anyway" Naruto asked.

"Well you are in a lot better condition to how how we found you, but I guess you still have a long way to go. As for where you are, we are still in the Land of Forest's, we are heading home to a small village that is not too far away from here" Manako replied while helping Naruto back onto the bed.

"Hi I'm Gisei Boushi, what's your name. And why were you out in the middle of nowhere like that? I thought you were dead" Gisei said.

"Um I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, I'm from Konoha" Naruto said proudly.

"Konoha? How did you get this far away from home?" Manako questioned.

Naruto went on to tell them the story of his kidnapping and how he was dumped in the middle of a forest he had never seen before.

"Oh my that's is just horrible, why would anyone treat a child like that?" Manako said disgusted at what happened to the young blond.

"I don't know, not many people seem to like me for some reason, parents keep there children away from me so I cant make friends and almost everyone who isn't openly showing me glares of hatred just ignores me all together" Naruto said.

"What about your parents? How do people treat them?" Gisei asked.

"I don't have any parents, I'm an orphan. Hokage-Jiji said that my parents were hero's that died the night a giant fox, Kyuubi, attacked Konoha, but he said he doesn't even know who they were" Naruto said sadly.

"Well you can stay with us until we can find a way to get you home, right mom?" Gisei said.

"I suppose so, why don't you find him a change of clothes, that bright orange jumpsuit is both filthy and horrible taste" Manako said.

"What's wrong with my ninja gear?" Naruto asked.

"Ninja gear? Aren't ninja supposed to be stealthily. You stick out more than the sun in the sky with that thing, I was able to see you from a mile away when we found you" Gisei laughed.

"At least change the color" Manako suggested,

"What's wrong with orange?" Naruto replied.

"Well it is disgusting for one" Manako said bluntly.

"I like orange!" Naruto yelled indignantly.

"Well I still believe that you can do a whole lot better than that" she replied and pulled out several sets of clothes for Naruto to try on.

Naruto looked through them, there was nothing a ninja would wear but in the end decided on a white t shirt with flames at the base because it had some orange in it and some casual looking cargo shorts.

When he was finished getting changed he again tried to stand and was pleased to find that he was quite capable of performing that simple task again. "We're home!" came the call of Kenpei from the front of the caravan.

"You're going to love it here, there is so much to do. I am going to teach you all the things I do for fun around here" Gisei said enthusiastically.

"Sound's great!" Naruto said happy that he might finally have found a friend.

(**Konoha One Week Later**)

The old Hokage had given up, anyone who had seen him was sure of that. Not only did there search for Naruto turn up nothing but everyone that had left the village had returned and there was no reason to question any of them, the only person Hiruzen was slightly suspicions of was Kou Hyuuga, because the tracking team said that his scent was different that normal and at one point he seemed to make a shadow clone so he could continue on in two different directions. But that was not enough to send him to Ibiki over. And the tracks of one of the vanished after around a mile so he supposed he had just sent a clone to scout a possible alternative rout.

There was also the problem that both of the teams that he had sent to find Jiraiya, had returned empty handed. This was not an unusual occurrence by any means, but if there was anyone who could find Naruto when nobody else could, it would have been his old pupil.

After yet another week of searching the old Hokage was forced to give up the search. It had also become clear that Naruto was missing to the villagers, and there were several party's that had been going on almost constantly. In fact as much as Hiruzen hated to admit it, the village was the happiest it had been since Minato was named the Yondaime. '_What would you have thought if you saw this Hashirama. Did you ever imagine your village would turn on a small boy. And Minato, would you still have the same faith you put into the people and performed the sealing if you knew what would become of your son_' Hiruzen thought as he looked at the portraits of the former Hokage's.

Months past and it seemed like the village had completely forgotten Naruto ever existed. The only thing that had changed was that Kakashi was always twice as late as usual as he would spend every second of his free time at the memorial stone hoping to find some form of closure and forgiveness from his old team. The Hokage has still not heard anything from his old pupil's.

(**Land of Forest's**)

Over the last few months Naruto had become best friends with Gisei and he began to look upon the family that had saved him as his own. Thanks to for the first time in his life having a proper diet Naruto was no longer the scrawny stick like child. He had grown quite a lot and it seemed no matter how much he ate all he ever seemed to gain was lean muscle that caused Naruto to have quite a well developed body for a boy who had just turned nine a week before.

He thought for the first time in his life things were looking up for him. And the thing was he didn't even miss Konoha, he had never never before contemplated life without the hokage or being a ninja, but his life here with Gisei and the others was like heaven after the hell he went through in Konoha.

But for Naruto like any other time he had been happy in his life it had ended far too soon. One day Naruto had returned home from a day of exploring the forest with Gisei to find the door had been forced open. "Hey what do you think that is?" Naruto asked Gisei as they approached.

"I don't know let's go check it out" the Gisei replied.

Both boys ran towards the house to see what was going on and came across a truly horrifying sight. Naruto's adoptive parent's were tied up in the kitchen by two ninja who had kunai in each hand.

"Hey what do you think you are doing leave them alone NOW!" Naruto roared charging the closest ninja who moved out of the way quickly and yanked Naruto up into the air. "Well what do you know, they weren't alone after all, looks like they lied to us" the ninja holding Naruto said.

"What do you want? we haven't done anything to Kumo, let us go please" Manako pleaded.

"I'm sorry but we can't, we were hired to kill your entire family. So that's what we are going to do" the other ninja replied.

"Oh yeah, you wont get passed me!" Naruto yelled and held his hand in a cross seal "Bushin no Jutsu" Naruto yelled.

A sickly clone of Naruto appeared and collapsed on the floor,causing the ninja who was holding him to burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

The other ninja however was staring at Naruto wide eyed. "Th-There is a s-s-seal on his stomach, he's a jin-jin-jinchuuriki!" he stammered.

"What, this kid? Impossible" the ninja holding Naruto said.

"See for yourself the seal on his stomach is so complex, far larger than Killer Bee's or Yugito's" the other ninja said.

The first ninja turned Naruto around in his grasp and stared at his stomach. "Kami you're right, we would get a massive bonus if we were able to deliver his kid to Raikage-sama"

"Agreed, stick a Demonic Yokai suppressor on him and tie him up, he is far to valuable to kill" the second ninja to speak said.

"Fuck off, I am not going anywhere with you guys!" Naruto yelled struggling with all his might. But in the end that didn't help him and he has a small piece of paper slapped to his forehead hand his arms and tied together before strapping him into a chair.

While this was going on Gisei was watching in horror, he had heard every word and knew that any minute they would kill his parents. '_I need to go get help, in the village. There is bound to be someone who can help me there_' Gisei thought but his plan was stopped before it even began.

"Well what do we have here, a little gaki trying to escape hey" came the voice of a third ninja.

Gisei was kicked into the room forcefully at the same moment Naruto had awoken after having his demonic chakra sealed away. "Leave him alone!" Naruto yelled.

"Or what. You are just a pathetic brat, you cant even use your Bijuu so you are no threat to us" the first Kumo ninja said.

"Let's just get this done, we need to get this kid back to Kumo as soon as possible" the ninja who appeared to be there leader said.

They picked Gisei up and placed him with his parent's while they each pulled out a kunai so they could finish there mission. Naruto couldn't help and just sat helpless while the Kumo ninja approached his adoptive family.

"Nothing personal, it's just business" the leader said before ordering his men to end the lives of there targets.

Blood poured from the necks of the family and Naruto was forced to watch it occur before his eyes. "Noooooooooo!" Naruto cried as eyes bulged from the tears that were falling. Then his eyes changed his pupil shrank and his eye began to change color from blue to a metallic purple. The whites of his eyes completely disappeared and left the eye completely purple. Finally several rings appeared in a rippling pattern out from the center.

"There were done, now let's go and take the ki- what the fuck is this, look at the kid's eyes! I thought you sealed away his demonic chakra" one of the Kumo ninja said.

"I did, what is that? A kekkei genkai?" the leader said.

"If it is we are going to get an even bigger reward" the third said happily.

Naruto could not hear what they were saying all he could think about doing was getting revenge for what happened to the first family he had ever known. "SHINRA TENSEI!" Naruto yelled as if possessed with as much power as he could muster.

(In the Closest Bar)

A perverted middle aged man sat in a dark corner of a bar surrounded by women of questionable intelligence drinking sake and talking loudly about his adventures as the 'Great Toad Sage' when he felt a massive spike of chakra. '_What the hell was that, it could be trouble. I should go check it out_' he thought.

"Uh sorry ladies, I would love to stay. But I have to go check something out, and it could be dangerous" the man said.

"Oh but Jiraiya-sama you were going to tell us about how you taught the famous Yondaime Hokage everything he knew" one of the girls whined.

"Sorry ladies, but keep the table warm and I will be back later" Jiraiya informed the group.

After leaving the tavern Jiraiya jumped from tree to tree as fast as he could and eventually arrived at a large crater that he assumed was at one point in time a house. There was furniture thrown all over the area as if the explosion had originated from inside the house. '_What happened here? There are no signs of any specific type of jutsu, what could have done this?_' the toad sage asked himself.

Then he saw the young boy unconscious in the middle of the crater. As he approached he had the strangest feeling that he had seen the boy somewhere before.

He slowly approached but stopped as the boy began to stir. "Hey kid what happened here?" Jiraiya asked tentatively.

Naruto's head shot up defensively and he backed away from the toad sage the moment there eyes met.

Jiraiya was far to shocked by the sight of the eyes to notice the three whisker marks on each cheek or the seal that had just faded from view from Naruto's stomach. '_The Rinnegan... Twice in one lifetime, I never thought I would see it again after I heard news of Nagato's death_' Jiraiya thought.

"Are you with them?" Naruto asked cautiously deciding that Jiraiya did not look as dangerous as the other ninja that had attacked him.

"With who?" Jiraiya replied.

"The people who killed my family, well they weren't really my family. But they were the closest thing to one I have even known" Naruto said.

"No I am not with them, what happened here?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm not sure. One minute I was in the kitchen, watching these three ninja kill them and then everything went black until I came back to consciousness with you standing there" Naruto explained.

'_That sounds just like the story Nagato told me, but this is far more damage than he caused when he had awoken his_' Jiraiya thought. "What's your name kid?" he asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto replied flatly.

"What!" Jiraiya said shocked.

"I said Naruto Uzumaki, have you got a problem with that!" Naruto said.

"Impossible you cant be him" Jiraiya said and he was just starting to take in the rest of his appearance. The spiky blond hair and the six whisker marks.

"Why is that impossible, that is who I am" Naruto said now getting annoyed by Jiraiya.

"How, is this possible, for you to have those eyes? You are supposed to be safe in Konoha" Jiraiya said.

"I was kidnapped from Konoha and dumped in the middle of one of the forest's around a days ride from here. As for your other question, I have no idea what you are talking about. My eyes are my own and always have been" Naruto said loudly.

"Impossible, when I saw you as a baby you had blue eyes, not the Rinnegan!" Jiraiya said.

"Rinnegan? What's that?" Naruto asked.

"You mean you don't know? Here look" Jiraiya said and summoning a mirror to hand to the blond so he could examine his face.

"I don't know what you are up to old man, but if this is some trick you will pay" Naruto said unsure exactly how he would back up his claim as he looked into the mirror. Everything about his face was normal, apart from two unfamiliar orbs that gazed back at him. "What the hell is this, my eyes are purple and creepy looking!" Naruto yelled in shock.

"That is the Rinnegan, the most powerful Dojutsu known in the ninja world. Most people think it is nothing but a myth and would have never recognized it. But I am not just anyone. I am the Toad charmer of Myobokuzan, one of the legendary three ninja from Konoha, I am the Gallant Jiraiya!" the toad sage said.

"Um so basically I have special eye's and you are some famous ninja from Konoha?" Naruto surmised.

"Well yeah, but it doesn't sound cool when you say it like that" Jiraiya said with a pout.

"Well as I can't stay here anymore, can you help me get back to Konoha? I preferred living with my family, but with them gone and the house as well, Konoha is the only place I have left" Naruto said solemnly.

"Hm you don't seem to eager to return. Konoha is where you were brought up why wouldn't you want to go back?" Jiraiya asked, but he already had a fairly good idea why.

"The people are mean, I have been here for less than six months and I already feel like this place is more of a home than Konoha has ever been" Naruto said.

"Well then, why don't you come with me, I know a thing or two about those eyes of yours. While I am no expert I can help you to use them along with other things. I can also teach you how to be a shinobi. What do you say?" Jiraiya asked.

For the first time in months the prospect of being a ninja returned to Naruto. Remembering the story's the old Hokage would tell him about how the great Hokage's each saved the village and were loved by the people. Or about his own three students who each became famous ninja. Then finally he cause on to what the man was offering, a new chance to do all of that away from Konoha, and with a famous ninja who could teach him a lot.

"Alright old man, offer accepted" Naruto said.

"You know, this might actually be fun, I haven't taught anyone since the Yondaime Hokage" Jiraiya said with a smile.

"You taught the Yondaime?" Naruto asked in wonder.

"Yeah, taught him almost everything he knew, but you will have a lot of work to do if you want to get anywhere near his level" Jiraiya said.

"Ok so what are you going to teach me first? Some cool jutsu?" Naruto asked showing his eagerness to learn.

"Wow easy there, you need to learn the basics first. And don't you want to mourn your adoptive family for awhile?" Jiraiya asked.

"I do, but the best way I can do that is by becoming strong enough to prevent any of this from happening again" Naruto said.

"You know what kid, I think I like you. But first lets head back to the land of fire, I have tell an old man that I resign" Jiraiya said.

**End Chapter!**


	3. The Retirement of the Toad Sage

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 3: The Retirement of the Toad Sage.**

Jiraiya's lessons for Naruto started straight away. While they walked Jiraiya handed Naruto several scrolls and told him to read them.

They were all different types of taijutsu kata's. It was strange to Naruto because it seemed that everything he was would read it would instantly make sense to him like he had known it for year's.

"How are you going with those scrolls there kid?" Jiraiya asked.

"Good, I think I have got the hang of most of these, there far easier than the Academy style they tried to teach me back in Konoha" Naruto answered.

"That's good, we will be stopping for the night in a little while, I want you to show me what you have picked up" Jiraiya said.

"Alright sure thing sensei" Naruto said and he went back to studying the Kata and performing what moves he could while they walked.

Half an hour later they stopped and Jiraiya ran through several hand seals before summoning a giant toad.

"Wow that's amazing! I wonder if I could do that" Naruto said and he started running through the same hand seals as though he had known them all his life.

"Wait Naruto don't you need to sign a contract" Jiraiya yelled but it was too late and Naruto placed both palms on the ground.

There was a huge puff of smoke and Jiraiya was expecting Naruto to be taken to which ever animal he had an affinity for like he did when he was young and tried the same thing. What shocked Jiraiya however was when the smoke cleared Naruto was still there and there was also a Toad that Jiraiya had never seen before. And it had the Rinnegan.

"Yeah I did it, I summoned a toad" Naruto yelled happily.

"You sure did, but how? This isn't one of the Toads of Myobokuzan, I have never seen it before" Jiraiya admitted as he looked at the toad, it seemed ho have lost all expression and the only way you could tell it was even alive was it was breathing.

'_Interesting. Hm I wonder_' "Naruto order the toad to do something?" Jiraiya said.

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"Anything try something simple like jump" Jiraiya suggested.

"Alright. Toad... Jump!" Naruto ordered.

The moment Naruto thought the order the toad started jumping in one spot. "I think it responds to my thoughts. Here watch this" Naruto said confidently. '_Stop and turn around_' he thought.

The toad complied without questioning. "Amazing, but can it do complex tasks, ask it to go collect water we can use for our camp" Jiraiya said.

"Uh sure thing sensei" Naruto replied.

'Go collect, enough water for the two of us to use tonight' Naruto ordered.

Without showing any signs of understanding or confusion the Toad left. When it came back it looked like it was swollen with water and just sat there.

"I guess it works but he didn't have anything to fill with water. I want you to dispel it by ordering it to leave then try and summon something else, anything will do" Jiraiya ordered.

Naruto complied and the toad dispelled and this time Naruto summoned a large two headed dog.

"So you can summon what ever animal you think of. What an amazing ability, you would be able to always summon the best animal for a certain role. I had no idea the Rinnegan could do this. I knew it had the ability to process information at an incredible rate and granted the user with the ability to use all five forms of nature transformation. But this is something else, what other secrets do those eyes hold?" Jiraiya said to himself mostly but Naruto could easily hear him.

"Well as awesome as this is you were supposed to be teaching me, I want to show you all the taijutsu styles I have been able to pick up" Naruto said eagerly.

Needless to say Jiraiya was impressed, but it just reinforced what he had seen before with Nagato. There was just something about the Rinnegan that aided in learning jutsu.

After Naruto ran effortlessly through the Kata, he paused as if in deep thought. "Um sensei, you said these eyes were really rare right?" Naruto asked.

"The rarest Dojutsu there is why do you ask?" Jiraiya replied.

"Well it's just that, while most people may not know what they are, some people are bound to, and I really don't want people to think I am special just because I have these eye's, is there anyway to hide them?" Naruto asked.

"Hm good question, I know that a simple Henge wont work, the

other person who had those eyes had the same problem. But I think I may know of someone who can help you out, her henge is a bit special, however I don't know how helpful she will be. I wouldn't worry to much about your eye's though, nobody will recognize them, most people just think that the Sage of Six Paths and the Rinnegan are just a myth, so they will just think you have strange purple eyes. And with me around nobody is going to try anything, because if they do by some chance know that you do indeed have the Rinnegan, they will almost certainly know who I am and know not to mess with the Almighty Toad Sage" Jiraiya said.

"hm alright, uh sensei I do have one more question, did these eye's give the other person with them a second chakra source? Because I can feel one inside of me" Naruto asked.

"You can feel it? Tell me what does this second chakra feel like?" Jiraiya asked.

'_If he can feel the Kyuubi's chakra that mean's I can't keep the fact that he is a jinchuuriki a secret, I will have to tell him_' Jiraiya thought while he waited for Naruto's answer.

"Well, while my normal chakra seems to flow and is calm, this other chakra is wild and uncontrollable, it almost feels evil. What's more it seems to be coming from my stomach and nowhere else" Naruto explained.

"Well I guess I better tell you then" Jiraiya sighed.

"Tell me what?" Naruto asked.

"What do you know about the night that the Kyuubi attacked almost nine years ago?" Jiraiya said deciding to see what the child knew and then fill in the blanks and correct the lies.

"Well I know that the Yondaime Hokage gave his life to kill the Kyuubi and save the village" Naruto answered.

"Well that is not exactly true, you see a Bijuu is not really alive, so it can not be killed" Jiraiya said.

"How can the Kyuubi not be alive?" Naruto asked.

"Well you see a Bijuu is a massive ball of chakra given a consciousness. Why the Kyuubi takes the form of a fox, I could not say. Anyway the Yondaime Hokage could not kill the Kyuubi, so he did the next best thing. He sealed it away where it could not hurt anyone" Jiraiya said.

"No... It cant be, tell me your lying!" Naruto yelled, but the more he tried to deny it, the more it made sense, all the hate filled glares, nobody allowing him to enter there shops, being kicked out of the orphanage at the only four years old.

"Naruto calm down, you are not the fox, you are Naruto Uzumaki, you said it yourself you have two chakra's, one that is yours that is calm and one that is wild and uncontrollable, I think you will find that would be the Kyuubi's. And if you don't believe me take off your shirt and channel some chakra through to your feet" Jiraiya explained.

Naruto nodded and did as Jiraiya said. Channeling some chakra to his feet the blond looked down and sure enough a large seal appeared on his stomach.

"That is the Eight Trigrams seal that was used to seal the Kyuubi away. Kyuubi lives inside of you, and in time I will help you control it" Jiraiya said.

"But why did they choose me? Did my parents just give me up as a sacrifice?" Naruto asked still distraught.

"Your parents would never have done that, I cant tell you how I know, but just believe me please" Jiraiya said.

"Alright sensei, but you have to teach me something awesome to make up for it" Naruto said.

"Alright, how about I teach you how to climb trees without using your hands" Jiraiya said, knowing that even mundane everyday ninja tasks would be impressive for an eight year old, even if that eight year old did hold two of the greatest powers the ninja world has ever known.

"That sounds awesome, I will have this down in no time" Naruto said and eagerly awaited Jiraiya to show him what to do.

Just like with the summoning and taijutsu kata, Naruto picked up tree walking in very little time.

'_Amazing, it seems the Rinnegan grants the wielder greatly improved chakra control, I have never seen anyone pick up this stuff so easily_' Jiraiya thought as he watched Naruto run up and down a tree like it was nothing.

"Ok Naruto that is enough for today" Jiraiya said

"Aw I wanted to see how long I could keep it up" Naruto replied.

"No, you will need your strength for the trip tomorrow, we need to get to Konoha by night fall" Jiraiya said.

"Why night fall?" Naruto asked.

"Because we don't want anyone to recognize you, if they find you, they will probably try and force you to return to Konoha for good, and once they recognize those eyes of yours they will be even more protective of you, and there will be people who will stop at nothing to turn you into a weapon for the village" Jiraiya said.

"I don't get it, aren't you a Konoha shinobi?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah I am, and I love Konoha, it will always be my home, but I don't like what they have done to you, and if they find you I am sure you will be even more isolated and lonely than before" Jiraiya said.

"That would be difficult, I never had any friends when I lived in Konoha, everyone just avoided me and the sensei's at the academy were really mean, even the children in the academy treated me badly always laughing at me because I was the dead last" Naruto said clearly downhearted.

"Dead last huh? Well don't worry about that, with me as your sensei you will become a greater shinobi than any of them could ever dream of" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah I have already have been able to learn more with you as my sensei than I did all year in the academy" Naruto said.

"Well that just goes to show how great of a teacher I am" Jiraiya said pompously.

'_It also show's just how useful a tool those eyes of yours are, they may not copy jutsu like the sharingan, but they seem to aid in learning almost as much_' Jiraiya thought as he set up a camp for himself and Naruto.

The following day was rather uneventful, Jiraiya and Naruto sped across the county side as quietly as possible avoiding the roads so as not to been seen by shinobi that may be looking for either Jiraiya or the young blond.

It was just on the verge of darkness when Naruto and Jiraiya made it to the outskirts of the village. The hokage monument was bathed in the burnt orange glow of the dying sunlight as the lights of the village began to flicker on.

"Ok kid, time for a quick lesson, I want you to channel chakra into your eyes and tell me what you see" Jiraiya said stopping Naruto from moving any further forward towards the village.

"Um okay sensei!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

Much to Naruto's surprise a large barrier appeared that surrounded the village. "Whoa, what is that!" Naruto asked his eyes widening in awe of the large barrier.

"That is one of Konoha's key defenses that keep any unwanted people from entering the village without raising an alarm, the moment we cross that barrier a team of Anbu will know about it and inform the village rapid response teams, who will come and investigate weather we are a threat or not" Jiraiya informed his young charge.

"But I thought you wanted to get in and out without anyone knowing about it" Naruto said confused as to how they were going to continue.

"Right you are, that is why I am going to disable the seal for us to enter undercover" Jiraiya said.

"But wont they know something is wrong if the seal goes down in this area?" Naruto questioned.

"No because the only people who know how to disrupt this seal, are the top Anbu captains of the village, the Hokage and myself. However if I really wanted I could enter undetected without the need to disrupt the seal, but then again I am a spy master" Jiraiya explained.

Jiraiya then went up to the large barrier and after performing several hand seals, Naruto saw the barrier fade back away from a small area around where Jiraiya was. "Come on, we don't have all day, this barrier will close in a minute" Jiraiya informed the blond who hurriedly followed after his new sensei.

As Naruto followed Jiraiya though the village he was amazed that the man could know the perfect way around without ever being seen. "Do you have anything you want to get from your home kid?" Jiraiya asked as they slid out from a back alley into an abandoned street.

"Just some clothes, but I most of them are not appropriate for a ninja to wear" Naruto confessed.

"Well, I don't think that matters, at least until we get away from the Land of Fire, you at least need s change of clothes, those are getting kinda rank if you ask me" Jiraiya said.

"Actually now that I think about it, I have gone though a growth spurt in the past six months that I have been away from Konoha, I doubt any of my clothes will fit anymore" Naruto sighed.

"Oh well, looks like we will just have to get you something to wear later, there are a few stores outside of Konoha that sell ninja gear in the Land of Fire, although it wont be of the high quality that you can get here" Jiraiya said.

"It wont matter, I was never allowed into any of the good stores in the village anyway, they always kicked me out, all I could ever get was these bright orange jumpsuits or I had to wear civilian clothes" Naruto explained.

"Is that so. I knew you would have had it bad being a jinchuuriki and all, but this is far worse than I imagined. To not even let you buy proper equipment" Jiraiya said shaking his head.

"Well is there any place you used to go to be alone that nobody would think to look? I just don't think it would be a good idea for you to come with me to see the Hokage, I don't think the old man is going to be happy when he finds out that I am leaving and wont be reporting back in for awhile, and no doubt if he finds you with me he will want you to stay in the village" Jiraiya said.

"Well I was kinda hoping to see Jiji again, but I guess there is a park that I like that people rarely go to, mostly because I like it" Naruto said.

"How close is it to where we are here?" Jiraiya asked.

"Real close, only about two blocks away" Naruto informed the toad sage.

"Perfect, I will drop you off there then go to see the old man" Jiraiya said.

"Alright, um sensei, can you tell the old man something for me?" Naruto asked.

"I guess so, what is it?" Jiraiya replied.

"Tell him that the person that kidnapped me from the village was one of those weird people with the white eyes, Kou I think his name was. Oh and tell him I said thank you for keeping me as safe as he could while I grew up here, and that I would never forget that" Naruto said showing a maturity that was far past his years.

"I guess I could pass on that message, but that would mean basically telling the old man I know where you are, that might make for a difficult exit to the village, but hey it might be fun" Jiraiya said with a warm smile.

Cutting through several back streets the pair soon arrived at the abandoned park, there wasn't even any lights to light the area which Jiraiya thought was perfect for the job they needed doing. "Alright kid, I will be back before you know it, just try and not draw attention to yourself, and if anyone asks do not let them know who you are" Jiraiya said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

'_Aw man, I really wanna learn how to do that_' Naruto thought as he marveled at the place his sensei had just vanished from.

(**Hokage Tower**)

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not having the best of time's, his paper work was piling up and there seemed to be growing unrest in the Uchiha clan. To top it all off, all attempts at finding his spy master had failed.

"You look like you have seen better day's sensei" Jiraiya said from behind the hokage causing several Anbu to appear out of nowhere and take up defensive positions around the old Hokage.

"Jiraiya-kun! I have been looking everywhere for you" Hiruzen said, signaling for his Anbu to leave them to speak in private.

"I know, your trackers are a pain to continuously avoid" Jiraiya said.

"Why were you avoiding them?" the Sandaime asked.

"Well, if they found me so would have Orochimaru, who was watching there every move, I needed to stay out of sight so he wouldn't know that I was following him" Jiraiya said.

"I see, and what of Orochimaru? What is my old student up to now, no good I presume" Hiruzen asked.

"Orochimaru has joined the mercenary group known as the Akatsuki, all I know about them is they are a group comprising of S ranked missing ninja and are growing, I ran into some of there handy work when I was in the Land of Earth last. The Tsuchikage hired the group to take out a small hidden village that was attempting to form inside the country, they didn't leave anyone alive" Jiraiya explained.

"I see, an organization for missing ninja, do you know anything of there final goals? Do they plan to start there own village, a safe haven for criminals?" the aged Hokage questioned.

"I couldn't say, all I know is that nothing Orochimaru get's involved with is ever completely clean. Well now that is out of the way I have a question to ask you" Jiraiya said changing his tone of voice from friendly to deadly serious.

"Uh yes, and what might that be?" Hiruzen questioned.

"How could you loose Naruto! I think I made it clear that he was supposed to be cared for and protected!" Jiraiya said angrily.

"He was, I had one of my most loyal Anbu watching him, but the attacker knew when to strike, I believe but can't prove that he was working with a member of the Uchiha clan who knew that Itachi would be Naruto's only guard on the night he was taken" the Sarutobi said.

"You think that's enough, do you have any idea where he could be right now! Think of what would happen if Iwa got a hold of him, not only is he Minato's son, but also the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, Iwa would see this as the perfect opportunity to crush Konoha!. And what about Kumo, they would turn him into there own personal weapon. Have you even tried to get him back!" Jiraiya yelled.

"That's enough! Do not think for one second that I don't care about what happened to Naruto-kun. As we speak Kakashi Hatake is still out looking for him!" the old Hokage roared in retaliation to Jiraiya's accusation, a shadow of the old 'god of shinobi' shining through as the power and presence of the Hokage filled the room.

"And what? Bring him back to a village that clearly doesn't want him, to a life of loneliness and isolation where after this event he will never be allowed out of the counsels sight, I can already see those old team members of yours whining to turn the kid into a mindless killing machine for the villages use. That is something I will not allow!" Jiraiya yelled back.

"What are you saying Jiraiya?" Hiruzen said stunned by his old pupils words.

"I'm saying that I found him, but he will not be returning to this village, nor will I have him become a ninja of this village" Jiraiya said.

"What are you saying, his father gave his life to preserve the balance between the villages, and you are going to tear it all apart just on a whim?" Hiruzen asked.

"Minato also wanted his son to be seen as a hero, that was never honored was it! When I met the boy he had been adopted by a family in the Land of Forest's, but they had just been killed by Kumo ninja, from what the boy told me they were the first people other than yourself and a father and daughter that run a ramen store that had ever treated Naruto with any kindness, he felt more at home in the six months outside of the village than he ever did when he lived here! This is not the Konoha I love, the Konoha I fight for and work for. The population of this village is spitting on the memory of Minato with the way they treated his son and I will not stand for it any longer. So I came here to tell you that I quit! I will not be working with Konoha, at least not until the kid is old enough to fend for himself. I will see that he becomes a ninja that will have the ability to change the world" Jiraiya stated.

"You Quit? Please be reasonable about this jiraiya-kun, I already have Tsunade who refuses to return to the village, we cant afford to loose you as well, and we need your spy network to keep us ahead of any possible attacks on the village" Hiruzen said almost pleadingly.

"Don't get me wrong sensei, I will still help Konoha at any chance I get and will send on any vital information I might receive, but I will not be taking on any missions, or answering any summons until I feel the village has paid for what it has done to my godson" Jiraiya said.

"Very well, if there is no way to avoid this then I guess I have to accept, and I am pleased to hear that Naruto-kun is safe. Tell me did he say who it was that kidnapped him?" Hiruzen asked.

"As a matter of fact he did, he said it was a member of the Hyuuga clan, Kou or something like that. So I don't think he would be working with the Uchiha clan, they have never been on the best of terms with the Hyuuga after all" Jiraiya said.

"I see thank you for this information, I can promise you the perpetrator will be harshly punished. Did Naruto-kun say anything else?" the aged Hokage said.

"Yeah, he asked me to tell you thank you for keeping him as safe as you could while he lived here and he would never forget that... Anyway I think it is time I was leaving, till next time sensei" Jiraiya said and with one final wave dissolved into the wooden wall completely out of sight.

(**With Naruto**)

Naruto turned around after a while of staring at the area that Jiraiya had just shunshined away from and began to look around.

'_I wonder how long he is going to be, this place might be empty but it sure can be creepy at night_' Naruto thought as he looked around squinting to see in the dark.

Still having a hard time seeing Naruto decided to try something in an attempt to aid his sight, and channeled some chakra into his eyes. The effects were instantaneous. While there was no night vision, they did allow his eyes to focus and become adjusted to what little natural light there was.

'_Well, that's not as cool as being able to see the massive barrier or being able to summon any animal I want but it is still kinda useful. But now that I think about it I would say most eyes could do this if they channeled chakra into them_' Naruto theorized.

It was at that moment Naruto's senses were bombarded again, although not by a sight, this time it was a sound, the unmistakable sound of a girl crying. '_What is that? Maybe I should check it out. But sensei told me not to draw attention to myself and try to avoid being seen, oh what do I do!_' Naruto thought as he was fighting an internal struggle to decide weather or not he should investigate.

In the end Naruto's curiosity got the better of him and he slowly approached the area that the sound was coming from. Hiding in a nearby tree Naruto peered out to see a young girl with short hair crying under a different tree. '_I cant approach her, she doesn't look in any danger so I should just go_' Naruto thought and began to back away keeping himself well hidden from view. Unfortunately he stepped on a weak branch that snapped under his feat and he almost fell from the tree. 'Shit she will know someone is here for sure, I need to make sure I don't move at all for awhile' Naruto thought as he deliberately froze in place.

The young girl had noticed the branch break from the tree and knew right away that there was someone watching her. "Who's there!' she stammered seeming almost scared that she was caught.

Naruto didn't reply he just remained a still and silent as humanly possible.

"Come out, I k-kn-ow that you're out there" the young girl stammered again shakily.

Once more Naruto refused to reply and closed his eyes as if to beg for the young girl to drop her investigations.

He had no such luck. "Very well, if you wont come out, then I guess I will just have to f-f-find you my-myself... Byakugan!" she said.

'_What did she just do? Can she sense people? Was that a jutsu?_' Naruto thought frantically while still not moving.

"I can see you in the tree. Wait! Na-na-na- Naruto k-k-kun! Is that y-y-you" the girl stammered worse than ever.

'_Fuck!, not only seen, but recognized, I guess I have to go talk to her and tell her that I am not me_' Naruto thought before dropping from the tree.

"Uh hi, I think you have me mistaken for someone else" Naruto said although as convincingly as he could muster.

"No you are Naruto-kun I am sure of it, I know what your chakra looks like!" the young Hyuuga said and even in the moonlight it was clear she was going red.

"You know what my chakra looks like? What does that mean?" Naruto asked completely shocked.

"Well, you have several points of red chakra on your stomach that I have only ever seen on Naruto-kun so you must be him, beside you look just like him so you are not fooling me!" the Hyuuga continued getting even redder at what seemed like disbelief that she had just said that to Naruto.

"Well I guess I cant hide it now. Your Hinata Hyuuga from the academy aren't you?" Naruto asked hoping to get the conversation off of him.

This time Hinata's nerve seemed to have left her and she was only able to nod. But then something new about Naruto's appearance caught her eye, not the fact that he was almost a head taller than the last time she saw him on the day of his abduction, or the muscle tone he put on, although she had noticed these things, no she had only just realized that his usual blue eyes were gone, she hadn't noticed before, the light had been to bad to make out any detail of color, but the flicker of a streetlight made the changes glaringly obvious.

"Your eye's... what happened!" Hinata blurted out uncontrollably, she couldn't help herself she knew this was Naruto, of that she was certain, his voice his chakra everything was Naruto. But these eyes were not the warm inviting blue that she remembered the cold metallic purple of the Rinnegan shocked the young Hyuuga Heiress.

"Ah I sorta underwent a change, and I guess my eyes changed color" Naruto said offhandedly trying to make the new appearance nothing special.

"Is that why you haven't been at the academy in months? Will you be returning now?" Hinata asked hopefully.

"No I was kidnapped from the village and I am only back now because my sensei is here to see Jiji Hokage" Naruto said.

"So you are leaving again? When will you be back?" Hinata asked Sadly.

"I don't know, in truth I don't know if I will ever come back, this place holds quite a few bad memory's for me" Naruto answered.

"But why? isn't Konoha your home!" the young Hyuuga asked.

"It was, but not anymore. I want to make a new life and I met someone who has promised to help me and train me to be a great shinobi" Naruto said.

"But what about everyone at the academy, and your friends?" Hinata asked.

"You have seen me at the academy, the person who is remotely friendly towards me is Shikamaru. During my time out of the village I made a friend he became like a brother to me, but he died and I promised myself I would become strong and never let that happen to anyone I cared for ever again, and with my new sensei I believe I can make that dream come true" Naruto said remembering all the things Jiraiya had taught him in such a short space of time.

"I will miss you, your confidence when you were at the academy inspired me to try and show that I can improve despite my family calling me a failure. You always kept trying no matter how many times you failed. I know it doesn't mean much, but thank you and good luck" Hinata said still blushing like mad.

"Heh.. thanks, I really didn't think anyone had noticed me at all. It's a good feeling to have someone say that. So I wish you luck and if you keep trying I have no doubt you will show your family that you are not a failure. Oh and before I go, please promise me you will not tell anyone that you saw me, the fact that I am here is supposed to be a secret so it would mean a lot if you kept this little chat to yourself" Naruto said.

"O-Okay, I promise Naruto-kun... I will n-never t-t-tell anyone" Hinata promised. It was at that moment Jiraiya arrived landing on a tree branch behind the blond.

"Hey gaki I thought I told you not to be seen or talk to anyone" Jiraiya said but he did not seem to be angry.

"Uh sorry sensei, I was kinda caught hiding" Naruto admitted.

"Well I guess it is kinda hard to hide from a Hyuuga, and I am sure even more difficult to hide from the heir of the clan" Jiraiya said.

"I'm sorry, I promise not to tell anyone I saw either of you" Hinata said with a respectful bow.

"That would be really helpful, we gotta get out of here kid, the old man probably wont leave us alone for too long, and once his advisers find out about it, well let's just say it would be better if we were outside of the Land of Fire by the time that happens" Jiraiya said.

"Okay sensei, let's go. Goodbye Hinata" Naruto said and with one final wave Naruto was gone. And it would be the last the village hidden in the leaves, saw or heard of the young jinchuuriki for quite some time.

**End Chapter!**

**In case you were wondering, or were put off by the apparent NaruHina pairing, I have not yet decided on what the pairing would be and in truth I would welcome suggestions, but I do not plan on making this a Harem and if I do it would be a very small one. Also as i have already used Yugito as a main pairing in my main story she is out as well.**


	4. Itachi Uchiha

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 4: Itachi Uchiha**

It had been one and a half years since Jiraiya had left the village along with Naruto. And while things on the surface seemed to be fine, the village was actually in complete turmoil. Hiruzen's most trusted Anbu commander had retired from Anbu and just become a everyday Jounin, and much to the ire of the aged Hokage, said former Anbu captain Kakashi Hatake had become even less reliable to show up on time than ever before.

That was however the least of Hiruzen Sarutobi's troubles however. Over the last few years relations between the Uchiha clan and the rest of the village had deteriorated, Konoha was on the verge of civil war and negotiations were going nowhere. Hiruzen knew that he had to act before it was too late but the only option that was left to him seemed far too extreme. Unfortunately the longer the talks went on while going nowhere the more obvious it became that they would have to go through with the plan that was put forward by his long time rival and adviser Shimura Danzo. His solution was to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan before they caused any lasting damage to the village. The Hokage had at fist completely dismissed the idea as impossible and refused to even consider it, however his agent he had inside the clan spying on them only brought grave news.

Itachi Uchiha loved his family, but he loved Konoha even more, his loyalty lay not with his father and the Uchiha clan like they believed but with the Hokage. So when talk of a coup de-tat intensified Itachi went straight to the Hokage.

Arriving at the Hokage's door Itachi knocked twice, and entered soon after receiving the call to enter from his leader.

"Ah Itachi-kun, please tell me you have some good news for me?" the Hokage said hopefully.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but no I don't, my family are more determined than ever, I can see no way of this ending without blood shed. I have to throw my support behind Danzo's plan" Itachi said solemnly.

"You know what that would mean don't you?" Hiruzen asked sadness soaked his voice.

"Yes I am aware of what will happen, I will take on the task myself, I cannot let the burden fall to anyone else. But there are those within the clan that still love Konoha as it is, my friend Shisui for one" Itachi said.

"I am aware of this, it is why I am so opposed to the idea, we can't let there be a single strand to trace this back to the Hokage's office otherwise it will have the same effect as the coup de-tat and the village will fall into a civil war with all of the clans looking for power regardless. If they think we simply wiped out the clan because I thought they were becoming too powerful or simply a pain in the ass, the others will rebel in fear that they might be next" Hiruzen explained.

"So in other words they all have to die" Itachi surmised.

"As much as I hate to say it, if we do go through with this then yes, they must all die, and we can play you off as being away from the clan on the night and thus the sole survivor" Hiruzen said.

"What if I took the blame, but left someone else alive, I could leave the village and become a missing ninja" Itachi said as a thought crossed his mind.

"But Itachi-kun that is insane, you will be hunted by bounty hunters and Hunter Nin from all over the world and even Konoha, you would be damming yourself to a life on the run and I wouldn't even be able to help you any more than giving you a head start!" the Hokage said in shock.

"I know, but I don't care, it is the only way I can live with what I will have to do" Itachi said.

"Very well, who is it that you want to save?" Hiruzen asked.

"My little brother Sasuke, he is innocent and I cant bring myself to kill him, he means too much to me" Itachi replied.

"I see, well then I accept your plan, you may go about executing it in any way you see fit, but I have one last thing I can offer you. Find my apprentice Jiraiya, he is traveling with someone you know quite well. When you find him give him this message, he will be able to keep you far safer than if you were alone, he is not currently registered as a shinobi of Konoha, so helping you will not constitute treason" the old Sarutobi explained.

"That is a very good idea Hokage-sama, I believe I will take you up on that offer" Itachi said taking the letter from Hiruzen with a bow.

"Oh and Itachi one last thing" the Hokage said stopping the young Uchiha before he could leave.

"Yes Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked.

"Good luck, and I am so sorry" the Hokage replied.

"Thank you Hiruzen-sama" Itachi said before slipping out of the room like he was never even there.

'_Kami I am getting too old for this, and the only two people who I would even consider to take up the role of Hokage will not return to the village, Oh Tsunade-Hime cant you see you are perfect for this job, if only you didn't blame the village or the position of Hokage for your terrible loss_' Hiruzen thought as he picked up his pipe from the desk and lit up.

(**Academy**)

Life at the Academy had not changed, the class still seemed to have a dobe, a role which had been passed onto Shikamaru after Naruto had left, and the top of the class which had always been one Sasuke Uchiha. The only real change in the past year had been the emergence of Hinata Hyuuga as the top ranked kunoichi who excelled at almost every level and was only beaten by Sasuke in the kunai and shuriken skills. And taijutsu. And Sakura Haruno in the theory.

In fact the class had moved on so smoothly that they had all forgotten about the blond haired whisker marked trouble maker that used to terrorize the village and class room with his antics at any chance he got.

"Very good class, as you know it is customary to allow a young ninja or kunoichi to attempt the graduation exams once they reach the age of ten, as most of you have made it to that age now I would like to ask if any of you would like to attempt the exams in a little over a weeks time?" the head teacher Iruka asked the class.

Several cocky looking children from civilian families who had parents on the civilian counsel raised there hand and went to collect a form.

"Is that all, I would have thought you would be attempting the exam Sasuke, and you too Hinata, you both have enough skill to pass the exam" Iruka said.

"No my brother said that the best way to be prepared and get stronger is to stay in the academy and learn as much as I can to make sure that I am ready for what I might face in the real world, I could graduate now, but I might hold my team back and that could get us all killed" Sasuke said.

"Um... I too do not wish to take the exam for similar reasons" Hinata said in her typical shy fashion.

"Very well, and Sasuke that is a very mature way to look at things, make sure you listen to your bother in the future, he is after all the biggest genius to come out of Konoha since the Yondaime Hokage and the Sannin" Iruka said.

"Yeah, but one day I am going to become even greater than he is, I might not do it right away, because he is really strong, but you just wait, they will be calling me the genius of the Uchiha clan in no time at all!" Sasuke said confidently. Causing a large section of the girls in the class to swoon over the Uchiha.

"Well if you work hard enough I have no doubt that you will. And working hard here is the best place to start. That is a lesson for all of you, you need to work hard for your dreams to come true" Iruka said.

"Working hard is just too troublesome" Shikamaru mumbled before snoring, indicating that he was asleep the whole time.

"I'm Sorry Shikamaru, Next Time I will Say People Who Don't Dream About Sleeping All Day And Watching Clouds, Need To Work Hard!" Iruka yelled using his Big Head Jutsu successfully waking the sleeping Nara.

"Troublesome" was all Shikamaru said in response before laying his head back onto the desk.

(**Land of Swamps**)

Naruto was standing in a battle ready stance waiting for an attack he knew could come at any moment or from any direction. Finally he heard the yell of a jutsu. "Doton: Earth Dragon Bullet!" came a voice from seemingly all around Naruto and he quickly saw to his let a large dragon head made of mud was opening it's mouth before firing a large chunk of mud at the young blond.

"Raiton: Electromagnetic Murder" Naruto yelled sending what looked like a massive web of lightening rushing forward annihilating the mud dragon.

"Katon: Flame Bullet" the voice yelled again.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto yelled and the flames seemed to die out.

"I thought I told you not to use that in this exercise, you are supposed to be countering my moves with the correct nature manipulation, using your gravity is cheating" the voice said, and Jiraiya seemed to rise up from the swamp completely clean.

"Sorry sensei, I still don't have the hang of Suiton completely. I can use it alright but I was unsure of what jutsu to use and then I sorta panicked" Naruto admitted lowering his head.

"That's alright, after all that is what this exercise is for, if you can fight without using any of your special powers gifted to you by those eyes of yours other than the basic elemental manipulation and increased chakra control when you get into a real fight you will be that much stronger" Jiraiya said.

"Yes sensei I understand. I think I need to practice the Suiton jutsu you gave me more though" Naruto admitted.

"Well we can get to work later, lets find a place to rest" the old toad sage suggested and beckoned Naruto to follow him.

"Why are we in the land of swamps anyway sensei, it stinks here" Naruto complained.

"I'm following someone, and I don't want them to get away" Jiraiya said.

"You mean that weird pale old teammate of yours that you had me hide from?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, and the last thing we need is for him to get a glimpse of those eyes of yours, there is no telling what he would do if he figured out what they were" Jiraiya said.

"I still don't understand why we are following him, every time you get close enough to have an encounter nothing happens. I mean you don't fight him and you don't like him, so what's the point?" Naruto asked.

"I am doing this for my sensei, the Hokage, Orochimaru and I used to be his students and now he is a traitor to Konoha so I am keeping tab's on him. Also it is best that we keep on the move. We don't want to run into any leaf shinobi and have them recognize you after all" Jiraiya said.

"Fine let's just keep going, the sooner we get out of this swamp the better" Naruto mumbled.

(**Konoha, Morning Before the Uchiha Massacre**)

several disappearances had occurred in the past few day's, first of all Shisui Uchiha and then after that several key members of the Uchiha clan all vanished mysteriously. To the clan head Fugaku Uchiha and father to Itachi and Sasuke thought it may have something to do with the Hokage suspecting something and therefore taking out his top men.

Itachi walked into the kitchen in the morning with his Anbu mask all ready for the task that lay ahead of him.

"Itachi, can you help me with my Katon jutsu after class today?" Sasuke asked eagerly when he saw Itachi enter the room.

"I'm sorry little brother, I wont finish until late, why don't you just practice hard in one of the training grounds, hopefully I can make it there before it gets too dark" Itachi said knowing he would never be able to show up.

"Hmph you are supposed to be an Uchiha, you should be helping your brother not playing the role of a pawn for that old fool Hiruzen" Fugaku said.

"Fool or not, it is my job father, Sasuke should use this as a chance to work hard to learn what he needs" Itachi said.

"I don't know where you went wrong boy, such a talented member of this clan and you cling to these pathetic ideals, you will see, when we run this village us Uchiha will be given the respect we deserve" Fugaku stated arrogantly.

"Respect is earned father, every member of this village earns there own respect it is not somehting that can be forced" Itachi said.

"You wont change will you... Come Sasuke, after breakfast I will help you with your ninja skill's, you can still be a ninja this clan can be proud of" Fugaku said as he watched Itachi leave and gave a smirk when he saw the young Anbu pause indicating that he heard what his father had said.

The day of work passed uneventfully for Itachi and just as the sun was setting he knew he needed to act, but first he wanted to make sure Sasuke was out of the way.

Itachi found his younger brother walking home. 'I_ need more time, I will have to use a genjutsu to get him to take the long way home_' Itachi thought, and from the shadows activated his sharingan.

Sasuke seemed to instantly change direction and walk away from the Uchiha compound.

'That should do it. I will have about an hour, that should be enough I will just have to be stealthy' Itachi thought as he jumped away and ran over roof tops up to the edge of the Uchiha compound.

His first target were the guards who watched for anything suspicious. He waited until they were alone and out of sight before making his move, a shadow clone would take out one while he took out the other both using the guards own weapons.

After that he knew he had already killed most of the higher ranking Uchiha ninja, the last one left was his father, and that kill would have to wait until last.

"Hello" came a voice from behind Itachi.

"What tha? Who are you?" Itachi asked.

"Oh I am no body that is overly important, I just came to offer you my help, I know what you are planning after all" the man who wore an orange spiral mask said.

"You got behind me with out me ever sensing you... you are indeed skilled, but why would you want to help me if you know what I am doing?" Itachi said.

"Well let's just say, Konoha was not the first thing that this clan has betrayed" the masked man said taking off his mas and activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan!, who are you?" Itachi said not believing his eyes and activating his own set of upgraded sharingan.

"It seems I am not the only one with these eye's, you could be useful to me, why not join me after we take out this clan" the man asked.

"As tempting as that may be, I have some place I need to go and information I need to deliver to someone so I am going to turn your offer down I'm afraid" Itachi said.

"Oh very well, but word of advice, keep at least one Uchiha alive, you may need their eyes later, the Mangekyo Sharingan has the downside of blinding it's users, but after you get a new set of eyes, it will never be a problem again" the masked man said.

"The only person who could know something like that is... Madara!" Itachi said in shocked realization.

"Well I might be him, then again I may not, I guess you will never know. Now are you going to sit around all day, or are we going to pass judgment on this traitorous clan" the masked man said and warped away in a spiral of rippling air.

Itachi was certainly confused but when he heard the a scream that seemed to die away he knew that the slaughter had already begun, and either way the Uchiha clan would be all but wiped out that night.

Elsewhere in the village the genjutsu that Itachi had placed on his younger brother had just worn off and Sasuke seemed to come to his senses not knowing why he was currently walking down the main street of the village now quite a long way from his clan compound. "Oh man, I'm so late, Mother and father will probably be wondering where I am, I need to get home" Sasuke said out loud and turned around before running as fast as he could towards the Uchiha sector.

It had taken quite awhile but once the young Uchiha saw the Konoha police department he knew he was getting close to home. The large entrance to the Uchiha compound came into view and the fan symbol of the Uchiha clan became visible Sasuke stopped running not wanting to look like he was worried in front of the guards. But then Sasuke noticed something odd. The guards were not at their post and the compound was silent.

'That's weird, was their a clan meeting or something?' Sasuke thought as he entered the compound only to realize that all the lights were out. And only the light of the full moon shone down to reveal several large lumps in the middle of the road.

Sasuke was intrigued and went to investigate what they were, but in the end to his horror he saw the dead body of a member of the Uchiha clan, he checked another this time it was a kunoichi that worked in the police department.

Now that Sasuke's eyes were getting accustomed to the dark he could see what was surrounding him everywhere he looked more dead bodies, most looked like they had been killed by a blade, but some seemed to have been burned to a crisp by a Katon jutsu.

"Wha...What's going on?" Sasuke thought out loud as he ran through the streets towards his hom only to find more and more bodies lying on the ground dead. Finally the young Uchiha came to his house and this time he finally saw a living Uchiha, the calm, cool and collected face of his brother appeared from the house.

"Hello Sasuke" Itachi said flatly with no warmth in his voice at all.

"Itachi... what happened here!" Sasuke said with tears forming in his eye's.

"I will show you..." Itachi said and his eyes morphed into a three pointed pinwheel and began to spin. "Tsukuyomi" Itachi said and Sasuke's world faded and he soon found himself watching a horrifying scene of Itachi killing his mother and father and then he saw him cut through the rest of the clan.

Sasuke's world returned to normal but he simply collapsed onto his knees as though he too had been fatally wounded. "Why?" Sasuke cried, tears now flowing uncontrollably down his face.

"Oh it's simple really. I wanted to test myself, to become stronger, and I wanted to gain more power. All that is left is you, although now that I see you, I see no purpose in killing you, you are too weak, so grow up and learn to hate me, and then one day when you have eyes like mine come and find me, maybe then you will be worth my time" Itachi said and he turned around just as a tear fell from his eyes that he hoped Sasuke did not see.

'_I need to get out of the village, Hokage-sama said he could buy me some time, but that doesn't mean I can take my time. And besides I have to go find Jiraiya-sama and give him this letter_' Itachi thought and jumped up in order to leave the village as quickly as possible only pausing for a small moment in order to give one last look at the village that he loved before leaving it forever.

(**Land of Swamp's, Several Day's Later**)

Naruto and Jiraiya were finally leaving the land of swamps after collecting some information on Orochimaru and the Akatsuki.

"Well, looks like we can have some time to relax now kid, where do you want to go?" Jiraiya asked.

"Preferably somewhere that doesn't have massive area's of land that smell like foot" Naruto said covering his nose as they walked through another swamp.

"Yeah, I would say you would prefer some place dry as well. How about we try the land of star's, that place is usually pretty good this time of year" Jiraiya said.

"Sure sound's good. Wait, there is someone watching us, I can feel it" Naruto said.

"Really?" Jiraiya said but decided to trust his young pupil.

"You have quite a skilled student Jiraiya-sama" came a voice from behind a tree and Itachi made his way into view.

"Itachi Uchiha, what do you want, I thought I told the old man I wasn't going back to the village and I am certainly not giving them Naruto!" Jiraiya said.

"Naruto?" Itachi asked confused, then he got a better look at the young man that was standing next to Jiraiya. He had his eyes shut but that didn't matter, the blond hair and the whisker marks gave it away. "That is, Naruto-kun... I thought he had died or had been sold to one of the other villages. But that is not why I am here" Itachi said a hint of shock and relief in his voice.

"If that isn't why you are here then what is?" Jiraiya asked.

"I have a letter from Hokage-sama that should explain everything" Itachi said handing over the letter for Jiraiya to read.

Once Jiraiya had finished with the letter he burned it. "So, you are on the run then. And did any survive?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes just one, my younger brother Sasuke" Itachi answered.

"So, everything went according to plan then" Jiraiya said.

"More or less" Itachi agreed.

"Excuse me, do you want to tell me what is going on?" Naruto said still with his eyes closed.

"Itachi here is going to be joining us for the foreseeable future, I guess that means you can open your eyes" Jiraiya said.

When Itachi saw the ripple patten and metallic purple that Naruto's eyes had become his own eyes widened. He had after all read the ancient tablet hidden under the Uchiha compound. "Impossible... That's that's..."

"The Rinnegan" Jiraiya answered.

"How is it that Naruto-kun has that dojutsu?" Itachi asked.

"I'm not sure, neither of us are. But ever since I saw it I have been training him to use it, he is already a rather gifted ninja if I do say so myself" Jiraiya said.

"I see, I think I might actually enjoy being part of this little group, I would also like to train Naruto-kun, if you would allow it of course" Itachi said.

"Heh why not, I'm sure you understand Dojutsu's far better than I do, but enough of this, lets get a move on, it's wet and smells of mud and dead animals that have been trapped here" Jiraiya said.

"So now I have two sensei's? can you teach me some Suiton jutsu? Jiraiya sensei is horrible at them, and only knows a few" Naruto asked.

"I know a couple, but I am predominantly a Katon type, still I am sure I can help you out" Itachi said and the three ninja left ready to continue their journey.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so I had Itachi join Naruto and Jiraiya instead of the Akatsuki, thought it was a good idea seeing as I don't plan on having Naruto become a Konoha shinobi even if he does befriend them at any stage.**

**Poll up to vote for pairing. choices are Mei, Fem Kyuubi, Kurotsuchi, Fu, Anko, Temari, Samui, or an OC. no chance of Hinata. other choices feel free to make suggestions. **


	5. An Unwelcome Reunion

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5:** **An Unwelcome Reunion**

Two years had passed since the Uchiha massacre, and Sasuke had spent every second of his life that he was not training or in the academy, fantasizing about the day he finally killed Itachi. And today was no exception despite how important the day was. Today was the day he was given his genin team.

Across town in the Hokage tower Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a counsel meeting along with the Ninja who would be acting as the sensei's the following year.

"Now, I think you know why you are all here. We have to decide on the team placement for this years genin. The normal way of choosing team seven which has been so successful in the past providing us with such ninja as my own three pupils, the Yondaime and Kakashi Hatake was to take the top ranked Ninja and Kunoichi along with the bottom of the class. This has been used the past four years but as you know Kakashi Hatake has failed to pass any of the teams he has been given" the Hokage said.

"He, probably just didn't want to do it, I don't know why you would pick such an unreliable ninja to be a sensei, he has become more and more difficult ever since that … that thing left the village" one of the civilian counsel member said who had in the past had run in's with the copy ninja about the treatment of a certain former resident of Konoha.

"Yes and I am sure it is because of people like you that Naruto has left the village and not returned" Kakashi said flatly.

"I wish I could take the credit, I have sent enough money to Kou Hyuuga's family to almost pay for their seals to be removed" the counselor chuckled ignoring the looks of disgust on the faces of the clan heads and the Hokage.

"We are getting off topic, if we are to follow team seven tradition then it will be the team os Sasuke Uchiha, who was the top ranking among the boys and rookie of the year" there was a round of applause from the civilian side of the council room. "Yes thank you. Anyway the top ranking kunoichi was Hinata Hyuuga who finished in third over all behind Sasuke and Shino Aburame. And last in the class was Shikamaru Nara. However, upon looking at young Shikamaru's grades I found something interesting. He only ever answered half the questions and hit the exact amount of points so he would pass and nothing more. I believe him to be far more skilled than he lets on. However that would be team seven. I am sure there will be some objections... there always is after all" Hiruzen sighed.

"Yes Hokage-sama, we requested back when they started the academy that Ino Choji and Shikamaru, were placed in the same team" Inoichi spoke up and his statement was greeted with agreeing nods from Choza and Shikaku.

"Yes I agree that would be a formidable team and it has the balance that we know works, I am inclined to agree, but then who do I fill the final place in team seven with?" Hiruzen asked.

As if on cue a pink haired woman stood up and the ninja councilors readied to block their ears incase she started screeching like she had so many times in the past. "My daughter Sakura should be placed with the Uchiha!" the Pink haired Sakebi Haruno screeched causing the people in her direct vicinity to wince from the pain that their ears had to endure.

"That may actually work, Sakura's ninja skills were the lowest but she scored the highest in terms of book smarts and chakra control which could lead her to becoming a talented support ninja, and with Sasuke being a close to mid range fighter and Hinata being a close range fighter that leads to a balanced team, despite a break from the usual one kunoichi per group rule. The final team will be a hunting and tracking team and will be Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Sai" Hiruzen said.

There were no more objections and the Hokage was able to send the full list of teams to the academy for the head teacher Iruka.

Several hours later, all the teams had left the Academy, well that was all except for team seven. "Gah where is our sensei!" Sakura whined.

"Uh, I am sure there will be a good reason that he is late, they are all supposed to be jounin after all so they are among the top ninja in the village" Hinata said.

Several hours later the silver haired one eyed Copy ninja casually strolled in. "You're late!" Sakura screeched causing Kakashi to wince.

_'I really hoped she would not be like her mother, I guess I cant be that lucky, this might be tough_' "Ugh sorry about that, I got lost on the road of life... anyway, meet me on the roof in five minutes" Kakashi said, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

'_Lost on the road of life? Oh why couldn't I have Kurenai as my jounin sensei_' Hinata thought as she followed after Sasuke and Sakura.

The three fresh genin made it to the roof to find Kakashi casually leaning against the railing. "So, take a seat and tell me a little about yourself, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dream's for the future" the copy ninja said.

"Why don't you go first Kakashi sensei, so we know what to do" Sakura asked.

'_I thought it was a simple question, how could they not know what to do?_' Kakashi thought. "Hm alright here goes, I like things and I dislike things as well, as for my dreams for the future, well I don't feel like telling you" he said.

'_He didn't really tell us anything other than his name_' all three of the young genin thought.

"Okay pinkey you're up" Kakashi said.

"Um alright, my name is Sakura Haruno, I like..." she looked a Sasuke and blushed but said nothing. "I mean the person I like is I like is..." again she did nothing but blush. "as for my dream for the future" again nothing but Sakura blushing redder than ever before.

'_Delusional much_' Kakashi thought struggling not to mock the pink haired kunoichi. "Okay pale eyes you're next" he said.

"U-u-um my name is Hinata Hyuuga, I like cinnamon buns and my hobby is pressing flowers. I dislike crab's and shrimp. As for my dream for the future, I want to bring the two branches of the Hyuuga clan together under one roof as equals, and I need to say thank you to someone who inspired me to prove that I could better myself and that I didn't need to be the weakling looser everyone thought me to be" Hinata said.

"Why is that last part a dream, I mean just go tell them, it's not like that is difficult to do" Sakura said.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at this, Sakura had no right to say anything about another persons dream and even worse when they are supposed to be team members.

"I can't tell him because he doesn't live in the village any more, he left the village to train with a tall man with long white spiky hair!" Hinata said angry that Sakura would say that about her dream. Then she realized she had just broken the promise she made to Naruto and Jiraiya never to tell anyone about seeing them.

'_Long white spiky hair and tall? That could only be Jiraiya-sama, be he left the village for good after he found out about Naruto's disappearance, and he certainly didn't take anyone from the village with him_' Kakashi thought looking for an answer but deciding to drop the issue.

"Okay last of all the brooder, you're up" Kakashi said.

"Hn, I have no real likes, but I don't see that it matters much because I hate lot's of things. I have no dream for the future, what I have is more than that, it is a need a desire, I will rebuild my clan and I need to kill a certain man" Sasuke said darkly.

Hinata was a little taken aback by Sasuke's goals but accepted that was just who he was, while Sakura just seemed to swoon over the 'cool and dark' Uchiha.

'So he wants to kill Itachi huh, well good luck with that kid, he was considered the biggest genius in the Uchiha clan since Madara, as for the group as a whole, I have a fan girl, a shy princess and a brooder with a dangerous goal, I sorta wish I past the team last year now, especially with the counsel on my back to pass this team' Kakashi thought.

"Now that that's done, I want you all to meet me at training ground three tomorrow at seven, oh and don't eat breakfast, you will just throw up" Kakashi said and without further thought disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

(**Land of Hill's**)

Two ninja wearing white hooded cloaks were entering a small town.

"This suck's all we have been doing for the past year is mission after mission, mercenary life is not as fun as I thought it would be" the shorter ninja complained.

"Well Naruto-kun you could always return to Konoha, I am sure the Hokage would welcome you back with open arm's" the taller one said.

"Yeah Jiji might, but everyone else might have a different point of view, you know better than anyone, you used to watch me after all" Naruto said.

"Yes you might be right, it is mostly my fault we have to keep moving, despite how secure some of our hidden bases are we do not want to run into any hunter ninja, I would like to avoid any unnecessary blood shed" the taller of the pair said.

"That's fine Itachi sensei. I don't blame you. Do you know why Jiraiya sensei called us here? I thought he was busy working on one of his horrible book's" Naruto asked taking his hood off to reveal the spiky blond hair that was now shoulder length.

"No I do not know why Jiraiya-sama sent the toad to tell us to meet him here, but I am guessing it is important" Itachi said removing his own hood showing that he no longer kept his hair in a ponytail and instead let he hair fall naturally flat falling about half way down his neck.

"If this is just some call to read a couple of chapters of his book and tell him what we think I will be pissed, we finally get to a visit a tourist destination and he sends us a toad" Naruto whined.

"I'm sure it wont be something that simple" Itachi said.

The two village less ninja walked through the streets of the town looking for the location that Jiraiya said to meet them. It was not surprising that when they found the name of the meeting location that is was a rather questionable tavern where the waitresses seemed to have more fabric on their shoes than the rest of their bodies.

"This must be the place" Naruto sighed as he went to enter.

Unsurprisingly the bouncer stopped Naruto from entering. "Hey Itachi, little help?" Naruto asked.

"With pleasure Naruto-kun" Itachi replied, activating his sharingan cast a genjutsu on the bouncer to allow the pair to enter.

Looking around they saw that this bar was a very dark place, the sort of place that you would go if you didn't want to be seen. "You have to hand it to Jiraiya-sama, he may pick some perverted locations, but his choice is in fact genius in that you could have an important conversation and pass on information here without anyone knowing" Itachi said.

"Yeah you're right, but lets just find him before the patrons start to flip because I am underage" Naruto said.

They found the toad hermit in a back corner being fed by two women with amazingly large breasts. When they arrived the pair sat down at the same table. Upon seeing Naruto the two ladies stood up and went straight to the bar looking to complain about them allowing an underage kid to enter the tavern.

"Damn it gaki, couldn't you have put on a henge or something, now you are going to get us all kicked out!" Jiraiya whined as he watched the ladies talk to the what appeared to be the owner.

"Think of it as punishment for taking away my time off" Naruto complained.

"Damn kid, anyway, as we may not have much time I will get to the point. As you know there has been a civil war in the Land of Water for a few years now" Jiraiya said.

"Yes the Mizukage is attempting to take out and annihilate every clan with a bloodline from the country" Itachi said.

"Exactly, anyway I have found the location of the resistance HQ but they will not trust any outsiders, that is why if we want to help them in this war we need to find someone who they know is wanted by the Mizukage and who the resistance would see as a valuable ally to their cause" Jiraiya informed the pair.

"So who are we looking for, some former Kiri ninja with bloodlines are not exactly just going to willingly return to Kiri just so we can join the war and make a name for ourselves as an organization" Naruto said.

"You're right Naruto, but someone who has tried to assassinate the current Mizukage once already will, I want you two to track down Zabuza Momoichi, the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist'. I then want you to get him to agree to join us" Jiraiya said.

"Hm sounds like a lovely guy and all that, but do you really think he will join with us. I mean you and Itachi sensei maybe, but nobody knows who I am and I doubt he will agree if it is just Itachi sensei and myself that find him" Naruto said.

"Don't worry about that, if you promise him you will help him kill Yagura the current Mizukage and can get him into the resistance he will have to bite" Jiraiya said.

"Does he have any companions?" Itachi asked.

"Three I believe, the demon brothers B ranked missing ninja who are little more than over grown bottom feeders, and a girl named Haku, I do not have any information on her, but I can assume you two can handle them if they try to fight" Jiraiya said.

"It could take quite awhile to locate them, they have been on the run for some time after all. Our best bet would be to find the demon brothers who are bound to be more lax in security as there will not be many hunter ninja that will bother with them" Itachi said.

"You say that, but for the last six months we have done nothing but stupid escort missions for private investors who are too cheep to pay one of the villages. And capturing lower level missing ninja, I haven't even had to use a more than one jutsu to fight any of them" Naruto said.

"You complain too much Naruto-kun, new lets go before that bouncer breaks free of the genjutsu I cast on him, the owner looks rather close to hitting him" Itachi said and the pair stood up before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

(**Land of Wave's**)

It had been months since Kakashi's team had graduated and this was supposed to be their first C rank mission. However things did not always turn out like they are supposed to, as things were right now they were looking at a A rank mission, and what was worse the missing ninja they thought they had killed ended up only being in a death like state. So things were not looking the best for team seven.

"I think tomorrow will be the day, everyone get a good night's sleep and get ready for the fight tomorrow" Kakashi said.

Sakura and Hinata looked clearly worried, but Sasuke saw this as his chance to show what he could do, to judge how far he had come, and how close he was to killing his brother.

Yes there were definitely two vastly different emotions running through the three genin, but they were all as ready as they would ever be. Kakashi was sure that Hinata and Sasuke could hold their own for at least a good length of time against who ever the masked ninja that saved his opponent the last time they met, but he still was having worrying thoughts about Sakura. She had not seemed to grow out of her fangirl attitude and what made it worse was Sasuke starting to respect Hinata as a shinobi meant that the Uchiha was showing more attention to the Hyuuga than she liked.

The next morning Kakashi was not surprised at all to find the bridge empty and a strong mist fill the air.

"So Zabuza, back for a second round it seems, and you brought some help it seems" Kakashi said.

"Do you think you can fight both me and Haku at the same time? You are good Kakashi, I will give you that, but you are not that good" Zabuza said.

"I don't think I have to, my genin will be able to hold her off long enough for me to finish you" Kakashi said.

The moment the copy ninja finished speaking Sasuke charged forward. But he didn't get more than two feet across the gap before a large wave rose up from the ocean knocking Sasuke back.

"What was that he didn't even use any hand seals?" Sakura asked.

"He didn't do it, the chakra came from behind us!" Hinata said with her Byakugan active.

Kakashi took comfort at the sight that Zabuza and Haku seemed to be just as confused as the team from Konoha. "Hinata can you see what we are dealing with?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, it is not very clear because of the mist but it seems to be clearing, there are two ninja but their faces are hidden behind hooded cloaks" Hinata said.

"What do you mean the mist is clearing, I haven't ended my jutsu!" Zabuza yelled.

But sure enough all around them the mist seemed to be lifting. '_impossible, not even the sword Samehada could do this to my mist_' Zabuza thought.

"I can see what's happening, it's... it's the smaller of the two new arrivals, he seems be be absorbing the chakra into his body" Hinata said showing just how much her confidence had improved by only stuttering once.

'Someone that can absorb chakra from a jutsu into their own body, that sounds like one hell of a skill' Zabuza thought begrudgingly.

"I'm afraid we will have to put a stop to this little confrontation of yours. Zabuza is too important to risk in a fight against you Kakashi" a smooth voice called out as the last of the mist vanished revealing the two hooded ninja clear as day.

"Who are you? And why do you think Zabuza is so important" Kakashi asked.

"Who we are is not important, what is important is that we need Zabuza to join us" Naruto said calmly yet still with a sense of commanding in his voice.

"Haha, that's a good one kid, I don't even know who you are, why would I join you, say tell you what why don't you join me? That little skill to absorb a jutsu could be useful" Zabuza said.

"I think he thinks he is superior to you" the taller hooded figure of Itachi said.

"I knew this would happen. We can get you into the Resistance in the Land of Water and give you another crack at killing the Mizukage" Naruto said.

"Pull the other one, only people inside the resistance know where they are hidden, so only a member of the resistance can make that offer" Zabuza said.

"You seem to be underestimating our abilities, we know exactly where they are, but we need something that the resistance wants to get in. and that would be you Zabuza" Itachi said.

"Interesting offer, let me just kill this bridge builder and then we can talk" Zabuza said.

"Why would you want to do that, your employer is dead, he was planning on betraying you, we killed him and his men to stop that from happening" Naruto said.

"How do I know you are telling the truth, and you are not just saying that to save the old man?" Zabuza said.

Naruto shrugged and pulled out a scroll tossing it to Zabuza. When the Demon of the Bloody Mist opened the scroll the body of Gato appeared. "What the hell happened to him, he doesn't look like he was poisoned, neither is their any sign of physical damage in any way, not even any signs of a genjutsu induced death" Haku said shocked.

"Ah well, my companion has a rather unique way of dealing with people who are not being cooperative" Itachi said.

"Well looks like we are not enemy's anymore Kakashi, but you two, I don't trust either of you, show me your faces, or I will not even think about going with you!" Zabuza ordered.

"Wait a minute, Kakashi sensei are you saying that's it? We're just going to let Zabuza and the masked Hunter nin get away?" Sasuke asked loudly.

"Yes Sasuke, he was just doing his job and we were doing our own, it was never anything personal as far as I am concerned this is over" Kakashi said.

"Well, can we do this elsewhere, somewhere less crowded perhaps?" Naruto asked, not wanting shinobi from Konoha to see him or Itachi for that matter.

"No, you take your hoods off and show us your faces or we are not moving!" Zabuza ordered.

"Very well then" Itachi sighed and began removing his hood.

'_Damn it, this isn't good' that jounin is bound to recognize Itachi_' Naruto thought, but it was not Kakashi who reacted first. No that honor was given to the raven haired genin.

Several kunai flew right at Itachi's face. Sasuke was shocked however when the kunai seemed to stop in mid air before falling harmlessly to the ground. The only movement any of them saw was Naruto raise hie head showing of a pair of metallic purple eyes with a familiar rippling pattern.

'_It's him, I cant believe it. After all these years_' "Na-Na-Naruto-kun" Hinata stammered shocking Kakashi.

Naruto removed his hood. "Well, I expected the Konoha jounin to be aggressive at the sight of you, but I didn't expect a genin to attack like that" Naruto said.

"I did, it is my foolish little brother after all. Hello Sasuke, how are you?" Itachi asked.

"I will be doing a lot better once I kill you!" Sasuke yelled and charged forward a kunai drawn in each hand.

"Is he really serious? Trying to attack us is utter foolishness... Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said lazily extending an arm sending a wave of compressed gravity towards the charging Uchiha that sent him flying back and Kakashi had to jump in the way to catch him.

'_What was that, and is that really Naruto? The hair is perfect, but those eyes. And what was that jutsu? he just sent Sasuke flying like he was nothing_' Kakashi thought. "What is your name?" Kakashi asked Naruto tentatively, ignoring Itachi for a moment.

"Me?... Didn't Hinata just tell you. At least I assume your young Hyuuga is Hinata, as she is the only person from Konoha to have seen me since I acquired the Rinnegan. But if you must hear it from me, my name is Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto said.

"Naruto" Kakashi said under his breath and he felt at that moment like he had both won the lottery and had the breath knocked out of him by a kick in the gut.

"Itachi Uchiha, I must say it is an honor to meet someone like you, and this kid you are traveling with seems to have quite the skill set as well. Maybe I will join you" Zabuza said.

"Itachi what have you done to Naruto" Kakashi yelled.

"I haven't done anything to him, we simply work together" Itachi said.

"Impossible, those eyes are not Naruto's!" Kakashi said.

"He had the Rinnegan when I met him, I assure you I have not harmed him, nor am I entirely sure that I could if I tried. The Rinnegan is an amazing Dojutsu after all" Itachi said.

"Rinnegan? Impossible that's nothing but a myth" Kakashi said, but the more he looked at Naruto's eyes they did look just like the legendary Dojutsu. "In any event I am taking him back to Konoha where he belongs" Kakashi said.

"I am not a Konoha shinobi, so Konoha has no ownership of me nor do you have any right to forcefully drag me back there, the only thing Konoha could claim is that I hold the Kyuubi, the Bijuu that is seen as property of Konoha, so if you wish to come after me because of that feel free, but you will fail in your attempt to capture me" Naruto said.

'_He knows about the Kyuubi, he probably hates Konoha, I feel like I have lost him and failed you all over again sensei_' the copy ninja thought as he stood unmoving holding Sasuke from attempting another suicidal charge.

"Now Zabuza, are you coming or are we going to have to capture you and take you with us?" Itachi asked turning away from the team of Konoha ninja.

"Yeah, it's not like we have anything better to do, let's go Haku" Zabuza said and they moved to join the two white robed ninja who used to call Konoha home.

"Farewell Konoha ninja, give my regards the the Hokage, it has been quite some time since I have seen Jiji after all" Naruto said before turning to leave.

"Wait Naruto-kun! I need to tell you something" Hinata yelled finally finding her voice.

"Hmm?" Naruto said turning around while the others kept moving.

"I need to tell you... Thank you!, because you believed in me I was able to better myself and now my clan doesn't think that I am a looser any more, even my father is starting to see that I have potential and it is all because of you, so thank you!" Hinata said.

"I didn't do anything Hinata, you did that yourself, but thanks anyway" Naruto said with a smile and turning away.

"Wait!... Will I ever see you again?" she asked her voice trembling but surprisingly no stutter.

"Who knows, after all I am not a ninja of Konoha and still technically a resident so I could return one of these day's if only for a little while" Naruto said and raising his hood over his head he gave Hinata a friendly smile before turning to follow Itachi and the new pair from Kiri.

"So What's this group of yours called, you surely have a name" Zabuza asked once Naruto caught back up to the group.

"Yeah we are the Yoinokuchi" Naruto said.

"Yoinokuchi... Nightfall... I like it!" Zabuza said as they walked away from the land of waves.

**End Chapter!**

**So what do you think... what was good? What was Bad? And suggestions welcome for anyone else you think could join their organization. And yes if you haven't already figured it out I called them Nightfall because that is the opposite of the Akatsuki which means daybreak. **

**On a different note, I didn't include Mizuki I the story because there was no point, as well as the two goons that attacked Tsunami and Inari, I would just say that Naruto and Itachi got to Gato before he was able to send them.**

**Finally gotta say sorry for the rather stereotypical counsel meeting, I think I may have had a touch of writers block when I wrote that part which is why I went to the stereotype that can be used.**

**Lastly I will be closing the Poll at the end of the week. I will be updating both this story and Naruto: the toad sages apprentice twice this week so look for the updates, probably on alternating days.**


	6. The Yoinokuchi

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall! **

**Chapter 6: The Yoinokuchi**

"So where are we going?" Zabuza asked Itachi, as their small group made it's way silently through the land of fire.

"We have a hide out about half way to Konoha. From there we can get in contact with the other members of our group" Itachi replied.

"And how many people are in the Yoinokuchi" Haku asked.

"At the moment five not including you two. We operate in pairs, as you can see Naruto-kun is usually my team member. As for who the others are, well the person in control would be Jiraiya-sama. And the other two well there is Akimi, she is Naruto's age and has a unique Kekkei Genkai, swift release. And her brother Akaru. They both fled from Kumo with to avoid them putting the girl into a forced breeding to try and reproduce the bloodline limit" Itachi replied.

"Huh Jiraiya... you mean Jiraiya of the sannin? On of the legendary three?" Haku asked.

"Yes, he left the direct service of Konoha almost four years ago now, although he is still very loyal to the village" Itachi said.

"Why would someone like Jiraiya leave his village?" Zabuza asked.

"He left because of Naruto here. He discovered him in the Land of Forests, but he was from Konoha originally" Itachi replied.

"He doesn't say much does he, since we left the Land of Waves he has barely said a word" Zabuza said indicating where Naruto was walking his hood up covering his face.

"Normally he wont shut up, my guess is something is bothering him" Itachi said.

"The team from Konoha, they will inform the hokage and will send a hunter ninja after us. I'm sure of it" Naruto said finally speaking.

"We have time, Kakashi wont abandon his mission" Itachi said.

"Then I would say we have about three days before they start the search, are you sure this is the best hide out to use" Naruto said.

"Lighten up kid, what are a bunch of Hunter ninja going to do, we will just take care of them when they show themselves" Zabuza said with a wicked grin.

"I will not kill Konoha shinobi unless I am forced too" Naruto said.

"We should be fine, there are the best defenses we can make guarding the place. And we only need to stay there until we can get a message to Jiraiya-sama saying we found Zabuza" Itachi said.

They walked for a few more miles before they came to a large boulder. Naruto moved up to it as simply brushed it out of the way like it was not even there.

"Well, it's no palace, but it is a damn sight better than the places we have been hiding" Zabuza said as he looked around.

They had entered a large underground complex that seemed to run deep into the earth.

"Itachi show them to their rooms, I'm going to go train" Naruto said and left down a separate path.

"Alright, just try not to destroy anything" Itachi replied.

"Kid seems to be a little cold on us" Zabuza said.

"I don't think he approves of your line of work. Naruto-kun is a rather gentle person, so he usually dislikes people who kill for fun, it may take him awhile to accept you as members.

"Doesn't like people who kill for fun huh, then what is the point of this group?" Zabuza asked.

"In essence we are mostly mercenary's, but most of what we do helps people, for example we do not take missions to kill civilian bridge builders" Itachi said.

"you think you can talk to me like that, and get away with it! I should cleave you where you stand" Zabuza said.

"You're welcome to try, but I wouldn't recommend it. Your reasons for taking those missions are your own, none of us will truly know the type of person we are until we are about to die. Follow me your rooms are this way" Itachi said expressionlessly and walked off.

"Heh I like that, I guess doing good can't hurt as long as I get to bust Yagura's shell I could care less" Zabuza said.

Haku on the other hand was thrilled to hear of the type of work they would be doing, but she also wanted to talk to Naruto and let him know that she also did not like killing when she could avoid it.

They walked down several flights of stairs and made it to a large chamber with several doors on each side. "Pick a room, the first two in the right are taken by our other two members, inside you will find everything you need" Itachi said.

"So where do you and the kid stay?" Zabuza asked.

"Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-sama and I each have our own levels, if you are opposed to us having more room or dislike your room, take it up with Naruto-kun, he built this place after all" Itachi said and turned to leave giving no further explanation.

"Well Haku, what do you think, if they can get me another crack at Yagura and into the resistance they have my support" Zabuza said.

"I think we should see what this is like first then decide if we want to stay or not" Haku suggested.

"Yeah why not. Come on lets pick a couple of rooms" Zabuza said.

Meanwhile Naruto was sitting in his training area in deep meditation when Itachi arrived. "You know, if you act this way every time a missing ninja joins us you wont end up liking many of the members" Itachi said.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and stood up. "It is not that I dislike them, it's that their attitude is wrong, we are supposed to be striving for peace and someone like Zabuza wants nothing but to destroy" Naruto said.

"Perhaps that is all he knows, he was made into the demon of the bloody mist, but you saw the way he looked at the girl, it was the way a father looks at his own child, there is hope for him and you know it" Itachi said.

"Maybe, but I would like some proof before I show them any trust" Naruto said.

"Very well, how is your training coming along?" Itachi asked.

"Not very well, I can picture what I want but it is taking far too long to create" Naruto said.

"I do not think Yin/Yang chakra manipulation will be an easy thing to master, after all you are trying to create something out of nothing and breath life into it. Perhaps you should continue by trying one at a time, try to create something that doesn't live. You might be attempting the impossible to do both" Itachi said.

"Yeah maybe your right. I think I have had enough for now, besides I need to go contact Jiraiya sensei" Naruto said.

"Yes that would be a good idea. By the way, do you know when Akimi and Akaru will be returning?" Itachi asked.

"Couple of days probably, it depends what mission they have taken. Although I don't see that it matters, wont we be off to the Land of Water soon enough to make contact with the resistance?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe, that all depends on Jiraiya-sama. I do not think he will send all four of us to meet with the resistance in the Land of water, a large group of powerful shinobi will be noticed. My guess is he will just send Zabuza and either myself or you and the girl Haku" Itachi said.

"So he is going to split up our team when we have never failed a mission no matter how difficult? That's insane!" Naruto said.

"I do not believe it will be a permanent thing, just until we earn the trust of the leaders in the resistance movement" Itachi said.

"Oh well, guess I will just have to accept it if that's the way it turns out" Naruto said.

"Who knows you might find it refreshing to be teamed with someone other than me, my emotionless style can be a bit of a come down from your usual energetic self when you are on a mission with Jiraiya-sama. I have seen that you are far more in control of your emotions but less like yourself while we are teamed together" Itachi said.

"Oh well I guess I have just given up trying to get you to lighten up that's all" Naruto replied happily.

"Well I am shocked, I didn't think you knew how to give up" Itachi said allowing for a rare smile to cross his face.

(**Konoha, One Week later**)

Team seven made there way to the mission hall for their debriefing with the hokage. Kakashi had made the team move as quickly as they could once the mission was complete so they could get back to Konoha as soon as possible.

"Team seven reporting back from the completion of a successful C turned A ranked mission" Kakashi said.

"A ranked! What do you mean A ranked?" Iruka yelled in shock.

"The mission became A ranked due to arrival of several missing ninja. In fact it could almost be considered S ranked after the appearance of missing ninja Itachi Uchiha" Kakashi said.

"What? You had a run in with Itachi?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes Hokage-sama. What's more he was not alone he had a partner with him" Kakashi said.

"Who would Itachi Uchiha someone who killed his own clan in a quest for his own power possibly have as a partner, I mean who would be brave and stupid enough to take that risk" Iruka said.

"Naruto Uzumaki" Kakashi said.

"What, I know that name. You mean the Kyuubi child!" Iruka asked.

"That's enough Iruka!" Hiruzen ordered.

"Sorry Hokage-sama" the Academy teacher apologized.

"So Naruto was with him, this is most disturbing news, however as Naruto-kun is not a ninja of this village we cannot label him as a missing ninja, nor has he broken any laws to justify placing him in the bingo book" Hiruzen said. The old Hokage may have looked troubled on the outside, but inside he couldn't have been happier, the boy he once saw as a grandson was safe, and the most loyal ninja he knew was looking after him. He also knew this meant that Jiraiya would have been around some place as well.

"That's not all Hokage-sama, Naruto does not look the same, he may still have the spiky golden hair and the whisker marks, but his eyes have changed. They are no longer blue" Kakashi informed the Hokage.

"What do you mean Kakashi-kun eyes do not simply change color, well unless it is some sort of Kekkei Genkai, like the sharingan, of course" Hiruzen said.

"That's the thing, Itachi said Naruto possesses the Rinnegan. Naruto's eyes were completely purple the iris and sclera were the same color and it had this ripple patten of concentric circles that expanded out from a tiny dot like pupil" Kakashi said.

The pipe that the hokage had been smoking fell from his mouth and hit the desk. '_That must be the real reason Jiraiya-kun never brought Naruto back to the village, there are people who would try and take Naruto's power for themselves no matter the cost. So Jiraiya did what he needed to, he wanted to make sure that Naruto would be safe_' "What can you tell me about Naruto's abilities?" Hiruzen asked.

"I could not say, Sasuke attempted to attack Itachi twice, the first time he threw several kunai and Naruto was able to stop them in mid air without moving an inch, then when Sasuke charged Naruto sent him flying before he even got close to attack range with a wave of his arm" Kakashi said.

"I see, anything else?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Just one thing, when they first arrived we were about to start battle with Zabuza Momoichi, we were stopped by Naruto and Itachi, from what Hinata said she saw with her Byakugan, Naruto seemed to absorb Zabuza's Hidden Mist jutsu" Kakashi said.

"I see, he sounds like a talented young shinobi then, as expected from someone with the eyes of the sage" Hiruzen said.

"We should send a team after them, Naruto belongs in this village, it's his home" Kakashi said.

"Is it? Naruto was eight when he left the village, now he would be thirteen. Five years, he has been gone five years his old apartment still stands maybe but I do question how much of a home this place ever was to him. Hated and rejected his whole life, and I am sure where ever he found himself after he left here people didn't naturally shun him. In these last five years Naruto-kun has had a chance to live a life he never would have had if he stayed in Konoha, a happy one" the Hokage said.

"But Hiruzen-sama surely you want him to return?" Kakashi asked almost pleadingly.

"Certainly I do, but I want him to return on his own, not because we force him" the old Sarutobi said.

"Very well, I will not make any attempts to locate and return Naruto to the village" Kakashi said.

"Thank you Kakashi-kun, now I would like everyone in this room to swear that they will never say a word about Naruto or the Rinnegan to anyone once they leave this room" Hiruzen said.

"I don't see what's so great about those eyes, I bet the Sharingan is a far superior Dojutsu" Sasuke said.

'_Yeah Sasuke-kun is right, did you see those eyes that kid had, they were creapy looking, even the Hyuuga's pupil less eyes look better_' Sakura thought which was greeted approvingly by her inner self.

"You may be right Sasuke-kun. The Rinnegan is surrounded by uncertainty, we only have myths and legends to go on, so we do not know what powers the Rinnegan truly possesses. So the Sharingan may well be the superior Dojutsu" Hiruzen said, although he did not fully believe it himself.

"Yes, but there has to be something extraordinary about the child if Itachi Uchiha has taken an interest in the boy" Iruka said.

"There has always been something extraordinary about Naruto-kun and it is not what you may think, I would challenge any person to truly get to know Naruto and not like him, he has this glow about him, when ever he was around it was like seeing the will of fire incarnate" Hiruzen said.

"Will that be all Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes you are dismissed" the Hokage replied.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout**)

It had been a week since Zabuza and Haku had arrived and it was fair to say the pair had found their stay comfortable, lots of the luxury's that were often kept from missing ninja like proper showers and news of the outside world were easy to come by in the Yoinokuchi hideout, they even had their own televisions and training facilities. In fact the only thing that had Haku annoyed was the fact that she had as of yet failed to talk to Naruto and thank him for the opportunity to join the Yoinokuchi and tell him that she admired him for not wanting to kill his opponents and only taking missions that help people.

In fact Naruto had been strangely absent, they had seen Itachi come and go from small scouting errands but Naruto had not been seen at all, when questioning Itachi about this he just told her not to worry about him and that he could handle himself.

It wasn't until a week later that she saw Naruto again. She had gone outside to enjoy the sunshine and pick herbs when she saw Naruto casually walking towards the entrance of the base. 'This is my chance, I need to talk to him while I have a chance' Haku thought as she put down her basket.

"Hello Naruto" she said and waved to get his attention.

Naruto stopped and turned to see what the girl wanted. "Uh hi" Naruto said.

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you around for almost two weeks now" Haku said.

"Oh I've been looking for Jiraiya sensei, but he is a pain in the ass to find" Naruto said in a friendly manner.

"Oh any luck?" Haku asked.

"Not really, but I did manage to find one of his summon toads, so he must be spying on someone and can't show himself. But at least I managed to get him the message, he should return here or at least to one of the other hideouts and get in touch with us via the radio link we have set up between the bases in a few days" Naruto said.

"Oh that's good I suppose. Um I was wondering if I could ask you a question?" Haku said.

"Well technically you just did, but if you want to ask another one I see no problem with that" Naruto said.

"Well I was just wondering why you fight, if you don't like killing?" Haku said.

"Hm, well I guess I fight to protect others, and make life easier for people in need" Naruto answered.

"I see, do you have anyone precious to you?" Haku asked.

"Are you asking me if I have a girlfriend?" Naruto asked.

"No, I was asking if there were any people in your life that you think of as as precious, people that you would die to protect" Haku explained.

"Oh I get it, yeah I guess I do, there's Jiraiya sensei and Itachi sensei. And I used to be really close to the Hokage so I would even add him to the list" Naruto replied.

"I see, that's good. I always think true strength comes from the need to protect something, it allows you to dig deeper than you thought you ever could and become stronger. Zabuza-sama is my precious person. He found me when I was young starving to death and looked after me, in exchange I became his tool, I am his weapon because that is my purpose in life" Haku said.

"That's a completely bullshit, you may think Zabuza thinks of you only as a tool but I can tell that he thinks of you as much more than that. He sees you as a daughter" Naruto said.

"How would you know? You have barely even spoken to Zabuza-sama and even then you did not seem to approve of him much" Haku said.

"His eye's give him away, the way he looks at you and positions himself while we were walking to shield you in case we turned on you. It is a skill Itachi sensei taught me, you can read a lot about your opponent by simply watching their actions around people. His blood thirsty attitude is a front that he puts up, he is hiding from himself and doesn't even realize that" Naruto said.

"You know, you speak like you are much older than you look" Haku said.

"Yeah I get that a lot" Naruto laughed scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"I want to thank you for letting us join you and Itachi, for the first time since I was a young girl I feel like I have a place that accepts me, a place that I can call home. I have never had that with Zabuza sama as we were always on the run from Kiri's Hunter ninja or taking missions for questionable characters trying to fund Zabuza-sama's next Coup attempt" Haku said.

"No worry's but you shouldn't thank me, you should thank Jiraiya sensei he was the one who ordered us to recruit you" Naruto said.

"Just out of curiosity what would have happened if we refused?" Haku asked.

"Well to you, nothing. But we would have just captured Zabuza and delivered him to the resistance as a gift to gain their trust" Naruto said.

"You really think you could capture Zabuza-sama that easily?" Haku asked skeptically.

"It wouldn't be too difficult, I imagine we would have had a harder time deciding which of us got to fight" Naruto said casually.

"You're kidding right Zabuza-sama was one of the seven swordsmen of the mist, they were elite ninja from Kiri" Haku said.

"True, but Itachi and I are not exactly your run of the mill shinobi. When you fight Itachi it is basically over the moment you make eye contact with him, and I could probably defeat him with my gravity jutsu without even moving" Naruto said.

"Gravity jutsu? Can you show me some?" Haku asked.

"I guess so, I will just keep it small though... Chibaku Tensei" Naruto said he created a small black orb in his palm and sent it away from his body.

Haku watched wide eyed as the earth lifted to create a small ball of earth compressed into a small ball about the size of Haku's fist.

Naruto dropped the jutsu before it got too big and let the orb fall to the ground. "Bansho Ten'in" Naruto said extending an arm toward the orb and it shot forward into the palm of Naruto hand.

"Wow that's Amazing" Haku said as she stared at the compressed ball of earth.

"Well it's nothing to the damage that jutsu can really do! Although to tell the truth, I have never really tried it out" Naruto admitted.

"It's still amazing, I mean I have never seen a gravity jutsu before" Haku admitted.

"Yeah I guess it pretty cool... Someone is approaching, wait more than one I think it's two people" Naruto said turning to the east.

"Are they a threat?" Haku asked tentatively.

"No I know who it is" Naruto said relaxing as two ninja in white cloaks appeared. The younger of the two was a kunoichi around the same age as Naruto although she was slightly taller. She had long black hair, with bright yellow highlights that ran down to her waist. And yellow eyes with black pupils. The other taller member of the pair was slightly older than Itachi and had light brown curly hair, and the same eyes as the girl who Haku realized must have been his sister.

"You guys have been gone for a while, what happened you get into some trouble with your last mission?" Naruto asked.

"You could say that, we went to clear out a bunch of bandits but found that most of them were missing ninja from Iwa" the boy said.

"Yeah that would be about right, man you guys always get all the luck, every time Itachi sensei and I get a bandit mission it is always only two or three bad guy wannabe's we never get groups of ninja" Naruto said.

"Yeah well we will swap any day, a bunch of jounin and chunin level ninja may be child's play for you and Itachi. But we are not you, that mission was tough! And by the way who's the new girl?" the dark haired kunoichi asked.

"Oh yeah, Akimi, Akaru this is Haku. She came here with Zabuza Momoichi" Naruto said.

"Hm oh yeah Jiraiya-sama said you had found him, he will be back in two day's to give us our next assignments" Akaru said.

"It's about time, we have been waiting two weeks" Naruto said.

"What do you care, last time I saw you, you were whining about never having any time off" Akimi replied.

"Maybe I just like to complain" Naruto joked.

"That's not a maybe, I have never met anyone who likes to complain more than you do" Akimi laughed.

"Come on inside so you can meet Zabuza, you could end up working with him at some point, so may as well try and get to know him better. In truth I am guilty of avoiding him myself" Naruto suggested.

**End Chapter!**


	7. Return to Konoha

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7: Return to Konoha**

The six members of the Yoinokuchi had spent the last two days getting to know each other better while they waited for Jiraiya to show up. And it wasn't until late in the afternoon on the second day of waiting since the return of Akimi and Akaru that Jiraiya finally entered the base.

"Welcome back Jiraiya sensei, I thought you would have gone to one of the other bases, I mean this is a long way to come from the Land of Rice Fields" Naruto greeted Jiraiya as he sat down to relax.

"Why not come here, this is our main hideout after all" Jiraiya said.

"What were you doing that was so important there anyway, the place is just a bunch of rice farmers" Naruto said.

"The sound village, Oto. It's a new village that has sprung up recently" Jiraiya said.

"So what! I mean it's not like it will be a very dangerous village if it is only new" Zabuza said.

"That's the thing, it isn't a real village at all, which makes me wonder why they would declare themselves as one" Jiraiya said.

"Huh what do you mean they're not a real village?" Akaru asked.

"I mean I have been over every part of the country, and there is no hidden village... but there is a hidden base owned by an old friend of mine" Jiraiya said.

"Orochimaru huh, so what is he up to now? Why declare a village that doesn't exist?" Naruto questioned.

"Well I have an idea, but I cant really prove it" Jiraiya replied.

"Well don't just sit there tell us what you think the scaly freak is up too" Zabuza said.

"He needed to be a village so he could do something only a village was allowed to do, something that forced him to make the claim of a village. I think he wants to send people who work for him for what ever reason to either the chunin or jounin exams in Konoha" Jiraiya said.

"What good would that do? New countries can only send a maximum of two teams to the chunin exams, so if he plans to attack Konoha with that few units he may as well just attack from the outside for all the good it would do him. Why not just register the teams as wandering shinobi?" Itachi said.

"I don't know, perhaps he is after something else, or is using this as a chance to get close to Sarutobi sensei, so he can kill him. All I know is I am positive Orochimaru has something planned during the chunin exams and it is never good when Orochimaru has something planned involving Konoha" Jiraiya said.

"So what do you suggest we do? We can't exactly warn the Hokage, if we don't know what that snake has planned" Naruto said.

"In that case we will just have to be on hand to stop him should anything occur" Jiraiya said.

"What you want us to break into Konoha in the middle of the chunin exams?" Naruto asked.

"Not at all, you are going to compete" Jiraiya said.

"I'm what! You're kidding me right? We don't have a village to compete for, and I don't even have a team!" Naruto yelled.

"We will enter you as a team of wandering Ninja, and I think you do have a team. Akimi is your age and has no past ninja alliances with any other village as she was not a ninja when her brother left Kumo. And Haku was never a ninja of Kiri, due to her bloodline limit. That will be your team" Jiraiya said.

This time it was Akimi's turn to blow a fuse "You want me to compete in the chunin exams against a bunch of weaklings! Come on Jiraiya-sama, I mean I am at least low jounin level and Naruto is at the same level as Itachi, I have never seen him loose a fight, this is over kill!" she yelled.

"I think it's a good idea" Akaru said.

"What why!" Akimi replied angrily.

"People from all over the elemental countries will be there, when one of you win the tournament it will gain us all some reputation and people will look to find you for their missions" the angry kunoichi's brother said calmly.

"Hey what about the rest of us? Are we just going to sit on the side lines?" Zabuza asked.

"Actually Zabuza, you will be going to the Land of Water with Itachi. We need to gain the trust of the resistance and you are our key in, they know that you are a wanted man in Kiri for an attempt on Yagura's life in a failed coup de-tat" Jiraiya said.

"Heh that does sound good. Looks like you are going with the kid for awhile Haku" Zabuza said.

"As you wish Zabuza-sama" Haku said slightly upset to have to leave the swordsman.

"Don't worry, it will only be for a few months, until after the chunin exams and the resistance allows more of us to help out in their war" Jiraiya said.

"That is everyone else sorted, but what about me?" Akaru asked.

"I need you to go around the Land of Fire, and Rice Fields and gather what ever information you can on what Orochimaru is planning. People in the Land of Rice Fields will probably be more willing to talk to you than me as you are classified as a missing ninja. So anyone who actually knows anything may be think you are willing to join them" Jiraiya explained.

"And let me guess, you will be doing research" Naruto said.

"Well I haven't done any research in Konoha in five years, and they have always had some of the best specimens" Jiraiya said weakly tapping his index fingers together.

"You know for a leader you certainly don't do much when there are important things to do" Naruto said.

"What does he mean by research?" Haku asked.

"You don't want to know" Itachi said expressionlessly.

"Look we all have our assignments. The chunin exams are not for a month yet, so you three can stay here and relax, or train, I will go talk to sensei about signing you three up. Itachi, Zabuza, you can leave when ever you are ready I have marked the island and location of the Resistance HQ on the map in your room, and Akaru, the sooner you can leave to gather information the better" Jiraiya said.

"So that's it, we just go do the tasks we are given?" Zabuza asked after Jiraiya left the room.

"Yes, that's about right, come let's prepare for the trip, you know the Land of Water better than I do so I need to know what to expect on the different island's" Itachi said and he too left the room.

The following day everyone had left the base leaving the three younger ninja alone to prepare in what ever way they saw fit for the upcoming exams.

(**Konoha, Two Days Later**)

Night had fallen over the village hidden in the leaves and the Hokage had once again fallen behind on his paper work causing him to stay long into the night. "Will this accursed bane of my existence never end!" Hiruzen yelled in frustration as he began on yet another stack.

"You should really do your work during the day instead of spending so much time smoking then" came the voice of Jiraiya from the windowsill.

"Jiraiya-kun! Come in" Hiruzen said warmly, waving Jiraiya to enter.

Jiraiya complied bur rather than take a seat he simply leaned against a nearby wall.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company? Decided to return to serve the village once more?" Hiruzen asked hopefully.

"Not exactly, but I do have some information and some aid that you could use" Jiraiya said.

"And what may that be?" the Hokage questioned.

"Orochimaru... he is the leader of Oto. I also believe he has something planned for the chunin exams, in fact I am almost certain of this" Jiraiya said.

"I see, thank you for this information. And what aid can you offer to handle this threat?" the old Sarutobi asked.

"A three ninja genin team. Consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Haku Momoichi and Akimi Hayaku" Jiraiya said.

"You plan on bringing Naruto here? He is coming back to the village?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Not for long, just the duration of the chunin exams to make sure nothing happens. But I will warn you, keep Danzo and the elders away from Naruto, if they attempt anything you could be looking at a rather hefty clean up" Jiraiya said.

"I will certainly do my best. Tell me, how strong is Naruto?" Hiruzen asked.

"Well I have been training him for the past five years so he is a damn sight better than any genin that's for sure" Jiraiya said.

"I see, now what about the Rinnegan? Does he truly possess the power of the Rikudou Sennin?" the Hokage asked.

"Well the Rinnegan, yes. As for the power of the sage... Well its a bit soon to tell, he is only thirteen after all, but his chakra supply's are massive, he can do things with chakra I have never seen done before, some of his skills are quite frankly frightening. Add to that he has some monstrous strength, enough to be able to stop one of my kicks with a single arm. Only myself and Itachi can give him a run for his money in a fight, and I have a feeling that he has been holding back lately" Jiraiya said.

"And you want me to put him in the genin exams! Even after hearing that" Hiruzen said almost disbelievingly.

"That's about right, I want them all entered as wandering shinobi. You can use me as the teams official sensei" Jiraiya said.

"I will agree, on one condition" the Hokage said.

"And what's that?" Jiraiya asked cautiously.

"I want them to arrive a week before the exams, I would like to see how Naruto has grown up" Hiruzen said.

"Very well, I can arrange that. May I suggest keeping his arrival a secret? Also he refuses to hide his eyes, damn gaki says they are part of who he is. I took him to Tsunade-Hime for him to learn her unique henge to hide them, but he stopped using it after about six months" Jiraiya said.

"Very well, I look forward to his arrival eagerly" Hiruzen said with a smile.

The pair sat and talked for awhile but eventually Jiraiya left the aged hokage to the eternal hell that is paperwork.

The weeks passed quickly and it was soon the week before the chunin exams. Naruto, Jiraiya and the two kunoichi were slowly approaching the main gate of Konoha.

"So where are we staying while we are in Konoha?" Akimi asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine, I am sure they have some hotels set up for visiting teams" Naruto replied.

"Yeah you guys will be staying at a hotel, don't worry though you are going to be given great rooms, the Hokage made sure of it" Jiraiya assured the there 'genin'.

The four ninja arrived at the gate and were immediately called over to deliver their passports.

"Name and ninja registration papers for any people competing in the chunin exams" the gate guard said not bothering to look up from his desk.

"Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto said proudly and handed over the paper form he had to fill out to compete in the exam.

The two kunoichi in Naruto's team followed Naruto's lead and handed over their papers after giving their names.

"Naruto Uzumaki? You know that names sounds familiar? Oh well it's probably nothing, who is your accompanying sensei?" the gate guard asked still not bothering to look up from his desk.

"That would be Me" Jiraiya said proudly.

The gate guard slowly raised his head but when he saw the man who was the acting sensei his eyes bulged. "Ji-ji-Jiraiya-sama you're back!" the gate guard stammered.

"Heh I guess I am, now would you please allow my team entrance" Jiraiya said.

"Y-y-yes of course" the guard said stamping the pass ports and handing them back to the three waiting ninja.

"Wow can you believe Jiraiya-sama has a team competing in this chunin exams. I bet they are all going to walk it in" the gate guard who stamped the passports said.

"Yeah, say did that kid with the blond hair and purple eyes look familiar to you?" the other guard asked.

"Yeah sorta reminded me of that Kyuubi kid that disappeared all those years ago" the first guard replied.

"Yeah what was that kid's name?" the other guard asked.

"I have no idea, I don't think anyone ever payed any attention to the kid, I remember him yelling his name saying he was going to be Hokage one day, but I cant remember it. When you think about it, it isn't really a surprise that the kid never returned to the village" the first guard said.

Meanwhile back with Naruto. The group of ninja were walking through the main street of Konoha looking around almost unsure of where they were supposed to go.

"Hey sensei, where are you taking us?" Naruto asked.

"To the Hotel you will be staying at, it is the diplomatic hotel beside the Hokage tower, it is usually just reserved for emissaries from other villages and daimyo's and rich businessmen, but the Hokage made three rooms available for you guys" Jiraiya said.

"Well that's nice of him" Akimi said happily.

"Yeah, I owe Jiji big time for this" Naruto said.

"Well he want's to see you after you get settled in, preferably before you go explore the village" Jiraiya informed the blond.

"Well it's not like there is a better place to start, I haven't seen the old man in such a long time, it will be great to catch up with him" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Naruto just to remind you, we are not here on some holiday, we have a job to do as well!" Jiraiya said.

"Is that so, then why are you carrying a map of Konoha with all the women only bathhouses, marked in little red crosses" Naruto replied.

"This is important research, Orochimaru may be sneaking around anywhere!" Jiraiya yelled back.

"And I am sure he just loves to hide amongst a bunch of women who are bathing" Akimi said bristling slightly in anger.

Jiraiya wisely dropped the subject and picked up the pace of his walking. After all, the sooner he made it to his favorite places in Konoha.

The hotel was more like a mansion and every room they went to was furnished with the finest wood furniture Naruto had ever seen, they even had genin on hand at almost all times to carry bags.

The genin who was currently carrying Akimi and Haku's bags as Naruto and Jiraiya used sealing scrolls. Led them to their rooms, well the rooms of the genin. Jiraiya had told them he had a place to stay while he was in Konoha, so he didn't need a hotel room.

Naruto's room was massive, it looked more like an average sized apartment for one, rather than a hotel room. There was a massive wooden queen sized bed, a complete kitchen and even a walk in wardrobe.

'_I definitely owe Jiji a thank you for this_' Naruto thought as he looked around before resting on the bed. There was a knock on the door and Akimi and Haku entered.

"Looks like you got an amazing room as well, that old Hokage really knows how to make people feel welcome. This is great, I might never return to the Yoinokuchi and become a full time shinobi of Konoha if I always get treated this well" Akimi said as she looked around the room.

"I doubt they will let you keep the room if you are not a guest, I also doubt Jiji would have given us such great rooms if it wasn't for Jiraiya sensei" Naruto said.

"Yeah, you are just scared that I will leave the group, after all without me, and now Haku the group is all guys" Akimi said.

"Well do what you want. I need to go see Jiji, after all I did say I would go there after I found my room" Naruto said.

"Are you going to wear your Yoinokuchi cloak? isn't that dangerous?" Haku queried.

"Not really, the cloaks are a bit of a new touch, in fact I am still deciding on what color I want them" Naruto said offhandedly as he left the room.

Naruto left the hotel and walked the short distance to the Hokage Tower. Sitting at a desk on the ground level of the tower, was a woman with short brown hair reading a magazine.

"Hello I would like to see the Hokage" Naruto said with a smile.

"He said he is not to be disturbed and anyway, I am not just going to allow entrance to the Hokage to anyone who comes in and just asks for it" the receptionist said.

"He told me to come here, I believe he is expecting me" Naruto said.

"Fine I will ask him, what is your name?" the woman asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto replied casually.

"What did you just say!... There is no way you can be him!" the receptionist said.

"Why is that, I am Naruto Uzumaki I don't know exactly how to prove it but I am starting to realize why Jiraiya sensei always enters Jiji's office by the window" Naruto said.

"Very well, I still don't believe you, but follow me and I will go ask Hokage-sama if he is truly expecting you" the woman said and after putting her magazine down she stood and began to lead Naruto up a spiraling staircase.

"Wait here I will go and see Hokage-sama, he will tell me if he is expecting you or not" the receptionist said.

Several seconds later she reappeared and told Naruto to enter.

"How's it going old man!" Naruto said happily as he casually entered the room.

"Naruto-kun! It has been far too long. I hope you are not too busy to visit an old man more often. Look at how you have grown, looks like you are no longer the shortest person in your age group" Hiruzen said.

"Good too see you as well Jiji" Naruto replied.

"Now before we continue I must ask about the Rinnegan. Do you mind if a curious old man takes a closer look at your eyes" Hiruzen asked.

"Sure thing, although they are not much to look at, Itachi senseis Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan are much cooler looking" Naruto said.

"Yes, well I have seen plenty of Sharingan in the past, this could be the only chance I will ever get to see the Eyes of the Rikudou Sennin" Hiruzen said as he got out from behind his desk and moved over to Naruto and lowering himself to Naruto's eye level. "Amazing such a small pupil, how is your vision?" Hiruzen asked.

"Oh its perfect, I can even see chakra, but it gets kinda weird if I use shadow clones so I try to avoid that" Naruto admitted.

"Really why's that?" the Hokage queried.

"Well my vision splits into what I see, and what the clone sees, it is a real pain in the ass, but it works great for spying and information gathering" Naruto said.

"Amazing what else can those eyes of yours do?" Hiruzen asked eagerly.

"Come on Jiji. I cant go telling you that, I need to keep some secrets you know. I am a ninja after all" Naruto said.

"Oh very well, that will be all. Anyway tell me about what you have been up too! I wont get a better chance than this to find out how you have grown up" Hiruzen said.

"Hm not much really, for most of the time it was just Myself, Itachi sensei and Jiraiya sensei training so I could look after myself against anyone who recognized my eyes and tried to either take them for themselves or control me. After that we started taking on freelance work to help people in need or capture missing ninja" Naruto explained not wanting to give away to much about the Yoinokuchi.

"Well it sounds like you are doing well for yourself. Life around here has been rather quiet with you gone, we no longer have large groups of genin and chunin chasing a young troublemaker around the village" Hiruzen chuckled.

"If it makes you happy I could always pull a few pranks... I had a great one planned for the final year of the academy to use just before I graduated" Naruto said.

"Hm I think it would be for the best if you didn't, I enjoy the stress free life" the aged Hokage laughed.

(**Elsewhere in Konoha**)

Team seven were training in their teamwork. Sasuke had recently awoken his Sharingan while training with Kakashi to spot fast moving objects. They were currently working on the groups skills by having Kakashi throw rocks at Hinata while she destroyed them with strikes of her taijutsu style. Sasuke was attempting to intercept the stones to increase his speed and strength. And Sakura was attempting to affect Kakashi's aim with various genjutsu she knew but was having varied success.

"Okay good job guy's, in fact you all worked together so well today that I am going to enter you all into the Chunin exams in a weeks time" Kakashi informed his team.

"Um are you sure we are ready, we have only been out of the academy for six months" Hinata said.

"We're ready, besides even if we don't graduate it will be a good learning experience" Sasuke said.

"Yeah Sasuke-kun is right" Sakura said although she agreed with Hinata.

"Well I will see you all tomorrow with the forms to fill out bye" Kakashi said before disappearing in a large puff of smoke.

Hinata and Sasuke left there separate ways, typically Sakura followed Sasuke like a lost puppy until he told her he didn't want to go on a date with the pink haired kunoichi.

So in the end Sakura walked home slightly depressed that her, 'true love!' was still not interested in her. As she was walking home she passed by the Hokage tower at the very same moment Naruto was leaving to return to his hotel.

'_That was the Baka who was with Sasuke-kun's brother! If I can capture him he will have to tell Sasuke-kun everything he knows about his brother. And Sasuke-kun will finally take notice of me!_' Sakura thought and quickly made up a plan to follow the blond. '_This will be perfect, I bet this guy is a useless shinobi, that's why he had to hang out with Itachi!_' Sakura thought and began to rather inexpertly tail Naruto.

**End Chapter!**

**Not much happened again. Bit of a filler to move into the Chunin exam Arc, which might be the last Arc I use from part 1. I am still tossing a coin on the Search for Tsunade. **


	8. Relaxation Disturbed

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 8: Relaxation disturbed**

Naruto returned to his hotel fully aware that he was being followed. '_Does she really think she is well hidden? I mean all she is doing is staying about the same range, that I am guessing she can sense back! She has no idea of what she is doing. But then again I guess she is only a fresh genin_' Naruto thought as he entered the hotel trying to put the pink haired kunoichi out of his mind.

"Damn I didn't think he would be staying so close to the Hokage tower! Oh wait I know, I can go get Sasuke-kun! He will be so pleased, that he will have to go on a date with me!" Sakura said before running off to try and find the Uchiha.

Meanwhile Naruto was making his way back to his room to rest before venturing out into the village later to find something to eat. Arriving on the floor he was staying on he saw Akimi and Haku both exit their rooms.

"Hey, you guys going out?" Naruto asked casually.

"Yeah we just wanna go look around the village. Do you wanna come?" Akimi said.

"Well I was going to relax here for a bit then go out later to get some dinner, but I may as well come with the two of you, besides so far nobody has recognized me, which is good" Naruto said.

"Why don't you just use that weird Henge you learned from Tsunade-sama? Nobody can detect it and it can't be dispelled. Nobody would have a chance to find out who you are!" Akimi suggested.

"I don't want to hide who I am. If they have a problem with me then I guess they just wont get my service, besides I can take care of myself should anything get out of hand" Naruto said simply.

"Please don't cause a scene. When you get worked up things tend to get destroyed" Akimi said.

"I'm not that bad" Naruto complained.

"Heh when you get angry or overly excited you cant not destroy something. You do it all the time. Just after Akaru and I joined the Yoinokuchi, a Year ago. You thought Jiraiya-sama had ate the last cup of instant ramen you almost destroyed the entire kitchen of a hide out in the land of Earth" Akimi said.

"That was different... … I was hungry" Naruto said sheepishly.

"How could that happen?" Haku asked.

"Well I still didn't have full control of my gravity element at the time and every so often when I was angry I would accidentally use my gravity jutsu. It wont be happening again." Naruto admitted.

"It doesn't matter. I just don't want to have people angry at me because you go destroy something because someone kicks you out of a store" Akimi said.

"It will be fine! I am here to relax, I have no intention of getting worked up over little things like that" Naruto assured the two kunoichi.

"Well lets go, I'm hungry and would like to get something to eat before it gets too dark" Haku said.

"Yeah why not, there used to be this awesome ramen stand in Konoha. It was my favorite place in the village back when I used to live here. Although that may have been because it was the only place I was treated kindly" Naruto said.

"Well that explains where your love of ramen comes from I guess" Akimi said as the three ninja left the hotel to look around and find something to eat.

It was a strange experience for Naruto, to return to Konoha. There were no cold glares or people forcing themselves to simply ignore him. Now the village looked to be full of friendly people that were just going about their lives having long ago forgotten about the existence of the blond jinchuuriki.

"This place seems nice. I don't know why you and Jiraiya-sama would want to leave" Haku said, as she looked around at the groups of family's shopping and laughing together.

"I am sure it was a great place to live for anyone else. It was the fact that I lived in the village, that people didn't like. I was treated poorly and eventually a ninja stole me from the village and dumped me in the middle of the Land of Forests, with no food, and no idea where I was! I was simply left to die" Naruto said.

"That's so sad, why would they do something like that!" Haku asked.

"Because I am a jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice that contains a Bijuu's power. According to Jiraiya sensei the Yondaime Hokage wanted me to be seen as a hero to these people. It worked about as well as Jiraiya sensei's last pick up attempt on Tsunade Baa-chan" Naruto said.

"What does that mean?" Haku asked.

"It means it failed horribly. Jinchuuriki are never liked liked or loved by anyone. It doesn't matter what Jiraiya-sama says. People naturally distrust jinchuuriki and isolate them! The only jinchuuriki I have ever heard of that was loved is Killer Bee, the Hachibi jinchuuriki from Kumo. He had to work so hard to get everybody to like him that in the end they just seem like a lot of effort for nothing. All he is to Kumo is a weapon for them to use, the same could be said about the Nibi jinchuuriki Yugito Nii. But the villagers still isolate her and ignore her" Akimi said.

"But these people sound like they keep the Bijuu they contain from killing people and running wild! I may not know much about the nine Bijuu. But I do know that they are incredibly powerful and dangerous" Haku said.

"That may be the truth, but people do not see a person when they look at a jinchuuriki. They see the creature that they are locking away!" Akimi said harshly.

"It's not so bad, because of it I was able to meet Jiraiya sensei and all the other people who have been able to make my life far better than it was while I lived here. I may not like what happened to me, but it is not like I can change that. So I may as well just accept it and move on" Naruto said with a relaxed smile.

"He sure is a lot different to how he was when Zabuza-sama and I first met him" Haku whispered to her fellow kunoichi while gazing at Naruto.

"Give you the cold shoulder too huh?" Akimi asked.

"Yeah. Why didn't he like you either?" Haku replied.

"Naruto has never really liked Kumo shinobi. In fact the only time I have seen him even remotely enjoy killing someone, was when a group of Kumo hunter ninja came looking for me while we were out on a mission. That was where he learned a rather disturbing new technique that is given to him with those eyes of his" Akimi said.

"What did he do?" Haku asked tentatively, unsure if she really wanted to know.

"Naruto can read peoples minds if he places his hand onto them and they remain still. When we encountered the group of Kumo ninja Naruto wanted to question them about who else was moving around looking for me and my brother. But he sort of went over board and in the end he ripped the mans soul right out of his body. You could even see a ghostly outline of it as he tossed it away without a care in the world! When I checked over the Kumo ninja their was no sign of a cause of death and he was just dead" Akimi said.

"I think I have seen the results of that jutsu! When Naruto and Itachi came to recruit Zabuza-sama and myself for the Yoinokuchi. We had been hired to kill a bridge builder, by a despicable man named Gato. Naruto and Itachi produced the body of Gato and when I looked it over all I could tell was that he was dead. That must also explain how they were both able to dine where we were at the time, Gato would have known. That is the reason why Naruto didn't like us. Because we were hired to kill an innocent man, who had never hurt anyone. Itachi said Naruto was strongly against that sort of thing" Haku informed the black haired kunoichi.

The two kunoichi were unaware that Naruto could hear their entire conversation. However he decided against informing them of this and instead only decided to speak when they found the place he had been looking for since arriving back in the village. "Hey alright! Ichiraku Ramen! I haven't been here in years. You girls coming or are you going to go somewhere else?" Naruto asked.

"Hm I am not much of a ramen eater, so why don't we meet back after we have something to eat, you can show us around to places you used to like in the village" Akimi said.

"Heh alright see ya soon" Naruto replied and ran off.

The old ramen store looked like it had been upgraded since Naruto had left. There was a large number of people inside the store and Naruto had never seen it this busy. When he lived here Ichiraku Ramen received most of its business via home deliveries. But now that Naruto thought about it, that may have just been because people didn't want to be around Naruto while he ate there.

'_The old man looks like he hasn't aged a day. But Ayame has grown a lot! I guess that is to be expected, she was just slightly older than I am now the last time I saw her. Should I tell them who I am or keep it a secret? Well I haven't gone out of the way to hide who I am. I mean I have used my real name and not used a henge. But I think telling them that I am the young boy everyone used to hate in a crowded restaurant, would be a bad idea_' Naruto thought as he took a seat and waited quietly to be served.

It didn't take long before Ayame came over to take Naruto's order. "Hello and welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! What can I get for you today?" Ayame asked.

"Hm can I get two bowls of Miso ramen please" Naruto replied.

"Yes right away sir... Say you look familiar, but I don't remember you eating here before" Ayame said as she handed the order over to her father.

"I haven't been in Konoha for years so it is probably just a coincidence" Naruto replied.

"Yeah, you sorta remind me of a small boy who used to come here, the face is almost exactly the same. He had blue eyes though, so you can't be him" Ayame said.

"What happened to the him?" Naruto asked, he was trying to find out what sort of reaction there was to his disappearance in the village.

"Well I hate to have to say it. But a ninja named Kou Hyuuga kidnapped him and dumped him a few countries over in a forest to die. Poor Naruto-kun was not well liked in the village unfortunately. What made it worse was when the Hokage had the bastard that committed the crime executed, the villagers all sent money and flowers to his wife and the Hyuuga clan, saying how sad they were that there 'hero' had been killed" Ayame said sadly.

Naruto's blood was simmering under the surface now. It appeared that the villagers of Konoha wouldn't show kindness towards him even after they thought he was dead. Needless to say he was far from pleased and even considered simply leaving Konoha to its fate at the hands of Orochimaru.

He could not bring himself to leave however as he knew that should he do that then the Hokage's life would be put in danger and he did not want to see the man he considered a grandfather figure to be killed. Also he knew that this place was the home of his parents. And who ever they were he knew they would not like to see Konoha destroyed.

Naruto ate in relative silence after that. And once he finished his meal, he simply paid the bill and left. He did however give the father and daughter ramen chefs a friendly wave goodbye.

(With Sakura)

'_Oh where is Sasuke-kun. I thought he would be at home by now_' Sakura thought as she looked around the old Uchiha district for her raven haired teammate.

Moving to the back of the compound she found Sasuke. He was practicing his Katon jutsu. There were also kunai and shuriken scattered all over the clearing.

"Uh Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said tentatively, trying to get the Uchiha's attention.

"Sakura... Why are you here? I thought I told you I didn't want to go on a date with you" Sasuke said. There was no emotion in his voice and he seemed to be more angry than usual.

"I know that. But that boy who was with your brother, I think he is in the village at the moment" Sakura said.

"What! Are you sure?" Sasuke said eagerly.

"I am fairly sure that it is him, but he entered his hotel, so I don't know how to find out for sure" Sakura admitted.

"Well did you see those weird eyes of his?" Sasuke demanded.

"I think so. I was trailing him since he left the Hokage tower, but I am almost positive that I saw the creepy purple eyes of his. So I was thinking we could capture him and that way he would be able to lead us to your brother" Sakura said.

"I will finally be able to kill Itachi! I'm in but first I want to see him myself" Sasuke said.

"Right, and maybe we should get Kakashi sensei to help us?" Sakura suggested.

"No, he would stop us. After all we don't know why he is in the village and could be here to see the Hokage. So we need to confront him alone, and if he doesn't give me the location of Itachi, then we will just have to make him!" Sasuke said.

"Alright then lets go!" Sakura said.

"No, I am tired! We will do it tomorrow, before our team meeting" Sasuke said.

"Okay, that's a good idea Sasuke-kun. So do you want to go grab some dinner with me? It might help you get your strength back from all this training." Sakura said.

"No" was Sasuke's only reply before walking off leaving the pink haired kunoichi alone once more.

(With Naruto)

Naruto had left Ichiraku Ramen, but had been unable to find where Haku and Akimi had gone to eat. '_Damn, well I guess it is no big deal as long as they can find their way back to the hotel it will be fine_' he thought as he walked through the streets of Konoha. The sun was beginning to set and the villagers were beginning to return home which made the streets quiet.

It was not long after that Naruto realized that he had been walking aimlessly for so long that he had stumbled upon the old apartment complex where he used to live. The multistory complex looked like it had seen better days. The gardens were all overgrown and several windows had been boarded up because of broken glass.

'_I wonder what my old apartment is like now?_' Naruto thought as he began climbing the stairs there were several wooden steps missing on the way up to the third floor and it looked like several others were about to be rotten right through. '_What happened here? I mean it wasn't the best of Apartments but it was always clean and well looked after_' he thought as he arrived on his old level and began looking for the room that was once his own.

Naruto found his apartment quite easily. It was after all the only door that had 'Demon' written on the door in big red writing that had faded over time. 'Well it is good to know I was missed' Naruto thought sarcastically as he opened the door.

Everything was the same as he had left it. Unopened ramen containers long past there use by date were stacked up in the kitchen and and the old table with two chairs still stood right where he remembered them all those years ago. In fact apart from the dust and smell of mold the apartment was just the way he remembered it.

Moving into his bedroom he saw that it too had not been touched since he left. The bed was unmade and messy his clothes were still mostly in the wardrobe with the exception of a few that were just tossed onto the floor. Finally on Naruto's bedside table there was a picture of him wearing the Hokage's hat and robes with a smiling Hiruzen Sarutobi in the background. Naruto picked up the photo and stored it in his kunai pouch.

Having seen enough the blond made his way out of the room only to come face to face with four Anbu. "Can I help you?" Naruto asked casually.

"It is not allowed to enter that apartment! You are to come with us to Anbu HQ and then taken to the T and I department for questioning over the current location of Naruto Uzumaki" a ninja in a Bull mask said.

"I would rather not, and besides why would I need to answer questions about my own location" Naruto said offhandedly.

"What do you mean?" A cat masked kunoichi said.

"I mean that I am Naruto Uzumaki, now leave me alone!" Naruto said before turning to walk away.

"Impossible Naruto Uzumaki has Blue eyes!" the Bull masked Anbu said.

"Wait, do you remember what Kakashi sempai said when he returned from that mission in the land of wave! He said he ran into Naruto Uzumaki along with the S ranked criminal Itachi Uchiha. He said Naruto no longer had blue eyes and that they were purple with a ripple pattern" Cat replied.

"Yeah that was me, now if you don't mind I am leaving" Naruto said.

"Wait! If you are Naruto Uzumaki then we are to take you to the Hokage" Bull ordered.

"But I am not a ninja of this village! What right do you have to order me around? Besides I have already seen the old man" Naruto replied.

"That doesn't matter! Now come quietly, or we will have to take you there by force!" Bull said.

Naruto contemplated this for a while. '_Well it wouldn't be that difficult to get rid of them. But then I would be committing a crime against Konoha. Well at least the Hokage tower is close to my Hotel, this is still such a pain in the ass_' the blond thought before agreeing to go with the team of Anbu.

Naruto didn't complain when Bull grabbed Naruto for a shunshin. They arrived right outside the Hokage tower and marched Naruto inside. He was slightly disappointed that the receptionist wasn't there, she could have cleared this whole thing up without disturbing the hokage.

After a knock on the door the hokage beckoned them to enter. The Anbu squad marched in with Naruto in the center of them. "Hey Jiji what the hell! I go check out my old apartment and I get arrested by these guys!" Naruto complained.

"Ah Naruto-kun! I am sorry for this. Bull, you and your team are dismissed. Naruto-kun is a guest in Konoha as he is competing in the chunin exams. He is in the team of wandering shinobi I informed the counsel would be competing this year" Hiruzen said.

"I see, I am sorry Hokage-sama. May I ask have the village elders been informed of who this boy is?" Bull asked.

"No I haven't informed them, quite frankly it will be far to much of a headache, I do not want to deal with them trying to convince me to capture and confine Naruto-kun. And if I did I would have Jiraiya-kun very angry at me" Hiruzen said.

"Jiraiya-sama? I don't understand!" Bull said.

"Jiraiya is the boys sensei and acting sensei for Naruto-kun's team. And is therefore under his protection. Involving the elders and the counsel would be a very bad move" the Hokage said.

"I see. Please forgive us for the inconvenience Naruto. I am sorry to disrupt you while you are working Hokage-sama" Bull said with a bow before his entire team shunshined away.

"Well I am glad that is sorted out" Naruto smiled.

"Yes I should have warned you that your return to the village has been kept classified and that we have sensory seals in place around your old apartment. They have been there since the time you lived here. They were placed as a precaution should anyone attempt to attack you wile you slept" Hiruzen said.

Naruto went to reassure the old Hokage that there was no hard feelings but just as he opened his mouth the door burst open. "I've got you now old man, prepare to be defeated!"

Naruto reacted instinctively and spun around manipulating the gravity around the would be attacker. It turned out to be nothing but a young boy around three years younger than Naruto was. He had spiky brown hair and a scarf that seemed to be longer than he was tall. Naruto left his jutsu up keeping him suspended in mid air "Hey what the hell! Let me down!" the boy yelled as he struggled to break free.

'_This must be Naruto-kun's Gravity manipulation, amazing!_' Hiruzen thought as he stared in awe at the spot Naruto had his grandson suspended in mid air in the middle of the room. "Naruto-kun it is alright. This is my grandson, Konohamaru" the aged Sarutobi said.

"Yeah that's right I am the Hokage's grandson so you better let me down and show me some respect!" Konohamaru yelled indignantly.

"Respect is earned kid" Naruto said. But he did drop his jutsu causing Konohamaru to land in a heap on the floor.

"Hey jerk what was that for I was about to finally defeat my grandfather and become Hokage!" Konohamaru yelled.

"That's not how it works! The Hokage is chosen by becoming the strongest ninja in the village! Just because you beat one person will not make you the Hokage. Becoming Hokage is tough and you need to work really hard. There are after all a lot of strong ninja in Konoha, you will need to be able to defeat all of them if you want the title of Hokage" Naruto lectured.

"What no way! I should just have to defeat the old man!" Konohamaru whined.

"I'm afraid that he is right Konohamaru. There are no shortcuts to become the Hokage" Hiruzen said.

"Well then, I demand that you teach me!" Konohamaru said pointing at Naruto.

"What? Why me?" Naruto questioned.

"You got the drop on me easily I want to learn how you were able to stop be and hold me in the air like that" Konohamaru said.

"Ah well it's not that simple. You see that is a skill that cant really be taught" Naruto said.

"Well then teach me something else!" Konohamaru said.

"Don't you have a sensei for this kind of thing?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, but Ebisu sensei never teaches me anything good" Konohamaru complained.

"I bet what he is trying to teach you is really important, you just don't realize it yet" Naruto said.

"But you are way better than Ebisu sensei! Come on, teach me something" Konohamaru said.

"Sorry kid but I'm not a ninja of this village, I bet you will be able to find a much better sensei than I will ever be. It's dark outside now so I am going to return to my hotel room, I will come see you agin sometime during the week old man" Naruto said, he left the room with a friendly wave to the Hokage and then casually made his way back to his hotel.

Akimi and Haku were already there waiting for him when he returned. "Hey where did you two disappear to after I went to get some ramen?" Naruto asked.

"Oh we found this amazing Dango shop and we spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the village" Haku said.

"Oh find anything interesting?" Naruto asked.

"Not really, but we saw a couple of freaks in green spandex running around the village yelling something about 'flames of youth'. It was kinda scary" Akimi said.

"Oh well, hopefully you wont have to be scared by men in green spandex again during our stay" Naruto laughed and entered his room ready to relax before looking around the village some more tomorrow.

The next day started normally enough. Naruto went into the village to get breakfast before heading to find somewhere quiet to train. He did not get very far however, before he realized he was being followed. '_That kid is going to need a lot of help if he ever wants to be hokage. I mean who try's to follow someone with a square shaped rock? At least those other two are keeping out of sight_' Naruto thought as he quickly gave a sideways glance to where Sasuke and Sakura were hiding. '_Well it looks like I better loose them_' he thought and turning around he pushed off with a great burst of speed.

"You can't escape from me! Come back and teach me some jutsu!" Konohamaru yelled from inside the box and he got out of the box and charged after Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun what should we do?" Sakura asked from where they were hiding.

"You go chase after that kid, I will keep out of sight and when we find him set up some traps to capture him" Sasuke said.

"Awesome plan. don't worry Sasuke-kun I will find him for you!" Sakura said and jumped down into the middle of the road before leaving to chase after Konohamaru.

Following an academy student who is chasing after a skilled ninja is not the best idea however and it didn't take long for Konohamaru to make a wrong turn. However it was a wrong turn that turned out to be an even bigger mistake.

"Ow watch it brat" a boy wearing face paint and a black full body robe said as he yanked Konohamaru up into the air.

"Hey let me go!" Konohamaru yelled.

This was the sight that Sakura walked in on. "Hey whats going on here?" she asked.

"This kid bumped into me and now he is going to pay!" the older boy said.

"Come on I am sure it was just an accident, let the kid go" Sakura said.

"She is right Kankuro, what is the point of making enemies here. Let him go" a tall blond kunoichi with four pigtails and green eyes said.

The now named Kankuro didn't comply however. "No way this kid needs to be punished for disrespecting me!" he said.

"Bansho Ten'in!" came a calm voice from behind Sakura.

Konohamaru shot out of Kankuro's arms and flew right into the outstretched hand of Naruto.

"What kind of jutsu was that?" Kankuro ordered, as Naruto set Konohamaru on the ground and slowly approached Kankuro and the blond kunoichi.

"You Suna genin must have some sort of death with to attack the Hokage's grandson in the middle of Konoha" Naruto said causing the blond kunoichi to pale.

"He disrespected me, I was just going to scare him a little, but I can see from your lack of a head band that you do not belong to this village, so why are you even bothering to help these weaklings!" Kankuro replied.

"Weaklings? The only weakling I see here is you. You need to pick on an academy aged kid just to make yourself look big. I think you might have a better chance at that, if you lost the make up, and wore some proper clothes" Naruto laughed.

The blond kunoichi couldn't help herself and began to giggle. Kankuro however was less than impressed. "Shut up Temari! This is war paint not make up! Looks like I am going to have to teach you a lesson then" Kankuro said and went for an object that was strapped across his back.

Naruto looked mildly interested but let out a sigh when several kunai landed on the ground in front of both Naruto and Kankuro. "I can't allow you to harm him, I need him to tell me where my brother is hiding!" Sasuke yelled from a tree.

"Oh it's you. I was hoping that our other visitor was going to show himself. I have no interest in helping you in your foolish vendetta against Itachi sensei, now leave" Naruto said calmly.

"How dare you mock me! Now tell me where my brother is!" Sasuke ordered.

"No" Naruto replied.

"Look you can have him after I have finished with him. don't worry I will leave him alive... just" Kankuro said, and removed the object from his back.

"No time for that I am afraid. Looks like your teammate is here, and it doesn't look as though he is happy" Naruto said a second before there was a swirl of sand and a young boy appeared around the same age as Naruto was. He had red hair, sea green eyes, and had a kanji for love on his forhead.

"Ga-Ga-Gaara!" Kankuro and Temari both stammered upon the red heads arrival.

"Kankuro what do you think you are doing?" Gaara ordered.

"I was just teaching this pest some respect" Kankuro said clearly scared.

"You are a disgrace to Suna. Temari, Kankuro we're leaving!" Gaara said authoritatively.

"Wait what is your name!" Sasuke ordered.

"Gaara Subaku. I would like to know yours" Gaara replied not even looking at the raven haired Uchiha.

"Sasuke Uchiha" Sasuke said proudly.

"I was not talking to you, you do not interest me. I was asking the blond that mother fears" Gaara said.

"Mother? That is a weird relationship to have with a Bijuu" Naruto said causing Gaara's eyes to widen in shock that Naruto knew his secret. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I am here for the chunin exams as I am guessing you are as well".

"Indeed I am" Gaara replied relatively calmly.

"Then I guess we may have to fight at some point during the exams, I look forward to it" Naruto said.

"Yes I too am eager to test my existence, against someone that even mother fears" Gaara replied and without a second glance at Sasuke or Sakura disappeared in a swirl of sand.

For Sasuke being ignored by not only Naruto but Gaara as well had become too much for him and he jumped down into the road in an attempt to attack Naruto but found him nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go!" Sasuke ordered an answer out of Sakura.

"I don't know. He simply disappeared in a puff of smoke, I think it was a shunshin" Sakura admitted.

"Damn him! This is Itachi taunting me. I will make him pay for this!" Sasuke seethed before stalking off.

"Wait Sasuke shouldn't we go looking for him?" Sakura asked hopefully. She figured the longer they spent looking for Naruto the more chance she would have of getting a date out of the Uchiha.

"No we have a team meeting in fifteen minutes. Maybe Hinata can help find him" Sasuke said grumpily as he stalked off.

During this exchange Naruto sat on top of a building watching their movements. "He is a rather angry revenge obsessed boy. I think you may have made a mistake letting that one live Itachi sensei" Naruto said to himself before hopping down into the street and continuing his search for an empty training ground.

**End Chapter! **

**Was thinking of adding Gaara to their group. What do you think? I could replace him as Kazekage with Baki.**

**Sorry Again, not much happened. Just some character development. I hope to get into the action soon, either next chapter or the one after that. **


	9. Before the First Task

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 9: Before The First Task**

Sasuke arrived at the location of their team meeting in a bad mood. First he was ignored and disrespected by Naruto. And then the red headed jinchuuriki Gaara also saw him as nothing but a pest. Just like the brooding Uchiha, Sakura was also in a pad mood. Her grand plan to get a date out of Sasuke by helping him capture Naruto had failed miserably.

It turned out they were the first of team seven to make it to the meeting spot only half an hour late. Hinata was usually the first to arrive but she also knew that Kakashi's poor track record at arriving on time meant that she would usually show up about forty five minutes late. While Sasuke and Sakura would usually arrive together after an hour.

(**With Naruto**)

Naruto found a quiet training ground next to a large forest. '_This should be perfect, hopefully I can get some training in here without any more distractions_' the blond thought to himself.

He sat down in the center of the training ground clearing and sat in a cross legged in a meditative position and slowly levitated himself five meters above the ground.

Naruto sat perfectly still and channeled chakra around him levitating rocks as a way to train his gravity manipulation. The more chakra he put into the jutsu the larger the radius of the levitation field would extend.

This was the scene Akimi and Haku walked in on. "What is he doing?" Haku asked.

"This is how he trains to control gravity, when he first started he could use some basic moves if he was desperate but could not control how long his jutsu would last for or how much power he put into his attacks. he would sometimes use his Shinra Tensei and blow away great big chunks of earth" Akimi replied.

"Is it safe to go near him?" Haku questioned looking at all the floating rocks and branches in mid air.

"Sure it is! But you will probably get trapped in his jutsu until he releases it" Akimi answered with a laugh.

"So what we just wait for him to finish his training before we can go anywhere near him?" Haku asked.

"Not exactly, we just have to get his attention" Akimi replied.

"You really know a lot about him huh? I guess you would have to seeing as he was the only person your age around for the past couple of years" Haku said.

"Hm I guess so. But there is still so much about him that is a mystery to me. He never really talks about his past, outside of small things that happened here in Konoha. He hides a lot of pain in him, I can see that. But I guess you could say I know him better than most. after all he is my best friend" Akimi said trying to liven the mood at the end.

Not waiting for Haku to reply the dark haired kunoichi picked up a small rock and tossed it at Naruto knowing the gravity field was only below him.

The small rock hit the meditating Naruto right in the head. The sudden shock forced the blond jinchuuriki to drop his jutsu sending him crashing onto the ground in a heap. "Ow what the hell!" Naruto yelled, pulling himself up into a standing position.

"Well we had to get your attention somehow!" Akimi yelled in response.

"Did you think of maybe just calling me?" Naruto said rubbing the spot on his head where Akimi had hit him with a rock.

"I thought you were tougher than that. To think Jiraiya-sama thinks so highly of you, maybe he should take on another protege, someone who can take a hit" Akimi joked.

"Yeah very funny. So what did you guys want?" Naruto asked walking over to the kunoichi.

"Well we were thinking that this would be a good time to train together as a team. After all the chunin exams are supposed to be taken in teams. We wouldn't want to get eliminated because out teamwork isn't up to scratch" Haku said.

"Oh so that's all. Sure sounds like it could be fun, may as well run through some team work exercises. Best way to do this would be to take on some missions together but I guess we don't really have enough time for that" Naruto said casually.

The three shinobi began running through several drills to build teamwork, mostly combination patterns and attacks.

"You know I do not see how this is really necessary, there are nothing but teams of genin that we are up against" Naruto said.

"Well we are not all unbeatable like you are" Akimi said.

"I'm not unbeatable! Jiraiya and Itachi sensei can still defeat me" Naruto said.

"Yeah when you don't try! I have watched your fights with them, you hold back!" Akimi said.

"So do they" Naruto replied.

"What ever, in a real fight I bet you would win against them" Akimi replied.

"It would be foolish to believe that I am unbeatable. If I did then I would become arrogant and stop working to improve myself. People who are overconfident get defeated" Naruto said.

"Yet you are the one who said it was pointless to train to fight a bunch of genin" Haku said.

"That is different. All three of us are far above all of the level of genin. In fact I have only seen one person that could rival any of us even slightly. And he is a jinchuuriki from Suna" Naruto said.

"Wait there is another jinchuuriki competing?" Haku asked.

"Yes and he seems to be rather unstable, a one on one fight for most genin or even chunin would almost certainly end in death" Naruto said.

"Well that is a reason to train harder then isn't it?" Haku said.

"I guess but one person is not worth getting overly worried about" Naruto reassured the ice wielder.

(**With Team Seven**)

Sasuke's bad mood had not improved by the time Kakashi had finally arrived. In fact his mood was so bad he had not said a single word since he arrived and completely ignored Hinata's greeting when she arrived at the meeting location.

"Yo!" Kakashi said lazily as he appeared in a puff of smoke.

"You're Late!" Sakura yelled.

"Ugh yeah sorry about that. I had to help this old woman home with her bags, and it turned out she lived on the other side of the village" Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Liar!" Sakura accused.

"Anyway, I have the forms for you to fill out. And then I want you all to rest up for the exams at the end of the week, so training and missions are canceled" Kakashi informed his genin.

Sasuke was the first person to grab a form. '_He said he would be competing. So I will simply defeat him in exam and order him to tell me where Itachi is! It will be punishment for disrespecting me!_' Sasuke seethed internally as he filled out the form quickly and handed it back to Kakashi.

"You seem rather distant today Sasuke" Kakashi said trying to make the raven haired Uchiha open up.

"It's nothing, I am just focused on these exams, I met someone that is competing. And I have to defeat him no matter what!" Sasuke said.

"Really who is that?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki" Sasuke said in an emotionless tone.

Kakashi's eyes widened and Hinata dropped the pen she was using to fill out her form. "Na-Naruto-kun is competing?" She asked sheepishly.

"Yes! I was going to ask for your help in locating him so that I could beat the location of my brother out of him! But now I know where he will be, all I have to do is fight him in the chunin exams" Sasuke said.

"Are you sure it was him?" Kakashi asked.

"Positive, he was talking to a red headed boy from Suna, Gaara Subaku. And he told him his name" Sasuke said grumpily.

'_Naruto is competing in the chunin exams! But why? He must have a team with him, and someone acting as a sensei. Hiruzen-sama did inform the jounin's and the counsel that a team of wandering shinobi would be competing and they were all under the age of fifteen. That must have been Naruto's team, so Hokage-sama must have known Naruto was returning to compete in the exams! I think I will go and talk to him after we have finished here_' Kakashi thought.

"Um Sasuke where did you see Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"It doesn't matter! He got away" Sasuke said.

"Tell me Sasuke. What will you do should Naruto tell you where your brother is? Do you really think you can beat him as you are now? Itachi was a genius in every sense of the word. If you were to go after him the only thing you would accomplish is your death! I am telling you to forget about this need for revenge, it will consume you in the end" Kakashi warned.

"Hn" was Sasuke's only reply.

Eventually Sakura and Hinata finished their forms and returned them to Kakashi. "Well you know the date, so all you have to do is go to the academy in the morning and go to room 302" Kakashi said and disappeared in a puff of smoke after a friendly goodbye wave.

"So Sasuke-kun do you want to go look for that blond haired Baka again?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"No, I am going to fight and Humiliate him in the exams" Sasuke said and walked off.

Hinata however was already scanning the area around them with her Byakugan trying to find Naruto's unique chakra, that had spots of Kyuubi's chakra visible in it.

(**Hokage Office**)

Hiruzen was sitting behind his desk reading the latest copy of Icha Icha when the door opened. Shocked by the sudden entrance the Hokage hid his beloved book quickly before he could realize who it was who had entered.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. "Oh its you, Kakashi-kun"

"Why were we not informed of the return of Naruto Uzumaki to the village?" Kakashi asked seriously.

"Ah so I take it you saw him?" Hiruzen asked.

"No I didn't, but Sasuke has" Kakashi said.

"Well to answer your question I will ask one of my own. What do you think the elders would do should they find out Naruto is here competing as a wandering ninja with no affiliation to any village?" Hiruzen said.

"I believe they would attempt to capture him to forcefully return him to the village" Kakashi admitted.

"Precisely. And that would mean Danzo would try to get his hands on the boy. Those eyes of his are powerful, so Danzo will attempt to turn him into his own personal weapon. Not that it would work, I believe after just talking to him, that Danzo would not only fail, but most likely loose his life in the attempt to capture or control Naruto. Now I have another question for you. What do you think the civilian population and some of the less informed ninja would do should they know Naruto was back in the village?" Hiruzen continued.

"I would say that the civilians would try to have him arrested or killed on some made up charges and the ninja may even attempt to kill him themselves" Kakashi said.

"That was the same conclusion I came up with, so I kept Naruto's return to the village a secret, after all it is only on a temporary basis. He will be gone at the end of the exams" the Hokage admitted.

"Very well I can understand the secrecy. But do you really think you can keep it a secret once the exams start. He is using his own name after all, and people will not be fooled by his eyes for long, the whisker marks and the blond hair give it away" Kakashi said.

"To you and I maybe, but Naruto was ignored by the villagers. They pretended he didn't exist so it is perfectly natural for them not to see what is right before their eyes. I do believe however that after the second task he may have some troubles. But he will have his team and Jiraiya-kun with him so it will not be too much to worry about" the Hokage replied.

"Jiraiya-sama is back in the village too?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. But I doubt he will allow himself to be seen much. My guess is he would be at the bath houses doing his research for his next book" Hiruzen answered.

"I see, so that is why Jiraiya-sama left the service of Konoha. He wanted to take Naruto with him! So I guess he found Naruto after he had awakened those eyes of his and to protect him from becoming a weapon for the village, he left Konoha. So Naruto had been trained by Jiraiya-sama for the past five years. He will be far stronger than any genin in this exam" Kakashi said.

"You are right. According to Jiraiya-kun, Naruto-kun is about the same strength as he is" Hiruzen replied.

"Then why are you allowing him to enter these exams?" Kakashi asked, shocked to hear how strong the Hokage believed Naruto was.

"Well there are two reasons actually. Although one of them is rather selfish. I wanted to see him again, I remember him as a boy always smiling and full of life... Just like his mother. Although he also got into a lot of trouble" Hiruzen said.

"Just like his mother did as well I think you will find. She once told me the story of her first day at the academy when she beat up all the people that were picking on her" Kakashi said.

"Yes indeed. When Jiraiya came to me and said he wanted to include Naruto into the chunin exams I just couldn't refuse the chance to see him once more" the Hokage admitted.

"I see. You said there was another reason though" Kakashi reminded the Hokage.

"Yes, well you see Jiraiya found out something interesting about the new village that appeared and decided to compete in this exam. The leader of the village is Orochimaru! Also it is not a village at all. There is only a underground base there. So he thought Orochimaru might be using the chunin exams as an attempt to attack Konoha. Naruto's team was offered as support to find the team from Oto and find out what they know about Orochimaru's plans" Hiruzen stated.

"So they are here to protect the village?" Kakashi said, shocked slightly by the main reason Naruto was in Konoha.

"Yes, Naruto still loves Konoha. But I do not believe he will take the abuse they gave him before. He loves the village but hates the people" the Hokage said.

"So there is no hope of him returning to stay?" Kakashi asked.

"I do not think so, I believe this will be the last we see of Naruto for quite some time" Hiruzen said sadly.

Kakashi bowed and said a respectful farewell to the Hokage before leaving the room. There was only one spot in the village Kakashi could go to clear his head when things got to him like they were now. After leaving the Hokage's office he shunshined to the memorial stone where he stood until the sun had long since set from the sky.

The rest of the week passed without much incident for Naruto and his team. They spent a couple of hours every day working on teamwork drills. Akimi's speed and taijutsu ability was a brilliant counter balance to Naruto's ninjutsu skills, although he was definitely no slouch when it came to taijutsu which Haku found out when she was watched Naruto and Akimi spar. He never wasted a move and while he was not as fast as Akimi was with her Swift release he was far more skilled in his Kata and seemed to have a counter for every move. Haku fit in with their teamwork almost flawlessly. Her skill with senbon and other long ranged weapons was perfect. In the end they had a well balanced team with a close range taijutsu user, a mid to close range ninjutsu, and a long range support.

"Alright, we should get through this easily, but remember what the main mission is. We need to find the team from Oto and learn everything that they know about Orochimaru. Also we do not know if he has any people working undercover so it would be best if we confront them away from any teams from other countries" Naruto said as they walked towards the academy.

"Yeah, yeah we know, how hard can it be? They are probably just a bunch of Orochimaru's rejects" Akimi said.

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponents" Haku lectured.

"Aw Haku-chan not you too" Akimi whined.

"Well you do tend to do that pretty often" Naruto joked.

"Oh and are you saying that you don't!" Akimi yelled back at the blond. There was no harshness in her voice however and it was little more than a couple of friends giving each other a hard time.

The three shinobi made it to the academy still joking with each other. Once they entered the doors and went up the first flight of stairs. The joking stopped however when they saw a large group of people standing outside a door blocked by two ninja that Naruto could easily see were two chunin under a henge. "It's a decoy to weed out any teams that cant spot a genjutsu lets go around" Naruto said quietly.

No sooner had they gotten to the end of the hallway that opened up into a small dojo that there was a call from behind them. "Remove that genjutsu and get out of the way!"

"Well so much for the pretest" Haku sighed.

"Man what an idiot who would willingly tell the possible opposition that!" Akimi said, clearly shocked.

"Obviously someone who is smart enough to notice a genjutsu but either too dumb to realize the purpose of it. Or they just want to prove that they are superior to everybody else by showing off" Naruto said.

"My guess is it's a mixture of both" Akimi giggled.

"I came to the same conclusion" Naruto chuckled.

They had made it up the stairs just as they heard a confrontation starting behind them.

"You are Sasuke Uchiha! Rookie of this years academy class and genius are you not? If so then I challenge you right here and now" a voice called out.

"Hey wait up, lets see where this goes" Naruto said to the two kunoichi who shrugged but agreed to follow as they made their way to a balcony over looking the Dojo but still out of sight. Below them was Sasuke with Hinata and Sakura flanking him on either side. And a boy with a bowl haircut wearing green spandex.

"Oh kami it's one of the freaks we saw running around the village the other day" Akimi said.

"Yes and the others were with Kakashi Hatake on the bridge in Wave" Haku added.

"This might actually be interesting" Naruto said as he turned his attention to the group just as Sasuke began to open his mouth.

"You know who I am, and yet you still wish to fight me?" Sasuke sneered at the boy.

"Sasuke, this isn't a good idea... Lee, is in Neji-Niisan's team. I have seen them train" Hinata said trying to deter Sasuke from accepting the fight.

"I want to fight you to prove that with hard work even a looser can defeat a genius!" the now named Lee spoke.

"Heh I like him" Naruto whispered with a smile of respect on his face.

"Fine, but don't expect to be able to defeat me" Sasuke said and he charged forward.

The fight was brief and brutal. Sasuke was completely man handled and it would have become far worse for Sasuke had it not been for the arrival of a turtle, and a larger version of Lee.

"Sweet Kami there is two of them! Is the smaller one a clone or something?" Naruto whispered.

"I don't know, I just hope that there isn't any more of them" Haku said.

"Looks like the show is over now anyway. Lets get to room 302 already" Akimi said and began dragging Naruto, who had seen something that had shocked him to the very core and made him want to burn his eyes out.

"What happened Naruto? You look like you just saw a ghost" Haku asked.

"It was horrible... they were hugging on a beach... I couldn't dispel it no matter how hard I tried! Demonic genjutsu from hell" Naruto wept as he curled up into a ball and began slowly rocking.

"Oh kami he's broken! What do we do now?" Haku asked.

"No idea. Snap out of it Naruto!" Akimi yelled at the blond before giving him a light slap across the face.

That seemed to do the trick and Naruto came to his senses. "Thanks Akimi I needed that" Naruto sighed in relief.

"What the hell could have possibly made you react that way?" Akimi asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" Naruto shivered.

"Fine, we're here anyway" Akimi said.

They entered the class room to find it completely full to bursting point. "Aw man this sucks, how are we supposed to get the team from Oto alone in this mess" Naruto whined quietly.

Naruto moved further into the room but stooped when he felt someone approach them from behind. Whirling around Naruto saw the gravity defying silver hair of Kakashi.

"Oh Kakashi Hatake. A pleasure to see you again" Naruto said.

"Naruto. I would like to apologize for my actions on the bridge in the Land of Waves" Kakashi said.

"Apology accepted. However I do not feel there was any need to apologize. You thought you were doing the right thing. And as Itachi sensei and I were able to leave without any major issues no harm was done" Naruto assured the silver haired jounin.

"Why do you work with Itachi? If you don't mind me asking" Kakashi said.

"Why not. He is strong and has been able to teach me a lot. He may have killed his clan but that doesn't mean he is necessarily a bad person. Maybe they had done something to him that justified it. Either way he has been nothing but helpful and kind to me" Naruto said.

"I suppose that is understandable. I wont take up any more of your time, I need to go greet my team after all. Oh and good luck in the exam" Kakashi said giving Naruto one of his patented eye smiles, before walking away to greet team seven who had just entered the room.

Naruto quickly began scanning around the room and it didn't take long to find the three Oto ninja. "There they are" Naruto whispered to Akimi causing her to glance in the direction that Naruto was looking.

"They look like they think they are superior to everyone here" Akimi said.

"I know what you mean, they look like they own the place. Especially the one that looks like a mummy" Naruto said.

Naruto's attention was drawn away from the Oto genin when he heard someone say his name. Looking for the person who called him Naruto spun around and saw all of his old class along with a silver haired Konoha ninja that Naruto didn't recognize. Channeling chakra into his ears and focusing on the conversation the silver haired boy was having with Sasuke Naruto began eaves dropping.

"So you want information on Rock Lee, Gaara Subaku and Naruto Uzumaki right?" the silver haired boy asked.

"That's right, can you do that Kabuto?" Sakura asked.

"No problem, giving me the names will make it incredibly easy. Ok first up is Rock Lee" Kabuto said but the second he pulled the info card out of his pocket his entire deck including Lee's flew out of his grasp. "What tha?"

"It isn't very nice to give out information about other people" Naruto said as the deck of cards flew into his outstretched hand.

"What are you doing, scared we are going to find out something about you?" Sasuke sneered when he saw Naruto. The reactions from the rest of the Konoha rookies was varied. Most of them had no idea who he was, but Hinata couldn't help but blush. While Shikamaru eyed Naruto intently sure that he had seen the blond somewhere before. That same thought process was running through the mind of Shino and he had already planned to send a kikachu beetle to investigate this new comer.

"That is quite a useful jutsu you have there. I assure you all the information I have gathered is easily accessible. Now if I might have my cards back... Uh I don't believe I know your name sorry" Kabuto said with a friendly smile.

"It's Naruto Uzumaki. And no you can't have your ninja info cards back. You were about to give out information about me, not that it would do any good as there wont be anything of any use on mine as I am not a ninja of any village. But I think Lee and Gaara have a right to keep there abilities secret. And if it is easily accessible then they should have done the research themselves before the exams" Naruto said.

"Then I will put them away. But may I please have them back? I promise to not share anymore information" Kabuto said.

"I guess so. But first I will permit you to tell them what my card says as long as I can see it first" Naruto said.

"That should be simple enough, just channel some chakra into the cards and think of the name you want then draw a card" Kabuto said.

Naruto did as he was told and drew the card with his information on it. '_Hm a little more than I expected but nothing major, nothing here that I wouldn't expect sensei to put in my entrance form anyway_' Naruto thought before handing it along with the rest of the cards back to Kabuto.

Kabuto's eyes widened when he looked at the card. "Um are you sure it is okay for me to tell them this?" he asked tentatively unsure on what Naruto's reaction would be.

"Yeah it's fine, there isn't anything I want to keep hidden in there anyway. Besides I told you that you could" Naruto said.

"Very well then. Naruto Uzumaki Wandering ninja and part of team Yoinokuchi. Comprising of himself, Haku Momoichi, and Akimi Hayaku. He has completed over two hundred missions none of them below C rank. And has never been harmed in combat. His ninjutsu and taijutsu skills are off the charts along with his chakra capacity. The only weakness that I can see is he has no skill in kenjutsu and only slightly above average skills in genjutsu. Oh there is one more thing the sensei of team Yoinokuchi is none other than Jiraiya of the Sannin" Kabuto said causing the listening crowd to eye Naruto wearily and Sasuke to seethe internally.

'_So if Jiraiya has sent a team here maybe he suspects Orochimaru-sama is planning something. I should inform him as soon as possible_' Kabuto thought.

"Hn probably just bad information. You don't look so tough!" Sasuke said.

"Well feel free to attack me during the exams and see for yourself Teme" Naruto said causing Akimi to chuckle but Haku remained silent.

"Um, you were the fake Hunter ninja that was with Zabuza on the bridge in Wave weren't you?" Hinata asked finally fighting down her blush.

"Yes I was. I guess the information on Naruto's card sort of gave that away" Haku admitted.

"Well that and you hold yourself the same way" Hinata admitted.

"Hm she is rather stoic isn't she" Akimi chuckled.

"Yeah if she was a bit older she would be just like a female version of Itachi sensei" Naruto added causing both Naruto and Akimi to both burst out laughing much to the confusion of the Konoha ninja and anger of Sasuke.

"Who knows. Itachi is only about five years older than she is. Maybe we have found Itachi the perfect girlfriend" Akimi said continuing her teasing of the stoic ice user who was now an almost Hinata worthy shade of red from embarrassment.

Meanwhile most of the shinobi in the room were looking at Naruto and Akimi like they were idiots for drawing so much attention to themselves and laughing when they were about to take the first task.

"Are those two insane?" Choji asked Shikamaru.

"I don't think so. Look how relaxed they are, they are not concerned about this exam or anyone that is in it. I say we stay away from them" Shikamaru replied.

Several others in the group nodded in agreement as Naruto and the other members of his team walked away. Seconds later the door burst open and a large man walked in wearing a dark blue bandana, a large black coat and a gray Anbu outfit. He also had several scars on his face.

"Alright I am the proctor for the first exam, Ibiki Morino. Now find a seat and wait for the tests to be passed around!"

**End Chapter!**

**Action next chapter I promise. and I will put a rush on it because my car has broken down and I cant get to work today. so instead I will give you a extra long chapter later on today. So keep posted.**


	10. The Forest of Death

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 10: The Forest of Death**

Naruto sat at his desk looking down at the exam. It said a lot for his training that he actually knew how to answer most of the questions but at the same time he knew that there was no way in hell any genin should be able to answer them.

'_I see the game here, he wants us to cheat! My guess is they planted people who knew the answers in the room and they want to see how good we are at gathering information_' Naruto thought as he scaned the room to find anyone who had already started writing. He spotted one or two people in each section of the room. '_There they are! I don't need to cheat for this. Also the fact that they haven't given the final question is weird, I bet this isn't the real test. This proctor is clever, he is trying to stress the contestants out. All leading up to the final question which will be the real test_' Naruto theorized. He grinned a knowing smile a Ibiki before shrugging and starting his test.

'_That kid figured it out... I am sure of it. He doesn't look intimidated or worried in the slightest, not to mention I can't see how he is cheating at all. Does he know the answers already?_' Ibiki thought as he studied Naruto. '_Hm he looks familiar where have I seen that boy before?_' he wondered and decided to look through the team sheets until he found Naruto's entrance sheet.

Needless to say the Torture specialist was shocked to the core once he saw who it was that was sitting several meters in front of him. '_Naruto Uzumaki... you have really changed. I am surprised that I haven't had any extra work interrogating the civilians that attempted to harm him before he was kidnapped from the village. Anko was rather upset when he left, but she has always been a sadistic one_' Ibiki thought as he looked at Naruto in wonder.

(**Observation Room**)

Kakashi and the other jounin sensei with teams in the exams were watching the exams on a large screen while eating popcorn.

"You know I am starting to regret putting my team into these exams, their chances of getting past the first round cant be that great with someone like Ibiki testing them" a tall man with a thin beard said while smoking a cigarette.

"What do you mean Asuma?" a dark wavy haired kunoichi with red eyes asked.

"That's right you wouldn't know, you have only just become a jounin haven't you Kurenai?" Kakashi said. Kurenai nodded in response.

"Ibiki Morino is the head of the Torture and Interrogation branch of the Anbu" Asuma informed kurenai.

"He has been known to be most unyouthful towards anyone he interrogates" the Green glad jounin said.

"Huh you say something Gai?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah damn you Kakashi and your hip attitude!" Guy whined.

"Surely he wont be allowed to harm the genin in the written exam?" Kurenai said shocked.

"That is not Ibiki's style" came a new voice from behind them.

"Jiraiya-sama!" the four shinobi said when they saw who it was that had over heard their conversation.

"Why are you here? If you don't mind my asking" Gai said.

"Well I came to see how my team are doing. Although there isn't much point as they are a sure bet" Jiraiya said confidently.

"Your team? You mean the teamof wandering shinobi are trained by you?" Asuma asked.

"Not exactly, only one of them is, but the other two have been trained personally by top shinobi" Jiraiya said.

"And which youthful student is yours?" Gai asked pointing to the screen.

But it was Kakashi who answered. "The blond one in the third row. Naruto Uzumaki"

"Wait you mean..." Asuma spluttered dropping his cigarette.

"Wait isn't that the boy that the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into?" Kurenai asked.

"The very same. He is my prized pupil" Jiraiya said proudly.

"Wait if you are the sensei for their team why haven't we seen you in the village? In the last couple of days?" Asuma asked, lighting up a new cigarette to replace the one that fell on the ground.

"I was out of the village looking for Tsunade-Hime. She would want to know about the fact that Naruto was competing in the chunin exams. She would be able to make quite a bit of money off him. Enough to pay off almost all of her debts" Jiraiya said.

"You seem pretty confident, but my team is more than ready to fight anyone they come across in these exams. Because they burn with the brightest fires of youth" Gai said.

"Well then how about a bet? To see which team does the best in the exams?" Kakashi suggested.

"I'm in, I bet every one of my team make it to the finals and win in the first round unless they have to fight each other" Jiraiya said.

"Yosh! I too will nominate all three members of my team to make the final" Gai said.

"Well from the sheer number of competitors I would say there is going to have to be preliminaries so I would say Sasuke will make it and maybe Hinata" Kakashi said.

"Yeah I would say Shikamaru is easily chunin material, I put my money on him" Asuma said.

"And I put my money on Shino from my team" Kurenai added.

"Well that settles that, now lets watch, this should be far less boring now that we all have money riding on it" Kakashi said.

There plan to make the exams more exciting turned out to be a total failure. No matter which way they looked at it, there was no way of making a written exam exciting. The only parts that could even be considered remotely exciting was looking to see how various people were cheating.

Jiraiya was not surprised when fifteen minutes in Naruto turned his page over and began to sleep.

(**Exam Room**)

It had been about thirty minutes and Naruto was getting bored. Try as he might it just was not possible to fall asleep on a school desk. Weakly opening his eyes to look around Naruto noticed something very weird. A small beetle had crawled onto his desk and over to him.

'_Hm this must be how someone is cheating. Jiraiya sensei did say that there was a clan in Konoha that used a special type of insect that live inside their bodies_' Naruto thought as he watched the beetle with interest as he scurried over to him.

The insect climbed onto Naruto arm and began exploring while it consumed small amounts of Naruto's chakra.

"Oh I see the person who sent you is interested in me not my answers to the exam" Naruto said to the beetle as it continued consuming Naruto's chakra.

After about a minute the beetle had its fill of chakra and took off to return to the owner and relay its findings. Naruto subtly watched the beetle as it returned to a Konoha genin he could recall was named Shino.

Naruto watched as Shino appeared to talk to the beetle that he sent to investigate Naruto and gave an emotionless nod to what ever was said by the insect before turning his gaze toward Naruto who gave a friendly smile to the insect user. In response Shino simply gave Naruto a nod and turned back to his exam paper.

The rest of the written exam went without incident and it was not long before Ibiki stood up at the front and began telling everyone the rules for the final exam.

Naruto yawned until he got to the part where Ibiki told them that if they chose to take the final question but got it wrong they would be excluded from taking the chunin exams again which caused Naruto to stifle a laugh and other people to burst out in angry complaints. '_Gotta hand it to this guy! He has sure gotten under a lot of peoples skin easily. They are so tense and rattled that they are not using their brains. If they were calm they would know that the chunin exams are held every six months in a different village. Each village runs its own unique exams. So his threat to stop any team of genin from taking the exams is precisely that, a threat and nothing more. He wants to see if we have the guts to stay and face the final question_' Naruto thought while analyzing the body language of the man.

Naruto watched as people around him began to file out of the room one at a time. Unsure of how long this would actually take Naruto leaned back and folded his arms behind his head while he rested his legs on the table giving him a completely relaxed and careless expression.

"You think this is a game huh?" Ibiki said after he noticed Naruto reclining in his chair.

"Not really. But it is a rather amusing little test you came up with" Naruto replied offhandedly causing other genin to look at Naruto as though he was insane for being so relaxed.

"So you are not worried at all about staying a genin for the rest of your life?" Ibiki said trying again to intimidate Naruto.

"Nah, could be fun. Besides why would I fear the final question when I am already taking it" Naruto said shocking the scarred jounin.

'_Clever kid, he figured it out. Not only that his relaxed attitude has made other ninja less certain about taking the question. He is attempting to psyche out the opposition whilst he knows he will go through. That is a jounin's level of thinking not a chunin and certainly not a genin_' Ibiki thought.

Ibiki waited a bit longer as several more teams left and eventually all the people that reamined seemed sure that they wanted to continue.

"Well looks like that's it for people who want to leave. So now... You all... Pass!" Ibiki said.

Naruto didn't look surprised but most of the others in the room did. "How do we pass? What about the final question?" Temari asked.

"Do you want to stay... That was the final question. All the other questions were nothing but a distraction and to see how good you all were at information gathering. Out in the field miss information can lead to the death of yourself or your comrades. Also collecting the propper information is of no use to anyone if you are discovered in collecting it or you loose the information to someone else" Ibiki said.

Ibiki was about to continue his lecture when a large black ball smashed through the window. When everyone came to their senses about what they were seeing they saw that the large black ball was a shapely kunoichi that was wearing very revealing clothing, a near see through mesh top and a tench coat that just hid her nipples from showing. She also wore a tight miniskirt that sowed off a large portion of her long slender legs. She had shoulder length purple hair that she kept tied up in a spikey ponytail and pupil less brown eyes. In her hand was a large banner that read. 'The Sexy and Single Proctor for the Second Exam. Anko Mitarashi!'

"Anko... you're early... Again" Ibiki said with a sweat drop.

"Oh sorry Ibiki, you can continue your boring lecture if you want" Anko replied.

"There is no point now" Ibiki sighed. And indeed there wasn't looking around the room there was predominantly two expressions. The males who were all ogling anko and trying to look at the areas either just hidden by the trench coat or mini skirt. Then there were the females who were angry at both the males for looking at Anko like she was a piece of meat, and angry at Anko for dressing like that.

"Well then Maggot's! You are with me now. Lets see... … 42! Ibiki you must be loosing your touch" Anko said.

"Maybe, or maybe we just have some very talented genin this year" Ibiki said giving a sideways glance towards Naruto that only Anko and the blond noticed.

"Well then. Looks like I am going to have to thin out there numbers... don't worry when I am done the numbers will be at least cut in half" Anko said confidently.

"Well that is the purpose of the second task" Ibiki sighed under his breath at the antics of his favorite apprentice.

"Alright Maggots! Training ground 44 in thirty minutes or you will be disqualified!" Anko said before jumping back out of the window she shattered leaving behind the large banner.

Naruto shrugged and got out of his seat followed by Akimi and Haku who having experienced the eccentricities of Jiraiya and Zabuza were less shocked by Anko's actions than the others. But soon everyone realized what was going on and they came to their senses.

"So how did you guys cheat?" Naruto asked.

"I used my ice manipulation to make mirrors in front of my eyes that showed me the sheets of various people" Haku admitted.

"I used swift release to quickly look at the pages of the people around me. What did you do?" Akimi replied.

"Nothing, I already knew how to answer most of the questions. And the others just sort of came to me as I looked at them" Naruto said.

"Figures, and here I was hoping for some amazing ninjutsu that allowed you to see what was going on. I was half expecting you to use a shadow clone and have it go fetch you the answers" Akimi said.

"I thought about it. But in the end it wasn't necessary" Naruto admitted.

They were not the first team to arrive at the training ground 44, far from it in fact. Naruto and his team had been so relaxed on there walk they barely even took note of all the other teams that were running past them to make sure that they made it on time for the second task.

Eventually the thirty minutes was up and Anko reappeared with several sticks of dango that she was happily eating.

"Welcome maggots! To my home away from home. Training ground 44, better known as 'The Forest of Death'" Anko said in a threatening tone in an attempt to scare the genin. However she then noticed Naruto, he didn't look scared at all, he looked bored. '_Perfect target to make an example of_' Anko thought and she whipped out a kunai and tossed it so it would graze the blonds cheek.

The only problem was her attack failed. Naruto lazily moved his head out of the way as the kunai flew right passed.

Not wanting to be out smarted by a genin Anko continued with he attack this time using a shunshin to appear behind Naruto kunai in hand ready to slit his throat. Her plan once again failed miserably however, and she found her kunai expertly blocked by one of Naruto's own and felt the cold steel of another kunai pressed against an artery in her exposed thigh. '_No way! Not by a genin!_' she thought in shock as everyone else began to stare in shock at the scene before them.

"Normally I would just kill someone who attempts to attack me like that. But it would be such a waste" Naruto whispered from where he was standing her breasts still pushed up against his back as she was still struggling to come to terms with the fact she had just been out maneuvered with ease by a genin.

"You're no genin, you move faster than most of the jounin in this village" Anko hissed quietly in his ear, still not moving but returning to her correct state of mind.

"Maybe, or is it that you went easy on me because you underestimated my ability?" Naruto said calmly tapping the flat side of the kunai against her exposed inner thigh.

"And if I wasn't?" Anko replied.

"Then your reputation holds a lot to be desired. Anko Mitarashi, Konoha's Snake Mistress" Naruto stated still completely calm.

While this was going on nobody could here what was being said. To all of the observers it looked like the pair were almost holding each other tenderly, apart from the blade Naruto was effortlessly holding away from his throat. They could not see his own. This was getting Naruto some rather jealous looks from a majority of the male population and some rather disapproving looks from Akimi and several other girls, who had not forgiven Anko for her over the top dress sense.

"As fun as this is, I think you should return to telling the other scared little genin about the second task. Oh and someone wants to return your kunai to you" Naruto said, before removing his kunai from the snake mistresses thigh.

"Oh I bet your blood would taste divine" Anko purred into his ear before licking the side of Naruto's face. This got him, Naruto blushed. All the calmness he had was now gone. "So you are human after all" She said with a seductive smile before backing away.

Looking around Naruto was met with the glares of almost everyone in the exams. All of the guys were now extremely jealous and the girls all thought he was a pervert. In fact the only person who found the situation humorous was Haku.

Anko backed away with a slightly satisfied feeling, she may not have gotten him with either of her attacks but she was able to make him blush and loose his cool easy enough.

"Your kunai, proctor-san. You should watch where you throw it" came a silky voice of a female ninja from Kusa.

'_No fucking way! Two genin getting the drop on me in one day, I need some serious training!_' Anko thought as she spun around to see who it was that had approached silently and had gotten through all of her senses.

Anko was slightly disturbed by the sight of the ninja, there was really nothing unique about her appearance. She was tall with long black hair. But her super long tongue made the Snake mistress rather uneasy. It held the kunai out to her and placed it in Anko's hand.

"Uh thank you" Anko said still unnerved.

"Don't mention it" the Kusa ninja somehow managed to say as her tongue retreated into her mouth.

'_Creepy girl_' Anko thought before turning to address the group of waiting genin. "Now in the second task your team will be competing against the others in a simulated real life mission situation. This means that from the moment you enter the forest, anything goes! That is why you will all need to fill out these consent forms" Anko said.

"Uh what are the forms for exactly?" a genin from Iwa asked.

"They are so that Konoha will not be able to be held responsible for your death or injury should any occur" Anko replied as several chunin arrived to hand out the consent forms.

"Looks like this is where the exams really begin" Naruto said.

"You're right but I feel you have shown enough skill to sufficiently frighten most teams from attempting to attack us" Haku said.

"Yeah I wouldn't be so sure" Akimi said darkly.

"Why is that?" Naruto asked.

"Well while you were off flirting with the proctor I noticed the two teams from Kumo. They all recognized me. You know that I have a huge bounty on my head, for my capture and safe return to the village. I believe they will target us in an attempt to capture me" Akimi said in accusatory tone.

"Hey I wasn't flirting with her" Naruto said, but he knew that there was a small amount of flirting going on. "Besides if they target you we will just have to stop them, I wouldn't let those Kumo bastards take you. Otherwise I loose my best friend. It's impossible to joke with Itachi sensei and Jiraiya sensei is always running off to do his research" Naruto said.

"You never know the fact that a couple of teams will be targeting us may prove to be beneficial. After all I am sure that there is more to this exam than we have been told so far" Haku added.

"Yeah you may be right. If I remember correctly these guys are nothing special anyway. Just some middle to low in the pack shinobi from the years above mine when I was in the academy" Akimi said her mood slightly improving.

"Then we shouldn't have anything to worry about" Naruto said calmly.

After everyone had handed their consent forms in Anko began to explain the second task in detail. "Alright, now that's taken care of we can move on. Your goal in this task is fairly simple. You need to get to the tower that is located at the center of the forest. However there is a catch. To do so you will need two objects. A Heaven scroll" she held up her left hand to show the genin what they looked like. "And an Earth scroll" she raised her other hand to let everyone compare the difference between the two scrolls. "Now each team will be given one of these two scrolls that can be hidden by what ever means you deem fit. Your goal is to locate and retrieve the opposite scroll so you have the pair and then make your way to the tower. Now that is said if you open your either of the scrolls before you get to the tower you will be disqualified. Finally you will have five days to complete your task" Anko informed the group.

"Five days! What will we eat!" Choji asked almost desperately.

"The forest is filled with many things that are edible. Although quite a few of those things will also try to eat you as well" Anko chuckled.

Choji paled at the prospect of running out of food and began counting his packets of chips. "Oh no I don't think I have enough!" he whined.

"Okay so, send one person from each team to collect either a Heaven or Earth scroll, alone with a gate number for your starting location" Anko said offhandedly before walking off to where she had a waiting plate of dango.

Haku collected there earth scroll and the group slowly made there way to the gate they were assigned. "I would wish you good luck. But from what I have seen I doubt you will need it" Anko cooed as Naruto passed.

Naruto didn't respond he just gave the snake mistress a playful wink and smile while he walked on. '_Damn I think I am starting to turn into a pervert like Jiraiya sensei... No it was just some harmless flirting. That doesn't make me a pervert. Even if she is almost ten years older than I am_' Naruto thought as he walked.

They arrived at their gate which they found much to their disappointment was quite far away from where the team from Oto had been located. "Man looks like finding them in here could be a bit of a problem" Naruto sighed as he had a closer look at the incredibly dense forest.

"Nah we have almost five days to find them" Akimi replied.

"That is unless they finish the task early" Haku theorized.

"That's unlikely. This is the part of the exam where the security will be most lax. If Orochimaru gave them a specific job to do then my guess is now would be the perfect time for them to do it" Naruto said.

"Yeah makes sense to me, a whole forest with no jounin watching. Sounds like a perfect time for them to act" Akimi agreed.

The buzzer rang loud in the air and the gates opened ahead of the the shinobi. They wasted little time entering the and making their way deep into the forest.

It was close to half an hour later before Naruto and the others stopped. "So what's the plan? Do we go straight after the Oto ninja or do we collect some scrolls first?" Akimi asked, she was eager for some action after being stuck in Konoha with only sight seeing and basic training to occupy her time.

"Collecting some scrolls sounds like a good idea. How about we split up and each take out one team before returning here? Oh and try not to kill them if you can help it" Naruto suggested.

"Alright time for some fun" Akimi yelled happily.

"This is a good strategy, by collecting more scrolls than are required we will lessen the competition later in the exams. I am in, although I do not share your eagerness to hurt my opponents, Akimi" Haku said.

"Oh relax, I'm not going to kill them. Well unless I have to, in the end coming up against me will probably be far less painful than coming up against someone Naruto or many of the other teams that are in these exams" Akimi joked.

"Alright so collect one scroll each then return here. I will see you guys soon" Naruto said before turning and jumping into the trees.

"Well I'm off. Good luck Haku-chan!" Akimi called and darted away at lightening speed.

(**With Naruto**)

It only took Naruto about fifteen minutes to locate a team, a group of Kiri ninja. '_Well they must be Yagura loyalists. There is no way the resistance would let their shinobi compete in a silly exam like this while there is a war still going on_' Naruto thought as he watched the Kiri ninja from a distance set up a perimeter.

Naruto waited until they had finished scouting and started to relax before he easily slipped passed the perimeters traps and landed right in the center of the three Kiri ninja. "Hello, I would like you to hand over your scroll thanks" Naruto said with a smile and a friendly attitude.

"Like hell we would just give you our scroll!" the boy who seemed to be the leader of the group yelled.

"Oh well, looks like we have to do this the hard way then... … Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said quietly and a massive force of gravity flew forward sending the three Kiri ninja flying.

The flew back crashing through several branches before eventually coming to a stop unfortunately right on top of one of their traps. A large rope bound all three of their legs and hoisted the three ninja into the air.

They quickly went for kunai to cut the ropes in order to free themselves but no sooner had they drawn a blade than they were disarmed completely.

Naruto then appeared sitting cross legged on the branch holding the three ninja up. "Now do you see how pointless it was to attempt to fight me? I watched you set up your base and knew where every one of your traps were! Some of them were very well hidden and made by the way" Naruto said congratulating the trap builder.

"Fuck you kid!" a light blue haired kunoichi with shark like teeth yelled.

"Sorry your not my type, I would be two scared that you might bite down" Naruto joked before flipping off his seat and landing on the ground so his eyes were at the same height as their suspended faces. "Nice, you used chakra suppressing rope to prevent anyone from using a substitution to escape. But now that means you can't get out.. so tell me where your scroll is or I will be forced to kill one of you" Naruto said.

"Gah fine! It's in my ninja pouch that you removed after we were trapped" the boy who seemed to be the groups leader said.

"Now that wasn't so hard was it" Naruto said and he created a clone to check the pouch just in case it was booby trapped. It wasn't and Naruto had found the scroll he needed. "Well thanks for the help, see you guys around" Naruto said and he turned to leave after giving them a friendly wave goodbye.

"Hey wait! Aren't you going to cut us down?" the kunoichi asked.

"No. why would I want to do that? You could attack me. Besides with teeth like that I am sure you can bite your way through your ropes in no time" Naruto replied before jumping away perfectly between two hidden traps.

(**With Akimi**)

It had taken the dark haired former Kumo ninja awhile longer than Naruto to find her target but when she did she was pleased with what she had found. Three rather slow looking Iwa genin. '_Perfect, I can simply just attack them quickly and be back without any fuss_' she thought as she quickly over took the team that was heading deeper into the forest.

"Hey there. Hand over your scroll and you don't need to get hurt" Akimi said in an authoritative tone.

"Heh and what could a little helpless kunoichi all alone do to us?" a large and think headed ninja wearing the traditional Iwa uniform said. He had shaved his head bald and that just made him look even more like a rather hopeless excuse for a ninja.

"Well I guess I could do... this!" Akimi said and in the blink of an eye she had disappeared and reappeared with her fist buried deep into the face of the balled genin. Again she vanished only to appear this time behind a short ninja with a bowl haircut not too far from a copy of Rock Lee's. Unlike Lee however he was not lean and built for fast movements. He was shaped more like an over grown beach ball and it was a quite comical sight when Akimi kicked him away and he almost seemed to bounce.

"Wha... What the hell are you?" the final member of the group said.

"I'm bored" Akimi replied before delivering a winding blow to the final genin's gut. "Now hand over the scroll or this will become painful" she said holding out her hand expectingly.

"Okay, here take it" he said handing over the scroll as the last of his consciousness faded.

"Well that was easy. Then again they are just genin" Akimi sighed before jumping off to return to the meeting location.

(**With Haku**)

The Ise users style was a little different from that of Naruto and Akimi. Rather than simply confront her targets head on she stalked them like the hunter ninja she used to pretend to be. And thanks to her practice with senbon once the group of ninja she was following had stopped she expertly sent senbon needles into key locations in their bodies completely paralyzing the ninja.

"I am sorry I had to do that. Now tell me where your scroll is. That is if you can still talk. I should have left you with that ability" Haku said appearing out from the shadows.

"What the hell have you done to us?" the ninja said as he struggled and failed to move.

"I have paralyzed you from the neck down. I suggest you tell me where the scroll is and I wont make it permanent" Haku said in a stoic expressionless tone.

"Man we don't have a choice, either way we are going to loose it to her. May as well just give it up and try to locate some more later" another member of the team said.

"Your teammate is smart, if you hand over your scroll you will still have four more days to find another one" Haku said.

"Alright fine! The scroll is in my back pack" The first ninja to speak said.

"Very good, I hope for your sake you are tell the truth, if those senbon needles are not removed within fifteen minutes the effects are permanent" Haku said.

After retrieving the scroll she removed all of the senbon from the three ninja that were her target.

Haku was the last to arrive back at the meeting point, mostly due to her more secretive style of attack to the direct approaches that Naruto and Akimi liked to employ.

"So now what?" Akimi asked once Haku had handed over the scroll that they put together with the others they collected.

"Well it is getting late so I suggest we make camp for the night and begin out search for the Oto ninja in the morning" Haku suggested.

"Good idea, we will take it in three hour shifts to keep guard over night" Naruto said.

They built a rather comfortable camp for themselves with a large fire and well spread out tents. They were not overly worried about a possible ambush as they knew that any one of them could handle a squad of genin.

The next morning they went off on a search for the Oto ninja. Naruto had summoned several birds to scout the area while they moved towards the center of the forest.

It was late in the day that Naruto received word that they had found them.

"One of my summons found them, not that far from here actually. They are currently fighting with a group of Konoha ninja" Naruto said.

"Well then what are we waiting for lets get going!" Akimi said eagerly.

Naruto didn't reply and just took off in the direction of the team from the sound. They landed on a large branch overlooking a clearing. In that clearing the green clad ninja that had so effectively wiped the floor with Sasuke was looking in a bad way. Next to him Naruto recognized Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura.

"What should we do?" Akimi whispered.

"Strike now while they are not looking?" Haku suggested.

"We could, but I would rather have some fun with them" Naruto said.

Down on the forest floor things were not looking good for the group of Konoha ninja.

"Zaku finish them off" the mummy faced member of the Oto team ordered.

"With pleasure Dosu" the spiky haired Zaku replied.

"As interesting as all this is. I am afraid I will not be letting that happen" came Naruto's voice from high in the trees before he landed at the far end of the clearing.

"Your that freak that basically let that proctor lady have her way with you" the kunoichi of the group said.

"Shut it! That isn't what happened" Akimi said landing beside Naruto followed by Haku.

"Well what ever, so you have come to suffer with these Konoha fools have you?" Dosu asked.

"Oh not exactly, more like came to interrogate you about your leader, Orochimaru" Naruto replied.

"Interrogate us? don't make me laugh. You wont be able to even come close to harming us" Zaku said.

Akimi broke out laughing at this. "Okay Naruto, I think I will let you do this by yourself. It will be hilarious to see the looks on their faces when you destroy them" she said in between fits of laughter.

Naruto casually walked forward while the three Oto ninja readied their attack. The Konoha ninja in the clearing just couldn't believe there eyes that someone who was not even a Konoha shinobi had come to their rescue.

Suddenly there was a massive spike in chakra that got even Naruto's attention. '_What foul chakra. No where near as potent as Kyuubi's but still this is disgusting_' Naruto thought as the looked at the hole at the base of a tree where the chakra was coming from and Sasuke rose up his face now marked in a pattern of small flames.

Sasuke stood up and enjoyed the feeling of power serge through his body. '_Yes! With this power I can finally kill Itachi!_' the raven haired Uchiha thought. Then he noticed Sakura and the others were hurt.

"Sakura who did this to you?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura pointed at the team from Oto and Sasuke took off. Faster than any of the Konoha or Oto ninja could follow, even Haku had a difficult time following his movements. The same could not be said for Naruto and Akimi.

Naruto allowed Sasuke the first strike just to see what kind of power this chakra could cause but when Sasuke went for a follow up he found his arm being held. "You!" Sasuke roared and violently lashed out at Naruto causing the blond to back flip away.

"What ever this chakra is it is not natural and we need to shut it off" Naruto said.

"Tell me where my brother is... Now!" Sasuke yelled and charged forward.

The Konoha ninja that were shocked by Sasuke's speed and strength before were now stunned into complete silence. Naruto had caught Sasuke's fist with ease and tossed him away like a rag doll.

"You cannot fight me while you are in that mental state. Your moves are predictable and easy to follow" Naruto said lazily.

During this encounter the team from Oto were trying to escape. However Akimi had other ideas and along with Haku rounded them up to make sure they didn't go anywhere.

"I will not be talked to like I am some child!" Sasuke roared and charged again.

This time Sasuke didn't even get close to Naruto as without even moving Naruto sent Sasuke flying back with a burst of gravity. "There is no talking to you like this. I need to put you out so that vile chakra will retreat" Naruto said and in one movement flew across the clearing and slammed his fist into Sasuke's gut.

The unique chakra receded into a small mark of three tomoe on Sasuke's neck and Naruto turned to face the team from Oto. "Now I am no longer in the mood for games. Tell me where Orochimaru is and what he is planning" Naruto said his face was now deadly serious.

"We cant tell you anything. Orochimaru would kill us" the kunoichi said.

"Well then we will just have to play a game called cooperate or loose a soul" Naruto said. It was like he had transformed, gone was the care free teen who was joking just moments ago with his friends. This was a fully serious ninja who would get the answers he seeks one way or another.

"What's going on?" Haku asked Akimi slightly scared.

"Naruto has stopped playing around. What ever that chakra was that boy was using it was not his own and Naruto must think Orochimaru is responsible for it. When someone is being harmed Naruto is like a completely different person. Completely serious and incredibly deadly" Akimi informed Haku.

"Now I am going to ask you once more. What are Orochimaru's plans?" Naruto said approaching the spiky haired Zaku.

"Fuck you!" Zaku yelled and thrust a palf forward and wind shot out of his palms. The Fuuton just seemed to hit an invisible wall around Naruto and deflect away from the blond however who proceeded to grip the genin's hand and crush it with his own strength.

Zaku screamed in agony while the others just watched in horror as Naruto placed his free hand on top of Zaku's head. "Human Path!" Naruto said his eyes rippling with energy.

The following scene would shock all of the ninja present other than Akimi to their very core. Naruto removed his hand from Zaku's head and he let out a silent scream as his voice left him. Attached to Naruto's hand was the transparent form of a soul that had been removed from its body screaming in agony.

Sakura couldn't watch any more and turned her head away not wanting to believe what she had just seen. While the others couldn't look away.

"Well it turns out he knew nothing... what about you. What is that mark on Sasuke's neck! And what is Orochimaru planing" Naruto asked the kunoichi who looked at Naruto like he was the incarnation of the shinigami come to take her before her time.

"I don't know" she cried. "Dosu was out leader he knows everything. Orochimaru gave him the mission we were just his back up"

"I see" Naruto said and turned to Dosu who did not seem anyway near as intimidated. "I'm not telling you shit, you freak!" the mummified genin spat.

""Very well then I will extract the knowledge from you and judge your soul at the same time" Naruto said. And he created two clones to rush forward and hold Dosu down while Naruto placed his hand on the Oto genin's head.

Once more Naruto removed the soul from the genin's body. Without only the slightest hint of remorse in his eyes.

"I have the information we need. Sasuke should be okay there is no permanent physical damage done to him. We should go" Naruto said there was now a small amount of sadness in his voice. He then turned to address the Konoha shinobi. "I am sorry you had to see that, it is not something that I enjoy doing. But those two both enjoyed the pain and suffering of others and if allowed to live would only bring more pain into the world. Akimi... Haku... We're leaving to the tower, let's go" Naruto said sadly and he turned in the direction of the large tower in the center of the forest and kicked off.

While this was going on the kunoichi member of team Dosu was still shaking from what she had just witnessed and decided that now would be the perfect time to flee.

**End Chapter!**

**phew that was a long one lol. Hope you enjoyed my take on the forest of death and I know some of you will be upset I didn't put in Orochimaru but I want to save that confrontation for later.**

**I will be closing the Poll to vote for your suggested pairing in about 24 hours, so if you haven't voted yet, last chance! I can't seem to stop writing for this story at the moment so I will probably update it once more this week, so keep an eye out. **

**Anyway until next time where I plan on bringing you a very different set of preliminaries. And by that I mean that several of the matches will be different while others will remain the same.**


	11. Preliminary Rounds

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 11: Preliminary Rounds**

Haku was still shocked at what she had seen Naruto do. She had been told of Naruto's ability to remove a persons soul. But it was one thing to here about something, and another entirely to see it happen before her eyes.

Naruto had been quiet since they left the clearing and Haku was slightly worried. The joker and all round friendly person, she had the pleasure of getting to know over the last few weeks seemed to be replaced by a distant dark character that had ripped the souls out of two people.

"Is he alright?" Haku asked Akimi in a whisper.

"I think so. He often gets a little upset after using that jutsu" Akimi said.

"So he can read someones mind but he has to remove their soul at the same time?" Haku asked wondering how the jutsu works.

"Not exactly" Naruto said stopping suddenly. Haku was shocked she didn't think the blond could hear them from where he was out in front. "The jutsu allows me to touch someones soul and gain what ever information I need. Jiraiya sensei thinks I could use it to learn jutsu from enemies but I have never tried. Anyway as I was saying it allows me to touch someones soul and it shows me what type of person they are. Those two back there in the clearing were horrible, they enjoyed inflicting misery upon others, they had no desire to change their ways. So I couldn't let them live, I killed them to save the people that they may have harmed later in life. But even so to take a life like that is not pleasurable to do" Naruto said.

"So you could say... read Jiraiya-sama's mind and leave him alive?" Akimi asked.

"Yes I could... But I really do not trust anything that Jiraiya sensei has in his mind, it could turn me into a pervert" Naruto said feeling much better after getting some of what he was feeling off of his chest.

Akimi and Haku both smiled at the return of the more relaxed, fun loving Naruto.

They were very close to tower when Naruto stopped again. "We are being followed" he said slowly turning around.

"Who is it?" Haku asked.

"I don't know. Three ninja so I am guessing they are nothing more than genin trying to challenge us" Naruto said calmly.

From the trees three Kumo ninja appeared. They stopped in their tracks when they came face to face with the three Yoinokuchi ninja. "I suggest you three leave. We have no desire to fight you" Naruto said. Even though he knew it wouldn't work, he had to give the Kumo ninja a chance to escape.

"We don't care about these exams anymore. If we can capture her we will get promoted anyway!" a ninja at the front of the group. He was highly tanned and had curly white hair.

"Very well then. But I didn't want to have to do this" Naruto sighed. "What do you say... one each?" he asked.

"Your on... how about first one to incapacitate their opponent gets lunch brought for them by the other two when we get out of this forest?" Akimi said.

"I'm in what about you Haku?" Naruto asked.

"Very well I agree" Haku said as she pulled out several senbon needles.

"Go!" Akimi yelled as she blurred out of existence and flew forward.

Naruto and Haku were caught off guard along with the three Kumo ninja. "Bansho Ten'in!" Naruto said when he regained his composure.

The Kumo ninja he targeted was yanked forward and flew toward Naruto at the same time as Haku launched a hail of perfectly aimed senbon at her target. They were both too slow however as

a split second before both Naruto and Haku both finished off their targets Akimi reappeared with a chop to the back of the Kumo ninjas neck.

"Done!" she yelled happily just as Naruto slammed his fist into the leader of the groups face sending him flying and Haku's senbon left her opponent paralyzed. "Looks like I win! Free lunches for me!" Akimi said while dusting her hands of imaginary dirt.

"No fair you cheated!" Naruto said.

"Too bad, you agreed to the bet now you both owe me lunch" Akimi said.

"Well I guess we will just have to make it a cheat as well and make you a sandwich" Haku said with a joke.

"No way! I want to go back to that Dango place!" Akimi yelled.

"Well it's only fair. After all, you didn't say what we had to get you for lunch" Naruto joked.

"Well now I am telling you that it is going to be dango" Akimi said.

"Sorry too late for that. If it wasn't in the original bet it doesn't count" Naruto replied.

"Look let's just take this teams scroll and go" Akimi said before grumbling about cheap teammates.

"Looks like they have already had their scroll taken" Naruto said.

"It doesn't surprise me, these three were not very good back in the academy. They were all in the final year when I entered the academy but had to repeat twice after failing the exams. They must have graduated after I left though. But I don't know why they would even try to challenge us" Akimi said.

"Who cares lets just get to the tower" Naruto said.

Team Yoinokuchi made it to the tower and after opening the scrolls they were led inside by one of the chunin that had helped hand out the consent forms for the second task.

Naruto was rather disappointed when they showed them to a dorm room with separate bedrooms, he had been hoping they could have left to return to the village and wait for the final task rather than wait for the five days to be up.

"Well it looks like we have some time off... Hey Naruto what did you end up finding out from the Oto ninja?" Akimi asked after she had a shower and cleaned up from spending the better part of two days inside the forest of death.

"They were ordered to kill Sasuke Uchiha, but it appears that was nothing but a test. Orochimaru gave Sasuke something called a curse mark. I don't know much about it I will need to ask Jiraiya sensei. As for Orochimaru's over all plan, I was not given much, he is planing an attack on Konoha that much is certain. But he didn't know when or who was helping him. But I have a feeling it might be Suna, he had been given orders to stay far away from the teams from Suna" Naruto said.

"Suna huh. But isn't Suna, Konoha's ally?" Akimi asked.

"Things change, they were indeed allies but who knows, I know Suna has not been given much support from their own Daimyo recently. Maybe them helping Orochimaru is because of that. Either way I need to see Jiji as soon as possible to give him the information" Naruto said.

The days passed without much incident however and the only point of interest for Naruto and the rest of his team was the arrival of the other teams that had made it to the tower.

Naruto was pleasantly surprised that quite a few of his old classmates were arriving. Finally on the last day of the exam they were called to a large hall. Waiting for them there were both proctors of the previous rounds as well as all the sensei of the teams that passed the second round, Jiraiya included. Naruto noticed that all the teams that had passed were from Konoha apart from them and the team from Suna with the red headed jinchuuriki.

Of the teams from Konoha three of them comprised of his former team members while there were two other teams, one of them looked like they were about a year older than Naruto and the others were quite a bit older still. Naruto recognized the silver haired Kabuto in their ranks.

A couple of moments later and there was a new arrival in the hall. The Hokage walked in and took a seat at the center of an elevated platform at the far end of the hall.

After Hiruzen had become comfortable he began to speak.

"Hello and congratulations in making it through the forest of death. Unfortunately we have too many people to proceed to the final round of the exams. Therefore we will be holding a preliminary round of matches now. With that said teams are no longer in use and should any individual want to pull out now that will be allowed" the Hokage said.

"Yes I can't fight anymore" Kabuto said raising his hand.

"Very well you may leave" the proctor said.

'He doesn't even look fatigued. Why did he pull out?' Naruto thought with narrowed eyes watching Kabuto leave the hall.

Similar thoughts were running thought the mind of the proctor but he didn't say anything about it. "Anyone else?" the proctor said before descending into a coughing fit.

After he was satisfied that nobody else would be leaving the Hokage went on with a lecture about how the chunin exams are a competition watched by people from all over the elemental nations and are were designed as a way of settling disputed between villages other than war.

After the Hokage had finished speaking the next proctor spoke up his voice seemed weak and he kept coughing ever couple of words. "My name is Gekko Hayate and I will be the proctor for the preliminary fights. Now these will be one on one matches, picked at random. All other contestants are to make there way to either side balcony where they can watch the matches" the sickly looking jounin said.

All the competitors looked up at two large screens over looking the arena floor. The names stopped spinning on Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akado.

Naruto shrugged and went up to the balcony where Jiraiya was quietly talking to Kakashi and the other Konoha sensei.

"Hey congrats gaki, you made it here" Jiraiya said when he saw Naruto and the others.

"Did you really think we wouldn't. How was your research you old pervert" Naruto said, adding the insult as pay back for Jiraiya calling him a brat.

"I will have you know I didn't do any research. I had to find Tsunade-Hime. She would have killed me if she knew you were competing and she didn't place a bet on you" Jiraiya said.

"That basically means that I am going to loose" Naruto sighed.

"Yeah I guess it does" Jiraiya joked.

"Oh well, it will be interesting to see just who beats me" Naruto chuckled and moved on to allow the Konoha teams to join their sensei's.

Sasuke's fight was not all that exciting at least until the end where Sasuke had to repress the curse seal from taking over. They only used taijutsu and even then it was rather basic. But Naruto had to admit Sasuke was probably better than your average genin. At the end of the fight Kakashi arrived to take Sasuke away.

"Why is Sasuke-kun being taken away?" a long haired blond girl Naruto remembered was called Ino said

"He has had a curse mark placed on him... It needs to be sealed before it starts to influence him" Naruto said calmly but loud enough for all of the Konoha ninja to hear.

"Who did that to Sasuke-kun!" Ino said angrily.

"Konoha missing ninja and one of the legendary Sanin... Orochimaru" Naruto replied.

The other shinobi didn't say anything, but Jiraiya had a small smile on his face, he knew that if Naruto knew that then he had completed his mission and found out something about what his old teammate is planning.

The Konoha ninja were brought out of there shock when the large computer screen came back to life and the names of the remaining ninja began to spin. It stopped on the named Shikamaru and Sai.

Naruto found this match very interesting. Sai used a type of genjutsu with ink to create animals to fight for him while Shikamaru contorted his shadow in an attempt to capture his target. Eventually Shikamaru won when Shikamaru used a kunai to change the direction of a ceiling light causing his shadow to move forward much faster than Sai could move trapping the ink user forcing him to give up.

"That's quite a useful skill" Naruto said.

"Yes the Nara clan is famous for their shadow jutsu" Jiraiya said.

The next fight was Temari Subaku against Tenten. Naruto felt kind of sorry for Tenten because it was clear that she was a talented kunoichi, but she just had the misfortune of coming up against a Fuuton user who had access to a large fan to help her manipulate the wind. Still the fight left a slightly bad taste in the mouth with how it ended, Temari could have caused some serious damage to the young weapons mistress if it wasn't for her teammate in green spandex saving her.

"Man when are we going to get to fight. I hate the waiting" Akimi whined once Temari had left the field and went to join her brothers and sensei.

"There have only been three fights so far. Are you really that impatient?" Naruto asked.

"Yes! Now lets hurry this up" Akimi said.

"Oh I am sooo going to take my time if I fight before you" Naruto teased.

"Agreed" Haku added.

"Oh you guys are mean" Akimi huffed folding her arms and turning away in mock anger.

The next names up were not any of the three Yoinokuchi ninja however. Rather two Konoha ninja. Kiba Inuzuka vs Ino Yamanaka.

The fight was over quickly, Kiba was much faster than Ino and with help from his dog Akamaru was easily able to get behind Ino and place a kunai under her throat causing Hayate to call the match in Kiba's favor.

"Ha take that Ino pig... you lost to dog breath!" Sakura yelled.

"Shut it forehead, you still have to fight you know" Ino said.

"What ever I am ready for who ever I get" Sakura said confidently.

That confidence was soon erased however when she found out just how cruel fate can be. She almost lost her breath when the computer screen stopped revealing the names Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto who had been listening to Sakura's arrogance couldn't help but smirk a little as he passed her walking down to the arena.

"What you're not scared of him are you forehead, I thought you were ready for anyone?" Ino asked pleased the tables had turned.

"Shut up, I'm not scared of that Baka!" Sakura yelled trying to convince both Ino and herself.

"Careful Sakura. You can pull out if you want" Kakashi said, knowing that his pupil didn't stand a chance.

"No I am going to fight" She said and made her way to join Naruto in the center of the hall.

"Alright, competitors ready?" Gekko asked.

"Yes" Sakura said. And Naruto only nodded not getting into a stance and standing with his hands crossed.

"Hey you don't think he is really going to drag this fight out do you? I don't know how much longer I can wait?" Akimi said, looking down at where Naruto looked completely relaxed.

"I don't know, you know him better than I do. Do you think he would drag this out?" Haku replied.

"Yes" Akimi moped smacking her head on the railing.

Down in the center of the hall the proctor stated the fight and Sakura took off launching several kunai at Naruto while she attempted to get behind him. They didn't get far however as the kunai seemed to hit an invisible barrier and just fall to the ground shocking everyone watching apart from Jiraiya and his team.

"What was that?" Kurenai asked as once again another hail of kunai sent from Sakura failed to get even remotely close to Naruto.

"I don't know it seems like he has put up some kind of barrier around him that stops anything from approaching" Kakashi said revealing his sharingan to get a closer look.

Meanwhile Naruto had yet to move and was still standing with arms folded. Naruto quirked an eyebrow when Sakura stopped running and started to perform several hand seals. '_A jutsu... so she is __finally trying something else_' Naruto thought.

The world began to change around him and he found himself trapped in a rather basic genjutsu. Naruto simply disrupted his chakra flow canceling the jutsu. "Are you finished yet?" Naruto asked.

"No... you just want me to quit because you don't think you can beat me. In the end you are nothing but a reject of Konoha that was thrown out because you were nothing but a trouble maker and looser! I remember you, always getting into trouble because you never had anyone to give you any discipline. Who knows your parents probably just abandoned you" Sakura said, forgetting for a moment just what Naruto did to Sasuke and the team from Oto in the forest of death.

Up in the stands Jiraiya cracked his fingers angered by what Sakura had just said. But that was nothing compared to how angry Naruto was feeling, and he was going to make the pink haired kunoichi pay for what she had said.

Unfolding his arms he turned to Sakura and extended one hand forward towards her. In the other he began gathering chakra. "Bansho Tennin!" he said his voice void of all emotion.

Sakura had nothing to grab onto and flew uncontrollably towards Naruto who had in his hand a spinning ball of chakra ready to finish the fight. "Rasengan!" Naruto yelled driving the jutsu into the young kunoichi's stomach.

Everyone in the arena was shocked. Jiraiya for the fact that Naruto would go that far and the others at the fact that they just witnessed a jutsu that they would never have thought that a young teenager could perform, even if it was Jiraiya's student. The only person who didn't seem to be shocked in anyway was Akimi and that was mostly because she was happy that Sakura had got what was coming to her when she said those things about Naruto and the fact she was now one match close to her own fight.

On the other side of the hall the team from Suna were even a little scared of Naruto. They had watched the match and saw that every attack that Sakura had tried even if they were basic didn't get anywhere near the blond. Gaara looked at Naruto like it was his destiny and wanted more than anything to kill the blond.

Medics came and rushed Sakura to the hospital while Naruto silently walked back up to his place on the balcony ignoring the shocked looks from the other contestants and some of the jounin.

"Don't you think you went a little over the top? I mean you could of won that fight easily without doing so much damage" Jiraiya said once Naruto arrived. Back with his team.

"She deserved it" Akimi said.

"Well I guess she did, but a rasengan could have killed her" Jiraiya said.

"I didn't use much power in it, with medical jutsu she should be up and moving again in about a week" Naruto said.

"Well I guess that is better. I mean a fully powered rasengan is a killing blow if it hits a vital area" Jiraiya said.

"Look I don't care about any of this I just want it to be my turn!" Akimi said as the computer came back to life after the medics removed the unconscious Sakura from the arena.

She was to once again be disappointed however as her name didn't come up instead the names that appeared on the screen were that of Neji Hyuuga and Hinata Hyuuga.

"This could be a top match. The Hyuuga taijutsu style is in a league of its own thanks to their Byakugan" Jiraiya said looking on sagely as the two competitors made there way down to the ring.

"Looks like Hinata is in a bit of pain though, she was out cold when we ran into her team in the forest, my guess would be Orochimaru" Naruto said.

Down in the arena floor Neji was glaring harshly at his cousin. "Just quit Hinata. You don't stand a chance against me, no matter how much you have improved you are still a looser and always will be" Neji said.

"I used to believe that as well, Neji-niisan. That I was a failure and could never change, but I worked hard and improved so that I wouldn't be a failure anymore, someone encouraged me to be more than I was. And I will not give up no matter how badly hurt I am already I will fight you, even if I loose I do not care because you are my family and I will still love you like a brother either way" Hinata said before dropping into her stance.

"If that is your wish" Neji said coolly before entering his own.

'_Naruto-kun is watching! I have to do my best not just for myself, but I want to show him just how much I have improved_' Hinata thought. But the second the proctor started the match those thoughts were gone and her face held nothing but determination.

They met in the center and both Hyuuga were attacking with deadly accuracy. To the untrained eye and those that did not understand the gentle fist taijutsu style would have thought that neither were getting in any decent hits but when they broke apart after the first little skirmish Neji had a small amount of blood coming from his mouth and so did Hinata. Unfortunately for the kunoichi however it seemed as though her left arm was also effected.

"You were actually able to damage me. Maybe you have improved, but you are still a long way away from being able to challenge me!" Neji said before rushing in for round two.

As the fight wore on it became more and more obvious that Neji was superior and Hinata's prior injuries seemed to be catching up with her along with the damage that Neji was doing and after a while Neji jumped back and Hinata collapsed.

"Call the match, she wont be getting back up... Like I said. Once a looser, always a looser" Neji said and he began walking towards the balcony.

"You are wrong! You may have won this fight but I do not see myself as a looser just because I lost to you" Hinata said struggling to stand.

"Why you!" Neji roared and he charged at Hinata aiming for her heart. He didn't get there however as a massive force threw him into the wall. "What the?" Neji said looking for what ever hit him.

Neji found the culprit in Naruto standing at the opposite side of the hall walking forward. "I believe she conceded defeat, she was also defenseless. It is a despicable act to attack a comrade when they are already down and even worse when that comrade is family" Naruto lectured.

"She is not family! She is the main house born to be spoiled and have everything done for her while I am in the branch house destined to be nothing more than a servant, a caged bird. But what would an outsider like you know about anything" Neji said.

"You're right maybe I don't know. But what has she done to justify you trying to kill her?" Naruto said.

"I do not need to explain anything to you! But it seems the main house gets special treatment even here" Neji replied.

"Special treatment? Is that what you call saving someones life?" Naruto said.

Neji just huffed and stalked away to rejoin his team and the other Konoha genin. His sensei Miteo Gai looked at him with pitty and a little disappointment but said nothing.

"Are you alright Hinata?" Naruto asked turning his attention to the Hyuuga Heiress, who was just barely standing.

"Yes, but it will take some time to heal, I should go see the medics. Thank you for your concern Naruto-kun" Hinata said fighting down the blush that was creeping onto her face despite the pain she was in.

Naruto helped her onto a stretcher before returning to his team.

"So correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe that young Hyuuga girl likes you" Jiraiya said.

"You're imagining things" Naruto replied.

"I could see her blush from up here" Haku teased.

"Oh come on, she was hurt, that was probably just because of her injuries" Naruto said.

"Isn't that the same girl that found you in the park the night we left Konoha?" Jiraiya asked semi seriously.

Naruto knew his sensei just wanted to tease him some more but Naruto for some reason answered anyway. "Yes, it was".

"Well then I guess she must have been waiting a long time for your return, maybe you should go comfort her, I bet she would like that" the toad sage joked.

"I'm telling you its not like that! Besides even if it was, it would never work. Once these exams are over there is no need to stay in Konoha and she can't just come with us" Naruto said.

"He's right, if a main branch Hyuuga was to leave the village we would have the whole village after us" Akimi said.

Jiraiya dropped the topic after that and they turned their attention to the large computer screen waiting for the next match to be announced.

"Come on there are only three fights left! I don't want to be the last one up" Akimi whined.

The only other person that looked as eager to fight as Akimi, was the green clad mini clone of Gai, Rock Lee. And both were highly disappointed when neither of there names came up.

Haku Momoichi Vs Kankuro Subaku the bored read and Akimi deflated. "Momoichi... does she have any connection to Zabuza Momoichi, the Demon of the Bloody Mist?" Asuma asked walking over to Jiraiya after he saw the name on the screen.

"Yes, she is Zabuza's adopted daughter" Jiraiya answered.

"So she must have been the fake hunter ninja on the bridge in the Land of Waves" Kakashi said from within ear shot.

"Yes that's right. Haku was traveling with Zabuza when Naruto and Itachi found them" Jiraiya said.

"Itachi? You mean Itachi Uchiha? Kakashi you never said anything about running into Itachi on any of the missions your team had" Asuma said shocked.

"Well you see, because of his arrival and the arrival of Naruto the mission events became classified by the Hokage" Kakashi said offhandedly.

"Jiraiya-sama why are you working with someone like Itachi Uchiha?" Asuma asked in complete shock.

"Why not, he is a great ninja, able to teach Naruto about things like genjutsu far better than I ever could, and he is no danger to anyone as long as they aren't an Uchiha" Jiraiya answered.

"But he killed his entire clan. don't you think he might be dangerous to keep around" Asuma said, still not believing what he just heard.

"A ninja's life is dangerous, personally I would prefer Itachi as an ally to an enemy. And as you said, he killed his entire clan, nobody else in Konoha was harmed by him, he left without touching a single non Uchiha. So the way I see it as long as we don't have the sharingan and a massive ego problem we are safe" Jiraiya said causing Naruto to chuckle knowing that was exactly what Sasuke was like.

The match started and Haku and Kankuro seemed to be rather evenly matched in terms of taijutsu. But Naruto knew that was not Haku's strength. Her strength was with throwing weapons and Hyoton and Suiton ninjutsu. Her Fuuton needed work as she had not trained with her second element yet.

Then Naruto noticed something was a little odd about the way Kankuro moved and he channeled some chakra into his eyes to enable him to see chakra. '_He is a puppet the real Kankuro is hiding in the thing he was carrying on his back_' Naruto thought as he could now see the chakra strings quite clearly. He did not share this information with his teammate however as he wanted to see if Haku would figure it out for herself or not.

Down in the arena floor Haku had discovered that winning this fight was not going to be as simple as some of the fights in the forest, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. "Shoton: Demonic Ice Mirrors" Haku yelled and a large mirror appeared behind the newest member of the Yoinokuchi.

"Woah, Ice release! That is a very rare bloodline now days" Asuma said. As more mirrors began to seemingly grow out of the first one until they created a dome of twelve mirrors on ground level and eight floating in the air.

Haku then stepped right inside the mirror shocking most of the genin. Once inside the mirror Haku was far faster than Kankuro's puppet but nothing she did would put him down. But similarly there was nothing the Kankuro puppet could do to even scratch the ice. Then she saw it, the chakra threads that were connected to the puppet. If she was not inside the ice which was acting to magnify her vision she would have never saw it.

Following the chakra thread with her eyes she found the real Kankuro and planed her attack. A small section of the ice mirrors vanished as Haku made her way to the opposite side of the dome. Kankuro who was to busy trying to keep up with the Ice users movements didn't notice that the section missing was facing his real body.

Then it was over. A hail of senbon needles flew out of the opening in the dome and struck into the real Kankuro's body. Several seconds later the puppet Kankuro fell to the ground and Haku jumped out of the Ice mirrors and went to inspect the real Kankuro who couldn't move his arms or his right leg as he struggled to stand. "I think it would be wise to concede defeat" Haku said. Taking out a kunai for the final strike.

"Proctor I concede" Kankuro said bitterly.

"Kankuro Subaku is unable to continue and surrendered. Winner... … Haku Momoichi.

Once Haku was declared the winner she removed the senbon from Kankuro and pulled him to his feet. "That was quite a good strategy, if it wasn't for my ice mirrors improving my vision the result may have been different" Haku admitted.

"Yeah.. thanks I guess" Kankuro said grumpily before stalking off back to his team.

Naruto found the next match to be incredibly interesting. Shino Aburame Vs Choji Akimichi. Two of Konoha's premier clans going head to head. For a long while it looked like Choji had the Aburame on the run. But every time it looked like Shino was going to get hit he dissolved into bugs. Naruto struggled to see Shino's end game in allowing Choji to attack and only defend, until he remembered the kikachu beetle that the Aburame had sent to investigate him during the first task. Naruto could see why he was allowing Choji to attack constantly, Shino's beetles were eating away at his chakra. And sure enough after almost fifteen minutes Choji collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Okay, there are only two damn matches left, and I still haven't had my turn" Akimi wailed.

"Don't be a baby" Naruto said.

"Sure you can talk. You had your match already" Akimi moped.

They turned expectantly to the board but Akimi was once again to be denied. Gaara Subaku vs Misumi Tsuguri.

This was not so much a match as it was a waste of time. At the very start Gaara sent a wave of sand that broke both of Misumi's legs causing the proctor to call the match after about three seconds.

"Well that was fast" Naruto said.

Akimi didn't hear him she was two busy jumping up and down in anticipation. She knew that it was finally her turn to compete. And once Misumi had been removed by the medics both Akimi and Lee jumped from the railing down into the center without bothering to wait for the computer to tell them that they would be fighting.

"The final match will be Akimi Hayaku Vs Rock Lee... Fighters ready?" Hayate asked coughing while he talked.

"Yes I have been ready since the first match" Akimi said bouncing up and down on the spot eagerly.

"Yosh I finally get a chance to prove that I am a splendid shinobi" Lee said just as eagerly as Akimi.

"Then Begin!" the proctor called.

Both Akimi and Lee moved at the same time blurring away. This was when Lee got his first shock, Akimi was much faster than he was despite all of his training. Lee's punch missed and Akimi slipped underneath his strike delivering a knee to Lee's chest knocking him back.

"Wow she's fast!" Kiba yelled.

"Indeed but she doesn't look like she has anyway near the lean muscle mass to be that fast" Asuma said.

"It's because she isn't" Jiraiya informed the ninja.

"What do you mean?" Gai asked.

"She isn't that much faster than most newly promoted chunin. Her speed is all generated from her unique Kekkei Genkai" Jiraiya said.

"Kekkei Genkai... so what does she have?" Kurenai asked highly intrigued seeing that Akimi was now expertly dodging Lee's strikes and getting in her own. The only thing that was keeping Lee in the match was his superior physical conditioning.

"Her mother had the Kumo bloodline limit known as Storm release. But their was a mutation of the bloodline within Akimi and she didn't get the Suiton element in her bloodline and instead just received Raiton and Fuuton, creating her Swift release. She channels the lightening and wind chakra around and through her body to allow for a dramatic increase in speed" Jiraiya said.

"Amazing" Gai said turning back to the fight where Lee had still not managed to land a decent hit. "Lee... Take them off!" he called, knowing it was the only way that his pupil would be able to win this match.

Lee heard his sensei, and was incredibly grateful for the permission. "You are truly a worthy opponent and as such will have the privilege of fighting me without my weights" Lee said before jumping to the top of a pillar.

'_What are a couple of weights going to do?_' Akimi thought skeptically but all skepticism was replaced with shock when two sets of weights hit the ground creating a large crater. '_Okay that might make a difference, I am going to need to pick this up_' Akimi thought as Lee charged down from the pillar in a blur slamming his fist into Akimi who was just able to block in time by crossing her arms in front of her face. She was still sent sliding back across the arena floor however from the sheer power behind the punch.

"That was some hit I am surprised the guard wasn't broken" Asuma said.

"Well the Raiton and Fuuton chakra helps strengthen her muscles and bones, she can take quite a beating and still stand" Jiraiya informed the younger Sarutobi.

"That is quite a powerful Kekkei Genkai, it almost seems as though she was built for taijutsu and kenjutsu" Kakashi said.

Akimi lowered her arms from the previous block and let out a sigh of relief. '_That was a close one. I need to keep my guard up now that speed is intense, he could even be close to my maximum_' Akimi thought as she started to channel more of her chakra through her body.

Lee took off in a blur and not wanting to let him have another shot while she had no momentum took off as well. They clashed in the center fist striking fist and fought for dominance over the other. Sheer speed and strength from Lee, against the swift release of Akimi. In the end Akimi was forced to jump away. At her current power level Lee had more strength in the punch than she did.

They clashed again this time Akimi blocked Lee's punch with one arm while delivering her own with the other. Lee ducked under the punch and attempted to sweep Akimi's legs out from under her. She saw this coming and flipped over Lee to attack from his blind spot, but the green clad ninja used the momentum from the leg sweep to spin around and kick the kunoichi high up in the side of her arm sending her flying to the other side of the ring.

Akimi was able to readjust in mid air and turn into a flip landing on her feet but she had to admit that her arm sorta stung.

Not wanting to let Akimi have anymore time to adjust after winning the last skirmish Lee charged in again. This time however Akimi waited until the very last split second to move that was only possible thanks to the chakra affecting her synapses in away that allowed for inhuman reaction speeds that rivaled even the Raikage's. Rolling out of the way she delivered a kick right to the center of Lee's back this time sending the green spandex loving genin flying.

This back and forth continued as the fight wore on. Both shinobi now sporting a fair amount or injuries. Akimi was holding her right arm trying to shake it back to life after being forced to block a particularly powerful kick from Lee. And Lee was panting heavily after several hits to his rib's.

"Hey Akimi! If you loose the previos bet is canceled and you have to buy us both the lunch of our choice!" Naruto called breaking the silence that had spread over the hall since the fighting had intensified.

Akimi couldn't help her self she broke into a small smile and laughed. "Fine! But when I win, you owe me lunch at the dango hut twice!" she yelled back.

Lee thinking that her guard was down went in for another attack but Akimi was far more ready than he knew and received a palm to the chest slightly knocking the wind out of him. But he recovered in time to block the follow up attack of a kick to the side of the head. But missed the quick jab to the pectoral area causing him to stumble back. "Sorry but I think it is time to get serious, I don't want to have to buy Naruto lunch, he can eat a hell of a lot or ramen. But I have got to say I never expected a fight this good. It is almost worth having to wait to go last" Akimi said with a smile.

"Yosh then I too will just have to try even harder to win. You are definitely a worthy opponent!" Lee said.

Lee bust forward far faster than he had been moving before and got underneath Akimi's guard. Kicking her high into the air.

"Gai is that what I think it is?" Kakashi asked up on the balcony.

"That's right, the Initial Lotus!" Gai said proudly as he watched Lee untie the bindings on his wrist as he jumped up after Akimi.

Akimi saw him following her flight in mid air using the shadow of the dancing leaf and knew she was in trouble. The exact same moment Lee attempted to wrap Akimi in his bandages however she created a clone and pulled herself out of the way.

"She escaped!" Neji said in disbelief.

"Such an expert use of a shadow clone, impressive for someone so young" Asuma said causing the other jounin to nod in agreement.

'_He got a whole lot faster all of a sudden, what was that?_' Akimi asked herself as Lee landed and charged forward still at the highly increased speed. She reacted quickly and pushed a large burst of chakra though her system before rolling out of the way to avoid Lee's strike.

"Well it seems that the gate of opening was still not enough, looks like I will just have to go all out!" Lee said. And he began channeling what little chakra that he had to the various gates that he could open.

"Uh Gai. How many of the celestial gates can Lee open?" Kakashi asked.

"He can open five of them" Gai said proudly.

"Five are you insane! That could do quite a lot of damage to his body. He is still developing after all" Kakashi said.

Back in the arena Lee had made it to the Gate of Life and Akimi was starting to sense that something big was about to happen. As Lees skin turned a shade of red and he started to glow slightly green. '_Not good, looks like he is going for one last attack, I am going to need to leg it!_' she thought and she started rapidly increasing the chakra flow around her own body.

"Gate of Pain!... Open!" Lee said as chakra began to spiral around him. Akimi on the other hand had lightening dancing around her and what looked like a tornado rising over her body causing her hair that was normally tidy and slick to flail wildly in the wind whipping around like it was alive.

"Gate of Limit... Open!" Lee said and completely disappeared from almost everyone's sight. Akimi did the same and for around a minute nobody could see anything. But they could feel it, shock waves of the blows clashing against each other without them stopping to rest knowing that if they did it would be the end of their fight. Both fighters were running out of steam and Lees muscles were beginning to tear. It was now a battle to see which would last longer. Akimi burning through chakra faster than Choji goes through a packet of chips or Lee who's body could not take much more of the punishment he was subjecting it to.

The answer in the end came when Akimi and Lee both appeared in the air over the ring each having jumped from an opposite wall. At first it looked like they had both missed each other with their attack which was true. At least true about their initial attack. Unfortunately for Lee Akimi's reaction time was still faster than his and she had raised a knee using Lee's own momentum against him.

The green clad ninja fell to earth in a heap followed by Akimi who while she was able to land on her feet was on her last legs, panting heavily and barely able to stand. "Proctor... Check him" she panted weakly.

"He's out cold... Winner is" but Hayate was unable to finish his sentence as Lee struggled to his feet.

"Impossible... how could he still be able to fight" Akimi said disbelievingly, she had nothing left to fight with, if Lee could move even one tenth as fast as before he had begun opening the celestial gates she knew she was done for.

Akimi tried to ready herself for an attack but even the effort of slipping into her battle stance caused her to loose her balance and collapse. '_Well that's it I am done_' she thought as she pulled herself back into a standing base. But to her shock Lee hadn't moved. "What the?" she thought out loud looking at Lee wondering why she hadn't been pummeled when it was obvious she had nothing left.

"He is unconscious, he has been before he stood up" Hayate said.

"No way, and he is still trying to fight despite being knocked out?" Akimi said slowly and carefully walking over to check Lee for herself.

"He is. Rock Lee is unable to continue... Winner Akimi Hayaku!" the proctor called causing her to sigh in relief and allow herself to sit down and relax. '_Oh man I'm beat_' she thought lying back.

Gai arrived to carry Lee over to the medic team where they had a stretcher waiting. While Naruto approached his exhausted friend.

"Need a hand?" he asked kneeling down beside the fallen kunoichi.

"No... otherwise you will always remind me of how I got beaten up by a genin" Akimi huffed although the more she thought about the more she knew she would need help to stand.

"That was no ordinary genin, he was fighting to prove to everyone that he could be a top ninja with only taijutsu. His sensei told us about him while you were fighting. He has a rare disease that prevents him from using any nin or genjutsu. And personally I think he has done an excellent job. Not many jounin can keep up with you when you fight at full strength. For him to do it at fourteen is amazing. That said I am already never going to let you forget this" Naruto said chuckling at the end.

"Jerk!... just help me up already I don't think I can stand" she said accepting Naruto's hand as he pulled her back to a standing base and allowed her to rest her weight on him so the pair could move to the front of the hall where all the winners had gathered minus Sasuke to find out what happens now.

"So what will you do if we have to fight again" Naruto joked.

"Use you as a human shield" Akimi replied.

**End Chapter!**

**Well there we go. Probably could have split it into two chapters but thought I would give it to you in one go. Hope you liked my changes and are not too mad that I made the OC strong enough to match Lee with the gates open. Other than that I would like to know what you thought of the fights. I know some of them I just rushed through but I didn't see how they were relevant to the progression of the story so I left them out.**

**I will be going away for the weekend. So unfortunately there will be no updates on either of my stories until Sunday night at the earliest.**


	12. It Hits the Fan!

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 12: It Hits the Fan!**

Naruto and Akimi arrived with the small group that was progressing to the finals as they stood in front of the Hokage.

"Congratulations all of you on making it to the finals. They will be held in one months time to give you all, time to prepare. Please step forward one at a time and draw a number" the Hokage said as Anko walked forward with a box that rattled with what sounded like ping pong balls.

Kiba who was highly eager to get his number rushed to the front of the cue. "Five!" he called out raising the small ball over his head.

Up on the screen a table that looked like it was designed for a knock out tournament appeared and on the fifth line down the name of Kiba Inuzuka appeared.

Up next was Neji who drew the number one and Haku who pulled number three. "Looks like we're up next" Naruto said helping Akimi approach the snake mistress who had a strange look of envy for the young kunoichi who was supported by Naruto.

"Ladies first" Naruto said offering the box to the exhausted kunoichi. Who drew the number two, making the first match of the finals Neji Hyuuga, versus Akimi Hayaku. "Alright here's hoping for an early fight" Naruto said as he put his hand into the box and felt around for a ball that he hoped had a number in the early fights.

"Number 10!" Naruto said in disappointment as he realized that he would be fighting last.

Temari went next and drew the number eight. Followed by Gaara who's eyes lit up with excitement when the he got a nine. Shikamaru drew a seven and Shino a six which left Sasuke with number four.

"There we have it. The fights for the first round of the finals will be as follows. "Neji Hyuuga Vs Akimi Hayaku, Haku Momoichi Vs Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka Vs Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara Vs Temari Subaku, and the final match of the first round Gaara Subaku Vs Naruto Uzumaki" Hayate said.

Naruto and Gaara looked at each other both seemed confident but Gaara seemed to be thrilled with the pairing, he had a murderous look in his eye and a very demonic looking smile to add to the unnerving appearance of the short red haired jinchuuriki.

"Heh knew you guys would all make it through" Jiraiya said once they made their way back out to the village via a tunnel that ran underneath the forest of death.

Naruto who was still supporting his dark haired teammate, who was struggling to keep her eyes open from chakra exhaustion rolled his eyes at this. "Well I'm glad you had faith in us Jiraiya sensei, I mean we have all had experience in fighting against jounin so a couple of genin shouldn't have been that hard" Naruto said.

"You say that but look at what happened to her" Jiraiya said pointing to Akimi who was dragging her feet as she walked.

"Well, she just got a very motivated opponent. But I think I should get her back to the hotel" Naruto said, and without even asking he readjusted Akimi so he was carrying her bridal style to allow him to move at faster speeds.

Akimi was too tired to argue or fight back at being held that way and just decided to cling on and hope Naruto as he jumped from building to building over rooftops. "You drop me and you're dead! Got it" she said seriously. It was a rather uneasy experience for Akimi to be completely helpless while someone else carried her and that feeling of not having any power forced her to cling onto Naruto with all of her remaining strength every time he took another large jump.

Before she knew it however Naruto was placing her down. Not knowing what he was doing she refused to let go until she felt the soft bed beneath her. "There you go. I bet you will be asleep for days with the amount of chakra you have burned" Naruto said before turning to leave.

"You still owe me lunch at the dango hut. Twice!" Akimi called out weakly before Naruto could leave the room.

Naruto was about to reply with a comeback saying that carrying her across town was worth far more than two lunches but he stopped when he heard her lightly snoring 'Oh well, I will tell her later' He thought before leaving her room for his own.

(**Hokage Tower**)

Hiruzen had so far had an enjoyable day, he had been able to witness some good bits of skill from his up and coming ninja and saw that Jiraiya had been teaching Naruto his fathers jutsu if not telling him about the truth that the Yondaime was indeed Naruto's father. His good mood was extinguished the moment he entered the room however as he found not only a massive stack of paperwork but the one thing that could make his life just as miserable, the village elders and Danzo.

"Ah Hiruzen, how were the preliminary rounds" Danzo asked.

"I am sure you were watching, they are shown in all of the jounin bars and ninja only areas of the village" Hiruzen said.

"Yes I did see, and I would like to know why it is you kept the fact that Naruto Uzumaki has returned to the village a secret" Danzo replied.

"Mostly to avoid this exact conversation" the Hokage said, showing that he was still rather quick witted in his old age.

"He is a military asset to this village and therefore must be brought under our control. With my emotional conditioning and training he will become a great asset to this village" Danzo said.

"He is not a shinobi of this village. And I will not permit you to turn him into a drone. But don't take me for a fool, you don't just want him because of the Kyuubi. You know as well as I do the power Naruto holds in his eyes. You want them for yourself" Hiruzen said.

Danzo didn't reply and kept a calm expressionless exterior appearance.

"Then don't give Danzo the boy, but he must be returned to the village. We have called a counsel meeting to discuss what is to be done" Koharu said.

"Oh please tell me you didn't. We all know how these things turn out" the Hokage sighed.

"I am afraid it is too late. The prospect of the village regaining the Kyuubi and also a ninja who possesses the Rinnegan is too great to ignore. I am sorry Hiruzen but this has to be done. We will be expecting you in the counsel chambers tomorrow afternoon" Homura said leaving the room along with Danzo and Koharu.

'_I knew this would happen once they discovered Naruto was not only in the village but far stronger than they could have imagined_' Hiruzen thought as he collapsed in his seat knowing he was in for hell.

"I will advise you not to let the council have there way. Naruto does not take well to being forced to do something. Also if you do attempt to capture him by fore I hope you have a lot of body bags in waiting" Jiraiya said as he seemed to grow out from the wall.

"I was wondering when you would show yourself. You may be stronger than me now Jiraiya-kun but I am not known as the God of Shinobi for nothing" Hiruzen said, stating that he knew Jiraiya was in the room the entire time.

"I will get you one of these days old man" Jiraiya joked before taking a seat.

"So what do you suggest I do about Naruto?" Hiruzen asked.

"Nothing! They will bitch and moan but at the end of the day, you are the Hokage and have final say of everything that happens in the village. And if someone try's something without your knowledge they will be dealt with by Naruto however he sees fit" Jiraiya said.

"So you suggest I just let Naruto kill any who attack him?" the aged Hokage asked.

"I don't see, why not. If you make it clear that Naruto is not to be touched under any circumstances, and let them know that he will defend himself if necessary" Jiraiya answered.

"It may be the best course of action. After all I am sure you will not hesitate to rescue Naruto should he be taken" Hiruzen Surmised.

"You can bet your life on it. Minato trusted me to look after the kid and I plan on doing it" Jiraiya said firmly.

"Then I will take your warning to the meeting, I think they might be a little less likely to target Naruto if he is defended by a member of the sannin" Hiruzen said.

"Two actually. If Tsunade-Hime finds out he was captured she would burn the place to the ground to get him back. She treats him like he is her little brother or even son" Jiraiya said.

"Well then the warning will hold even more weight behind it. Now was there a reason you came here to see me?" the Hokage said deciding to change the topic.

"Oh yes, I have the a scroll with detailed information that Naruto was able to collect from the genin team from Oto" Jiraiya said, tossing over the scroll. He waited for Hiruzen to start reading before he continued. "There mission was to kill Sasuke Uchiha. But this was nothing but a ploy to test Sasuke's ability with the curse seal. Naruto was able to discover that Orochimaru does indeed plan to attack Konoha sometime soon but they were not sure of the time frame we are looking at" Jiraiya said.

"I see this is indeed disturbing news. Is there anything else?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yeah. Naruto believes but cannot prove as of yet that Suna is helping Orochimaru with the attack. As the Oto genin were given specific instructions to not get in the way of the teams from Suna" Jiraiya said.

"Thank you Jiraiya, this is extremely valuable information. I will have my best men look into this deeper" Hiruzen said.

"We will of course all still be on the lookout for any more leads that may help" Jiraiya said.

"Yet again you have my thanks. Now I should probably get ready for this accursed council meeting" Hiruzen said with a sigh.

"Alright, good luck with that. I am glad I don't have to go to them anymore. They were always the worst part of returning to the village" Jiraiya said, and he stood up and left via an open window.

"The years pass but you still stay the same, Jiraiya-kun" the Hokage said to himself fondly before the depressing reality of an upcoming council meeting struck again.

(**Council Chambers, One Day Later**)

Hiruzen entered the large oval room that was split down the middle by two large desks on either side. At the closest point there was the desk where the Hokage would sit and two empty seats reserved for Tsunade and Jiraiya. At the far end and at the point of two large banks of chairs to either side that made up a semicircle sat the elders and Danzo. To one half of the semicircle sat the Clan heads and top ranking jounin that cared enough to show up. And on the other side there was the civilian council who were already in full swing yelling demands at the Old Hokage even before he sat down.

"What's this we hear about that thing being allowed back in the village!" one loud banshee with bright pink hair screeched over the top of all the other civilians. She was so loud even Shikaku Nara was woken from his slumber.

"Troublesome" he muttered before lowering his head back onto the desk.

He was not able to return to his sleep however. Because Hiruzen decided to put an end to the civilian councilors inaudible demands. "Silence!" he roared with great authority that caused even the stoic Danzo to recoil slightly. "Good now as it was the elders who called for this meeting I believe they should explain exactly why we are here" Hiruzen said.

"Very well. We are here because of this" Danzo said and two large screens descended from the ceiling on either side of the room. One hung above the Hokage's head and the other above the elders. One the screen there was footage of a certain match in the chunin exam Preliminaries.

"Oh look it's my daughters match!" Mrs Haruno yelled at the top of her lungs causing those around her to wince. Then she saw who it was Sakura was fighting. "Those whisker marks and that blond hair... you let my daughter fight that monster!" she yelled incredulously.

"Please council woman Haruno, quiet and watch" Koharu said pointing to the screen as the match started.

While the shinobi were all watching with wide eyes, stunned and intrigued by what ever Naruto was using to prevent any of Sakura's attacks from coming close. The civilians were cheering the fact that they thought it was Sakura who was on top. Then came the defining moment when Sakura bad mouthed Naruto and his parents earning roars of approving laughter from the civilians and angry glares from the shinobi. Particularly those that knew just who Naruto's parents were.

Sakura's mother was just about to yell out how proud she was of her daughter for putting the 'Demon' in it's place when the match ended. A rasengan to the stomach is a definitive match winner. "I want him executed for what he did, he attacked my daughter!" Mrs Haruno demanded shrilly.

"What for? It was part of the chunin exams. All he did was win his match" Inoichi said, bewildered by the Banshee's statement.

"Killing this child is out of the question" came the voice of Danzo. "You are all ignorant to what this boy truly is" he added.

"What do you mean? He is nothing but a vile creature that should have been exterminated long before he got this powerful" a short and fat civilian said.

"Fool! Look at this!" Danzo said. And pointing to the screen it moved into a close up of Naruto's face, more importantly his eyes.

"So what, his eyes have changed since he was a child, big deal. That just proved the Kyuubi has more influence on him than before" a balding man yelled.

"It doesn't surprise me that nobody recognizes those eyes. But maybe this will help" Danzo continued and put up a picture of a silhouette of a man with what appeared to be horns and hair that spiked off to one side. The only color that remained in the photo and was the six red magatama around his neck and and purple ripping eyes that perfectly matched Naruto's own.

Several members of the shinobi counsel gasped in shock realization hitting them in the face like a super powered Tsunade punch. But most of the room were even more confused.

"What is that supposed to be. All I see is a person with those same disgusting looking eyes" the balding civilian scoffed.

"That. Is the only known picture of the Sage of Six Paths. Although many believed it to be nothing but a hoax. And those eyes are better known as the Rinnegan, the most powerful Dojutsu in the ninja world" Koharu said.

"It is also a very distinct possibility that Naruto may be a distant relative of the Rikudou Sennin. Or even the reincarnation" Homura added.

"This is why the boy must not be harmed permanently. However since he has left the village he has no attachments to it. He needs to be captured and brought back under the control of Konoha. He would be the ultimate weapon for this village. A jinchuuriki who possesses the eyes of the Rikudou Sennin" Danzo said.

"You say that as though you think it would be easy to capture him. We know nothing about the boys full talents and you assume to capture him and that will make him join the village. That will more likely drive him to despise Konoha" Shikaku said.

"That is why we will put him through emotional training. He will be a perfect weapon for this village" Danzo said.

"He will be a perfect weapon for you!" Hiashi Hyuuga said.

"We should try and tempt Naruto to stay of his own free will not by force. And if that fails, an alliance of friendship and understanding, would be the best option" Shikaku added.

"I agree, however I find the chances of convincing the boy to stay are slim, considering the way he had been treated in this village as a child" Shibi Aburame said.

"He is our jinchuuriki, and a vital part of Konoha's military! We cant just let him leave the village!" Koharu demanded.

"Enough!" Hiruzen said loudly to get everyone's attention. "We will not take any action to keep Naruto in this village. I have been warned against it and the warning has the backing of both Jiraiya and Tsunade. Any action against Naruto would be seen as an attack against both of the two members of the the sannin. Now with that said this is a warning to anyone who thinks it would still be a wise idea to try and capture Naruto, delivered to me by Jiraiya himself. 'If you are planning to attack Naruto... you better have a lot of body bag's'" Hiruzen said changing the warning just slightly and directing it at Danzo who he knew would not let the issue rest.

The civilians seemed to be neither here nor there. On the one hand they wanted Naruto dead because they thought he was being controlled by the Kyuubi. And on the other hand there was a possibility that Naruto was related to the man who was once considered a god and worshiped to the point that he became a myth.

And even though Naruto didn't know it for the first time in his life the entire civilian counsel did not want him dead. Although those that didn't want him dead, agreed with Danzo that the he should be stripped of any freedom and locked away to be used as a weapon.

"We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied by a couple of ninja, it doesn't matter who they are. Allowing Naruto to leave this village will be a sign of weakness that the other villages will see and try to take advantage of!" Koharu said.

"She is right, the boy must be kept in this village" Danzo demanded.

"You know. I really don't enjoy being called 'The Boy' came the voice of Naruto. Several people were looking around for the jinchuuriki but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you Demon!" a civilian who hadn't been swayed in his thoughts yelled.

"Oh you know, here and there. It's rather easy to hide a chakra signature when you have near perfect chakra control. Something that Jiraiya sensei still lacks" Naruto said as he seemed to grow out of the wall.

'_He hid himself perfectly, not even Jiraiya is that good with his chameleon jutsu. Perfect chakra control indeed_' Hiruzen thought as Naruto casually walked into the center of the room.

"Hey Jiji! Jiraiya sensei told me you were having a counsel meeting to discuss me and well... I couldn't help myself" Naruto said with a friendly smile.

"This is a private meeting! It is not something an outsider is allowed to hear!" a civilian counselor said.

"He's right. The demon just broke Konoha law! Arrest him!" another civilian yelled.

"Didn't you just break a law of Konoha? And I have every right to be here as this meeting is directly affecting me" Naruto said.

"You have some nerve preaching to us boy!" Mrs Haruno screeched.

"You use labels like, Demon, Thing, and on the far nicer occasions Boy, to make you all feel superior to me because you are scared of my burden. I can assure you I am none of those things and my name is Naruto! But if you so wish to see or feel the power of the Kyuubi, then I guess that can be arranged" Naruto said.

"Are you threatening us?" Danzo said narrowing his eyes.

"Not at all, simply stating fact that there is a big difference to between me and Kyuubi" Naruto said.

"Then why are you here?" Danzo asked.

"Oh I just wanted to find out what this village really thought of me, and what they decided to attempt to do about me now that you have found out, that I am not only alive but unattached to any village" Naruto said calmly.

"And what have you found?" Danzo asked.

"Well the civilians have shown me that I will never be welcomed in this village completely by them. But the shinobi, well at least the clan heads seem to not only be reasonable but trustworthy. Something that could not be said about you" Naruto said.

Danzo didn't respond to the direct attack on his person and simply narrowed his eyes.

"So over all, how do you feel about the village?" Homura asked.

"This village is not my home. My home is with my friends and comrades. If I was to live here I would not be happy and as such even the thought of me joining the ranks of the Konoha shinobi is laughable" Naruto said.

"Then why not all of you stay? The inclusion of two new bloodlines along with your own would reaffirm Konoha's place as the strongest of the hidden villages" Homura said.

"While I do appreciate the offer, I am afraid I have to decline. That would be worse than before because while I may be slightly happier in Konoha with them here, they would be given the same treatment that I received. I will not make their lives difficult just for my sake" Naruto said.

"There must be something you want, that we can offer you?" Koharu asked.

"Sorry, but there isn't anything that I want from this village" Naruto answered.

"I see, and is that your final decision?" Danzo asked.

"Yes it is. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go buy quite a lot of dango to repay a lost bet, before those civilian assholes spread the word about who I am in the village. And I get banned from all the stores" Naruto said before he puffed out of existence.

'_He was a shadow clone! This can't be over, that boy needs to be returned to this village! One way or another!_' Danzo thought.

(With Naruto)

Naruto had been meditating, his entire consciousness focused on his clone. But once it dispelled he picked himself up and true to his word he went out to buy enough dango for several lunches just in case Akimi wasn't satisfied with what he would have brought her when she woke up from her power nap which had now lasted well over twenty four hours. After all Naruto knew from experience, waking up after suffering from chakra exhaustion made you hungry.

He ran into Haku on the way out of the Hotel. "Hey Haku wanna come with I am going to go get Akimi about a weeks supply of dango to pay off the bet's I lost" Naruto said.

"Well I would, but if you do that then I should probably wait until she has finished what you get her before I buy some more. That way we can make sure none of it goes off" Haku said.

"Suit yourself. Wanna come anyway? It has gotta be better than just hanging around the hotel all afternoon" Naruto asked.

"Sure why not, I mean it is something to do" Haku replied and the pair left.

They walked through the village peacefully. The sun was starting to set on the afternoon and Konoha was covered in a yellow glow. "I don't think we will be staying in Konoha for the full month" Naruto said breaking the silence. It wasn't an awkward silence but more of a comfortable one. Haku was still not that familiar with Naruto and her stoic nature meant that she very rarely was the one to start conversations with the blond.

"Why not? Will we be returning to the hide out?" Haku questioned.

"I would say that is most likely where we will go. As for why... You will probably find out by the time Akimi wakes up. The civilian counsel found out who I am so I expect we will all start to be given some rather unfair treatment. It would be safer for us all to just leave the village. Sorry I know you must have been enjoying being the hospitality and freedom that you may not have had while working with Zabuza" Naruto said.

"It's alright, I understand completely. I do have one question though" Haku said a small smile starting to form on her face.

"Oh really, whats that?" Naruto asked casually.

"Where are we going? The dango hut is in the other direction" Haku chuckled.

"Well in truth I had no idea where it was so I was just wandering around. So why don't you lead the way?" Naruto suggested.

Haku agreed and they turned around. With Haku now leading the way they found the dango hut in no time at all and Naruto proceeded to pick up one of the largest orders of dango they had ever been given. Naruto basically got multiple sticks of every flavor they had. He wanted to be sure that there was enough that not even Akimi, who always tried to get the most out of every situation could complain.

They left the dango hut carrying an almost humorous amount of food that Naruto was carrying in a large bag. When Naruto and Haku were about a block away from making it back to the hotel however Naruto froze. "Haku can you take take this inside, there is something I have to do" He said, handing the large rather full bag of sweets over to Haku, who reluctantly accepted to take it the rest of thew way.

Haku watched wondering what was going on as Naruto jumped off in the opposite direction. The blond kept his speed constant as he jumped from building to building and didn't stop when he made it to the closest training ground he kept up his speed until he was far away from any possible disturbances.

He landed in a clearing and sat in a meditative position in complete silence until he felt a presence. "I was wondering when you would show up. But I really didn't expect it to happen so soon"

**End Chapter! **

**Cliffhanger, doesn't that just suck lol. Don't be too annoyed I always updated fast so you wont have to wait long to find out what happens. On that note counsel meeting was a bit stereotypical so i apologize for that. **

**So if you didn't know by now, Fuu won the poll. So she will be a romantic interest for Naruto in this fic. I must say I am kinda relieved, I really don't know how I would have made Kurotsuchi or Samui work. Neither of them would ever leave their villages and with Naruto's dislike of Kumo and Iwa's dislike of spiky haired blonds from Konoha, it would have been difficult for either of those two to be the main pairing. **

**Just to let everyone know that my other story will be updated at least twice this week and I haven't forgotten about it. **


	13. Difference in Power

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 13: The Difference in Power**

"Are you going to come out or are you going to just sit there spying on me" Naruto said calmly, he was still in a meditative position with his eyes closed as he spoke.

"You knew?" came a raspy voice as the newcomer stepped out from the woods behind where Naruto was sitting.

"I knew you would come and find me the fist chance you got the moment you drew my number in the exams Gaara. The question is why are you here? Have you come to kill me already?" Naruto said. He slowly rose after speaking and turned to face the red haired jinchuuriki.

"I can't wait, your blood will be the ultimate justification of my existence!" Gaara said darkly and his sand began to swirl around him.

"Justification of your existence huh. You know I was a lot like you, I used to act out to get people to recognize me. It's painful isn't it, being alone and unloved. I am a jinchuuriki just like you, I know how you must have been treated" Naruto said.

"Is that why you are strong? Because of the hatred you hold for these people and need to justify your own existence. Did the pain that they caused you make you powerful?" Gaara said.

"At first that is what I believed. I never knew my real parents, and I was hated and ignored by everyone. I started acting out playing pranks when ever I could because the times when the ninja would chase me after a prank was the only time anyone ever acknowledged me. But when I was kidnapped and left to die in the Land of Forests all I could think about was getting back to Konoha and getting my revenge on the people who kidnapped me. I was saved however, by a civilian family, they took me in and treated me with love and kindness, something I had never really experienced before and I would say has been denied to you as well. Things were great for me and I didn't even care about Konoha or even being a shinobi anymore. But things ended badly and my family was killed right before my eyes. I was so angry all I could think about was killing the people who had harmed my family. And I was given the power to do just that, although I cannot remember it I am positive that I killed the ninja that had killed them" Naruto said.

"Did you loose control, like I can?" Gaara asked, he had come here to kill the blond but he couldn't help but be enthralled by his story.

"Well I did loose control, but not in the way you are thinking. Anyway when I woke up I was in the ruins of my old house and there was my soon to be sensei Jiraiya looking over me. He explained that what had happened was a side effect of me awakening my Kekkei Genkai. When I thought about it I believed that it was my hatred and anger that had made me strong" Naruto said

Gaara grinned his evil grin thinking that Naruto was indeed just like him and the only thing that mattered was his own power.

"But I was wrong. Jiraiya sensei told me that it wasn't hatred that made me powerful, it was a need to save the ones I loved. I never really understood what he meant when he said that until I met Haku, my teammate she told me that true strength comes from the need to protect something special, because when you have that need you will push beyond your limits something that is not possible if you are only fighting for yourself. When I look at you I see what might have become of me if I stayed in this village and people continued to ignore and hate me" Naruto said.

Gaara was slightly annoyed, he thought he had found someone just like him, someone who fought for himself and his own power, nothing else mattered. "Your blood will make mother very happy, Naruto Uzumaki" he said before sending a huge wave of sand towards the blond.

Naruto rolled out of the way and prepared a jutsu. "Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu" he yelled and with only one hand seal, being the one for fire, Naruto blew out a massive ball of flames that went careening towards the red haired jinchuuriki.

Naruto hit dead on but he knew it wasn't over. And when the flames cleared Naruto wasn't disappointed. There Gaara stood with a shield of sand blocking the flames.

"Well it is good to see you are not beaten so easily" Naruto said.

"You don't need hand seals... how is that possible" Gaara asked.

"Near perfect chakra control, I only need hand seals for summoning and to decide what type of jutsu I need to use. At least for most jutsu, some top ranked jutsu still require hand seals" Naruto replied.

Gaara didn't reply in any other way but sending several spears of sand towards Naruto.

"Suiton: Water Encampment Wall" Naruto yelled and pulled water from a nearby river forming a large wall that blocked Gaara's sand.

"You are annoying me, just die already!" Gaara yelled.

"Hm tempting but no thanks" Naruto joked as he rolled away from another onslaught of sand.

(**Back in Konoha**)

Haku had placed the dango that Naruto had brought into his fridge and gone to check on Akimi. She was still sound asleep when the Ice user entered the room, but it looked as though she had begun to stir in her sleep.

Haku decided to stay as she knew that Akimi would be waking soon and it would be best that someone be around to at least tell her how long the speedy kunoichi had been out.

Fifteen minutes later Akimi slowly opened her eyes. "Well it's about time you woke up" Haku said from beside her bed.

"I feel like I have been asleep for ever" Akimi sighed while stretching and rolling out of bed I the same clothes she had been in during her fight with Lee. "Aw man I am still in this, I must stink!" she whined.

"You haven't been asleep that long... only a little over a day and a half. And you are still in your clothes because Naruto dropped you back here and you went straight to sleep. I didn't return until later and by that time you were already fast asleep. So Naruto chose to leave you as you were not wanting to undress you himself" Haku said.

"I see, so where is he now?" Haku asked.

"I don't know, we went out to pick up the dango that he owed you. But on the way back he gave me the dango to return to his room and he went off on his own, it was sorta weird. He was fine one moment and then the next he just took off towards the other side of the village" Haku said.

"That's weird, maybe I should go out and find him, he could be in trouble" Akimi said as she got out of bed but still felt weak.

"You have said yourself that he is unbeatable" Haku asked with a small chuckle.

"In one on one I think he is. But if it is a group of people he is as vulnerable anyone else" Akimi said.

"My oh my Akimi-chan are you worried about Naruto-kun's safety" Haku teased.

"Why would I be worried about him! He can take care of himself, I just want to make sure he is not under attack, because if they target him we will be next" Akimi said angrily.

"If you say so, no need to get angry about it. I guess I will go find him. You need to stay here and regain your strength. I'll get the dango for you" Haku said before leaving the room returning later to set down a large box full before leaving again.

(With Naruto)

"You can't keep running forever, Naruto Uzumaki!" Gaara yelled as Naruto dropped down behind a tree using it to block the sand.

"Maybe not but I can try" Naruto joked.

"Damn you Uzumaki!" Gaara yelled and the sand that was swirling around him began to thicken covering half his body in sand forming a demonic body that had the ears and tail of a raccoon.

'_Looks like this is getting extreme, I really don't want to have to kill him. I need to question him about Suna's plans with Orochimaru. Also he reminds me so much of myself I want to help him... but how?_' Naruto thought as Gaara's sand started moving even faster and began to form a fist as it chased right after the blond.

Gaara was becoming more and more frustrated at Naruto's ability to avoid every attack and be able to counter each of his moves with what seemed like little effort. In fact this was true in the fact that Naruto rarely had to use his gravity manipulation to counter the sand.

But the longer the fight went on the more Naruto noticed Gaara was being influenced by the Ichibi. '_He is really not stable, there must be something wrong with his seal_' Naruto thought before creating a large wall of mud to stop Gaara's sand.

Gaara's sand cloak had now fully enveloped Gaara and his eyes had changed from green to yellow with black scrlea. All in all it was a shocking sight to anyone who knew that inside the large monster made of sand there was a small red haired teenager.

"Okay enough playing around Gaara, let's just call this a tie, I have no desire to fight you like this" Naruto said, trying to get through to his fellow jinchuuriki.

"No you will give me reason to live, I will not let you live" Gaara yelled back.

"So I take it you wouldn't want to talk about this over ramen then" Naruto joked but quickly ducked under a sharp spike made out of sand that was about to impale him in the head.

Naruto shot forward expertly dodging the attacks Gaara used in an attempt to slow him down before he delivered a punch right to Gaara's face that sent him flying back but left him otherwise undamaged.

"Damn that is some good armor, my guess is it works the same way as the chakra cloaks of other jinchuurki, that makes most physical attacks pointless" Naruto said to himself but he then noticed that the sand was falling slightly from his face where Naruto had struck with his punch.

'_So it can be removed, I will just need a big enough bang and to attack a weak area in the armor_' Naruto thought as he channeled chakra into his eyes to enable him to see the chakra in Gaara's sand. '_There, just above the tail. There is far less chakra and it is more spaced out, but I don't want to kill him so I guess I will need to use a explosive tag to get the job done_' he thought as he humped back looking for something that he could use as a distraction.

Nothing Naruto could fine would work so he began running though some hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto yelled and after slamming his hands down onto the ground a large Ox appeared with the Rinnegan and several back piercings appeared and without any thought charged forward.

It was now Gaara's turn to run, he didn't expect such a large summon to come from Naruto and had to react quickly. He didn't have time to notice just where he jumped to however and Naruto appeared from behing him placing an explosive tag on the small of his back just above the jinchuuriki's tail.

Naruto was just able to jump out of the way of Gaara's retaliation punch before the explosive tag activated. The explosion was huge and Naruto just managed to get away from the blast without having to use a jutsu to protect himself.

"You're still alive, now do you want to give up, I have no desire to hurt you, I have told you that before" Naruto said. His plea fell on death ears however because once the smoke had left Gaara was still mostly covered in sand. 'Damn what do I have to do to get rid of that sand armor of his?' Naruto asked himself as he charged in with a massive punch knocking Gaara into the air. He then created a shadow clone to throw him above Gaara while it performed several Fuuton jutsu to cut away at the sand preventing it from reforming. The real Naruto had just began his decent and when he was about to pass the red haired jinchuuriki he spun delivering a devastating kick knocking him into the ground creating a massive crater. The attack wasn't over there however as Naruto readjusted himself in mid air and landed fist first into the back of Garra who was trying to stand.

Naruto jumped back to admire his work, and it had been a complete success. The sand was shattering off of Gaara who seemed to be frightened but determined.

"I will not let you eliminate my existence! Feigning Sleep Jutsu" Gaara said and he passed out.

'_What is the purpose of putting himself to sleep?_' Naruto asked himself. The answer came seconds later as sand erupted from everywhere and there was a hundred foot tanuki standing over him.

"**I'm out, now I can have some fun... I think I will start with you. I don't know how but I remember those eyes from before I was made**" Shukaku roared down at Naruto who was beginning to think it was not going to be his day. "**Fuuton: Drilling Air Bullet**" the large tanuki roared before spewing a massive ball of compressed air towards the blond.

"Summoning Jutsu" Naruto yelled and quickly summoned a large bird to carry him high out of the way of the Fuuton jutsu. '_Well I was trying to keep this confrontation a secret but it doesn't look like there is much chance of that now_' Naruto thought as he looked down at the large section of forest that was just destroyed by the sand spirit.

Shukaku was now firing multiple blasts of compressed air at Naruto who was able to avoid them thanks to the superior speed of his summons.

"**You pesky fly stop moving around, I will kill you!**" the Ichibi roared as he fired off another Drilling Air Bullet.

"I'm going to need to hit him with something powerful" Naruto said starting to run through several hand seals at great speed. "Katon: Firestorm Blaze" he yelled and released a massive wave of flames that incinerated everything in their path on the way to smashing into the Ichibi.

The jutsu removed the tanuki's left legs causing it to fall over, but Naruto couldn't celebrate just yet as the sand spirit began to reform.

"Naruto what the hell are you fighting?" came a call from below and Naruto turned to see Haku in a tree slightly back from the danger zone.

"Short answer the Ichibi. Long answer Gaara, but I don't have much time to explain at the moment" Naruto replied.

"How are you supposed to defeat that thing?" Haku asked.

"I'm working on that, I could trap it in a Chibaku Tensei, but I don't want to kill Gaara. I can still save him from himself, all he needs is a good friend" Naruto said. That was when he noticed the small red spot on Shukaku's head. '_I don't think Bijuu get pimples... What is that thing?_' Naruto thought as he silently ordered the large bird he was flying on to get a better look.

Upon closer inspection Naruto saw that it was Gaara, his body was still asleep and placed right in the middle of Shukaku's head. '_Bingo, I might not be able to stop the Ichibi but I bet I can still hurt Gaara, he gave control to his Bijuu when he fell asleep. So I am guessing if I wake him up, he wont be able to maintain this transformation_' Naruto thought.

Giving the large bird a silent order to get close to Gaara, Naruto prepared to jump off. This was easier said than done however with Shukaku using liberal amounts of Fuuton jutsu to keep the large bird as far away from his head as possible.

Eventually Naruto got into a position to land on top of the head, not knowing how long it would take to get another chance he wasted little time in launching himself off of his summons and landing in front of Gaara.

"**What are you doing?**" Ichibi asked.

"I'm waking Garra so I don't have to deal with you anymore" Naruto replied charging across the large tanuki's head.

"**I can't allow that**" Shukaku responded and the sand around Naruto began trying to capture him. By wrapping around his arms and legs in the sand.

"You think this will stop me... Shinra Tensei" Naruto yelled blowing the sand away from his body and allowing him to move into striking distance of the red head. "Gaara, it's time to wake up!" Naruto yelled before slamming his fist into the side of Gaara's face.

"**Nooooooooo I just got out, curse you boy!**" Shukaku roared as both Naruto and the scared looking Gaara fell to earth with the the giant sand spirit falling apart around them.

Naruto landed on his feet but the punch Naruto had been rather powerful and completely thrown Gaara, for the first time in his life his sand had not saved him from being hurt. He could feel physical pain. He got up to a sitting base and when he noticed Naruto slowly walk over to him he couldn't help but back up in an attempt to get away from the approaching blond. "Stay, stay away from me!" he frantically ordered as he back up against a tree. "I wont let you erase my existence"

Naruto paused mid step. "Why would I want to do that Gaara? Why would I kill the only person I have met who understands my pain? We are so much alike, we shouldn't be fighting each other. We should be friends" the blonds said.

Gaara's eyes widened at Naruto's declaration. "Friends? You would be friends with someone like me, even after I tried to kill you?" he asked.

"Sure why not, us jinchuuriki need to stick together, I bet you only act like this because nobody has simply acknowledged you as a person. But I will Gaara, you have nothing to fear from me. I want us to become friends" Naruto said.

"You acknowledge me? But my reason to exist is to kill, it is the only purpose I have. And you said earlier you fight to protect. How can we get along and be friends knowing this" Gaara said.

"You don't have to kill to justify your existence, didn't I just do that when I acknowledged you? You don't have to be a mindless weapon for Suna. Find some special people that you think are precious to you and then you will find out what it means to truly be strong" Naruto said.

"Precious people? But everyone hates me, you are the first person to ever ask to be my friend. I have nobody" Gaara said sadly.

"Well you have me, and that means you will have everyone of my friends, because if they don't accept you then they are not friends of mine" Naruto said.

"But you will leave and I will once again be alone" Gaara replied.

"Then come with us! You are easily strong enough to join us. That was one of the toughest fights I have had in almost a year, you would fit right in and we even have people that will be able to help you with your sleep problem" Naruto said.

Gaara's head raised at this, a chance to not only escape his fathers constant attempts on his life. But also start anew with people who will not judge him and are willing to accept him for who he is. "What do I have to do? I want to be able to join you, I will do what ever is necessary, I want to learn what it is like to be truly strong" he said standing up and moving closer to Naruto.

"Then welcome aboard Gaara, we will have to make some plans to get you away from Suna but that shouldn't be too hard" Naruto said.

"I think I know how we can do it" Gaara replied.

"Really, how?" Naruto asked.

"During the chunin exams. Suna is planning to attack Konoha, I have an important roll as I am supposed to transform into shukaku in the middle of the village" Gaara said.

"And a battle is the perfect place for someone to go missing and not raise too many eyebrows. Suna will just assume you were killed. That is easy to work out a strategy to get you out safely. But I will have to ask you not to participate in the invasion, the Hokage is like a grandfather to me and I have already agreed to help him dealing with Orochimaru's plans. And Konoha is still my first home, I don't want to see it destroyed" Naruto said.

"That will not be a problem, I am done with being my fathers weapon, I side with you" Gaara said.

"Gaara I think we are going to get along just fine. Let's go so you can meet Haku, she arrived towards the end of the fight" Naruto said and began to lead Gaara back towards the village to where Haku was waiting.

"Oh Naruto, are you alright?" Haku asked when he arrived in a nearby tree. But her guard went up when she saw Gaara.

"It's alright Haku, Gaara is fine, in fact you are looking at the latest member of the Yoinokuchi" Naruto said happily.

"Really? But weren't you two both trying to kill each other?" Haku asked shocked.

"Nah I would call it more of a minor misunderstanding" Naruto replied while Gaara looked slightly guilty.

"A minor misunderstanding. If that was a minor misunderstanding then so was the fight between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha at the valley of the end!" Haku replied.

Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Aw come on Haku, it wasn't that bad. And besides, now we have Gaara to join us, and I can tell you from experience he is a top fighter" Naruto replied.

"Well I cant exactly say anything, after all I haven't been a member for that long myself. So I guess I better welcome you to our group Gaara, it's really a lot of fun and everyone gets along real well" Haku said with a friendly smile which Gaara seemed to struggle to return but in the end he managed a small smile, probably the fist real smile he had since he was young.

"Alright so what we need to do is go find Jiraiya sensei. Its a rather hot day so I'm guessing he will be at one of the best places to swim in this village. Haku you can go back to the hotel I will take Gaara with me" Naruto said.

"Alright, I guess that's a good idea. Oh and Akimi has woken up by the way" Haku said.

"That's awesome. I'll be back once I tell Jiraiya sensei what is going on with Gaara" Naruto replied.

Naruto, Gaara and Haku all went back to the village together and were careful to avoid the squad of Konoha ninja that had been sent out to investigate the large chakra spikes that had appeared outside the village where Naruto had his fight with the red haired jinchuuriki.

Haku split off from Naruto and Gaara when they made it back to the village. The two jinchuuriki began searching the areas around any of the bathhouses or swimming areas and finally found Jiraiya hiding in a tree with a telescope watching women swim far below him by the side of a waterfall.

"Hey Jiraiya sensei!" Naruto called out spooking not only the old lecher but all the girls that were within earshot of Naruto's loud yell.

"Hay damn it gaki what was that for! You scared all the women away" Jiraiya whined as he dropped out of the tree and turned to face Naruto.

"Well I needed to talk to you without you getting distracted. I brought with me a new friend of mine and also the next member of the Yoinokuchi" Naruto said.

"Oh really, and who might that be?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto made a sign to the neerby trees and Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand. "Gaara Subaku. The jinchuuriki for the Ichibi, Shukaku" Naruto said.

"Kid are you sure this is a good idea?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes I am sure, they have been treating him just as badly if not worse than I did was in Konoha. And he hasnt been able to escape it, but not anymore, he is going to come with us" Naruto said.

"Do you realize what will happen if they find out we took him?" Jiraiya questioned.

"All of Suna would be after us, but that isn't going to happen, because we have a plan. We also have the perfect time for his extraction" Naruto replied.

"Really when would that be?" the toad sage asked.

"During the finals of the chunin exams. Suna is planing an invasion of Konoha along with Oto" Gaara said.

Jiraiya's eyes widened at this. "And you are just willing to hand this information over to us even though we are both friends of the hokage?" Jiraiya asked Gaara in shock.

"Yes, I no longer desire to be a Suna ninja, I want to go with you both and learn what it is like to have friends and to become truly strong to protect them" Gaara said.

"So as you can see, we have a perfect opportunity to rescue Gaara without causing any suspicion, Suna will just think that Gaara went missing in the battle" Naruto added.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Welcome aboard kid" Jiraiya said happily.

"Oh there is more. I think something is wrong with Gaara's seal holding back the Bijuu" Naruto said.

"Really let me see" Jiraiya said.

Gaara moved closer to Jiraiya tentatively and allowed the perverted sage to inspect his seal.

"This thing is lacking mental blockers, no wonder there are rumors that you were unstable, also by the looks of it when you sleep Shukaku takes control" Jiraiya said.

"That is correct, I have not been able to sleep for most of my life" Gaara admitted.

"Can you fix the seal sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Well I can, but it will have to wait until after the exams. It will be a long process and there are other things we need to focus on. But until then take some of these" Jiraiya said handing over a handfull of small sealed tags.

"What are these?" Gaara asked.

"They are seals that suppress demonic chakra. I made them for when I start training Naruto here in how to control the Kyuubi. Put one on before you go to sleep and you will be able to rest easy for about ten hours" Jiraiya said.

Gaara's eyes widened at the thought of having a peaceful sleep and for the second time today gave a real smile. Gaara was truly happy for the first time in his life.

**End Chapter! **

**Hope I made everything believable. But feel free to criticize anything you might find wrong or you disagree with. It is the only way I will learn.**


	14. Invasion Plans

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 14: Invasion plans**

Naruto and Jiraiya had just finished listening to Gaara explain everything he knew about the upcoming invasion. That he was supposed to be Suna's secret weapon and was supposed to run towards the other side of the village where there would be no troops from Suna, before transforming into the Ichibi for as much possible destruction to Konoha, without harming allied forces.

"Looks like we have our information to deliver to the old man" Naruto said.

"Indeed, do you know when this attack is planned to begin Gaara?" Jiraiya asked.

"No I do not, sorry" Garra admitted.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for Gaara, you have already done enough, but you should probably go back to your team before they begin to wonder where you ran off too" Naruto suggested.

"Yes, that would be a good move, I look forward to our next meeting, Naruto Uzumaki" Gaara said.

"You can just call me Naruto. Using my full name makes it seem like we are not friends. We will probably be leaving the village in a day or two, I will come and find you before we leave" Naruto assured his new friend.

"Thank you... Naruto" Gaara replied and without further word disappeared in a swirl of sand.

"Do you think we can trust him gaki?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes, he hasn't known friendship in his life. A small amount of kindness can go a long way to changing someone. I was not so different myself, the first people that showed me kindness became my family. While I was with them I didn't care about Konoha or even becoming a ninja anymore. Gaara just needed to have kindness shown to him, he is not a bad person despite what he appears on the surface" Naruto said.

"You have grown a lot you know that. I think Itachi teaching you to control your emotions as well as the genjutsu and ninjutsu training really payed off. You are far more mature than you used to be" Jiraiya said proudly.

"Only when I have to be you old pervert" Naruto said with a smirk.

"Hash gaki, still can't get the respect I deserve" Jiraiya said wiping away a mock tear.

Naruto couldn't prevent a small smile from forming on his face at the antics of his sensei. "So you didn't tell me, if you managed to end up finding Baa-chan while you were out of the village?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah I found her, she didn't like the prospect of returning to Konoha though" Jiraiya said.

"I would have thought the massive payday she would pick up betting on the matches would easily make up for that" Naruto said.

"Yeah so did I, guess we will just have to wait and see if she shows up or not" Jiraiya said.

"Oh by the way I gate crashed the council meeting. It was rather informative" Naruto said.

"Really and what did they decide?" Jiraiya asked.

"Nothing, I left before finding out their final decision but they would be stupid to attempt to attack me, and the ninja councilors were all on my side, they proposed leaving us alone and forming a mutual agreement for an alliance" Naruto said.

"Sound to me like they want us to take on the jobs that Konoha doesn't want" Jiraiya said.

"I see no real harm in it as long as we reserve the right to turn down any jobs they offer us, if we disapprove of them. I don't want to take on the jobs that Konoha doesn't want to do just because it would show them in a bad light" Naruto said.

"I agree. But that is what most mercenary's end up doing though" Jiraiya replied.

"Well we are not most mercenary's" Naruto said.

"Damn right we aren't. You know I am really glad I quit working for Konoha and took you with me" Jiraiya said resting a hand on his young pupils shoulder.

"So am I" Naruto replied.

(With Gaara)

The red headed jinchuuriki walked into his hotel room and immediately lost his smile. His sensei Baki was looking at him with an accusatory glare while Temari and Kankuro were both keeping their distance not liking the smile their brother had when he entered the room.

"Yes?" Gaara asked his sensei flatly.

"What were you doing? There are Konoha jounin moving around outside the village because of some sort of disturbance. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that do you?" Baki asked.

"No" Garra lied. With his face an emotionless mask thanks to his Sand armor, it was impossible to tell what Gaara was thinking or if he was telling the truth or not.

"There was a massive surge of chakra that felt foul and demonic and you are telling me that it was not you?" Baki yelled.

"That's right, I was talking to a friend who gave me something to allow me to sleep" Gaara replied.

"A friend? I don't believe you!" the sensei of the Suna siblings said firmly.

Gaara twitched in annoyance but didn't retaliate. "Regardless of what you think it is the truth, he gave me these" he said handing one of the chakra suppressing seals over to his sensei.

"What is this seal? It makes no sense to me at all!" Baki said.

"They were made by Naruto's sensei to help him control his own Bijuu" Gaara replied.

"There is another jinchuuriki in this village! Then we need to make plans to counter him for the invasion, he could ruin everything" Baki said.

"He is not a Konoha ninja, you have nothing to worry about" Gaara lied convincingly.

"So it must be that boy with the weird eyes. I knew there was something different about him the moment I saw his fight. Which Bijuu did he say he holds?" Baki asked.

"He didn't say anything about which one" Gaara lied again, he was now trying to undo the damage he may have done when he let slip that Naruto was a jinchuuriki.

While this conversation was going on Temari seemed to be intrigued that Gaara had actually made a friend and was now defending him making sure that Baki didn't try to harm the boy. On the other hand Kankuro was just glad Gaara was not trying to kill them at the moment and couldn't care less about Gaara's declaration that he made a friend.

Baki continued his questioning of Gaara and the soon to be former Suna jinchuuriki dodged the questions only answering those that did not give any indication that Gaara was not fully loyal. Eventually Gaara had enough and with a perfect imitation of his deranged self threatened Baki with a painful death if he didn't stop asking questions and left.

"Did Gaara seem a little different to you?" Temari asked the older of her brothers once Gaara had left the room.

"I don't care, as long as he isn't threatening us I couldn't care less. I mean let's face it Temari, Gaara is unstable. Anyone foolish enough to even attempt to be his friend will just end up dead" Kankuro said.

"You don't know that!" Temari said.

"Then have you ever been brave enough to try and talk to him?" Kankuro asked.

"Well I have, but.." Temari said.

"But he threatened to kill you, right?" Kankuro said finishing Temari's thought for her

"Yes" she admitted. "But he is still our brother and we shouldn't treat him any differently than one"

"Well you can go risk your life trying to become a good big sister all you want, but there is no way in hell I am risking my life like that" Kankuro said.

Temari didn't reply and just stared at the door that her brother had left through. '_Maybe, Kankuro is right, but he is still my little brother_' she thought before looking away.

(**Hokage Tower**)

Hiruzen had just arrived back in his office when he noticed the window was open and Jiraiya was sitting in the windowsill.

"How was your day sensei" Jiraiya said lazily.

"It's been hell. Those damnable councilors can't even decide on what color they want the street signs, how are they supposed to decide on what to do about something like Naruto" Hiruzen sighed.

"If it makes you feel any better we have information for you about the attack Orochimaru has planned" Jiraiya said.

"You do, how did you find that out?" the Hokage asked.

"Simple really, Naruto befriended Suna's jinchuuriki and he told us all about it. Not only did the kid make a new friend but we also found out everything he knew about the plan to invade Konoha" Jiraiya said proudly.

"So then Suna really is involved?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yes, they are planing to attack sometime during the finals of the chunin exams, we still don't know exactly when. Gaara was not informed, but they had planned on using him to destroy a large part of the village and keep our ninja busy, that plan will now definitely back fire on them" Jiraiya said.

"So Suna has made a move against us then. The last thing we need is a war. But given the state that Suna are in should they fail in this assault they will not have much left to fight a war with" Hiruzen said.

"I know, this will be an all or nothing attack, and with our knowledge of the situation it is doomed to fail. The only wild card left is Orochimaru. I am sure he is not going to rely solely on Suna, so he must be planning something himself" Jiraiya said.

"Orochimaru will keep his plans to himself, and maybe a few of his top people. So we probably wont know until he puts his plans into action" the Hokage added.

"Yes I have one last person out in the field looking for more leads but I don't know if he will find anything" the toad sage admitted.

"That is fine, you have all done enough for us, more than we would have ever been able to discover without your help. You might have saved this village" Hiruzen said.

"Naruto really did most of the work, although you can't ever tell him I said that" Jiraiya joked.

"Oh can't bare to let the boy know how important he really is huh" Hiruzen chuckled.

"More like scared he will run off on his own, and do better without me" Jiraiya replied.

(**With Naruto**)

Naruto returned to the hotel to find Akimi pigging out on the dango he had brought for her. "Well it's good to see that you are feeling better now" the blond said as he went to sit down on his previously unconscious friends bed.

"Much better, and thanks for the feed, it's even more than I expected" Akimi said happily throwing another sick away after she had finished with it.

"Well you know me, can't have you saying I cheated you. Just consider the extra as a get well present" Naruto said offhandedly.

"If you say so. By the way Haku said we have a new member?" she said curiously.

"Yeah, Gaara! He is definitely strong enough. And he helped us out with information on the attack on Konoha. He is going to come with us after the finals" Naruto said.

"Sounds awesome, it will be good to have someone else to talk to other than you. Haku is a start but having someone else will be awesome" Akimi said.

"Well he doesn't talk much. Although in time we could probably change that" Naruto said.

"So in other words I am still stuck with you" Akimi said.

"Ouch... my pride" Naruto whined in mock sadness.

"Oh man up. Your making us both look bad" Akimi joked.

"Wait why do you look bad?" Naruto asked.

"Because I still cant land a hit on you in our spars. So if you act weak it just means that I am even weaker" Akimi said.

"Well I am sorry to make you look weak, maybe if you trained harder you would be able to hit me in about one hundred years" Naruto joked.

"That's no fair, you train all the time! And maybe I don't want to look like a muscle bound freak" Akimi said.

"You don't have to, just add some lean muscle. Besides who cares what you look like" Naruto said.

Akimi just gave the blond jinchuuriki a dirty look and bit into another stick of dango. "Baka" she muttered eventually but Naruto didn't hear her.

"Come on, I'm not some muscle bound freak. I can help you, we can train together. We can work on increasing your chakra levels so you can use more chakra to power your swift release without feeling the drain, then we can work on getting you stronger physically" Naruto suggested.

Akimi seemed to ponder this for awhile before replying. "Fine! But no insane weights like that freak boy wore"

"Don't worry, that kid was insane. But I can't deny the success he had with the training. I wont put you through anything like that" Naruto assured her.

After that Akimi seemed to warm up to the idea. "Sounds great, but if you think I am going to call you sensei you can think again" she declared before childishly sticking her tongue out at Naruto who couldn't help but smile at his friends antics.

"Such disrespect towards your sensei" Naruto joked using a fake serious voice.

"Then what are you going to do about it? Huh sensei" she taunted.

"No idea. When ever I played up for Jiraiya or Itachi sensei they would just refuse to teach me any new jutsu until I did what I was told. But I doubt that will work for you" Naruto admitted.

"Your hopeless" she replied before the pair both burst out into laughter.

It was this scene that Haku walked in on. "Um am I interrupting something?" the Ice user asked tentatively.

"No Naruto was just being an idiot" Akimi said.

"Me? You were involved just as much as I was. If anything it was you who was being the idiot" Naruto said indignantly.

"Sure thing Naruto, you keep telling yourself that" she replied with a smirk.

Naruto folded his arms in frustration and started grumbling about unfair friends, and how he was always being disrespected and blamed for everything.

"Well I guess now would be the best time to ask. You said we would be leaving Konoha for the rest of the month, so I was wondering when we would be leaving?" Haku asked.

"Probably tomorrow morning, this village will be a lot happier while I am not in it" Naruto said.

"So they found out who you are huh, guess it isn't that surprising" Akimi said calmly.

"Yeah, its not a big deal. But I would rather not put up with the villagers. I can take the looks of hatred, but I don't know how I will react if they start treating you guys badly just because you associate yourself with me" Naruto said.

"Well that doesn't bother me but I think we should leave this place. If I stay here I will explode with dango" Akimi said.

"Yes and I would like to have more privacy when I train my Hyoton jutsu" Haku added.

"So to get the most out of our time we should leave tomorrow morning first thing. Then we can start our training" Naruto said.

"Why do I get the feeling you are talking about my training" Akimi said a hint of worry in her voice.

"Hey what do you know, I found the perfect punishment for you disrespecting your poor sensei. Extra physical work in our training. Oh Haku you are free to join us if you want" Naruto said.

"That's alright Naruto, I would prefer to work on my ice jutsu, and that is something I don't think you can help with" Haku replied.

"Oh well then, looks like I am all yours then" Naruto said turning to Akimi.

"All I feel is a sense of foreboding" Akimi complained.

The three ninja sat and talked for awhile after that but eventually Naruto left to get some dinner, leaving the two kunoichi alone. As Naruto walked through the streets he noticed that news of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki's return had began to spread and the dirty looks were once again being sent his way.

'_Ignorant fools, I am starting to remember why sensei wanted to get me away from this place_' Naruto thought as he tried his best to ignore the glares of the people. And Naruto's being out in the village was making it worse. The people who were glaring at him were freely telling anyone that would listen about Naruto's past causing more and more people to turn on Naruto.

Naruto did not want to put up with harsh glares any longer than he had to so when he arrived at Ichiraku Ramen he got his order to go rather than stay and give the villagers more time to spread the news.

It did him little good, as Naruto walked home from the restaurant a large crowd of villagers encircled him. "Move" Naruto said flatly as he approached the hoard.

"We aren't doing anything for you!" a rather brave civilian said.

"What do you want?" Naruto said, he wasn't sure whether or not to hate these people for making his life miserable as a child, or pity them for there ignorance.

"We want you to leave and never return!" a woman yelled.

"It would be my pleasure, but I am here to compete in the chunin exams, so I will be back one more time. But believe me it gives me no pleasure in seeing any of you again. Now move!" Naruto said.

"Actually I don't think we will, since you are no longer a resident of Konoha the law that says we cant hurt you is no longer in affect" a tall villager said in a cocky tone.

"And you think a bunch of civilians can harm me?" Naruto asked his tone was flat but under the surface his blood was beginning to boil.

"No but we have found some people who can" the same villager replied. And three chunin landed in the center of the circle surrounding Naruto.

"I'm warning you to drop this and leave me be" Naruto warned.

"Yeah right demon, It's because of you that I lost my family" one of the chunin replied.

"Very well, attack me if you must but you have been warned" Naruto said.

"Like I care" the chunin said before all three of them charged the blond. Naruto waited until they were just about to hit him before he made his move, jumping high above their attack Naruto removed a kunai and threw it so it sliced the back of one of the attackers knees causing him to collapse. When Naruto landed he took out the second attacker by effortlessly crushing his wrist before snapping both arms in several places. The final chunin remaining the one who had refused to leave Naruto alone backed away in an attempt to distance himself from Naruto who had just taken out both of his teammates so quickly he barely had time to readjust from his first attack.

"Going somewhere?" Naruto asked calmly, while turning to face the last of his would be attackers.

The final chunin turned to flee but Naruto wasn't going to let him get away unharmed. "Raiton: Twin Bolts" Naruto said before two small sparks of lightening erupted from his fingers and pierced through the mans shoulder causing him to fall before he even made it out of the circle of villagers.

He struggled to his feet holding onto his shoulder as blood from the wound began to slowly soak his robes. He didn't notice that Naruto was still approaching him. The only warning he got that anything was wrong was the horrified looks on the civilians faces.

Naruto was standing right behind the man before he spoke. "You like picking on someone just because they are smaller than you huh, or is it you wanted to be a hero to these vile people" Naruto said shocking the man causing him to fall back over.

"I'm sorry. Please don't kill me" he begged.

"I'm not going to kill you, because contrary to popular belief. I am not a demon, the real demon here is you lot, persecuting a child for something he couldn't control" Naruto said sending a glare towards the civilians that made them all back up slightly. "No I'm not going to kill you. But I am going to cripple you" Naruto said proceeded to shatter every bone in the mans legs and arms.

Naruto left the man unable to move and crying out in pain as he turned around picked up his ramen that survived the attack and once more walked towards his hotel. This time the civilians were far too scared to block Naruto's path and created a large opening for him to pass through before running to check on the three ninja.

(With Gaara Later that Night)

Gaara was preparing to test out the chakra suppressing seals that Jiraiya had given him when he heard a knock on his window. Turning to see what the disturbance was Gaara was surprised to find Naruto sitting on the ledge outside.

The Suna jinchuuriki walked over to allow Naruto to enter. "Hello Naruto, I wasn't expecting you to show up until tomorrow morning" Gaara said.

"Yeah, I know but we are going to be leaving first thing and if you are going to be testing out those seals, I don't want to wake you" Naruto said.

"I see, then I suppose thanks are in order" Gaara replied.

"Nah don't be stupid, you don't have to thank me for that. We're friends remember, that's the sort of thing friends do. Anyway I just came to tell you that we will be leaving for the remainder of the month, so you wont be able to find me. If you need to tell us something about the invasion, Jiraiya sensei has told Jiji Hokage, so you will be able to talk to him. Just make sure you are not being followed" Naruto said.

"What are we going to do with the finals? We are supposed to fight" Gaara said.

"Simple, we just go out and have fun" Naruto answered.

"Have fun?" the red headed jinchuuriki asked.

"Sure, fun. Just consider the fight, a friendly spar. With the two of us that will be enough to convince people that we are serious. Anyway that's all I came here to say, I will see you in just under a month Gaara, see ya soon" Naruto said confidently. And left with a friendly smile and wave.

(**The Next Morning**)

The sun had barely risen in the sky when the trio of Naruto, Haku and Akimi made there way from Konoha.

Naruto had started Akimi's physical training early and forced her to run at top speed without the use of her Swift release. To make matters worse for the speedy kunoichi, Naruto made her carry all of their bags for extra weight.

It was mid afternoon before the trio arrived back at the Yoinokuchi hide out. Needless to say Akimi was exhausted. She had never had to run that far on her own power before.

"Surely it wasn't that bad?" Haku asked.

"That was the first time I have had to do something like that... I'm exhausted, I need a shower and a nap" Akimi whined.

"Sorry, not yet. We still have training to do" Naruto said.

"Oh why did I ever agree to this!" Akimi whined knowing it was going to be a very long month.

"Because you almost lost to a genin" Naruto joked.

"Go to hell!" Akimi called back.

"Come on, lets go there is a good river up here we can use for restriction. If you can run fast through water you will be much faster on land" Naruto said.

"Fine! But your doing it with me. And if I have to get into the water I am getting changed first" the dark haired kunoichi replied before stalking off inside.

'_I'm thinking this is going to be a disaster_' Naruto thought as he waited for Akimi to return.

Akimi returned with a towel and a yellow two piece swimsuit that perfectly matched the color of the highlights in her hair, as well as her eyes. "Well lets go, the sooner we get this done the sooner I can relax" Akimi said and walked off in the direction of the river.

Naruto didn't take long to catch up to his friend and they chatted amongst themselves about nothing in particular until they made it to the river. "Alright so walk in until you are about waist height and run through the water as fast as you can without using any chakra" Naruto informed the kunoichi.

"Are you forgetting something?" Akimi said folding her arms.

"I don't think so" Naruto admitted.

"You have to do it too, that was the agreement" Akimi replied.

"Ah fine!" Naruto whined and removing his shirt and pants leaving him in his boxers he jumped into the water.

Akimi joined him and they began the exercise. Akimi would never admit it but she was having a lot of fun and she could already feel herself getting stronger. They kept up this exercise for a few hours before changing to simple swimming which ended up in more of a playful fight after Akimi dunked Naruto forcing him to get revenge.

"Good job today, I bet by the time this month is out, you will be much faster" Naruto said once they had finished and were heading back to the hide out.

"Yeah, it didn't suck as much as I thought it would. You might even make a good sensei one of these days" Akimi joked.

"And you might become strong enough to beat me one of these days" Naruto taunted in reply.

"Shut it Naruto. It's only a matter of time before I beat you" she said punching Naruto in the shoulder.

"Yeah if the time frame is a thousand years" Naruto joked and took off before Akimi could react.

"Hey come back here!" she yelled and took off after the blond.

The rest of the month went along in the same fashion, Akimi and Naruto would both train in speed and sometimes increasing there chakra levels, which was pointless for Naruto as he had enough chakra already. They would also spar occasionally but as Naruto loved to remind her she had still not managed to win a fight.

While this was going on Haku was doing her own private training working on her Hyoton jutsu. As the month came to a close the three ninja prepared for not only there matches in the final but also the invasion they knew would be coming.

"Well guys lets head back to Konoha, you guys know your role right?" Naruto said.

"Yes, we are to extract Gaara from the village once the fighting starts" Haku said.

"Alright then" Naruto smiled.

"What are you going to do?" Akimi asked.

"I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to Jiji, and Jiraiya is going to be helping Konoha's forces take out the enemy from Suna and Oto" Naruto replied.

"Great trust you two to get the god jobs" Akimi moped.

"I bet you will see your fair share of action, I doubt you will make it out of the village unscathed" Naruto said.

"Yeah what ever, let's just go" Akimi said grumpily.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay I sort of rushed the month off, but I think we have had enough filler so on with the finals. Question is this, Naruto Vs the Shodaime and Nidaime or Naruto Vs Orochimaru. personally I am more inclined to go with the two Kage and let Hiruzen fight the snake.**

**I will be introducing Fuu in the next Arc. But the arc will only be short, no way near as long as this one.**


	15. Finals

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 15: Finals **

Naruto and his team arrived back at Konoha in the afternoon the day before the exams. The hokage had kept there room open for them so they went strait to the hotel so they could relax.

"So do you think Orochimaru will show up tomorrow?" Naruto said knowing his sensei was in the room hidden.

"Damn it kid, you're worse than Sarutobi sensei" Jiraiya said as he let his chameleon jutsu drop.

"I can see your chakra, not that difficult, and you are the one who taught me to look for traps or intruders when entering a room" Naruto said.

"Yeah I guess I did. As for your question I would bet my life on it" Jiraiya said.

"Then his life ends tomorrow. He needs to pay for what he has done" Naruto said.

"You think you can take him?" Jiraiya asked.

"Whether I think I can or not is irrelevant. He is evil. He has no regrets, no remorse and no mercy to his victims. And to stop him from harming anyone else, I will end him no matter what it takes" Naruto said determination evident in his voice.

"Well if anyone can do it, I am sure you will find a way" Jiraiya said a tiny hint of sadness in his voice, he still considered Orochimaru somewhat a friend.

"Did you find out anything from Akaru about the attack on Konoha?" Naruto asked trying to change the subject.

"No he couldn't find out anything of substantial interest so he is going to back to the hide out. We cant sneak him into the village, he might be targeted by Konoha ninja during the fighting" Jiraiya said.

"He is classified as a missing ninja in the Land of Lightening I guess" Naruto sighed.

"Anyway you better get some rest, big day tomorrow after all" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah I know, don't worry about me" Naruto replied.

Jiraiya left after that and Naruto decided to have an early night.

(**The Next Day**)

Naruto and the other finalists were standing together in the center of the arena, all of them besides Sasuke who had yet to show up.

"Hey Haku, looks like your opponent chickened out" Akimi joked.

"I doubt it. He will show, probably just wants to make some grand entrance" Naruto said.

"Just make sure you kick his ass Haku" Akimi said happily.

"Worry about yourself, from what I have heard your opponent is considered a genius in his clan" Haku said.

"A Hyuuga, we learned about them in the academy when they were talking about famous clans from around the elemental nations. They are taijutsu specialists, but so am I" Akimi replied.

"Yes but your opponent in the preliminaries has never been able to defeat him" Haku said.

"How did you find that out?" Naruto asked.

"I like to talk to people and one of the people I happened to talk to was the teammate of Akimi's opponent Tenten" Haku said.

"Fair enough, I wonder if Jiraiya sensei has placed his bets for the first round" Naruto said looking around to find his sensei in the stands but couldn't see him anywhere.

'_He's probably working to set up the village defenses against the attack_' Naruto guessed before turning to the Hokage Booth where Hiruzen and a man Naruto guessed was the Kazekage were taking their seats.

(Hokage Booth)

Hiruzen and the Kazekage sat in there seats that overlooked the stadium and waited for it to fill with spectators before starting the exams.

"I'm glad you could make it to the finals Kazekage-dono" Hiruzen said.

"Well two of my children are competing so it would be a shame not to come and watch them compete" The Kazekage replied.

"Yes, they both were rather impressive in the preliminary rounds" Hiruzen said.

"As to be expected from my children, but I must confess that I had hoped to see my son face the last of the Uchiha early on in the tournament. I recommend changing the fight's so Sasuke is paired with my son in the first round" The Kazekage said hoping that the old Hokage would agree.

"Do you doubt the abilities of Gaara's opponent?" Hiruzen asked.

"Not at all, but a wandering ninja with no village attachments is not the same as a fight between the son of a Kage and the last loyal Uchiha, the spectacle alone would bring in more money to the village due to a larger bets being placed. Surely you will not make much money on this Uzumaki, my son will surely win. With so few people betting on an unknown, the village will make no money" the Kazekage replied.

"I didn't know you cared so much about Konoha's welfare Kazekage-dono" Hiruzen said with a small smile.

"I simply desire to see my son fight the strongest opponent possible" the Kazekage said.

"Well then I wouldn't worry about it, I saw young Naruto fight in the preliminaries and your son will not have an easy match I can assure you" Hiruzen said.

'_You think I am going to let you play your games, your obsession with Sasuke has given you away Orochimaru, but I will play along for now_' the old Hokage thought as he looked out over the now almost full stadium.

"Well, if this Uzumaki is as strong as you say, then perhaps he will be a good warm up for my son" the Kazekage said.

"He may just surprise you, in fact I placed a small bet on the boy" Hiruzen said.

"I never took you as a betting man Hokage-dono" the man in the Kazekage hat replied.

"Normally I am not, but that boy is something special. In any case the stadium is almost full so we should start the matches" Hiruzen said before standing up to address the crowd and competitors.

'_This is Jiraiya's pupil that Kabuto told me about._ _What is so special about this boy, that would make that fool Jiraiya take interest in him. All I can see is the fact that he looks like that pest Minato. If only the team I sent after Sasuke, made it to the preliminaries. Then I could have watched them, and seen for myself. Obviously there is something special about him_' Orochimaru thought looking down at where Naruto stood but was too far away to get a good look at his eyes.

Hiruzen gave the awaiting crowd a warm welcome as he declared the start of the finals. All the while keeping Orochimaru in sight out of the corner of his eye. He then passed the role of explaining how the finals work over to the proctor.

(**Stadium Floor**)

"As Hokage-sama said, welcome to the chunin exam finals. My name is Genma Shiranui, the proctor. My word is law, and when I call a match you are to stop fighting immediately. The Chunin exam finals will be held in the same format as the preliminaries, with one on one matches. The winner of each match will progress to the next round while the looser will be eliminated. However even if you are eliminated in the first round, you still have a chance at promotion. But the more matches you fight in the more chances you will have to show off your abilities" Genma informed the group of genin and the crowd that were intently listening.

"Sounds simple enough, let's just get this show on the road already" Naruto said loudly.

"Right you are. The first fight will be between Neji Hyuuga and Akimi Hayaku. All other contestant's please make your way to the allocated observation area" Genma said. And Naruto and the other genin left the ring leaving behind Akimi and the stoic looking Hyuuga.

After the arena floor was clear Genma turned to the two fighters left in the center. "Fighters are you ready?" he asked and received a nod from Neji and Akimi. "Then Begin!" the proctor called.

The second Genma's hand came down indicating the start of the match, Akimi took off in a blur of speed.

Neji acted quickly and activated his Byakugan and waited for Akimi to strike. Akimi not knowing the full power of the Byakugan attempted to attack the blindside of Neji, only to have the Hyuuga block her strike as though she had just attacked him head on.

'_So his reflexes are top notch, and those eyes of his allow him to see me when I attack from the sides. Conventional fighting wont work, I need to force him into making a mistake_' Akimi thought as she flipped back away from the Hyuuga, eying his stance looking for a possible opening.

"You should just give up, you could barely beat Lee, you are destined to loose against me" Neji said cockily.

"Destined? How could you know that?" Akimi asked curiously.

"It is fate that the weak loose to the strong, just like it is fate that I am to forever serve the main house of the Hyuuga clan" Neji answered.

"Is that why you tried to kill the Hyuuga girl? Because you are destined to serve her, that seems like someone who is desperately fighting against his fate to me. Or maybe it is exactly what Naruto said, you are scared that she will become stronger than you, and your fragile pride can't take that" Akimi said with a smirk.

"What would you know. You are nothing but an outsider" Neji replied.

"You act tough, but in reality you are nothing but a scared little boy, who hates the hand he was dealt in life so he compensates by being a complete asshole to everyone he meets" Akimi taunted.

"How dare you!" Neji yelled and charged forward.

'_Bingo, he took the bait_' Akimi thought as she waited for Neji to start his attack before moving to counter.

(**Stands**)

Gai was watching the match in the stadium with Lee who had been allowed to loose his crutches on the condition that he did not train for a week. "That is a most deceitful yet brilliant strategy to use against Neji" Gai said.

"What is is Gai sensei?" Lee asked.

"She is using Neji's stubbornness and pride against him to attack in anger, he will be far more inclined to make mistakes that she will exploit in what ever way. She used what little knowledge she had of Neji to perform a psychological attack. She is trying to beat him mentally" Gai explained.

"That is a most unyouthful tactic" Lee said.

"Perhaps, but it is also brilliant. There are no rules to how you win a fight in the real world when it is life or death after all" Gai said.

"Yosh! Then I will work hard to make sure to never fall for such a trick!" Lee declared.

"That's my boy Lee" Gai said beaming with pride.

(Arena Floor)

Neji was starting to get frustrated, Akimi's superior speed allowed her to win the last few skirmishes and the constant flow of chakra around Akimi's body was making it difficult for the Hyuuga to see her tenketsu points let alone close them.

On the opposite side Akimi was quite pleased with how the fight was going. The more frustrated Neji became, the more mistakes he made. She had clearly struck a nerve when she attacked Neji personally over his family and views of destiny.

Neji charged forward to strike at several of Akimi's tenketsu points but the kunoichis superior reflexes allowed her to narrowly avoid the strike and get in a quick jab of her own. Akimi was so far satisfied with how the fight was going, the only thing that she could see that was wrong with her strategy was that she could only get in light hits before having to jump away from Neji's fast hands.

Neji knew this as well, one good tap with his Juuken and he could do far more damage than ten of Akimi's strikes.

What Neji didn't know was that while Akimi's strikes may have been weak, the points of all the hits were well chosen.

The long dark haired kunoichi watched in satisfaction as she saw Neji's arms and legs tighten without the young Hyuuga knowing. '_He's close, now I just need to get behind him_' she thought.

Taking off in a burst of incredible speed Akimi moved behind the Hyuuga and went to punch him in the back of the head.

Neji saw it coming and quickly turned to block the attack. He succeeded but the moment he did he knew something was wrong. His entire body became stiff, the large reflex reaction that he used to block Akimi's attack had caused muscles to cramp all over his body.

Akimi saw this and kicked Neji in the ribs far faster than he could move now. The Hyuuga went flying off skidding to a stop holding his ribs just before hitting the wall of the stadium. She didn't want to let the Hyuuga have time to recover so she went in for the kill.

Neji saw what she had planned and knew that if she got in a good hit while he was in this state it would be over. He did the only thing he could think of. "Kaiten!" he yelled and began to spin, creating a huge dome of chakra.

Akimi struck the dome but was thrown away with great force sending her flying over to the other side of the arena. She was able to readjust and land on her feet however. '_That's quite a jutsu. It reminds me of the Rasengan that Naruto and Jiraiya-sama can do. Although this is larger and the rotation isn't as powerful. But it makes a perfect shield for him, question is how often can he do that technique. Itachi always says that every jutsu has a weakness that can be exploited_' Akimi thought as she formulated a plan to test the Kaiten and Neji's breaking point and weakness.

Deciding against close range combat for the time being Akimi began running through a few hand seals. "Raiton: Earths Destruction" she said as lightening started to dance around her ripping the earth below her up before the jutsu appeared to die down. Everything was still for a couple of seconds before the ground exploded all around Neji trapping him inside a small cage of lightening that was slowly turning to prevent escape.

"And Now!" Akimi said forming a final hand seal. The lightening charged Neji from all sides and he had no choice but to use the Kaiten again.

Neji's defense stood up to the test and he remained unharmed. '_Hm okay then let's try this_' Akimi thought as she created a shadow clone. "Swift Release: Shadowless flight" she said and both her and the shadow clone began to channel high amounts of chakra before disappearing from view.

Neji was now confused, she was going so fast even he was having trouble following Akimi's movements despite the fact that she only created one shadow clone it looked as if she was attacking from every angle simultaneously. Then he saw it, a genjutsu to make it appear she left after images. "Kai!" Neji yelled and the genjutsu disappeared revealing only one version of Akimi who was trying to hit Neji head on in the one place that it didn't appear he was going to be struck. His cramp now passed he was easily able to block and dispel the clone. As the clone dispelled he noticed that in his only blind spot Akimi was watching the exchange. Quickly turning around to face her he tried and failed to hide his shock.

"So it seems the Byakugan does have a blind spot" Akimi said.

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter anymore. You are inside my field of deviation... Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms" Neji said ans he rushed forward to close off Akimi's tenkesu. When he finished he had a massive smirk. "Proctor call the match, she wont be able to fight anymore" but no sooner had he finished than Akimi's body puffed up into smoke revealing a log. "A substitution? Then that means..." but Neji didn't get to finish his thought as he took a massive chop to the back of the neck knocking him down. Before Neji could pick himself up he felt the cold steal of a kunai on his neck.

"Give up" Akimi ordered.

Neji couldn't believe it, he had lost. He dropped his head in shame and conceded defeat.

Akimi removed her kunai and helped Neji to his feet. "Just because life has dealt you a bad hand doesn't mean you can't win. If you think it is your fate to be nothing more than a servant, then fight against it. Don't let fate control you, Naruto taught me that" Akimi said before turning and making her way back to the competitors booth.

(**Stands**)

The crowd of people couldn't believe it, the Hyuuga genius had lost, and convincingly. Most of the crowd were down a substantial amount of money. But it said a lot that they all cheered for the show of great skill.

"I can't believe it. Neji lost!" Tenten said from where she was sitting next to the other Rookies that didn't make it to the finals.

"I don't know why that is so surprising, I mean she beat Lee" Ino said.

"Yes but Lee has never been able to beat Neji even once" Tenten replied.

That was when Gai and Lee made there presence known. "She used a brilliant strategy to find Neji's weakness, and using multiple ways to check for weaknesses in his jutsu showed chunin thinking if not tokubetsu jounin level of planning" Gai said.

(**Kage Booth**)

"An interesting fight don't you think, Kazekage-dono?" Hiruzen said in a friendly manner.

"Yes, the young girl has definitely earned her promotion, but I think the Hyuuga still needs some work despite his great knowledge of his families jutsu" the Kazekage replied.

Inside however Orochimaru was far more intrigued with Akimi, her swift release was something unique. And Orochimaru liked the unique. He couldn't help himself from licking his lips at the thought of the tests he could run trying to duplicate her abilities.

"Yes let's just hope for more of the same, this next fight should be promising and many people have traveled to Konoha to see the last Uchiha in action" the Kazekage said.

In the center of the ring however there stood only Haku. She had a blissfully bored look on her face as she waited for the arrival of Sasuke. But he didn't show.

"It seems Sasuke has picked up some of his sensei's less desirable traits and not shown up on time. Not a good sign, looks like I may have to disqualify him" Hiruzen said as the crowd began to get restless.

"That is not a good idea, many people will be upset if they do not get to see the last of the Uchiha in action, myself included" Orochimaru in disguise said.

"That would be showing favoritism, he has broken the rules and should be disqualified from the exams, promotion will already be impossible for him as he has shown a disregard to the tournament by not showing up on time with the rest of the competitors" Hiruzen said.

"I agree, but his appearance in the finals is a reason for some of the people here to come watch the finals. May I suggest moving their fight to later. Or changing the opponents so he fights last against my son" the Kazekage suggested.

"Perhaps I will move the match to the last one, but if Sasuke doesn't show by then he will be disqualified" Hiruzen said.

"That would be a wise course of action I think" Orochimaru replied.

(Competitors Booth)

Naruto and Akimi were standing together overlooking the arena. "Where the hell is that teme. If Haku gets a free pass into the next round I'm gonna be pissed" Akimi said.

"I don't get it, I was sure he would show himself" Naruto said.

That was when the Hokage made the decision that the second match between Haku and Sasuke had been postponed until last.

"Well it looks like Haku still has to wait a little longer. Hard to believe they would give Sasuke such special treatment though" Naruto said.

"Yeah and now I have to wait to see what Haku does in her fight, I am supposed to fight her next" Akimi whined.

"You don't know that, you might have to fight Sasuke" Naruto said trying to hold his face neutral. He failed spectacularly and broke out into a fit of laughter that was joined by Akimi.

"You couldn't even say that with a straight face. If Haku really tries Sasuke wont stand a chance" Akimi said.

Haku returned to the booth just after the fight between Shino and Kiba started. Naruto found the fight to be rather interesting. Kiba had used a jutsu to transform his small puppy into a beast like copy of himself and he also changed similarly. Shino on the other hand kept Kiba and Akamaru on the run with liberal use of the clans insect techniques. Because the two fighters were both in the same team it turned out to be a rather even contest with both fighters knowing what to expect from the other. But eventually Shino won. His beetles would slowly drain the chakra from both Kiba and Akamaru until they eventually passed out.

"Not bad, those Aburame look like a tough bunch to defeat, even if there specialty is kinda creepy" Akimi said.

"I agree. with the use of his insects, the longer a fight lasts the more of an advantage he gets. Best chance would be to take him out quickly" Haku said.

Naruto was looking around and found that the while Temari had made her way to the center, Shikamaru was still in the booth. "Hey your up you know" Naruto said tapping the lazy Nara on the shoulder.

"I know, but it just seems to troublesome" Shikamaru replied.

"You haven't changed a bit since I knew you in the academy. Still the laziest shinobi I have ever met" Naruto said.

"So you are originally from Konoha, I thought I had seen you before. But still it would be just too troublesome to fight a girl" Shikamaru said.

"Don't act like that, she is tough. You saw what she did to the weapons girl" Naruto said.

"That just makes this even more troublesome" Shikamaru sighed.

"What would your parents think if you gave up without even trying" Naruto said.

He hit the nail on the head with that, Shikamaru may be able to stand his father but when his mother found out he didn't fight because he couldn't be bothered he would get an earful. "Your right, I better go get this over with" Shikamaru said before leaving mumbling about troublesome blonds.

As the fight finally started Gaara used the chance to talk to Naruto away from his sisters earshot. "Hello Naruto, I am looking forward to our match" Gaara said with a small smile.

"Hey Gaara, so am I. How did those seals Jiraiya sensei gave you work out?" Naruto asked.

"Very well, I have been able to sleep without fear of loosing control" the red haired jinchuuriki replied.

"Well we will get that seal of yours fixed as soon as we can" Naruto assured his newest friend.

They both turned to watch the match which seemed to be going in the favor of Temari. Her large fan and various Fuuton jutsu, had Shikamaru on the run.

"Temari seems to be doing well" Gaara said.

"Yes, but I wouldn't count out Shikamaru, Jiraiya sensei told me that his father is probably the best military mind in terms of strategy that the elemental nations have seen since the Nidaime Hokage. If Shikamaru has even half of that skill then he must have a move or two up his sleeve" Naruto replied.

"He doesn't look like much, I mean all he is doing is hiding behind trees and trying to catch Temari in his shadow, but she has already figured his trick out" Akimi said.

"It's only a matter of time though before the sun gets lower or clouds come over. And then his shadows range will stretch. Time is on his side" Haku added.

And Haku was right, ten minutes late Shikamaru's shadow extended further. The rest of the fight was like a tactical skirmish with each member trying to guess the others next move, but it was Shikamaru who came out on top. He used the hole created by Akimi's Raiton jutsu to extend his shadows underground and capture Temari in his shadow. The majority of the people in the stadium were shocked however when Shikamaru gave up when he had just all but won the match.

"Oh well, I guess he is satisfied that he has done enough to be promoted" Haku sighed.

"More like he just didn't want to continue" Naruto chuckled as he remembered how lazy his old friend was back in the academy.

"I believe it is our turn now Naruto" Gaara said.

"Alright, lets go" Naruto said with a smile and the two jinchuuriki turned to make there way down to the stadium floor.

Temari couldn't believe her eyes when the two young ninja passed her in the hallway. '_Gaara was smiling. And not the smile he gets when he wants to kill someone. He was actually happy! How did this happen?_' the Suna kunoichi thought before deciding to pick up the pace so she could get a good view of the upcoming match.

(**Kage Booth**)

"Well looks like your son is up Kazekage-dono" Hiruzen said.

"Yes, it should be a good warm up for the later round. My son has never been hurt in battle after all" the Kazekage replied.

"But there is a first time for everything" Hiruzen countered.

"Yes I agree, we will just have to watch and find out for ourselves" Orochimaru said grinning behind his mask.

(**Stadium Floor**)

Genma was just about to start the match between Naruto and Gaara when there was a large puff of smoke in the center of the ring and Kakashi appeared with Sasuke.

"Uh... Hi, we're not late are we?" Kakashi asked.

"As a matter of fact you are. But Sasuke's match was moved to the last on the list by the Hokage. So he hasn't been disqualified" Genma said.

"Oh well that's good then" Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Yes, now if you would please leave we are trying to start a match here" Genma said irritation visible on his forehead.

"Really?.. well then we better get out of the way" Kakashi said and shunshined up into the stands next to Gai.

Meanwhile Sasuke took his time walking out of the ring with a smug smile on his face.

Once he was gone Genma turned back to the two jinchuuriki. "Okay now that, that's taken care of. Are you both ready?" he asked. Both Naruto and Gaara nodded and the match got underway.

"Sand Spears" Gaara yelled the moment they were given the green light to begin. Sand swirled around Gaara before hardening into two large spikes before they shot off towards the blond.

Naruto waited until the spears were close before weaving in between the attacks and bringing his fists down on them shattered the spikes into the sand they once were.

That was what Gaara wanted however as the sand that formed from Naruto smashing the spears began to surround the blond. "Sand Coffin!" Gaara yelled.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said loudly propelling the sand away from his body before charging forward at a fast speed and catching Gaara in the side of the face with a right hook.

Gaara got back to his feet almost immediately but the sand armor around his cheek where Naruto had hit him was cracked already.

(**Kage Booth**)

"What kind of jutsu was that?" Orochimaru asked.

"I wouldn't know. Like I said before, that boy is special" Hiruzen lied.

'That was no simple shock wave of chakra, and certainly not a Fuuton jutsu' Orochimaru thought as he looked down at the blond studying his movements carfully.

(**Stadium Floor**)

Gaara's armor healed itself as the two boys smiled at each other. "Good to see you have fixed your makeup" Naruto joked.

Gaara's response was to send a wave of sand towards his friend.

"Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu" Naruto yelled burning the onrushing sand turning it into thin shards of glass that fell to the ground.

Naruto saw the glass and created a clone that lifted the shards into the air with his gravity manipulation. Meanwhile Naruto used the hand seal for a Fuuton Jutsu. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough" the real Naruto yelled.

Gaara saw the powerful Fuuton jutsu coming and created a large sand wall to block the strikes. He was able to block the jutsu but the sharp glass shards shot right through the wall and stuck into his armor. Gaara breathed a sigh of relief that Naruto's jutsu was not powerful enough to get through both the wall he put up and his armor.

While this was going on there were loud murmurs around the stadium from the shinobi at the fact that Naruto could use not only one but two elements with out any hand seals. Naruto smirked at this and decided to shock them even more. And he performed the seal for Raiton before holding his hands in front of his body about two inches apart and lightening started dancing between his palms. "Raiton: Lightening Ball!" Naruto said and in between his hands a small ball of lightening danced into existence before he launched it towards Gaara who was able to smother the ball with his sand.

Gaara knew that he needed to do something soon or Naruto would get through his defense far sooner than he had anticipated. "Sand Shuriken!" Gaara yelled and his sand hardened into a group of twenty shuriken before flying towards Naruto.

"Doton: Mud Wall!" Naruto yelled quickly slamming his hands to the ground forming a massive wall that blocked the spinning blades of sand. He then jumped up on top of the wall and performed the seal for Suiton. "Suiton: Water Gun" he yelled firing a large blast of water from his mouth that Gaara had to block sacrificing some speed in his sand that was now partly wet.

(**Kage Booth**)

Orochimaru was now highly interested in Naruto. "The ability to use all forms of nature transformation without hand seals. Only the top masters of there element are able to do that. To be able to do it with all of them is completely unheard of" he said, still watching Naruto intently.

"Yes like I said the boy is special. I wonder just how advanced his elemental manipulation is, Tobirama sensei was able to draw water from the atmosphere he was that skilled in Suiton manipulation. I wonder if Naruto could do that?" Hiruzen said. He too was greatly shocked by this development. He knew that Naruto could use all forms of nature transformation, but had no idea just how efficient he was at them.

'_This boy could be the perfect body after I am finished with Sasuke-kun. The ability to use all forms of nature transformation is something that only Pein is capable of doing_' no sooner had Orochimaru finished the though than he realized what Naruto's secret must be. '_The Rinnegan! There is another one! Oh I must be blessed. If I can get both Sasuke and this boy I will be unstoppable. But what else are you capable of. I never even saw Pein apart from that holograph he sent to tell us our assignments_' he thought licking his lips at the thought of Naruto's power.

(Stands)

Kakashi and Gai were both looking wide eyed at the show of power from Naruto. "Amazing, he is really in the springtime of his youth" Gai said.

Kakashi just nodded dumbly, he was to busy watching the fight to annoy gai. '_This is the strength of the Rinnegan. Control over all forms of chakra, it's amazing_' Kakashi thought while he watched Naruto roll out of the way of some sand before using a Fuuton jutsu to blow a second wave of sand away.

These were similar thoughts that were running through the minds of the village elders and all of the shinobi who were present at the council meeting. The only person who wasn't there to witness Naruto's skill was Danzo who was mysteriously absent.

(**Competitors Booth**)

Sasuke was watching the fight with his sharingan activated but it did him little good, without the hand seals for him to copy all he was learning was what the jutsu looked like and what element they were.

Shino, Haku and Akimi watched the fight with great interest, but Temari was only focused on her brother. She was completely shocked, and not just because it seemed Naruto had an answer for every move the red haired jinchuuriki made. '_I can't believe it Gaara is loosing, but he is still smiling. What has happened to him, he looks completely different. Maybe he did become friends with the blond kid. But Gaara never trusts anyone_' she thought, unable to take her eyes away from the large smile that was spread wide across her brothers face.

(**Stadium Floor**)

Naruto and Gaara stood looking at each other, both waiting to see if the other would move first. "This has been fun Gaara, but I think we should end it now" Naruto said.

"If you say so, but I am not going to just let you beat me. So I hope you were not expecting me to roll over" Gaara replied.

"I wouldn't dream of it. You are a tough fighter after all" Naruto said with a smile.

"Then I await your move, friend" Gaara replied returning the warm smile.

**End Chapter!**

**Bet you all hate me right now, ending the chapter in the middle of the fight like that. Still I update fast so you wont have to wait that long to find out what happens.**

**On another note I hope you enjoyed the fight between Akimi and Neji. and that you are not too disappointed that I skimmed over the other two fights, they didn't really add anything to the story.**

**Was wondering if people thought it would be worth while postponing the invasion until later in the exams, probably not a good idea when Naruto and the others have a battle to fight after it. and if I do continue the exams, who would win, Sasuke or Haku and why? I think it would still be Haku even with the sharingan and Chidori. But I would like to know peoples opinions.**


	16. Lightening and Ice

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 16: Lightening and Ice.**

Naruto stood atop a wall made of mud and he looked down onto Gaara who was standing with a small smile on his face.

"Alright let's go Gaara" Naruto yelled, before the wall descended back to the ground and he took off expertly weaving through wave upon wave of sand to strike Gaara with a right hook to the side of his face causing him to fly away.

But Naruto wasn't done knowing that Gaara's armor was much stronger than that. "Bansho Ten'in" the blond called and Gaara changed direction mid flight and flew back to Naruto who proceeded to drop kick Gaara into the air.

Using a small amount of gravity manipulation Naruto proceeded to jump high above Gaara while he was still rising from the powerful kick. Upon reaching his desired height Naruto began to descend and hit Gaara with a devastating punch to his back.

Gaara fell to earth crashing into a tree that cracked and fell over from the sheer force at which Gaara hit it.

Naruto landed but was still on his guard, he didn't think it would be over just yet. And he was right as sand rose up from behind the blond and threatened to completely swallow Naruto within it. "Oh shit... Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said loudly.

Blowing the sand away with ease Naruto rolled forward ready to charge to where he knew Gaara still lay while controlling his sand. His charge was blocked however by a wall of spikes that formed from the ground made of sand. "Nice try Gaara but not good enough... Fuuton: Decapitating Blades" Naruto yelled and throwing his arms to draw an imaginary blade from either side of his waist and drew them both arms crossing his body.

Two thin blades of wind formed an X as they flew forward away from Naruto. And they cut right through the sand spikes that Gaara had put up for his defense.

(**Stands**)

Everyone was watching the match unblinkingly, the skills of Naruto and Gaara were easily closer to jounin level than genin, and from the look that Naruto had on his face he wasn't even finished his warm up.

"Wow these guys are good, I'm sorta glad I lost to Shino now" Kiba said having taken a seat next to Hinata and the other rookies.

"I know what you mean. Only way anyone else has a chance against them is if they take each other out completely or at least if the winner is severely weakened in this fight" Choji agreed.

"Sha Sasuke-kun hasn't fought yet. He will whip both of those two, and then get revenge for that Baka Naruto putting me in the hospital for over a week" Sakura said.

"Sasuke doesn't stand a chance against Naruto" the new voice of Shikamaru said as he approached the group.

"Shikamaru why do you say that? Also why the hell did you quit your match?" Ino said angrily.

"Because it would be far too troublesome to continue, and now that I see who my next opponent is going to be I am even more glad that I did. As for how I know Sasuke cant beat Naruto, well it's rather obvious. Naruto is far stronger than Sasuke is" Shikamaru replied.

"That's not true, Sasuke-kun is the strongest genin in the village" Sakura spat. Causing Kiba to grumble something about Sasuke not being so great which earned him a dirty look from Sakura and to a lesser degree Ino.

"Even if that was true those two out there are on a whole other level. And then Naruto isn't even trying. He is toying with Gaara" Shikamaru declared.

"What how can you know that?" Ino asked completely shocked.

"It's easy if you watch their movements and body language. Naruto has moved a lot faster than what we are seeing here. In the forest he swatted Sasuke away while he was channeling that weird chakra like he was nothing. Yet in this fight he doesn't move until the last second, building the suspense before he acts. Whats more Gaara knows this, he doesn't expect to win. That's why they are both smiling and Naruto never meaningfully pushes his advantage. We are only seeing a glimpse of what he is truly capable of" Shikamaru declared.

"You gotta be kidding! Sure Naruto is on top now but Gaara has had his chances" Kiba said.

"I have run though the match in my head quite a few times, Naruto should have won this fight ages ago. He is trying to make the fight look closer than it actually is" Shikamaru said.

"But why?" Ino asked.

"I can't tell, maybe he wants to show off more of his abilities, or maybe he wants people to think that he is weaker than he actually is" Shikamaru replied.

"Who cares Sasuke-kun will beat him easily" Sakura said.

"Do you think Sasuke will be able to get past his opponent. I mean when you look at how strong the rest of the team is I have my doubts, I mean that kunoichi who is as fast as Lee was able to beat Neji. And I don't think they would keep the third one around just for numbers" Tenten spoke.

"You're right, and she did manage to beat the kid from Suna who used puppets" Choji said whilst munching on his ever present bag of potato chips.

(**Contestant Booth**)

"How long is he going to take? I swear you better finish your fight quickly Haku, I am already looking forward to my next fight" Akimi said.

"If there is a next fight, this is dragging on so long we may not have time" Haku said dryly with a smile.

"Yeah, well you might not even get a chance to fight" Akimi taunted.

"My opponent has at least shown up finally, but I am surprised that they would bend the rules for him. I doubt it that we would have received the same curtsey had we been late" Haku replied.

"It's because he is the Almighty Uchiha-sama" Akimi said sarcastically with a voice that closely mimicked that of Sakura's.

While this was going on Sasuke was intently watching the fight between Naruto and Gaara trying to learn anything that he could with his sharingan active. But both fighters were giving nothing away, that would be worth copying in anyway. '_A couple of pathetic jutsu and Sand are nothing compared to the sharingan and my new jutsu_' Sasuke thought, but still his inability to copy even a single jutsu being used was highly frustrating the young Uchiha.

(**Stadium Floor**)

Gaara pulled himself up off the ground once his sand armor had repaired itself and watched as Naruto removed the last of his sand spikes.

"So Gaara, are you ready to finish this?" Naruto said.

"If you think you can finish me... Then go ahead... Sand Shield" Gaara said and the red haired jinchuuriki became surrounded in a large orb of highly condensed sand. Then a large eye made of sand floated into the air behind the orb of sand shocking even Naruto.

"That's an interesting jutsu" Naruto said to himself.

'_I wonder how tough that shield is?_' the blond thought before kicking off towards the large sphere containing Gaara.

Naruto got about half way to Gaara before large spikes extended out from the sphere and shot towards Naruto.

Naruto saw this and back flipped away. '_Hm that is one dangerous jutsu. Looks like I am going to have to pull out one of my better jutsu_' he thought. Chakra began to rotate in his hand until a large rasengan formed. He then jumped high into the air and re positioned himself so he was falling with his rasengan acting like a shield. "Oodama Rasengan!" he yelled.

Once again Gaara sent sand spears to block Naruto's attack, however this time Naruto's rasengan ripped through them with ease. He shot down shattering everything in his path until he reached the orb containing Gaara. The shield held for a few seconds before it completely shattered leaving a stunned Gaara.

"Give up Gaara" Naruto said stopping his rasengan just before it struck the Suna jinchuuriki.

"Proctor I concede" Gaara said in a flat voice.

"Very well, Gaara Subaku had conceded defeat. Winner Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma said.

The crowd was silent for a moment then a huge bust of applause and a roar of cheers for such an amazing match.

(**Kage Booth**)

"An excellent match, it is a shame your son lost however" Hiruzen said with a halfhearted smile.

"Indeed it is, but I can see why you think so highly of this wandering ninja. After all of that he doesn't even look remotely tired. I would almost say that he wasn't even trying against my son" Orochimaru in disguise said.

"I guess, we may never know. Still your son showed great skill and some rather well thought out tactics, he is clearly chunin material" Hiruzen replied.

"Indeed, and that boy is clearly no genin level ninja, but that is the risk you run when allowing wandering ninja enter the chunin exams" the Kazekage added.

"Yes from what we just saw then, young Naruto-kun is closer to jounin level than genin. Although I should have expected it, he has been training with my former pupil Jiraiya since he was about eight" Hiruzen said.

"A member of the Sannin? Why would he take interest in someone that is not a member of Konoha?" the Kazekage asked.

"Well I couldn't answer that, Jiraiya found him all alone, and offered to train him. I wouldn't have a clue as to why Jiraiya chose Naruto over any other child" the Hokage lied.

'_You think you can fool me sensei, Jiraiya would have seen those eyes and thought that he had finally found the "child of destiny" that he is always going on about. And for once I can see the reason in his idiocy. A child with the Rinnegan is bound to become a powerful ninja when he is older. If I could make him join me I would have a perfect body once I am finished with Sasuke-kun_' Orochimaru thought.

(**Competitors Booth**)

three of of the occupants of the booth were just glad the fight was over, they were Haku, Akimi and, Sasuke. Shino couldn't care either way but had to admit that a fight with either Naruto or Gaara would end in his loss.

Temari however was having a hard time believing what she was seeing. 'Gaara lost! And he didn't even transform into that thing. Gaara has changed, but how?' she though but her answer came when Naruto shook Gaara's hand and they both walked back to the stands together. '_That kid changed Gaara, that's amazing. Maybe I can finally be a sister to him_'

Eventually Naruto and Gaara made there way back to the booth and Sasuke left scoffing at both of the jinchuuriki on his way out.

"Haku, you gotta beat that prick, smug assholes like him need to be put in there place" Naruto said.

"I agree, his attitude makes it difficult not to kill him" Gaara added.

"Well it's good to see that you are trying so hard. But that kid is a jerk and I think the world would be better off without him" Akimi joked.

"I don't think Itachi would be very pleased though, lets just hope he dies on some mission" Naruto added with a chuckle.

While this was going on Temari was watching the exchanges closely. '_They act like they have already accepted Gaara for who he is. It's like they have known him their entire lives, and Gaara is normal around them, not even slightly demonic. How did they do it?_' she thought as she watched as Naruto Akimi continued to laugh and joke while still including Gaara who had a small smile but wasn't joining in with the laughter.

(**Stadium Floor**)

Haku and Sasuke stood across from each other the latter smirking in his own infuriating way. They both were waiting for the proctor to start the match.

"The final Match of the opening round is about to begin. Haku Momoichi are you ready?" Genma asked.

"Yes" she replied and slipped into her fighting stance.

"Sasuke Uchiha are you ready?" the proctor questioned.

"Yes" He answered and slipped into his own stance.

"Then Begin!" Genma declared lowering his hand and jumping back out of the ring.

Sasuke wasted little time and took off at top speed kunai in hand trying to finish the fight quickly.

Haku was having non of it however and caught Sasuke's arm and retaliated with a kick to his mid section that he was able to just move out of the way from.

"Well would you look at that, you aren't just some useless woman that follows around a strong ninja for fun" Sasuke said.

"You think that I would survive outside a village if I was?" Haku asked.

"You had that two bit criminal Zabuza looking out for you. But make no mistake, you may have impressed me there. But you still can't defeat me" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"How dare you say that about Zabuza-sama! Hyoton: Dry Ice Jutsu" Haku said performing several hand seals. The air around them became thick like and hard to see through like a fog. "This is my version of the Hidden Mist jutsu. It uses far more chakra so your vision should be even worse" Haku said calmly instantly suppressing the anger and urge to attack she felt from Sasuke's belittling of her adoptive father.

Sasuke was indeed having a difficult time seeing through the smoke even with the sharingan. The constantly brooding Uchiha stood in the center of the smoke waiting for Haku to show herself. But she didn't the first thing Sasuke heard was something very small flying towards him. Coming into view just soon enough for him to dodge were several senbon needles. "Hah you think you can beat me, and Uchiha like that?" Sasuke taunted.

Haku didn't reply and just used the moisture from the smoke to create two water clones and send them to surround the cocky Uchiha.

Sasuke was still standing still using his ears more than his eyes to anticipate where to move. When ever he heard a senbon flying he would move well out of the way. Now however the attacks seemed to be constant and from multiple angles at the same time, very slowly he was taking hits from the small needles. Sasuke had clearly had enough, he knew that he could not wait for Haku to show herself any longer and took off in the direction that the most recent hail of senbon came from. But much to Sasuke's shock all he ran into was a large mirror made of Ice. "What the hell is this?" the Uchiha said.

"I hope you like your prison, it took awhile because there was not much water in the arena to use to help me create it, but you hesitated within my smoke long enough to use the moisture from that jutsu to create my Demonic Ice Mirrors" Haku said as several senbon shot from either side of the Uchiha as well as above.

Sasuke rolled out of the way just in time to avoid becoming a human pin cushion. "Hn so big deal, all it is some ice "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu" Sasuke yelled creating a ball of flames that went soaring into the ice mirror with no effect. "What the?" he stammered.

"Your Fire jutsu will have no effect on my mirrors, because they are not ordinary Ice" Haku explained.

(**Stands**)

"Wow looks like Sasuke is in trouble" Kiba said.

"Yeah, how is he supposed to get out of that" Choji said munching on his chips.

"Sasuke-kun will find a way, he always does. There is no way that girl could beat Sasuke-kun" Sakura said. Causing Kiba and Shikamaru to shake their heads at the pinkettes delusional declaration. Tenten gave her a look that said _'are you serious_' and Choji just continued munching on chips.

"Well anyway, blind faith aside Sasuke will need something special to get out of this jutsu. By the looks of the jutsu she has created, she and two clones are currently inside the ice which we just saw cant be destroyed simply. Sasuke will need something much more powerful to deal with this.

Elsewhere in the stands Gai and Kakashi were having a similar conversation. "That Ice Mirror jutsu is rather powerful, to be able to stand up against a Katon jutsu like that, even if it is fired from a genin is impressive" Gai said.

"You're right Gai, it is a rather useful jutsu, but Sasuke isn't out of this yet" Kakashi said.

Gai eyed Kakashi with interest. "What have you taught Sasuke during your time off?" Gai asked curiously.

"Oh you know this and that" Kakashi replied off offhandedly.

"Well the boy is clearly far faster and stronger, but how would this help him if he can't break the ice to get to her. And she is even using clones to effect the effectiveness of his sharingan by doubling up on her attacks from multiple angles. Her tactics are ingenious" Gai admitted.

'_Gai's right, she knows the weaknesses of the sharingan, but how? This must have been caused by Naruto helping her, there is no other explanation. If Itachi is his friend then they would surely have sparred at least once. So Naruto would know how to counter the sharingan and he would have told his teammate for sure, I completely overlooked that possibility_' Kakashi thought as he realized now that Sasuke will need to be incredibly lucky to win this fight.

"She is only using senbon though. She seems to be overly careful, I think she may even be holding back so as to not cause any real damage to Sasuke" Gai said.

"You're right, with that strategy she has Sasuke not only outnumbered but also she is faster than him as well. This match should be over already, why is she only using senbon?" Kakashi questioned.

"I believe she is trying to hit him in a way to put him down with any harm coming to him. So in other words the longer Sasuke chooses to fight, the longer and more painful his loss will become. The smart decision would be to surrender now" Gai said.

"I agree, but Sasuke still has some tricks up his sleeve. Also he was never the type to surrender, he is far too proud for that, I have tried to work on it but he is also stubborn" Kakashi admitted.

"Prideful and stubbornness is not a very good combination to have" Gai said and Kakashi nodded in agreement.

(**Kage Booth**)

"So this is the last Uchiha, well he has certainly picked an opponent with an interesting skill" the Kazekage said.

"Yes Hyoton is a rare bloodline from Kiri, she must have escaped the bloodline purges. But her strategy is one tailor made to combat the sharingan. Reduce mobility and attack from multiple angles" Hiruzen added.

"Yes it does appear to be a perfect strategy, I wonder if young Sasuke has anything that can stop this from being a humiliation" the Kazekage replied.

'_What a treat, that fast kunoichi, the Rinnegan and now Ice release. I must say I am impressed with your finds Jiraiya. I need to find a way to make them mine!_' Orochimaru thought and wordlessly called a bodyguard over.

"What is it Kazekage-sama the guard whispered.

"Order the Start of the invasion when this match ends, and tell the men that I want the three wandering ninja that were competing in the exam captured and brought to the base" Orochimaru whispered back.

"Very well, I will go inform Kabuto" the guard replied quietly before leaving the booth.

(**Stadium Floor**)

Sasuke was doing his best to dodge the attacks but multiple barrages from various angles were costing him. It was about five minutes later however before he realized that Haku was not simply going to run out of chakra. '_I need to do something quick_' he thought and began running thought several hand seals. Lightening erupted in Sasuke's hand.

'_What an interesting jutsu, he must be planning on targeting one of the mirrors and escaping_' Haku thought with interest.

And that is exactly what Sasuke had planned. "Chidori!" he yelled and charged forward slamming his fist right through a mirror. A large hole appeared in the center of the ice and Sasuke smirked victoriously.

It was unfortunate for Sasuke that the mirror didn't shatter and was instead rapidly repairing itself. In fact it repaired itself so fast that it trapped Sasuke's arm inside it. "An interesting and powerful jutsu, unfortunately you made what you were planning far too obvious and gave me enough time to reinforce my mirrors so they wouldn't shatter, and now you are trapped. Hyoton: One thousand Ice Needles" Haku said and senbon made of ice appeared from all of the mirrors.

Sasuke struggled to move but with his arm trapped in the ice he couldn't move so he removed a kunai from his pouch and did his best to deflect the senbon as they approached. His sharingan allowed him to deflect a far larger number than a normal person would but he was still covered in needles by the time the jutsu had ended. Sasuke collapsed onto his knees and the smoke began to clear along with several of the ice mirrors, until all that was left was Haku standing in front of Sasuke with his arm still trapped inside the last remaining ice mirror.

"You have lost I believe" Haku said.

Sasuke tried to reach for a kunai to throw at Haku in retaliation but he dropped it the second it was removed from the kunai pouch, the senbon needles had messed up his muscle control.

"You still wish to fight despite being completely out classed and already severely injured. In a real life situation that will cost you, this exam is about proving you are chunin material, by not knowing when to give up you have just proven to everyone in the arena that you are nothing but an immature child who is clearly not ready to be a chunin" Haku said and every one of the judges nodded in agreement with what Haku said as well as adding extra points to Haku.

Genma arrived back in the center and checked Sasuke over. "Sasuke Uchiha is unable to continue. Winner Haku Momoichi" Genma said loudly.

The moment Genma looked around however he saw that everyone in the audience was falling asleep. "So it begins" Genma said.

Up in the contestant booth Naruto saw the genjutsu and dispelled it along with Akimi and Gaara.

"Akimi, go get Haku and get out of the village with Gaara" Naruto said.

"What are you talking about!" Temari demanded.

"You're invasion isn't going to work, we know all about it, Suna and Oto are walking into a trap. And its all thanks to Gaara. Your village is about to find out what happens when they mistreat there jinchuuriki" Naruto said.

"What Gaara are you serious, what about us?" Temari asked.

"What about you, Suna is not a home, I want to be with people who accept me, I am sorry for how I have acted over the years Temari, please keep yourself safe, and look out for Kankuro" Gaara said.

"Gaara, no I wont let you do this. You belong in Suna with your family" Temari said almost pleadingly.

"Naruto and the others are my family now, I want to live a life where I am not feared and hated. Naruto is offering me that" Gaara replied.

"Then I have to stop you" Temari said and prepared her fan.

"Sorry about this, but we don't have time to deal with you right now" came the voice of Naruto from behind the Suna kunoichi.

'_I didn't even see him move, he is too strong_' Temari thought before she felt a pressure hit the back of her neck.

"Okay you guys go, I need to get to Jiji and make sure he is safe. Oh and sorry about your sister Gaara" Naruto said.

"It's alright, I trust that you have not done any long term damage?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah she will be fine in a few minutes" Naruto said.

"We don't have time for this, come on Gaara let's go get Haku and get out of here" Akimi said.

"Yes let's go. Good luck Naruto" Gaara said but Naruto didn't here him, he was already on his way towards the Kage booth.

**End Chapter!**

**I guess that this is another Cliffhanger, I'm getting pretty bad at doing this. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the fights and if you have any complaints about how they went or anything else feel free to voice your concerns. I will take them on board and try to improve or fix them.**


	17. Impure World Resurrection

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 17: Impure World Resurrection**

Naruto jumped from the booth and made his way towards the building where the Hokage and Orochimaru had just begun to fight as a big purple barrier blocked entrance to anyone else.

Naruto made it half way to his destination before he was stopped by four Oto ninja with jounin vests. "Well what a surprise, what do you guys want?" Naruto said.

"We are going to capture you and take you to Orochimaru-sama" one of the jounin said.

"Hm wrong answer, the correct one was, We want to die. It's the only reason you would be stupid enough to challenge me" Naruto said.

The four jounin didn't look impressed and attacked Naruto at the same time from different angles. Naruto looked on with a bored expression. '_This is what passes for Oto jounin? It's really sad they are no better than average chunin_' the blond thought as formed the seal for wind and blades formed around his arms that went through the two closest ninja while the others Naruto sent flying away with a wordless Shinra Tensei.

In the center of the arena the show of power from Naruto was witnessed by Kakashi and several of the other genin as they helped remove the senbon needles from Sasuke wanted to join the fight. "Almost there Sasuke-kun, just a few more now" Sakura said.

"Hn" Sasuke snorted while he began to feel the movement return to his body.

Kakashi was keeping a watchful eye over the genin and making sue that nobody could get anywhere near them. "We need to hurry this up, we have a large force dealing with the invasion as they enter the village but we still have to defeat these guys" Kakashi said.

"So you knew this was going to happen Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked shocked.

"Well not exactly like this, but we knew there was going to be an invasion today, we have set up to deal with it, the village is safe don't worry" Kakashi assured his student.

"But how did you know" a Oto chunin asked who was in ear shot.

"Simple, we had help from a team that joined in with the chunin exams for no other reason than to find out what Orochimaru was up to" Kakashi said.

The genin all realized at once who that meant. '_So that's why he returned to the village, he's hunting Orochimaru and this was the best chance to draw him out. Man this it troublesome, I should of just pretended to sleep like I had planned to_' Shikamaru thought as he watched Naruto defeat another small group of ninja this time from Suna. '_Saving the village even though you are not even part of it anymore. I always knew you were troublesome Naruto_'.

Meanwhile Naruto had just finished delivering a Rasengan to a Suna chunin jumped up onto the roof only to be surrounded by four Konoha Anbu. "I'm here to help" Naruto assured the Anbu and held his arms up to show he meant no harm.

"We know but there is not much you can do nobody can get inside that barrier" a Bear masked Anbu said.

"Well I'm not giving up, I will find a way in to help Jiji" Naruto declared before charging at the large barrier with a rasengan only to be thrown back.

(**With Akimi, Haku and Gaara**)

"Come on we gotta get out of here before they catch on to the fact that we Gaara isn't helping with the invasion" Akimi said.

"You're right lets go" Gaara said leaving his sister unconscious on the floor.

They made it out of the Stadium easily enough but only made it a single block before they were stopped by eight Oto jounin.

"This could be trouble" Akimi said getting into a battle ready stance.

"Oh look the little girly wants to fight. It's a shame Orochimaru-sama wants these two unharmed" one of the Anbu said.

"Well that gives us the advantage then, because we don't give a fuck about what happens to you!" Akimi said before disappearing in a blur and slamming her knee into the face of the jounin that talked. But her follow through on the next closest jounin was blocked.

Two jounin went to strike at Akimi who had been thrown off balance by having her attack blocked. But they were foiled in there attack by a large wave of sand that threw them away.

"Thanks for the save Gaara" Akimi said.

"Naruto would be upset if you were harmed" Gaara said flatly.

The swift kunoichi smiled at that, and turned to deliver a hard blow to the jounin that had previously blocked her.

Meanwhile the other four were currently dealing with Haku who had created an ice Mirror that was sending a constant barrage of ice senbon toward the Oto ninja.

"You know these guys are not the good considering they are supposed to be jounin. I mean I think I could take half of them by myself. I would never take on four jounin alone normally" Akimi said.

"Yes it seems Orochimaru lied about the skills of his forces to add to Suna's conviction for the invasion plan" Gaara said expressionlessly.

Haku who was currently dealing with four of the opposing ninja on her own began running through several hand seals. "Hyoton: Ice Dragon Bullet!" she yelled slamming her hand onto her mirror that transformed into a large ice dragon before spewing a large ball of ice that shattered into several pieces that skewered the arms and legs of one of the attacking ninja.

Back with Gaara and Akimi the two ninja that Gaara sent flying with his sand returned along with the first ninja that Akimi attacked.

"Okay Gaara, I'll set them up, you take them out" Akimi said as she charged some extra chakra around her body for a larger burst of speed.

She seemed to disappear before reappearing behind one of the ninja knocking him into the ground over near Gaara who's sand crept over his body as he attempted to stand. "Sand waterfall Funeral!" Gaara said expressionlessly. The other two Oto ninja watched in horror as there comrade was crushed by Gaara's sand.

Akimi used that shock to reappear behind another opponent and kick him forward to Gaara who created a large spike with his sand impaling the Oto jounin.

"We got two down. How you doing Haku?" Akimi asked.

"I have taken out one" Haku called back.

"Well then three down five to go" Akimi said eying the last jounin who was currently sanding ready to fight while the other still recovered from Akimi's viscous attack earlier.

(**With Naruto**)

The blond had spent the last few minutes trying to get inside the barrier but everything that he tried failed.

'_Damn it what do I have to do to get in there!_' Naruto thought as he looked in at Hiruzen as two coffins rose up from the ground. "That's it I need to get in there no matter what!" Naruto yelled as he ran at the barrier no jutsu at all. He went to slam his fist into the barrier but a second before he hit it a large burst of chakra went to his eyes and as if he knew what to do all alone opened his palm. "Preta Path" Naruto said as he placed his hand onto the barrier which began to be absorbed into the blonds body.

"What the Fuck is going on?" a red haired foul mouth kunoichi asked as she felt the barrier fade around one side.

Suddenly the barrier came down and Naruto entered but no sooner had he made it inside than the barrier returned.

Naruto didn't care and turned to where he saw Hiruzen talking to two people what looked familiar but he couldn't tell where he had seen them before.

"Hey Jiji, need some help?" Naruto asked rushing over to stand next to the Hokage.

"Naruto? How did you get in?" Hiruzen asked.

"I absorbed the chakra in the barrier and it came down, they put them both back up now though" Naruto answered.

"Well this is an interesting twist huh Saru" Tobirama said.

"Well I wasn't expecting to see either of you two again, so I guess now we can just add this as another surprise.

"What a fascinating child, if I am not mistaken that is the Legendary Rinnegan" Hashirama said eyeing the boy with interest.

"As wonderful as this conversation is I think we should get started. I think I will have the Shodai and Nidaime capture my prize. I think having the Rinnegan to experiment with would be perfect" Orochimaru said.

"So that's who these two are, I thought they looked familiar. But how is this possible?" Naruto asked.

"He may possess the Sages eyes but he is still a child. This seems like over kill, to be forced to fight a child" Tobirama said.

"Well then I guess I have no choice. Jiji, make sure you kick that fucking snakes ass, I will deal with these two" Naruto said.

"Naruto you cant be serious, they are tow of the previous Kage, we should fight together" Hiruzen said.

"No I got this, just do me a favor and make sure you kill that snake" Naruto said.

"If you insist, but be careful, I don't want to have to face Jiraiya if something happens to you" Hiruzen said.

"Yeah yeah, I can hold these guys off on my own" Naruto said confidently.

Hiruzen nodded and took off with his bo staff to attack Orochimaru.

"You know I really hadn't planned on having to fight two Kage" Naruto said as he readied for an attack. He was not to be disappointed as a large wooden spike shot out from Hashirama's hand straight for Naruto who was able to jump back. Only to have Tobirama fire a large ball off water that he created from the air towards the blond.

"Doton: Mud Wall!" Naruto yelled creating a wall around the blond that collapsed just in time for Naruto to see several wooden spikes that were sent towards him. Naruto quickly channeled Fuuton chakra into his arms creating a blade of compressed air extending out from each arm. Naruto jumped to the side before cutting though a pillar of wood.

"That is some powerful elemental manipulation. Possibility as good as your own Tobi" Hashirama commented to his brother.

"What do you expect from a Rinnegan wielder. The question is what else can he do?" Tobirama said.

Not to be one to disappoint Naruto decided to show them. "Bansho Ten'in" he said pointing one hand towards Tobirama and forming a rasengan in the other hand.

The Nidaime felt the pull and began to fly towards the blond. Hashirama saw the danger and sent several roots of wood to stop his brother mid flight.

Naruto saw his attack was blocked and shot forward rasengan in hand to hit Hashirama who acted quickly again and grew a large tree to block Naruto's attack that blew a large chunk out of the tree.

"Such skill for someone so young, Rinnegan or not he is impressive" Hashirama said impassively as Naruto ran at an impressive speed around the tree and engaged the Shodai in taijutsu. Naruto was no slouch but he was not quite Kage level with his taijutsu despite his monstrous strength. Ninjutsu was another story but taijutsu and genjutsu were still vastly weaker than his ninjutsu skills. So it was no surprise when Tobirama kicked Naruto away. Naruto just raised his head in time to see a large wave of water about to crash right into him.

"Preta Path!" Naruto said before holding his hands out and absorbing the Suiton jutsu. "Phew that was close Naruto said before being forced to roll out of the way of Hashirama smashing his fist into the rooftop where Naruto was previously crouched. "Raiton: Lightening Dragon!" Naruto yelled once he had readjusted himself sending the dragon flying towards Hashirama.

This time it was Tobirama's turn to save Hashirama as a large pillar of water erupted around the Shodai as the lightening dragon was about to hit. The water began to spark from having lightening charged in it before shooting towards Naruto.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto yelled blowing the water away.

(**With Haku, Akimi, and Gaara**)

The three Members of the Yoinokuchi were staring down the final three members of the Oto teams sent to capture Akimi and Haku. The last two ninja had been taken out by Haku and Gaara who collaborated by having Gaara's sand blind them while Haku struck with two large spike made of ice.

"What do you say we take one each?" Akimi asked.

"I can agree to that" Gaara said as his sand swirled around him eagerly a small hint of the old demonic Gaara etched on his face.

Haku didn't answer she just let fly with a barrage of senbon towards one of the remaining Oto ninja.

"I guess she has found her target, I want the bald dumb looking one on the left" Akimi said before taking off.

Gaara's sand began to swirl around him even faster ready for another fight. A large hand of sand erupted from Gaara's gourd and flew towards his target.

The Oto jounin was able to escape and send a few kunai at Gaara that would have hit vital organs were it not for Gaara's sand protecting him.

The Oto ninja tried to get closer to Gaara but that was a mistake as he soon found himself surrounded by Gaara's sand. "Sand Coffin" the red haired jinchuuriki said sending sand to completely cover the jounin suffocating him. "The others were right, these were not Jounin level ninja" Gaara said, slightly disappointed that his fight was already over.

Akimi was knocking her opponent around, he was stronger than the others in that he could take a beating but he was also slower than the other ninja in the group.

Akimi was toying with him getting in close and giving him a quick jab before escaping before the Oto ninja could retaliate.

Eventually however the young kunoichi had enough of toying with the Oto ninja. And taking out a kunai she blurred from existence only to reappear for a second to slit his throat before going to join Gaara.

Haku had managed to trap her target in an ally way by blocking the exits and sealing with ice. "Normally I don't like killing, but seeing as you are attempting to kidnap me I will make an exception. "Hyoton: Certain Kill Ice Spears" she yelled and from each ice covered entrance several large and sharp spikes of ice shot forward impaling the Oto ninja from every angle. The normally clear ice was now soaked red with his blood.

Once Haku returned to the others they began to make there way out of the village again however they didn't get far before they were stopped again. This time by Sasuke. "Stop there!" the Uchiha yelled.

"What do you want?" Akimi moaned.

"He's a Suna ninja! They are attacking us therefore are our enemy" Sasuke said.

"Does it look like he is helping the invasion to you Baka?" Akimi said shaking her head.

"I don't care, besides I have a score to settle with you" Sasuke said glaring at Haku.

"We don't have time for this" Haku said.

"I wont let you get away with humiliating me! Do you know who I am!" Sasuke seethed.

"Yeah we know who you are. You're a stuck up asshole with a superiority complex, did I get it right?" Akimi said casually.

"Why you!" Sasuke seethed as lightening crackled to life around his palm. "Chidori!" he yelled charging at the black haired kunoichi.

Unfortunately for the brooding Uchiha he had not seen either of Akimi's fights and was unaware that he was trying to beat someone for speed who was able to run circles around the Uchiha. Needless to say he missed with his chidori.

"Wow you're fast" Akimi said sarcastically, before bursting out laughing.

Sasuke was fuming and didn't notice that Gaara's sand was approaching him from behind until it was too late. He was covered up to his neck in sand.

"Should I kill him?" Gaara asked.

"Nah, he's no threat to us. And you never know he could provide us with some amusement later" Akimi said as she casually approached Sasuke. "You know, you shouldn't attack people who are much stronger and faster than you head on. I thought your sensei would have told you that" Akimi lectured Sasuke who was glaring at the swift release user.

"I don't want to be a buzz kill, but from the looks of things the Suna and Oto forces are in full retreat which means we need to get out out of the village before Suna find out you are missing Gaara" Haku said.

"You are right, we have to go. See ya around Sasuke-teme, by the time you get out of that sand we will be long gone" Akimi said before the three ninja took off.

(Inside the Barrier)

Naruto and the past Hokage were still fighting to a stalemate. It was like every move one of them made the other had an answer too. But Naruto wasn't a fool, he knew the longer this fight went on the less likely it was that he would be able to surprise either Hokage.

While Naruto's fight was going on Hiruzen and Orochimaru were also fighting, however in this fight the Sarutobi was well on top.

"Look Orochimaru, your plan to destroy Konoha has failed. Konoha stands stronger than ever" Hiruzen said.

"This isn't over yet Sarutobi sensei, I can still kill you!" Orochimaru declared.

"Do you think you can, the best chance you had are those two, and they seem to have there hands full" Hiruzen said indicating Naruto with a prideful smile.

"Hah it's only a matter of time before the boy looses. Souls returned to life via the Edo Tensei can't die, eventually we will loose steam and they will capture him. Although he has shown amazing skill to last this long" Orochimaru said with a smirk.

"Then I will just have to kill you first!" Hiruzen said spinning his large staff around bringing it down where Orochimaru was but the snake slithered out of the way in time to avoid the strike.

Naruto was avoiding strike after strike of Mokuton and Suiton jutsu, retaliating with his own Katon and Fuuton jutsu.

"This is nuts don't either of you have any weaknesses" Naruto sighed as he rolled out of the way of a high powered stream of water.

"Part of being a ninja is finding out your opponents weaknesses and exploiting them yourself. Helping you would not do you any good in the long run" Tobirama said. Before sending another high powered jet stream of water towards the blond.

"Just what I needed right now, a lecture" Naruto moaned as he back flipped away from the jet stream of water.

"You may not like it, but it will make you into a stronger ninja later on... Mokuton: Deep Forest Creation" Hashirama said.

The ground under Naruto began to shake and trees exploded into existence all around him. Before large branches shot towards Naruto who only narrowly escaped them.

'_Oh what new form of hell is this_' Naruto thought as the branches of trees would move in an attempt to strike at the blond. '_And where did the other one go?_' he asked himself but the question was answered when he felt some movement behind him and he was stuck in the back with a kick from Tobirama.

Naruto was sent flying and was then knocked into the ground by a branch from Hashirama's Mokuton forest. As he hit the ground wooden pillars from all around him began to descend to crush the blond. "Shinra Tensei!" Naruto yelled pushing far more chakra than usual into the jutsu.

The roof around the blond as well as all the trees and both Hokage were torn from the area and tossed away. Hashirama recovered first and created a thick wooden brace to stop himself and Tobirama from smashing into the barrier.

Meanwhile on the other side of the roof Hiruzen and Orochimaru were bombarded with a barrage of parts of trees.

"This is no good, I can't win like this" Naruto said as he stood up and turned to face the previous Hokage's. '_Looks like I am going to need some help_' "Summoning Jutsu!"

Naruto now stood atop a large rhino. But also around him were two large centipedes. Wordlessly giving the order all of his summons went off to confront Hashirama while Naruto turned his attention to Tobirama.

"So you are trying to separate us, a clever tactic" Tobirama said.

"I am, but I also have something else planned" Naruto said with his eyes closed.

Tobirama tried to understand why Naruto had his eyes closed but then he felt something move behind him and another Naruto grew from the ground with a rasengan in hand before slamming it into the chest of the Nidaime. "Phew one down" Naruto said before turning to where Hashirama had wrapped the large Rhino in wood holding it down. He was about to go help his summons out when his clone was dispelled by a Suiton jutsu.

"What the fuck?" Naruto asked himself out loud.

"The Impure World Resurrection cant be stopped by simply killing the revived person, you need to seal there soul away to stop it" Tobirama said.

"Do you think you could have told me that earlier!" Naruto said.

"Well I guess I could have" Tobirama said.

"Well then I know what I have to do. Although to hold you down I am going to need clones, and I cant stand using to many clones. Six is my maximum after that my vision is blurred" Naruto said creating several clones and surrounding the Nidaime. Naruto created another rasengan and pointed his other hand out towards the Nidaime. "Sorry about this old man, but you need to return to where you belong... Bansho Ten'in" Tobirama flew forward and Naruto slammed the rasengan into the Nidaime's chest for the second time. This time however Naruto's clones held Tobirama down. "Human Path" Naruto said as he placed his hand on Tobirama's head before removing the soul of the second Hokage.

The Nidaime faded away revealing a Oto ninja. "So he sacrifices his own men to use there bodies for his jutsu" Naruto said in disgust just as the last of his summons were dispelled.

"You ended the jutsu on Tobirama?" the Shodai asked.

"Yes, he can rest in peace again now. But I am afraid you are going to have to join him" Naruto said.

"I am glad that you have figured out how to defeat us, but I still can't control my actions. I will fight anything you attempt" Hashirama said.

"I don't doubt it" Naruto said.

Hashirama thrust a palm out that created a beam of wood that split halfway and tried to wrap around Naruto who was able to roll out of the way just in time. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu" Naruto yelled before breathing out a massive breath of fire.

Hashirama ran though some hand seals of his own "Suiton: Water Encampment Wall" he yelled and a large wall of water surrounded Hashirama, created from the large quantities of water that were still lying around from Tobirama's jutsu.

"You need to do better than that" Hashirama said loudly once the steam cleared.

"I know, that's why I used the steam as a distraction" Naruto said before puffing out of existence.

"A shadow clone... but then where is the real one?" the Shodai asked himself whilst looking around.

"Here!" Naruto yelled from above as he punched the Shodai into the ground before him. The fact that he was a Edo Tensei made his body brittle and hence needed time to regenerate. Using this time Naruto created four clones to hold each of Hashirama's arms and legs. "Soul removal" Naruto said before gripping onto the head of Hashirama and removing the soul of the Shodai Hokage.

"Thank kami that's over. But I think if they were willing to go along with Orochimaru's plans they would have been a lot harder to defeat" Naruto sighed. Before deciding to go and check on Hiruzen.

The current Hokage was by all reckoning on top, Orochimaru had no answer to Hiruzen's combos. And he had even lost track of where his sword of Kusanagi. "You have lost Orochimaru. Your men are defeated and fleeing, this is the end for you" Hiruzen said.

"You wish Sarutobi sensei, this isn't over yet!" Orochimaru said.

"Yes it is!" came the voice of Naruto.

"What! But how did you stop the Edo Tenesei?" Orochimaru stammered.

"None of your business snake face" Naruto yelled before flying forward with the aid of his gravity jutsu to increase his speed allowing him to slip though Orochimaru's defenses and slam his fist into the face of the Hebi Sennin.

Orochimaru began coughing before he seemed to regurgitate a new version of himself, disgusting both Hiruzen and Naruto.

"What sort of disgusting freakish jutsu was that?" Naruto asked with a sickened look on hi face.

"Oh you don't like my immortality jutsu? I admit it is not to most peoples tastes but it is a small price to pay for eternal life" Orochimaru said.

"You wont be so cocky when I rip that twisted soul of yours from your body!" Naruto spat.

Orochimaru thought of replying but he also knew that the deck was firmly stacked against him. '_I need to get out of here, but I will need a distraction_' he thought. Then he saw it, Kusanagi, resting against a large log of wood. '_Perfect_' Orochimaru thought and began silently moving the blade around behind Hiruzen.

Kusanagi shot forward toward Hiruzens back. "Sarutobi look out!" Enma the monkey king yelled Naruto and Hiruzen both spun around and Naruto stopped the sword in its tracks before it got close to the aging Hokage. But the distraction was all that Orochimaru needed. The four pillar barrier came down and then all five of the Oto ninja disappeared.

"What the fuck! Get back here you fucking snake, I'm not finished with you yet!" Naruto yelled as the Anbu arrived to check on Hiruzen.

"He's gone Naruto. I am sure he had a quick escape plan. Most likely a prearranged reverse summon set up to activate on his call. Orochimaru may be evil but he isn't stupid enough to come into the center of Konoha without an insurance of a safe escape" Hiruzen said.

"No Kami damit I will kill that fucking snake! Mark my words!" Naruto said the center circles of his eyes turning red and rather than a small dotted pupil there was a thin slit. As he fumed at Orochimaru easy escape. He then noticed that Kusanagi was also gone.

"Calm down kid you did all you could" the new voice of Jiraiya said.

"Yeah I saw the end you took on my Grandfather and Grand Uncle yourself and won, you almost certainly saved Sarutobi sensei's life" a new voice said this one feminine.

"Baachan? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked shocked to see Tsunade.

"You think I was going to pass up a guaranteed payday just because of some stupid invasion. I came placed my bets on you and your teammates before going to join Jiraiya in dealing with the enemies summons" Tsunade said.

"Why didn't you tell us you had shown up?" Naruto asked.

"Yes I too would have liked to know that you had returned to the village Tsunade-Hime" Hiruzen added.

"Well to put it simply I didn't want the kid to loose knowing that I had bet on him, also I didn't want people to make a fuss about me being back, I can't say I enjoy being back here though" Tsunade said.

"Well you have to stay for at least a while, with Jiraiya no longer a member of the Konoha military we need someone here to make our enemies think twice about attacking Konoha" Hiruzen said.

"Sounds like you have been brought back into service Baachan" Naruto chuckled.

"Shut it Gaki. Alright sensei, I will stay for awhile, but no promises for how long" Tsunade replied.

"Well we should all go see what damage has been done to the village" Hiruzen said.

"Sorry Jiji, but I'm getting out of here. I helped out and did my part to save the village, but I have no desire to stay here" Naruto said.

"So you are leaving already?" Hiruzen asked sadly.

"Yeah sorry old man, but I will drop in every so often and say hi" Naruto assured the Hokage. "I have to go find Akimi and the others. See ya back at the Hideout sensei, it was good to see you Baachan" Naruto said and with a wave jumped off in search of his team, stopping only momentarily to enjoy the sight of Sasuke wrapped in sand and struggling trying to get his hands together for a substitution jutsu.

End Chapter!

Hope you enjoyed the fights. I think the ending of the chapter was a bit shoddy but meh. I wanted to bring Tsunade in now so I could get Naruto out of Konoha and on with some of the other Arc's.

Now I will probably have a filler chapter before moving onto the next Arc which will introduce Fuu. Anyway until next time hope you enjoyed the reading.


	18. Back Home

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 18: Back Home**

Naruto ran over the roof tops to get out of the village and catch up to his friends who would be no doubt moving slowly towards the south where the Yoinokuchi main hideout was located. As Naruto swiftly made his retreat from the village he was rather pleased to see that there did not appear to be any major damage don't during the invasion. 'Looks like most of the damage was done at the other side of the village. But still, this place will recover in no time' he thought as he made his way to the southern wall.

Arriving at the outer walls of the village Naruto simply jumped over them using the laps in security caused by the invasion to make a clean escape without anyone seeing him.

It took a almost an hour to catch up to the others who had just stopped to rest outside a small village. "Good to see you guys got out easily enough" Naruto said as he landed in the clearing.

"You cold say that, we still had to take out a group of Oto ninja that tried to capture us" Akimi said.

"Well looks like you didn't have that hard of a time escaping" Naruto replied.

"Yeah, they were hopeless. But it wasn't the easy escape we had hoped for" Akimi said.

"I'm surprised you usually enjoy a good fight" Naruto said.

"I do, but I would still prefer not to be the target of some freaks desires for experimentation. If I wanted to be abused by some creepy old guy I would have stayed in Kumo" Akimi huffed.

"Well at least you all made it out" Naruto said happily.

"How did you get along? Did you manage to kill Orochimaru?" Haku Questioned.

"No he got away, also from what I gathered he killed your father Gaara. It was so he could take his place, disguised as the Kazekage for the invasion" Naruto informed the small group.

"It is hard to feel sorry for a man who attempted to kill me on several occasions. I am not overly upset that he is dead" Gaara said flatly.

"I guess it must be difficult to accept him as much of a father" Naruto mused,

"So if you let Orochimaru get away, what the hell were you doing? You and the old man should have wiped the floor with that freak" Akimi said.

"I was busy, so I couldn't help Jiji with Orochimaru" Naruto replied.

"Busy? What does that mean? Don't tell me that you had any difficulty talking out Orochimaru's ninja he had try to stop you from getting to the Kage box?" Akimi asked.

"I had to deal with two previous Hokage's. They were revived by some weird jutsu, Edo Tensei. I can't understand how it works really" Naruto explained.

"Wait you had to fight two of the previous Kage, Who?" Akimi asked shocked.

"The Shodai and Nidaime, Believe me that they were two tough old guys" Naruto said.

"And you actually won against them?" Haku questioned.

"Well in a sense, I think they were holding back as much as they could. They both fell for traps that a Kage level ninja shouldn't have fallen for. Then I had to use the Soul Removal jutsu to free them from the Edo Tensei" Naruto explained.

"Still the fact remains you beat two of the most famous ninja to have ever lived" Akimi said.

"I would have traded a single handed victory over them for getting rid of Orochimaru once and for all" Naruto sighed.

(**Konoha**)

Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hiruzen were currently walking through the village looking around the village inspecting the damage done' and collecting reports from Anbu and Jounin from around the village.

"Looks like we came through this pretty well. A bit of damage but nothing major" Hiruzen said.

"Yeah Suna's forces didn't make it far into the village" Jiraiya said.

"That's good news" Hiruzen replied. "Oh by the way where is Shizune-chan?" he asked Tsunade.

"She went to the hospital to help out the injured that came in during the attack" Tsunade answered.

"That's good to know, it would be nice to have some top medical ninja in Konoha again" the Hokage said.

"Well you should start a proper training program then. Perhaps make the students with the best chakra control, learn basic first aid and medicine in the academy" Tsunade suggested.

"Ah but who would teach them, maybe if you were to stay we could set up a proper training program, but at the moment we have too few medic ninja and none with the knowledge that you have" Hiruzen said.

"I do not particularly like being here, I only returned to see Naruto's fight and make a bit of money" Tsunade replied.

"But the point is you are back. Surely it is not as painful as you thought it would be" Hiruzen said.

"Well no not particularly. But still, I would prefer to not to stay" Tsunade said.

"There is another job I would like to offer you" Hiruzen said.

"Really and what is that?" she asked skeptically.

"Well if this invasion has taught me anything, it's that I am too old to continue to rule Konoha, if it wasn't for Naruto-kun arriving when he did to battle Hashirama and Tobirama sensei, then I would have most certainly died in my fight with Orochimaru. Konoha needs a new leader. And the only person that comes to mind is you" Hiruzen said.

"No chance, why would I want that job? It has taken my entire family from me" Tsunade said.

"But don't you miss having a place to call your own? You wont have to worry about constantly running from people you owe money too" Hiruzen said.

"Can it old man, I don't want to be Hokage. Make Jiraiya or the kid do it. I think he has proven that he is strong enough" Tsunade said.

"Naruto?... He's thirteen and as for Jiraiya... Well he's not the sort of person you would want running a village" Hiruzen said.

"You know I am right here?" Jiraiya whined.

"We know, although I am surprised, considering that the bath houses were not damaged and are currently open" Hiruzen said.

'_Oh sweet kami, hot and sweaty kunoichi washing off after a battle. Is there anything sweeter, not including Tsunade's chest_' Jiraiya thought as a small trickle of blood escaped his nose.

"And that is why Jiraiya cannot be chosen as Hokage" Hiruzen said pointing out the blood and perverted grin on the old super perverts face.

"The answer is still no!" Tsunade said flatly.

"Aw I'm going to be Hokage forever!" The Sandaime moped lowering his head in disappointment.

"It's not all bad news Sarutobi sensei. You got to kick that bastard Orochimaru around for awhile, wish I could of seen his face when all of his plans came down around him" Jiraiya said.

"It's not really his face anymore, besides he was more concerned with finishing me off" the Hokage replied.

"Well that does sound like him. I still find it hard to believe that he has fallen so far as to use my Grandfather and Granduncle to fight you and help destroy Konoha" Tsunade said.

"I can believe it, Orochimaru's experiment's have gotten even sicker since he has left Konoha" Jiraiya said.

"Well it's best just to put him out of our minds for now, we need to focus on rebuilding the village" Hiruzen said.

"Yeah, and I need to get back to our hidden base, if I leave Naruto in charge for too long the entire food supply will be replaced with ramen and ingredient's to make, home made ramen" Jiraiya said.

"Surely he isn't that bad?" Hiruzen asked.

"Well I am not exaggerating as much as I would like to be" Jiraiya sighed, dropping his head in shame.

"Surely you can stay for awhile, I have to address the village on the damage done and assure them that we have defeated Orochimaru and sent him fleeing with his tail between his legs. Besides it was Naruto and yourself that meant that we had such a good idea of what to expect during the invasion" Hiruzen said.

"Well I guess I can stay for awhile, I'm sure the others can keep Naruto out of trouble for awhile, but I need to tell him about some information I have discovered about some of Orochimaru's old friends" Jiraiya said.

"What are you talking about?" Tsunade asked.

"The Akatsuki, a group of ten individuals most of which S ranked criminals. During the month off between the second task and the finals I went in search of some information on Orochimaru and received news the the Akatsuki are currently tracking the Bijuu and are trying there best to locate the Kyuubi jinchuuriki but as you know nobody that is currently in Konoha has any signs of a seal that could hold a Bijuu on them. They are also working on the description of Naruto before he awoke the Rinnegan. But I can't expect him to remain hidden for long" Jiraiya said.

"There after the jinchuuriki, but why?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know, but it cant be good, and as strong as Naruto is he isn't ready to take on a large group of S ranks criminals, he still needs more training and experience, the only thing that I can say is that time is on our side. They wont be ready to move on the jinchuuriki for around three and a half years. At the moment they are simply looking to observe the jinchuuriki and are only allowed to capture should the target prove to be an easy target that is left unguarded" Jiraiya replied.

"Three and a half years. Well then there isn't much to worry about, with the speed that the Gaki improves, he will be more than a match for anyone he comes up against by that time. It's already almost a suicide mission to fight against him" Tsunade said confidently.

"Maybe, but I don't want there to be any doubt in my mind, I want to make sure Naruto is a complete shinobi before then. And considering in a few months everyone is going to know his name once he finishes the job I have planned for him and Itachi, everyone is going to be looking for him" Jiraiya said, his voice full of pride.

"What are you planing?" Hiruzen asked, curiosity clearly evident in his voice.

"Oh nothing much, just the Assassination of Yagura the Yondaime Mizukage and all of his top generals" Jiraiya said smugly.

"Are you serious! How do you intend on getting close enough to Kiri for that to be possible? It would be a suicide mission!" Hiruzen said.

"I currently have Itachi and Zabuza working with the Rebellion in the Land of Water, in about one or two weeks I will send Naruto there to join up with Itachi, and then those two will take down Yagura and his forces one key player at a time. Itachi's genjutsu and Naruto's ninjutsu make them an unbeatable team, also Itachi stops Naruto from being over rash and making mistakes" Jiraiya said.

"Why are you going out of your way to help the resistance?" Tsunade asked.

"Because peace will never be possible as long as Yagura is in charge, and as there are already a group of people fighting against him it will be the easiest place to start. If we liberate Kiri and end the reign of the bloody mist the Land of Water will have a chance to become stable and peaceful" Jiraiya explained.

"So this is all to bring peace, and Naruto will be the one to bring it. This is all because of the prophecy you were told by the Elder Sage of the Toads" Hiruzen said.

"Yes it is, If Naruto is indeed the Child of Destiny, and I am supposed to be the leader of the revolution that brings peace and balance to the world, then now is the time to start. In the Land of Water, Naruto will learn of the horrors of war, gain experience in battle, and how to deal with loss. He needs this, and the bloodline clans of Kiri deserve to live without fear" Jiraiya said.

"He's still a boy, what you are proposing is using him as a weapon" Hiruzen said.

"I don't see it that way sensei. I want the people to see Naruto as a hero to the people. Make them believe that the the Rikudou Sennin has returned. If he can ever master the power of the Kyuubi I believe he will be able to at least rival the great Sage. I want his legend to spread so that people living in hard times will hear of it and believe that balance will return to the world. Only through the belief that peace is possible by the majority will it become a reality. If we give them something or someone to believe in we can change the world" Jiraiya said.

"Amazing, I have never seen you this serious about anything jiraiya-kun" Hiruzen said.

"Well you are the one that told me deception is the ninja's ultimate weapon" Jiraiya said.

"Well let's head back to the Hokage tower, I bet everyone is waiting for an official statement about what happened. And I plan on telling them just who it was that saved not only myself but this entire village" Hiruzen said, before he turned to head in the direction of the large tower that he knew would most surely be full of paperwork concerning the rebuilding of the damaged parts of the village by now.

(**Somewhere in the Land of Fire**)

Naruto and the others were arriving at the hidden hideout for the Yoinokuchi. "Well Gaara, this will be one of your new homes. We have hidden bases within the Lands of Wind, Earth, Lightening, Swamp, and Forest. You will be shown them soon. Sounds like a job for team Hayaku to me" Naruto said.

"What, why do think it will be Akaru and Myself that shows them where our other hideouts are located!" Akimi said.

"Because, my teammate is currently in the middle of the Land of Water and I am expecting to join back up with him" Naruto replied smugly.

"Yeah but you are also alone, so you can take Haku and Gaara in a three man squad" Akimi replied.

"Guess we will just have to wait and see what Jiraiya sensei has to say when he gets back. Common Gaara I will show you to your room" Naruto said leading the former Suna jinchuuriki down a large flight of stairs to the bedrooms.

They came to the large room with several doors leading to separate large bedrooms. "Here we go, just pick a room that hasn't been taken and it's yours" Naruto said happily.

"Thank you Naruto. But I do not have many supply's with me, I may need to buy some new clothes" Gaara said.

"Don't worry about it, in your room there are several Yoinokuchi cloaks as well as mesh armor that fits all sizes. We can go grab you some other stuff later, the bounty offices are the best place to get ninja gear outside of the hidden villages, but they can be dangerous places if you are considered a missing ninja. Which you may not be yet, but I would guess that in a few days Suna will add you to there bingo books" Naruto said.

"So what do you suggest?" Gaara said.

"We wait until you are settled in and Jiraiya sensei returns to give us our orders, then we can go check out what supply's they have at the bounty offices" Naruto said.

"Understandable, I am sure Jiraiya-sama will have information on my status which will tell him just how well likely I am to be targeted by bounty hunters" Gaara said.

"Yeah that's what I was thinking" Naruto said.

"Then I guess I should choose my room, oh and thank you for being my friend Naruto" Gaara said.

"Don't mention it Gaara, I recognized that look you had in your eyes the moment I saw you. You were lonely and disliked, just like I was once. Now hurry up and pick a room while I go and have a shower" Naruto said with a smile.

Naruto returned upstairs and found Akimi and Haku talking to Akaru in the main living area. "Hey Akaru how have you been?" Naruto asked.

"Not bad Naruto, but from what Akimi is telling me I really got ripped off in the mission assignments this time" Akaru said.

"Well you couldn't really pass for a genin could you. And you are a well documented missing ninja from Kumo, not exactly something that is easy to hide from the people that run the chunin exams" Naruto said.

"Yeah I guess you are right, but still I wish I could of at least helped out in the invasion. For the last two months all I have had to do is listen to people tell me that they have never heard of Orochimaru. I mean he is a legendary ninja. That isn't something that people don't know about. Especially in a nation that he controls" Akaru moaned.

"Oh well look on the bright side. You didn't have to put up with weak genin trying to mock you. I swear it took every ounce of restraint not to kill Itachi's brother and his annoying fan girl Sakura" Naruto said.

"Yes I suppose I am glad I didn't have to deal with that" Akaru chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm going to clean up, I'm exhausted. Taking on two former Kage at the same time even if they are not at full strength is not something that I would recommend" Naruto sighed before heading upstairs to his bedroom.

(**Konoha**)

Hiruzen, Tsunade and Jiraiya were standing on top of the Hokage tower looking down into a large square where people had gathered.

"As you may be aware, earlier today we were attacked by forces from Suna and Oto, commanded by Konoha missing ninja Orochimaru. But I am proud to say that Konoha is still standing and our casualties were few and the damage was kept to a minimum. That is however not to take anything away from the brave shinobi who lost there lives today, and before I go into details of how we were able to counter the threat so effectively I ask that we all participate in a moments silence to honor the fallen" Hiruzen said, his voice magnified by a jutsu.

The crowd all fell silent and as the minute ticked on three more people joined the Hokage and remaining Sannin on the roof. They were the two Elders of the Village and Danzo, whose face gave away nothing that was going through his mind at the time.

The minute came to an end and Hiruzen once again spoke up. "Thank you for joining me in honoring the fallen. Now I shall explain the events that lead to the invasion of Konoha... Almost two months ago my former student Jiraiya, came to me and told me about a possible threat in the shape of the Hidden sound village, Oto. He told me that it was run by another former pupil of mine, Orochimaru" Hiruzen said.

At the mention of the name Orochimaru a loud sound of muttering and loud whispers ran through the gathered villagers and shinobi.

"In an attempt to not only find and defeat Orochimaru but also discover what he had planned, I allowed another group to enter Konoha and find out there plans. That group was brought in by Jiraiya to enter the chunin exams. They were Akimi Hayaku, Haku Momoichi, and Naruto Uzumaki" Hiruzen continued.

Once again at the mention of Naruto's name there were murmurs of dislike and there were even several outbursts from people about letting the blond into the village when he should be banished or killed.

Hiruzen ignored these people and continued with his story. "Jiraiya's team entered the exams and located and interrogated the team from Oto which lead to the discovery that Orochimaru was indeed planning an attack on the village. However we still didn't know when. That answer came during the month off when Naruto Uzumaki befriended a child from Suna, a jinchuuriki much like himself winning the boys trust Naruto was able to supply the forces of Konoha with the information required to set up an effective counter to the invasion that Suna had planned. It was too late to stop it from occurring, but it wasn't to late to stop it from being effective"

"So that freak found another demon, that just makes him more dangerous" a man from the crowd called out. A small group of ninja gave the man a disgusted look as they could now see just how many lives were saved by the actions of Naruto.

Once more the Hokage ignored the outburst and continued. "That leads me today. Thanks to the information gathered by Jiraiya and his team Konoha was ready for the invasion and evacuated all people from the area around the areas of risk. And then we set up and waited to spring our trap. Once the invasion started however I was isolated with Orochimaru behind a barrier, Orochimaru also used the jutsu that is forbidden above all others the Edo Tensei, Impure World Resurrection. I was faced with fighting Orochimaru at the same time as facing both of my former sensei's the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage. But I received aid in the form of Naruto, who not only fought with but defeated both Hashirama and Tobirama Senju in order to allow me to take care of Orochimaru. But unfortunately upon realizing that he could not win the fight my former pupil fled the village. But one thing is clear if it wasn't for young Naruto I would not be standing here talking to you now"

Again murmurs went through the crowd. The shinobi seemed to have a new found respect for the blond. And the four members of the Anbu squad that were on the roof watching the fights all knew that what Hiruzen had said was true. But several of the civilians seemed to refuse to believe what there Hokage said.

'So that's how far we were outclassed. He was able to take on two Kage at the same time. I knew that he was going to be troublesome the moment I saw him' Shikamaru thought as he sat with the other rookies listening to what the Hokage said. Most of them were having thoughts similar to those of Shikamaru. Even Sakura had to admit that Naruto was stronger than Sasuke. Although her final thoughts were along the lines of '_Our children will be much stronger than that freak_'

"Well I have told you all I have to say about the invasion, we have already received an official surrender from Suna, there ninja forces were crippled in the invasion so they are unable to fight a war. I thank you for your time" Hiruzen said and turned away to face his two old teammates and his former rival.

"Hiruzen it is good to see that you made it through the invasion unscathed" Danzo said expressionlessly.

"The same could be said for you although you were nowhere to be seen all day I believe" Tsunade said.

"I had important business to attend to and had no idea about any invasion. Hiruzen kept what he knew secret, had I known I would have made sure that there were more Anbu protecting the Hokage" Danzo replied.

"That's fine Danzo, I kept it secret as to avoid any spy's from Oto finding out. We had a breach in security. The son of the head of the Medical department, Kabuto was a spy for Orochimaru. As to prevent knowledge of the invasion spreading I only told my top elite jounin and had them tell the others this morning" Hiruzen said.

"I see a very wise choice" Danzo replied.

"Still the fact remains, I thought you would have been at the chunin finals, I doubt you would have given up a chance to see Naruto in action, not after how you campaigned to have him captured and turned into your weapon" Jiraiya said.

"Yes I was indeed interested in the boy, but as it goes my proposal was turned down so there was nothing that I could do. I spent the morning researching the Rinnegan if you must know. I want to know why it is that it was Naruto that awakened it and how it happened. If I can find out the process I hope to be able to replicate the process and produce a theory to test in hopes of bringing the Rinnegan to Konoha. If I could just talk to the boy I am sure I could learn quite a lot" Danzo said.

"Well you can't talk to him, he is no longer in the village" Jiraiya said eying Danzo carefully.

"Well that is a shame, perhaps some other time then" Danzo said, his face not giving anything away.

"Hiruzen we need to begin discussion on how to repair the village most effectively" Koharu said.

"Yes let's take this into my office. Jiraiya-kun, Tsunade-Hime, please stay and join me for dinner later" Hiruzen said.

"Why not" Tsunade said.

"Yeah, I will give the kids some extra time to relax, they have earned it" Jiraiya said.

"Well go enjoy yourselves and be back at around seven for dinner" Hiruzen said before he left followed by the elders and Danzo.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay, kinda a filler chapter, but I did give away something about where the story will be heading and the sort of theme I will be following. So opinions and thoughts would be greatly appreciated as well as any suggestions you might have. **

**Eg: I was given a suggestion to add Kimmimaro to the Yoinokuchi. Now it was an interesting thought, but I don't think Kimmimaro would ever betray Orochimaru. However suggestions like that are very welcome and will be considered thoroughly.**


	19. A Not So Solo Mission

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 19: A Not So Solo Mission**

Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived together at the Hokage tower at seven to join Hiruzen for dinner. With them was Shizune and of course Tonton the pig.

"I bet he is going to try and convince you to take the title of Hokage again" Jiraiya said.

"Not even I am willing to take that bet. But he can try all he wants, I am not taking the job. It's taken everything from me" Tsunade said.

"You say that, but the people you lost all loved the position of Hokage and what it represented. There are worse ways to spend your time. I mean you will have a whole village that you can command. You can finally set up all the medical programs that you had shot down before the third shinobi war because it was not possible at the time. Due to how long it took to train medic ninja. But at the moment the most nations are in a stage of downgrading there military. Now would be a perfect time to train support ninja" Jiraiya said.

"Why do you care, I thought you would be trying to get me to join you and your little vigilante group. I have no desire to become Hokage. And I certainly don't want to join you" Tsunade said.

"Well then, what is it that you do want Tsunade-Hime" Hiruzen said as he exited the Hokage tower to meet his old students. "Ah Shizune-chan it is good to see you again, you have grown so much since I last saw you" Hiruzen said.

"I have been good thank you Hokage-sama" Shizune answered.

"All I know is being Hokage is not for me. As for what I want, off the top of my head, a stiff drink" Tsunade said.

"Well a on that point we are agreed. Come on lets go get some food and some Sake" Hiruzen chuckled before leading the other three ninja down a road towards the center of the village.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout**)

Akimi and Naruto had just finished telling Akaru about there fights during the exams. The elder Hayaku was rather interested to hear about his sisters fight with Lee as that type of speed for a genin was completely unheard of, although that said it was also unheard of for a genin to be able to open that many celestial gates. But that didn't stop him from teasing his sister about the fact that he almost lost to a genin. A activity that Naruto was rather eager to join in.

meanwhile Gaara was talking to Haku trying to get to know the ice user. Gaara found her Hyoton interesting as it was in some ways similar to his own unique ability in his control over sand.

"Your Bloodline limit is very unique. There are not many Kekkei Genkai in Suna. Our village has always focused more on poisons and puppets. Although my father and myself have similar yet different powers" Gaara said.

"What do you mean?" Haku asked.

"Well I have control over sand, although I have been told it was given to me by me holding Shukaku. My father however, had control over gold dust, it was said to be the perfect defense against Shukaku as the gold would make the Bijuu heavy and slow. My grandfather was said to have had a different yet similar skill yet again, he used magnetism to control Iron sand" Gaara said.

"That's amazing. Three generations and three different yet similar skills. Perhaps it is an evolution process of a Kekkei Genkai" Haku theorized.

"Maybe, I never had a chance to ask my father about any of it. I was more concerned with killing the hit men he would send after me" Gaara said.

"You may not believe me, but I know what that is like. My own father tried to kill me, right after he killed my mother because of our Hyoton. I was a young girl and just discovered that I could create ice. I showed my mother what I could do because I was so excited. But she freaked out and told me never to do it again. It was too late However, father saw me perform ice manipulation and knew that I had a bloodline limit. Mother told me to run, but I hesitated. And then I saw my father kill my mother. After that I ran and was completely alone. Until Zabuza-sama found me that is. He gave me a reason to live, and because of that, he became precious to me" Haku said.

"A reason to live. You are like me, I had no reason to live but to kill others. But I was not saved until recently by Naruto. Because I was alone and everyone wanted me dead I came to the only conclusion that I could. I had to justify my existence by killing" Gaara said.

"I see, so that is why you used to fight?" Haku asked.

"Yes it was. But now I think I may have found a new purpose. I want to fight for Naruto and my new friends. He believed in me and acknowledged me. I want to repay him for that in what ever way possible. I tried to hurt him and he still called me his friend. For that I will fight with him and protect him from anything" Gaara said.

"That's good you will become really strong if that is why you fight. To fight for your precious people gives you something to fight for. It is what makes someone far stronger than before" Haku said.

"That is something I couldn't understand until recently. Now I hope to live my life following that principle. Because it saved me from my depression" Gaara said.

The two ninja talked for awhile longer and found they had quite a few things in common other than being completely alone at one point in their lives and having fathers that tried to kill them. Eventually it was getting later however and the five ninja all turned in for the night.

It was two days later before Jiraiya returned to the Yoinokuchi main hideout. During that time Naruto trained alone while the others seemed to relax. Gaara who was still trying to fit in and get to know everyone was enjoying himself immensely mostly due to the fact that nobody glared at him and they all openly accepted him for being a jinchuuriki. Gaara couldn't recall being this contented in his entire life. Sure he used to get a thrill and be somewhat satisfied after he had killed someone and fed their blood to his sand. But this was completely different. He was actually happy, joining Naruto and the Yoinokuchi was the best decision that he had ever made.

As Jiraiya returned to the hideout he called everyone into the main room for a briefing.

"Hello Jiraiya-sama, do you have any new assignments for us?" Akaru asked as he sat down.

"Yes I do, but we will get to that in a minute" Jiraiya said as he waited for everyone to arrive.

Naruto was the last to enter and rather than take a seat simply decided to lean against the wall beside the door.

"Good everyone is here? We have a few things to cover before we get on to mission assignments. First off we have received plenty of mission requests from people who saw your fights in the chunin exams. We have also worked out an agreement with Konoha that various difficult missions will be sent to us and upon completion we get a sixty percent split of the commission. We also have the right to turn down any mission we are given" Jiraiya said.

"How will we receive the missions. Any drop off point will be bound to be watched by people trying to discover the locations of our bases" Akaru said.

"I have worked out an agreement to have a messenger toad check for any missions once a week. He will then dispel and be summoned to my location" Jiraiya explained.

"This seems a little convenient, from everything you have told me about Danzo he would be completely against this idea and do what ever it takes to stop it, as it is accepting help from a source outside of Konoha" Naruto said.

"Danzo hasn't been told. This is something that was set up between myself and Sarutobi sensei. Nobody else knows about it" Jiraiya said.

"Sounds simple enough, it's the Kage's job to issue all missions, so it would be easy to put some aside and send us the details" Akaru added.

"Then I agree, the more people who know about something like this the more dangerous it becomes for us" Naruto said.

"I knew you would. Anyway next topic is one that effects Naruto and Gaara" Jiraiya said.

Naruto looked inquisitive while Gaara raised an eyebrow in interest. "What about us?" the blond jinchuuriki finally said.

"It's something I picked up on Orochimaru's old group the Akatsuki. Turns out they are no longer a simple mercenary group. They now have an agenda, and that agenda is to capture the nine Bijuu. Which means that they will be looking for you two and may even attempt to capture you when they find you" Jiraiya said.

"What do you mean by may try to capture us. If there goal is to capture Gaara and myself then why wouldn't they try as soon as they see either of us?" Naruto questioned.

"Well because they are not ready to move on the jinchuuriki yet. Something like this will take a lot of planning, money and equipment. Something that they do not have yet. By my best guess, they wont start hunting the Bijuu and jinchuuriki seriously for another three and a half years at the earliest. However that isn't saying that they will not attempt to capture either of you should the chance arise before that. So you both should be prepared just in case" Jiraiya said.

"I see. So looks like we may have a new enemy on our hands" Naruto sighed.

"It does indeed look that way. So as of now be on the lookout for people wearing black cloaks with red clouds" Jiraiya said.

"Well most of the Bijuu are well protected by there villages, I know it would be almost impossible to get close to Killer Bee, the jinchuuriki of the Hachibi. So he would probably be a very difficult person for them to attempt to target. Yugito Nii, would be slightly easier, she is often chosen for solo missions so there is a possibility that she could be taken, still I don't think they will listen to any warning we may give them" Akaru said.

"Well the Sanbi host is Yagura, so if we kill him then it will take awhile for that Bijuu to reform in this world" Naruto said.

"That's true, but we will have no idea how long it will take or where exactly it will return. The only record we have of the death of a jinchuuriki said that the Bijuu rematerialized in an area suitable to its element that was close to where the jinchuuriki.

"Hm so if we kill Yagura in the Land of Water like we plan to, that gives the Sanbi a chance to materialize... Fucking anywhere. Seventy percent of that place is water. Why couldn't it have been the Nibi. A fire element wouldn't have many places to return to in the Land of Water" Naruto moaned.

"Yes but that is a good thing. We want the Sanbi to be difficult to find" Akaru said.

"I guess, but if we could protect it, we would know that the Akatsuki would have to come for it and then we could take them out as they attempted to subdue the Bijuu" Naruto said.

"While I like the idea, we have no idea how strong all the members are. Our best bet would be to take them out individually as we come across them" Jiraiya said.

"Fine, in that case I guess letting the Sanbi reform somewhere in the Land of Water is a good plan to stall them" Naruto said.

"Now that we are agreed, it's time to move on to our new assignments" Jiraiya said.

"Sounds good, can I go join back up with Itachi sensei yet?" Naruto asked.

"I will get to you in a moment gaki. First Akaru, I want you to take Akimi, and show Gaara and Haku around to the other hidden bases. It's not much of a mission I know but it has to be done. Now Naruto I have a mission for you before you are allowed to go to the Land of Water" Jiraiya said.

"I'm listening" Naruto said tentativly.

"At this point in time to the best of our knowledge. Kiri, Kumo and Iwa are each in possession of two of the Bijuu, the Akatsuki will not even think of attacking any of the major villages. However, there is one jinchuuriki that does not have the protection of one of the five nations. The Nanabi was a Bijuu that was given to Takigakure as a peace offering after an assassination attempt on the Shodai Hokage's life. We do not know how well protected the current jinchuuriki is, or even how well the jinchuuriki is treated in the village. Your mission is, to infiltrate Taki and observe the Nanabi jinchuuriki" Jiraiya said.

"Sounds like an easy enough solo mission" Naruto said.

"You're not going on this mission alone. I'm coming with you" Jiraiya said.

"Isn't that a bit excessive, I mean all we are doing is going to check up on a jinchuuriki" Naruto said.

"Maybe, but the Akatsuki might also be doing the same thing, and the last thing we need right now is to be seen as a potential threat to the Akatsuki's goals. Also if at all possible I do not want them to discover that you are the Kyuubi jinchuuriki" Jiraiya said.

"Okay fine, but this is such a pain" Naruto sighed.

"Oh quit your whining. Anyway you all know what you have to do, so go get ready and move out" Jiraiya said.

"Wait, do you know anything about Suna's reaction to Gaara's disappearance?" Naruto asked.

"Yes I do, they are in quite an uproar about the loss of there 'weapon'. But they are refusing to put him in there bingo books in fear that other nations might attempt to capture him and have the Ichibi strike against Suna. So instead of openly marking him as a missing ninja, they have various teams looking for Gaara. But even then they are few in number due to the losses sustained during there failed invasion of Konoha" Jiraiya informed the group.

"So he will be able to move around relatively freely?" Haku asked.

"Yes, I would recommend avoiding the base in the Land of Wind for awhile though" Jiraiya said.

Slowly the ninja all filed out of the main room to collect there things. Returning back they were all wrapped in there white Yoinokuchi cloaks. "Alright you all know what to do, we will meet back here next week after our missions are complete" Jiraiya said before turning to Naruto. "Come on kid, lets get going, it will take a few days to get to Taki so we better make a move"

Naruto and Jiraiya ran for about half a day before the toad sage decided it was time to take a break. "Alright Gaki we are resting here for awhile" Jiraiya said.

"Sure thing sensei" Naruto said coming to a halt and sitting down under the shade of a large tree.

"Alright Naruto. You know as well as I do that the Akatsuki are not to made light of. Because of this we are going to have to push your development as a shinobi a lot faster than we have been in the last year or so. At the moment most people would think twice about fighting you, but I want them to be outright terrified at the thought of facing you in battle. The first step will be to teach you how to properly draw on the Kyuubi's chakra when you need it. This should be easy for you because of how good your chakra control is. However using that chakra will allow the Kyuubi to influence you. We will eventually need Itachi to help us find out what your limit is but right now I want you to try and draw on Kyuubi without having to go inside your seal" Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded and closed his arms moving into a meditative pose. Very slowly the center of Naruto's eyes turned red and a tiny little slit formed in the center.

"Alright, good job, tell me what does that feel like?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, I have a lot more chakra. But Kyuubi is fighting me for it, also I do feel slightly more aggressive. If I had to describe it, I would say that as I pull on the chakra I get a part of its consciousness at the same time, separating it is proving difficult" Naruto said.

"Hm. I believe that the chakra and Kyuubi's influence feeds on negative emotions. But I will need to do some extra research on this. Either way, that is something to start from. Should you be desperate you have something to go to" Jiraiya said.

Naruto sighed and his eyes returned to there normal purple. "Yeah not something I would recommend, keeping my cool here is one thing. But in the heat of battle it will be much harder to remain calm" he said.

"It's fine, that was your first attempt after all. Anyway as I said before, we will need Itachi with us to suppress Kyuubi's chakra before we push on with this training" Jiraiya said.

"No worries, besides there are always other things I can work on. I want to get the cool down time between my gravity jutsu smaller" Naruto said.

"And how are you going with that?" Jiraiya asked.

"Not bad, I haven't been able to change the time much between a simple manipulation that doesn't require too much chakra. But I have made the gap between long sustained jutsu and powerful blasts shorter" Naruto answered.

"Well that's a start anyway. Common we better get back on track, I still have to find the secret entrance to Taki after all" Jiraiya said.

(**Konoha**)

It was a bright sunny day in Konoha but just outside the village a thick mist was rolling in.

"I don't understand what we are doing here, Pein-sama told us that the Kyuubi has been missing for years" a tall man with a rather blue complexion and shark like features said.

"Because, unlike you I take notice of what is going on in the world. There was a contestant in the chunin exams held here recently that had the same name as the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. If he is still here we need to find him. And if not there will be someone with some information within this village on his whereabouts" a young man with white hair and pale red eyes said, his mouth was covered by bandages but he was still perfectly audible.

"Well I am surprised you would want to come here, after they ordered your execution all those years ago" the tall shark like man said.

"It is not a matter of want Kisame, we were tasked with finding the Kyuubi and that is what we are doing here" the white haired boy replied.

"Are you sure you are not just looking for some of Konoha's Kekkei Genkai to add to your own" Kisame said.

"I have no desire in Konoha's bloodline limits, I am only interested in the rare and unique" the white haired man replied.

"You could always check out the Uchiha district, you never know there may be an Uchiha that Itachi didn't kill" Kisame chuckled.

"Tempting, but I think I will pass. There is one Uchiha left, but if we took him now, then Konoha would be in an uproar and that is something we don't need while we are searching for the Bijuu besides I only need one more Kekkei Genkai before I am the ultimate ninja" the young man with the pale red eyes replied.

"What ever, lets just hurry this up Hiruko" Kisame said. '_I bet Pein-sama and the real Yondaime Mizukage would disagree, after all if you were superior to them then why would you follow Pein-sama. Besides I know that you can't completely absorb the Kekkei Genkai of another with your Chimera Jutsu alone_' Kisame thought smugly knowing that the pale young man was not as all powerful as he claimed despite being very tallented.

"Don't worry I don't intend on spending long in Konoha" Hiruko replied.

The two Akatsuki members spent most of the day searching the village for any sign of Naruto but came up empty. They were just about to leave the village however when they ran into a little trouble.

"What are the Akatsuki doing in Konoha" the voice of Kakashi Hatake rang out from behind the pair.

"Oh my this is a surprise. Kakashi Hatake, you have really grown since I last saw you" Hiruko said as he turned around to face the copy ninja.

Kakashi looked confused but he couldn't see who it was behind the large cloak and hat.

"It doesn't look like he recognizes you Hiruko" Kisame chuckled.

"Hiruko? That's impossible! Hiruko is not that young" Kakashi said.

"Ah but don't you remember Kakashi, why I was forced to flee Konoha?" Hiruko asked.

"Yes you invented a jutsu that stole the physical and spiritual energies from other ninja and transferred them to yourself in an attempt to become a ninja that was on par with the Sannin, you experimented on people and animals. The Sandaime found out what you were doing and put a stop to it" Kakashi said.

"Yes you have a basic understanding of how my Chimera Jutsu came to be. But it has become so much more than that. But I owe you the biggest debt of all Kakashi, you were the one who gave me the idea" Hiruko said.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked.

"You received the thing that I always wanted, a Kekkei Genkai. A ninja born with out the advantage of the sharingan given it and made it your own. That's when I came up with the final part of my plan... using my Chimera jutsu I would make rare and powerful Kekkei Genkai my own, just like you have. Then I could be strong like my old friends. You could even say I inspired Orochimaru, although he refuses to admit it" Hiruko answered.

"So you go around stealing the Kekkei Genkai of others at will?" Kakashi said angrily.

"Unfortunately no, as much as I have tried the there will be a limit of five. And I also need to do it at a certain time. I am still waiting for the time to collect my last prize" Hiruko said.

The copy ninja calmed himself before speaking again. "Either way, what do the Akatsuki want here in Konoha. There are no jinchuuriki here" Kakashi said.

"You know not only of the Akatsuki but also the fact we are after the Bijuu. You are well informed" Hiruko said.

"We should capture him, he will have valuable information. Knowledge of the Akatsuki and our goal is not common knowledge" Kisame said.

"Yes but I know, how Konoha works. Capturing Kakashi wont prevent anything, the man responsible for discovering us will be Jiraiya" Hiruko said.

"Well it wont matter either way, because Konoha shinobi or not I wont let you get your hands on Naruto... Raikiri!" Kakashi said as lightening charged in his hand as he lifted his headband revealing his sharingan.

"Ranton: Lightning Cloud Wave" Hiruko replied and a thick black cloud with lightening dancing through it formed around the small white haired man. Before the lightening burst out in all directions. Only Kakashi's sharingan and expert skill with Raiton manipulation saved him from some nasty injuries.

"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet" Kakashi said and using a nearby river created a large dragon made of water to charge down Hiruko.

"Meiton: Suction Abyss" Hiruko said. And the water dragon was absorbed into the Akatsuki members hand. "Darkness release, it sucks in chakra"

"Pfft, Samehada does the same thing" Kisame scoffed.

Kakashi then jumped back and threw several kunai at the short man. However this time Hiruko's arms turned to steel and blocked them. "Blades no longer effect me, because I can use Steel manipulation to change parts of my body to metal. And finally swift release!" Hiruko said and took off in a blur in an attempt to hit Kakashi but the copy ninja was not an elite jounin for nothing and easily avoided the strike.

"So those are your four Bloodlines you stole" Kakashi said. '_He has both Swift Release and the variation of the Storm release that it mutates from. And that darkness element makes almost all ninjutsu ineffective. I hate to say it but I could use a hand here_' the copy ninja thought.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind then help arrived, in the form of Miteo Gai, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi.

"You look like you could use a hand there Kakashi" Asuma said.

"Yeah, this guy is tough" Kakashi said.

"Kisame, this fight will take to long, the last thing we need is the Sandaime showing up. We should leave" Hiruko said.

"You're not going anywhere. We were watching your fight. You have some fantastic skills but you are not unbeatable. Kakashi, take the shark guy with Kurenai. Its better that Gai and myself take this guy" Asuma suggested.

"I was thinking the same thing" Kakashi said.

"Oh looks like I get to have some fun after all" Kisame said happily.

"No we leave, now!" Hiruko said and in a massive bust of speed that only Gai could match if he opened an inner gate the former Konoha ninja grabbed Kisame and sped off.

"Should we go after them?" Kurenai asked.

"No we need to get the information to the Hokage at once" Kakashi said standing up and covering his sharingan again.

'_So that was the Akatsuki huh, if all the members are that strong I just hope Naruto will be strong enough to fight them off when the time comes_' Kakashi thought as he made his way in hast to the Hokage tower.

(**Two Days Later**)

"Alright Gaki here we are" Jiraiya said as they came to a large cliff.

"Uh just out of curiosity where exactly is 'here'?" Naruto asked.

"Inside here is the Hidden Waterfall village, Taki. Only problem is I cant seem to remember the way in" Jiraiya said scratching his head in embarrassment.

"You're kidding right?" Naruto said expressionlessly.

"Um... no" Jiraiya admitted.

"Cant we just climb over the top?" Naruto asked.

"Well we could. But it will more than likely end in our deaths. There are some top seals and genjutsu preventing entrance to the village that way it's all so that they can keep the village secret. There is only one way in that has ever been shown to outsiders so they can keep track everyone who comes and goes" Jiraiya explained.

"Well that would be great if it wasn't for the fact we are not supposed to be seen. Honestly what type of spy master are you?" Naruto sighed.

"Well we could use the Chameleon Jutsu to get in and out as long as they don't have highly skilled sensors on the entrance, and if I can remember where it is" Jiraiya said defensively.

"Oh this is pointless, I'm just going to make an entrance" Naruto said. He held both arms out in front of his body, palms together. He turned and focused on a part of the cliff face before slowly separating his hands. The cliff seemed to open up like a door and a long dark tunnel appeared. "Well let's go" Naruto said before mumbling about incompetent sensei's.

**End Chapter!**

**I hope you all didn't mind my choice for Itachi's replacement in the Akatsuki. I figured I should use a Konoha ninja to in a sense keep the balance.**

**So I chose Hiruko from the third Shippuden Movie. He was the only real person that seemed to fit in with the others and there obsession with power and immortality, not to mention actually strong enough to count as a S ranked criminal. **

**Anyway hope you liked it and if not tell me why so I can do my best to fix what you dislike next time.**


	20. Searching for Seven

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 20: Searching for Seven**

Naruto and Jiraiya made there way though the long dark tunnel that closed behind them as they walked. After about one hundred meters the path began to rise on a slope.

"Hey Gaki, why are we going up?" Jiraiya asked.

"I don't want to risk coming out right in front of a bunch of Taki ninja or anyone for that matter. So I am heading up, I'm also reversing the gravity behind us so that nobody finds the tunnel by accident. When we need to get out I'll make another one" Naruto said.

"Good job Naruto, you are using your brain, you have improved so much since we first started your training" Jiraiya said.

Then something clicked in Naruto's head. "You didn't forget the way in at all did you!" Naruto asked.

"You think that I would forget something like the hidden entrance to the Waterfall village? I just wanted to see if you could use your head to solve the problem, and as you pointed out earlier, we are far less likely to be seen entering the village and have Taki's shinobi aware of our presence this way. If we don't have to go though the proper entrance procedure we will have a far easier time getting what we need from the villagers as we wont have an escort that is always given to foreign ninja" Jiraiya explained.

"So let me guess we are going to saw that we are traveling writers again?" Naruto sighed.

"Can you think of a better cover? People tell writers things, things that they normally wouldn't tell strangers" Jiraiya said.

"I guess you are right, but this time I am not being your assistant" Naruto stated.

"Alright understudy it is" Jiraiya said happily.

Naruto stifled his anger and just kept using his jutsu to continue there tunnel. About a minute later they came out into a massive clearing with a large drop down. Water was flowing straight down about two arms lengths out from there current location.

"Perfect, we are hidden behind this waterfall, it should hide our decent down to the outskirts of the village perfectly" Naruto said.

"Yes, a perfect infiltration spot. Good job gaki" Jiraiya said patting the blond on the shoulder.

The two ninja jumped from there tunnel and fell to the base of the waterfall as the tunnel closed behind them. Once they made it to the other side Naruto had a good look around. For the most part the area was full of trees although it seemed to be far greener and no way near as dry as Konoha, with water running in all directions around the village separating sections of the village with canals. Right in the center of the village was a massive tree that rose high over all of the buildings and added a natural defense to the village making it impossible to see from above.

"Well let's get to work. Remember not to directly ask for what we are looking for. We will get more information from people who actually know something if we ask questions indirectly" Jiraiya said.

"I know sensei, let's just get to work" Naruto said and the pair headed off walking into the village.

(**Elsewhere in Taki**)

High up in the tree in the center of the village sat a twelve year old, mint green haired kunoichi. She had tucked her knees into her chest and was struggling to hold back tears as they threatened to escape from her bright orange eyes. She wore a white tank top that showed off a good portion of her stomach, fishnet shorts with a short white mini skirt over the top. On her arm was a Taki forehead protector.

'_Why do they hate me so much, it's not my fault that the Nanabi was sealed into me. I have never harmed anyone_' she thought as a single tear rolled from her eye. '_I wish I could escape from this place, and never come back I will never be happy as long as I live here. But the exits are so well guarded I would never be able to get out of this place_'.

The young kunoichi was about to stand and head down into the village when she felt some movement behind her.

"Who's there!" she yelled and began scanning the area.

"Relax freak, we are just here to tell you that the village has decided that you are only allowed down out of this tree one hour a day or if ordered by Shibuki-sama" a Taki jounin sneered.

"But that's not fair! Why cant I go down into the village" the young kunoichi replied.

"It's simple isn't it, you are not wanted down there. You are not a citizen of Taki, you are a weapon nothing more. If you disobey the rules you will be punished" the jounin said with a smile that made it perfectly clear to the young kunoichi that he was hoping that she would break the rules.

The young green haired kunoichi glared at the jounin before a second ninja spoke. "I don't know why you are so upset, it's not like you stay in the village for long anyway. You should just stay up here with the bugs where you belong you damn demon"

"I'm not a demon!" the girl yelled.

"Yeah keep telling yourself that. Just don't come near the village for more than the one hour allowed and we wont have a problem. Although if you want to stay longer then I guess we don't have a problem with that either" the first jounin said and then they disappeared in a shunshin.

'_It's not fair! If only I was born a week earlier, it would be someone else here that had to take the Nanabi after the last host died. How is that my fault_' the kunoichi thought as she could no longer hold the tears back from her amber eyes.

(**Meanwhile**)

Far below where the young green haired kunoichi was left, Naruto and Jiraiya were walking through the village looking for places that might be willing to give out some basic information.

"This place looks good" Jiraiya said, as they approached a small dango shop.

"Ah new faces, that is rare, not many people come to Taki as it is so well hidden" the young woman working at the counter said when Naruto and Jiraiya entered. She had shoulder length blond hair and wore a long blue dress and an apron.

"Well we are writers that are traveling the world looking for interesting people and places and writing about them. We hope to release a book about the best places to visit" Jiraiya said.

"Writers you say. So how have you liked Taki so far?" the young woman said.

"Well we haven't been here long but I must say it is a beautiful village" Naruto said.

"Yes well, we keep it clean and keep trouble out to maintain the peace. Most people that cause a scene are given probation from the village and are forced to live on the outskirts and permitted entrance only on certain days. And on the extreme cases only for a few hours at a time" the waitress said.

"Well that is certainly one way to make sure the village is peaceful" Jiraiya said, taking several notes down.

"Are there any interesting people or stories around the village? Other than the obvious one about how well it is hidden of course" Naruto said with a chuckle at the end.

"Hm I don't really know about interesting people" the waitress replied.

"That's a shame, it would have really helped with the article on Taki" Jiraiya sighed.

"Well, I don't know how much you know about the village but there is our leader Shibuki. He is very young and even I must admit very cowardly but the people love him. Although I think the villagers sometimes take advantage of his kindness and cowardice to deal with some of the villages less welcome residents" she said the last part with a small snort as if she was enjoying an inside joke.

"Really how do they do that?" Naruto asked.

"Most of the time by just putting a lot of pressure to get rid of something they don't like" she replied.

Naruto shot a meaningful glace towards Jiraiya that he returned but went unnoticed by the waitress who had just gone to collect a few pieces of dango for the pair.

Naruto and Jiraiya decided to not push for anymore information from the waitress and ate in peace before paying there bill and leaving.

"So what do you think?" Jiraiya asked.

"This place is so peaceful on the surface because they push anyone they don't approve of out of the village. And I would bet a weeks supply of ramen that the Nanabi jinchuuriki is receiving that treatment" Naruto said.

"Yeah I was thinking the same thing. And if they push their jinchuuriki away they wont be safe here from the Akatsuki. We need to find the jinchuuriki and observe how they are treated when they are inside the village first hand" Jiraiya declared.

"Yeah I agree... … Summoning Jutsu" Naruto said placing his hand on the ground, and several small insects appeared each with tiny little Rinnegan eyes. "Okay you guys no what to do, half go hide yourselves around the village. The other half go search for people with unusually high chakra levels. If you find out where the jinchuuriki is, return to me" Naruto said.

The beetles seemed to understand what Naruto was saying and scattered throughout the village and surrounding areas.

"You think they will find anything?" Jiraiya asked.

"I don't know, either way its extra eyes and ears" Naruto said as they walked through the village. They continued walking and Naruto began to realize that almost every store had a large symbol and red flowers out the front. "Hey sensei, what do you suppose the deal is with the flowers?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, lets find someone to ask" Jiraiya said looking around for a stall. "Here we go this one with the old lady, she is bound to know more than the younger generation about symbols of the village" Jiraiya said.

"Hello there, how may I help you people today?" the old woman asked a Naruto and Jiraiya approached.

"I was wondering if you could tell us what the red flowers those symbols mean" Naruto asked kindly.

"Oh my you must not be from around here" the woman said with a smile.

"Yes that's right, we are writers and these symbols and flowers are interesting" Naruto said.

"Oh well then, the red flowers are a special flower called the Amaryllis. They are used in Taki as a bug repellent. And the symbol means no insects allowed" the old lady explained.

"Is there an insect problem in Taki? I haven't seen that many insects since I arrived" Naruto said.

"Well we have a different type of insect problem than most villages, it is nothing to worry about though" the old lady said.

"I see, thank you for your time" Naruto replied before leaving the stall.

"I have to say this jinchuuriki has had it worse than you did" Jiraiya said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"The Nanabi takes the form of a rhinoceros beetle. Those symbols are directed at the jinchuuriki to tell them they are not wanted" Jiraiya said under his breath.

"I'm really starting to like this village less and less the more I know about it" Naruto said through clinched teeth.

"Calm it gaki, we aren't here to make a scene, if they discover two foreign ninja here without permission we are in for one hell of a fight" Jiraiya whispered.

(**Several Hours Later**)

The young green haired jinchuuriki slowly made her way down the large tree towards the village below. '_I need to make sure I get enough food to last until this time tomorrow when I am allowed back into the village_' she thought as she landed on a branch overhanging the main street of the market district.

The people below that were happily going about there shopping immediately froze and the friendly nature of the street was extinguished the moment that the green haired kunoichi landed in the center of the square.

A large group of people all turned to glare at the young kunoichi and the others seemed to just disappear and pretend that they were never in the town square to begin with. In fact the only eyes that were looking at the young kunoichi with any interest were a set of Rinnegan eyes that were owned by a small beetle that decided to follow the kunoichi in an attempt to discover if this was indeed the jinchuuriki.

During this time Naruto and Jiraiya were sitting in a restaurant waiting for some dinner. "Well we found out quite a lot even if we couldn't locate the jinchuuriki" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, but it would have been good to at least find out there name. And so far my summons haven't discovered anything either" Naruto sighed.

"Well we might just have to start a proper search tomorrow" Jiraiya said.

For the rest of the meal they talked about Naruto's training and what Jiraiya expected to accomplish over the next few years.

It was not long however until the sun set and they made there way back to the Hotel rooms they rented. Just as they arrived however Naruto noticed something small flying towards them. "Hey look its one of my summoned beetles"

"Maybe it found something" Jiraiya said hopefully.

The small insect landed on Naruto's hand before taking off slowly so that he could follow. "You go check it out Gaki, I'm going to go rest up" Jiraiya said.

"Typical, alright see ya soon sensei" Naruto sighed before jumping to follow his summoned beetle. '_That damn pervert isn't going to rest! I bet anything that he is going to go find the nearest pub and try to chat up any women that give him a smile_' he thought.

After a short trip through the village Naruto's summons suddenly changed direction and went high up into the large tree. "What the hell is a jinchuuriki doing up there?" Naruto asked himself but jumped up to follow.

The beetle climbed higher and higher until it came to a massive branch that seemed to be as wide as the main road of Konoha at the far end in the distance Naruto could make out a small makeshift building that looked as though it had been put together rather hastily.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" came the voice of a young woman from a branch just above and off to the side of where Naruto was standing.

"Nothing much, I just came to talk that's all" Naruto said in a friendly manner.

"I don't believe it, nobody talks to me! And you still didn't tell me your name!" the girl said before jumping down to land on the same branch right in front of Naruto.

"I guess that I didn't. My name is Naruto Uzumaki" the blond said.

The young kunoichi's amber eyes narrowed as she observed Naruto. "Uzumaki isn't a Taki name. And all foreign ninja are accompanied at all times when they are in side the village" she said.

"Maybe but who says I am a ninja?" Naruto said.

"Simple, only ninja can climb the tree and get to where I live" the girl stated.

"Well yes I am a ninja, and I'm not from Taki" Naruto said.

"But the guard, they would never allow a foreign ninja to get anywhere near this place" she replied.

"Well I didn't enter the village in the usual way. I found my own way in that wasn't guarded" Naruto said unsure as to why he was telling her.

"Impossible!" the kunoichi said assertively.

"Maybe, but here I am" Naruto said.

"Then you are a threat to Taki!" she said.

"No, just a traveler that likes to remain hidden" Naruto said.

"Why should I believe you?" she asked.

"Simple, I haven't attacked you yet, if I was a threat to Taki I would have at least gotten into a fighting stance by now rather than sitting here and having a nice chat" Naruto said.

"So why are you here then? Come to point and call me a freak and demon like everyone everyone else does" she said.

"Why would I ever want to do that. After all I am just like you... ah I'm sorry I didn't catch your name" Naruto said.

The kunoichis bright orange eyes widened at Naruto's statement. "It's Fuu. But what did you mean you are like me?" she said urgently.

"I mean we both are burdened with the same condition" Naruto said.

"You are! Which one are you, I'm Seven" Fuu said now looking at Naruto in a whole new light.

"I contain the Kyuubi" Naruto said.

"Wow not just another container but also the container of the strongest Bijuu" Fuu said.

"Well I don't find it that amazing. What are you doing up here and what is this place?" Naruto asked.

"This is where I live" Fuu answered a small frown appearing on her face.

"You live up here? But why don't you live down in the village or even in the outskirts?" Naruto questioned.

"I have been forced to live up here ever since I became a shinobi, when I was ten. The civilians and other ninja said that I was too dangerous to live in the village and must therefore live away from people" Fuu said sadly.

"I know what that's like. When I was eight I was taken from Konoha by a ninja and dumped in the middle of a forest two countries over. It's why I am not a Konoha ninja today" Naruto said.

"That's horrible. I wish people could just understand that there is a difference between a Bijuu and it's jinchuuriki" Fuu said.

"What's it like for you in the village?" Naruto asked.

"It's horrible, I'm not allowed in any but the main food stall and even then I am over charged. Everyone glares at me and I have no friends" Fuu said. She then sat down and took a seat on the edge of the branch. "I really want to get out of this place, I absolutely hate it here" she said before wiping her eyes of tears that threatened to break free.

"Do you really mean that?" Naruto asked sitting down next to the green haired kunoichi.

"I do, but the moment I leave this tree I am watched. They only let me into the village an hour at a nd even then I have a squad of Taki jounin watching my every movement" Fuu said sadly.

"And I take it you are a still a genin?" Naruto said.

"Yes but only because they don't let me compete in any of the chunin exams" Fuu sighed.

"I see, how well trained are you?" Naruto asked.

"They put me through harsh training to allow me to use a good portion of Nanabi's chakra and even without it I can compete with most Taki jounin" Fuu said.

"Then why not just make a run for it?" Naruto mused.

"Well I have nowhere to go, and even if I did they would hunt me down and find me. Taki wanted a weapon, not a ninja so I was not trained in stealth and avoiding tracking teams" Fuu sighed.

"Well then, that is something you will just have to work on then. We cant have a teammate that doesn't know how to hide" Naruto said before standing.

"What are you talking about?" Fuu asked.

"Well truth be told I came here with my sensei Jiraiya to look for you. We were only supposed to watch and find out if you are safe. Because there is a group of ninja that are hunting us jinchuuriki. But after seeing how you are treated and knowing you want to get out of the village and be free, well I'm not going to leave you here to be hated and isolated before you are eventually captured by the Akatsuki" Naruto said confidently.

"What are you saying?" Fuu asked her eyes widening.

"I'm saying that when we leave, we are going to sneak out and you are coming with us! That is if you want to" Naruto said.

Tears erupted from Fuu's eyes and she grabbed Naruto in a hug and began crying into his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you" she sobbed tears freely flowing from her amber eyes.

"It's nothing really, you will be helping us, but you will have to pull your weight" Naruto said unsure how he should react to comfort the sobbing kunoichi.

"I will, I promise. Just thank you from agreeing to take me away from this place. I can never repay you for this" Fuu sobbed.

Naruto slowly returned the hug. "It's alright, I couldn't just leave you like this, living alone and isolated. You are going to love working with us and we are all good friends. We will never treat you badly, just because you are a jinchuuriki" Naruto said.

Fuu didn't answer she just clung onto Naruto as though he was her guardian angel. She was afraid that he would fade away and it would have been a dream. After a few minutes her sobs died down and she lessened her grip around Naruto's chest. But she still didn't let go of the blond who had just offered to save her life.

"Uh Fuu, I sort of have to get back to my sensei, so we need to discuss the best way to get you out of the village" Naruto said.

"It will be hard, whenever I drop step foot into the village they know. There is a seal that they place on me after I enter the village that tells them where I am inside Taki at all times. Then I have four jounin guards that follow me and if I break any of the rules I am forced to fight them at the same time without using Hachibi's chakra" Fuu said.

"Can I see the seal?" Naruto asked.

"Sure its on the back of my wrist see" she said holding up her arm to show a seal that looked a lot like the symbol for Taki that was on her forehead protector.

"Hm its a simple tracking seal. I can get this thing off in about a minute" Naruto said.

"Really? that's amazing!" Fuu said eagerly.

"Nah, my sensei is the seal master, I only know basic stuff but that is an easy seal to remove" Naruto said.

"So should we do it now?" Fuu asked.

"No I need to tell Jiraiya sensei what is going on, and then if your seal just disappeared while you are at the top of this tree alone those jounin you told me about would be here fast as well as others. We should do it tomorrow" Naruto said.

"Why tomorrow?" Fuu questioned.

"Because you can break the rules and have to fight all four of the ninja that watch you. That way we will know exactly where they are, making them easy to take out. Then I will remove your seal and we can get out of here and you never have to return" Naruto said.

"Okay, shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is come down to the village in the morning and stay fro longer than an hour. Promise me you will step in before the fighting starts. They don't fight fair" Fuu said.

"Don't worry, I wont let you be harmed in this village again, I promise" Naruto said confidently.

"Thank you" she whispered and finally let Naruto free of her hug.

"It's nothing I would do it for anyone that was being treated as unfairly as you have. I will see you tomorrow Fuu, goodnight" Naruto said and jumped from the branch right down to the village below.

Naruto returned to the hotel where he was staying with Jiraiya after that and informed the toad sage about what they had planned.

(**The Next Morning**)

Jiraiya and Naruto went into the village and waited, it took about half an hour before Fuu showed up in the center square. Naruto saw that all around them people would openly glare at the young green haired kunoichi and some would even openly insult and berate her as she would walk through the village.

Fuu looked around expectantly after she arrived for the blond ninja that had come to tell her he would save her from this life of hatred and isolation. She was just about to give up on searching for Naruto in the sea of glares, when she saw a pair of purple eyes staring at her with nothing but kindness.

'_He's here! It wasn't a dream. This really is the last day I spend here in Taki_' she thought joyfully.

Naruto kept his distance and looked around for the jounin that were watching Fuu. It took him awhile but he found them. Four jounin keeping well hidden from perfect ambush positions. 'So this is what they send to 'look after' their jinchuuriki is it. I doubt they will be very difficult to deal with when the time comes' Naruto thought.

"Do you see them?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah, there hiding spots are good, and perfect to attack from any angle. Their positioning is well thought through, but they can't hide there chakra signatures very well" Naruto said.

"I know, but it looks like our new recruit can't find them at all, she hasn't caught on to where they are hiding yet" Jiraiya said.

"Yes she will need a lot of work, from what she told me the village only wanted her for a weapon to defend Taki or attack somewhere else in times of war. Because of that she wasn't taught any tracking or stealth skills. So while she may be useful in a fight, on any infiltration or information gathering mission she will be like having a genin tag along. She has a lot of work to do if she wants to survive outside of this village, even with our help" Naruto said.

"That little faith in her gaki? That's not like you" Jiraiya said.

"No she has great potential, but compared to everyone else in the Yoinokuchi she needs the most work and will be the weakest link" Naruto said.

"Well she will have to learn on the job, because everyone else will be heading to the Land of Water after we leave here and Gaara needs a partner" Jiraiya said.

"You're going to have her team up with Gaara? Are you sure that is wise? I mean she would learn a lot more with someone like Zabuza who is a master of the silent killing technique. He would be able to teach her stealth and tracking, as well as helping her with anything else she needs to improve on better than anyone. Except maybe you" Naruto suggested.

"I agree, but I was expecting Haku to want to rejoin with Zabuza" Jiraiya said.

"I think Haku will understand. Gaara and Haku will make a very formidable pairing and given time Zabuza will be able to turn Fuu into a much stronger ninja" Naruto said.

"I will run it by them, but I expect at least Haku to protest" Jiraiya said.

"We can worry about that when the time comes, for now lets just wait for Fuu's time to be up and the other ninja to make there move" Naruto said.

"Alright but you are going to have to deal with them yourself" Jiraiya said.

"What why?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"Because I am a very famous ninja, and jounin of any hidden village will recognize me immediately. I don't want Taki thinking that Konoha stole their jinchuuriki. It could lead to war" Jiraiya explained.

"I always have to do everything myself don't I" Naruto said.

"Think of it as training, besides it will be nothing like what you are going to face when you join up with Itachi" Jiraiya explained.

"I'm not saying it will be difficult, more along the lines of an inconvenience to have to do it all myself" Naruto said.

"Not only that but once the fighting starts I am sure other members of Taki will show up, so you have to beat them fast. No showing off this time or you will have the entire village come down on you. Also you need to remove that seal on her hand before we leave the village so the faster you put those guys away the better" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah I get it, win quickly. I will beat them as fast as I can" Naruto assured his sensei.

The hour passed slowly for Fuu, every so often she would subtly look around in search of Naruto but she only ever saw brief glimpses of either his eyes or hair. The hour was over and she knew what that meant. Four ninja all appeared around her blocking off all paths of escape.

"It seems it only took you a day to forget your new restrictions demon" the leader of the group of ninja said.

"I'm sorry I lost track of time" Fuu lied convincingly.

"I don't care, you know what happens when you break the rules, freak! Shall we begin the beating here? Or would you prefer to continue this outside of town? It doesn't bother me either way" the jounin said with a smirk.

"I will go to the outskirts of town" Fuu replied. '_Hopefully that is the right choice, I don't want to draw attention to the fight and that will be easier to do outside of the village_' she thought as the four Taki ninja roughly escorted Fuu to a large clearing that appeared to be a training ground away from the main area of Taki.

Naruto and Jiraiya followed just far enough away so that they wouldn't be detected and at the same time wouldn't loose track of where they were taking the Nanabi jinchuuriki.

"Alright you know the drill, four on one and if you use that things power you will be punised by Shibuki-sama" the leader said with a smill.

It was at that point that Naruto made his presence known. "What a creep, to pick on a single person like that. It's disgusting" he said appearing from behind a large bush.

The four Taki jounin had obviously not sensed Naruto's approach as they couldn't hide the shocked look on their faces. They relaxed slightly when they saw it was just a young teenager the same age as Fuu.

"Move along kid, this doesn't concern you" the lead jounin said.

"Oh I disagree, this does indeed involve me. You see I can't just sit back and watch as you pick on someone in a four on one mauling and not even give them a chance. But I tell you what, if you can defeat me then I guess there will be nothing that I can do to stop you. Hell I will even let you fight me four on one" Naruto said.

"Naruto that's insane, they are four jounin. I can only match them if I tap into Nanabi's chakra" Fuu said.

"I'm fully aware of what I am facing Fuu, thank you for the concern but it is not necessary" Naruto said kindly.

"Oh look the demon freak has a friend. Riu get rid of this kid!" the lead jounin ordered.

A ninja with purple curly hair shot forward at Naruto who watched him approach impassively. "A frontal assault, you have really badly underestimated me. This fight will be easier than I though" Naruto said as he quickly shifted his position and planted a knee into the Taki jounin called Riu's chest causing him to collapse out of breath, before falling unconscious.

'_Amazing, he's so fast and powerful. Even with the improved eyesight that Nanabi grants me, his moves were difficult to follow_' Fuu thought.

"Woah did you see that. Maybe there is more to this kid then there appears to be" the kunoichi of the group said.

"He just got a lucky shot in that's all" the leader said.

"Well as you have started I need to get this over with quickly so here I come" Naruto said before charging forward at high speeds. The three ninja were all able to track his movements but that didn't prevent them from the shock when he used a jutsu with only one seal. "Doton: Swamp of the Underworld!" Naruto said.

The ground under the three Taki jounin turned into a large swamp the kunoichi and the leader of the three jounin were able to escape but the last jounin didn't react in time, as he was shocked by how quickly Naruto could use a jutsu. And he was trapped in the swamp unable to move.

"Raiton: Five Point Paralysis" Naruto yelled slamming his hand into the ground while the jounin leader and the kunoichi were still in the air. The moment the kunoichi landed however the ground around her sparked to life with electricity and five weak bolts of lightning shot up from the ground and struck in various parts of her body causing her to fall over also unable to move.

"What the fuck is this kid" the last jounin in the fight thought out loud as he watched how easily Naruto had disabled his team.

"You all underestimated me and because of that you have been easily defeated" Naruto said.

"You may have taken out them, but you wont get me so easily" the last jounin said.

"Really? Then why didn't you notice my clone sneak up behind you while suppressing its chakra signature?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"What!" he yelled spinning around ready to defend himself but saw nothing. '_Oh fuck it was a set up!_' he realized and went to jump away but it was too late.

"I can't believe you fell for a simple lie like that... … Rasengan!" the blond yelled drilling the spinning ball of chakra into the jounin's back sending him flying away already unconscious and close to death.

Fuu couldn't believe her eyes, she was able to beat any of those four one on one, and even stood a chance against two. But Naruto had just taken all four of them apart like they were little more than fresh genin. "That was amazing!" she yelled once Naruto returned to check on her.

"Nah they underestimated me. If they were serious it would have taken awhile longer. But now isn't the time to get into this discussion, I have to remove that seal then we need to get out of this village" Naruto said taking Fuu's hand and removing a marker from his kunai pouch began drawing a release to the tracking seal on her hand and arm. "Alright this might hurt a bit but it wont last long" Naruto said.

Fuu nodded in understanding, and Naruto activated the seal release. Her hand burned as both the tracking seal and Naruto's began to fade away from Fuu's hand.

"Alright it's done, now we have to hurry and get out of here" Naruto said, and they both took off towards the same waterfall that Naruto and Jiraiya entered the village from the day before. The toad sage was waiting patiently for them there.

"Alright Gaki, it's time to get out of here, we need a tunnel" Jiraiya said and Naruto was happy to oblige.

"Alright Fuu, last chance, you can stay behind if you want" Naruto said.

"Are you kidding, there is no way I'm changing my mind, I have never been more sure of anything in my life!" Fuu said still just barely containing the joy she felt at just the thought of escaping Taki for good.

Naruto smiled in response and turned towards the waterfall. Just like when they entered he held his arms out from his body before separating them creating a large tunnel.

"That's an incredible jutsu" Fuu said in awe of Naruto's skill.

"We can admire the kids skill later, right now we have to go" Jiraiya said before entering the tunnel followed by both Naruto and Fuu.

'_I'm free! And as long as I can help it I am never going to return here. But I promise that I will one day find a way to repay you, Naruto_' Fuu thought while the entrance of the cave closed behind her.

**End Chapter!**

**Well there we go Fuu has joined the group. I think I could have done this chapter a lot better but I always seem to be a little off during my first chapter after the weekend. Still, I hope you liked it regardless.**


	21. Ninja Training

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 21: Ninja Training.**

Naruto, Jiraiya and Fuu exited the gravity made tunnel a short time after they escaped Taki undetected. But Jiraiya was fast to point out that just because they are outside of the village does not make them safe. Both jinchuuriki agreed completely and the three ninja took off at top speeds heading back towards the Land of Fire.

They ran in silence for about half an hour before Jiraiya eventually slowed. "We should be safe now, they will take awhile to find out your missing Fuu, and even then, Taki's trackers will loose your trail when we entered the tunnel that Naruto made" Jiraiya said.

"How long do you think we have before they catch on?" Fuu asked.

"It's hard to tell, it all depends on how fast they discover that you are no longer in the village. But even then I would say we have at least a day. They will also be looking for Naruto considering that he took out four of their jounin" Jiraiya said.

"So we will be long gone before they even find out you have been able to escape the village" Naruto added.

"I still cant believe I am actually out of that place. It's impossible to describe how happy I am" Fuu said smiling widely.

"Well it's good to have you with us" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah you will fit in easily with everyone else. The whole group has a troubled past and I guess we are all just looking for a place to belong" Naruto said.

"A place to belong... I like that" Fuu replied.

"Well I hope that we can give that to you" Naruto said.

"I already feel more accepted than I have ever been so I wouldn't worry about that" Fuu said.

(**Taki**)

Two men stood over the dead body of a Taki chunin as the looked down over the village. "This place has changed a lot since I was last here" said a tall man who had bright green eyes and wore a white hood and face mask to hide his other features behind his Akatsuki robe.

His partner looked to be more plant than man. Two separate halves of his body were black and the other white. Around him was a large venus fly trap like plant. "_The village seems to be busy at the moment_. **_There are ninja running around everywhere_**. _Perhaps it would be best to come back later Kakuzu_" the plant like man said in two separate voices, a different voice for the white and black halves.

"No, we are here now. Let's find this damn jinchuuriki so I can get back to making money. I don't know why you are here anyway Zetsu?" Kakuzu said.

"**_Because Pein-sama ordered me to join you in locating the Nanabi_**, _he thought you might need some help_. **_And he has to look for a new partner for you, after you killed the last one_**" Zetsu answered.

"Why would I need help? I already know where the Nanabi is, the leaders of Taki haven't allowed it to exit this village in almost one hundred years" Kakuzu said.

"_Still a fight with a jinchuuriki is rarely easy_" the White half of Zetsu said.

"Just shut up and go make yourself useful by finding out why all of the shinobi are running around the village like headless chickens" Kakuzu ordered.

"**_Alright that sounds easy enough_**" the Black half said before Zetsu dissolved into the ground.

It was about fifteen minutes before Zetsu returned. "_I have found out why the village is on high alert_" the white side of Zetsu informed Kakuzu.

Kakuzu waited a moment but Zetsu didn't say anything. "Well Tell me what it is! Before I kill you!" he ordered.

"**_It seems they cannot locate the Nanabi jinchuuriki_**. _She had a seal on her that let the ninja of Taki locate her, but it disappeared a few hours ago_. **_They also haven't been able to find her yet but all paths into and out of the village are were secure_**" Zetsu answered.

"So we have a jinchuuriki somewhere alone. We need to find the Nanabi immediately, if we can get to her now we wont have to deal with any Taki ninja" Kakuzu said.

"_I will begin my search, it might be for the best if you wait here_. **_With a whole village of ninja searching for the jinchuuriki we don't don't want to be spotted_**" Zetsu replied.

"Fine just get going" Kakuzu grumbled.

Zetsu once again dissolved into the ground. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours, but still no sign of the plan like Zetsu's return. It was dusk when the ground warped and Zetsu returned.

"Did you find the Nanabi?" Kakuzu asked.

"_No_, **_the jinchuuriki is certainly not in the village._** _I am certain of it_" Zetsu replied.

"Then there is no point in us being here, lets look around outside for a trail" Kakuzu said as the pair turned around leaving Taki and the people to their search.

(**The Next Day**)

"Well here we are" Naruto said as they entered the Yoinokuchi hideout in the Land of Fire.

"This pace is huge! But why do you live underground?" Fuu asked.

"Well we have to stay hidden, a large number of our organization are missing ninja much like yourself. We live underground so that it will be much harder for any trackers to find us, although we are pretty well hidden with Itachi's genjutsu's and Jiraiya sensei's seals keeping people away" Naruto said.

"I see, uh is Jiraiya... the Jiraiya-sama, one of the legendary three ninja of Konoha?" Fuu asked eagerly as they both walked down to where the bedrooms were.

"Yeah, he retired from Konoha's military shortly after he found me in the Land of Forests" Naruto said.

"I never thought I would have a chance to meat a famous ninja like him. This is great" Fuu said.

"This is a dangerous life Fuu, I should have told you earlier but we work as a mercenary group. Right now we are in the middle of arrangements to go to the Land of Water and end the bloodline wars. If you don't want to be involved with that you don't have to, you can even stay here as long as you want, but you need to know that we may be seen as criminals and we could soon find ourselves in the bingo books of all of the elemental nations. In the end it doesn't matter however, because we put our lives on the line to do what we think is right. Now knowing this, are you willing to fight with us?" Naruto said.

"Well, you saved me from a life that was like a living hell. The and I swore that I would repay you one day, so the very least that I can do is join you and I will fight with you until I die, I promise!" Fuu said.

"I'm glad to hear that, but first we need to start your training to be a proper ninja and not just a weapon. So once you find your room, return to the main area. I'm going to be your sensei until we get to the Land of Water" Naruto said.

Half an hour later Naruto was standing in a field alone. '_Looks like she is starting to get the hang of picking decent hiding places, but she hasn't learned to suppress her chakra signature yet_' Naruto thought as he tossed a small rock into a tall tree causing Fuu to jump out rubbing her head.

"How did you find me that time? I was perfectly hidden" Fuu pouted.

"Actually your positioning was perfect, but your chakra signature gave you away, at close range even non sensor types would have found you. Still you found a good place to hide. It was in a good position out of the way and let you see and hear everything in the area. In the ninja world if you pick a bad location for an ambush or if you are found eavesdropping on a conversation it could lead to your death. Also it could cause false information that gets a large group of allies killed" Naruto informed the mint haired kunoichi.

"Next we have to work on your stealth. To do that I want you to try and get past me and back home without me noticing. To help you out, I will not be looking for your chakra signature. When ever you fail you go back to the start which will be this spot here. Now lets begin shall we" Naruto said before jumping off back in the direction of the Yoinokuchi hideout.

(**Taki**)

"It appears that Fuu has indeed left the village. There is no sign of her or the young boy that the team watching her mentioned. If I may Shibuki-sama but I think this was an attack on the village from Konoha the head adviser and jounin commander said.

"Konoha? Why do you say that?" Shibuki asked.

"Well as you know, Konoha lost their jinchuuriki five years ago. Maybe they came here to capture the Nanabi as a replacement" the Jounin said.

"That may be a motive but there is certainly no evidence to suggest this" Shibuki replied.

"Yes I suppose you are right, also we have still found nothing in terms of how they escaped the village" the jounin replied..

"Well, begin searching outside the village. Is there anything else you need to report?" Shibuki asked.

"Uh yes Shibuki-sama, the high eastern ninja escape tunnel didn't report in this morning. We sent a team to investigate, they should be back shortly" the Jounin said.

"Very well, you are dismissed" Shibuki said before turning around to face the window.

(**Outside Taki**)

"Did you find any tracks?" Kakuzu asked.

"_I did, but they didn't last long_, **_they used the river to wash off there sent_**. _Looks like we are going to have to tell Pein sama we don't know where the Nanabi is_. **_All I was able to tell was that they were heading towards the Land of Fire and that there were three of them_**" Zetsu said.

"Just great, all that work and we came up empty, I could have collected several bounties in the time I have been looking for jinchuuriki. This trip has cost me money" Kakuzu said angrily.

"_I think Pein-sama will be more concerned with the fact that there are now three Bijuu that we cannot locate_. **_The Ichibi, Kyuubi and now the Nanabi_**" Zetsu replied.

"Ah forget this, I am going to the nearest bounty office to collect a target" Kakuzu said before storming off"

"**_You know, I don't think we will ever find a partner that he wont kill_**" Black Zetsu said.

"_Yes I am just glad it isn't our job to find one_" white replied.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout**)

The sun had set before Fuu eventually made it past Naruto and she was starving. "You did good today Fuu, I know it took you awhile to get past me, but the fact still remains that you did" Naruto said.

"Yes I am rather proud of myself" Fuu said happily as they sat down to eat a meal that Jiraiya had prepared for them while they were training.

"It will be another few days before the others return and we are told what our next moves are. But until then I think we should keep training together, unless you would prefer to train alone?" Naruto asked.

"No I would love to continue to train with you, I have improved so much just after one day but I want to learn more, your a really good sensei" Fuu said.

"Well I do my best, Jiraiya and Itachi are a lot better than I am. And I would say Zabuza is as well, he trained Haku after all and she is one of the best people at remaining hidden and silently stalking that I have come across. That is why I am hoping that he will train you during our time in the Land of Water" Naruto said.

"What's he like?" she asked eagerly.

"He's your everyday run of the mill mass murdering psychopath" Naruto answered.

"Oh" Fuu said slightly shocked and less enthusiastic about the idea.

Naruto burst into laughter at this. "I'm just kidding he's not a bad guy at all really" Naruto said.

"Oh so hes not a mass murdering psychopath then?" She said with a sigh of relief.

"No he is, he just isn't that bad of a person once you get to know him. He wouldn't be alive today if he wasn't. He graduated from the academy in the bloody mist after all" Naruto said.

"I'm not sure if I like that or not" Fuu said confused about the mixed signals she was receiving about Zabuza.

"That's exactly how I feel about him" Naruto said with a smile.

"But aren't you worried about having him around?" Fuu asked tentatively.

"Nah not really, he is a loyal enough guy, he only became a missing ninja and tried to kill off the Mizukage and the water daimyo, because of the bloodline purges. So he is basically a good man who has done horrible things. Like the man who decided to make the last princess gale movie... It was horrible" Naruto said.

Fuu broke out laughing. "Are you really comparing Zabuza to a movie producer?" she chuckled.

"You're right I am being far too hash on Zabuza. That movie was far worse than anything the demon of the bloody mist has ever done. You could shove that man in a room with Orochimaru and he would still be the most evil thing in the room" Naruto joked with a smile causing Fuu to break out in another fit of laughter.

"I have never laughed like that before. Thank you" Fuu said.

"I figured you could use a laugh after all that has happened to you. I'm glad I could help" Naruto said.

"You have done enough already" she said.

"Nah you can never do to much to help out a friend" Naruto replied.

Fuu didn't answer at first and could only smile in response but eventually her composure returned. "It's weird not having to live in the branches of that massive tree. And I think today has been the first day of my life where I went the whole day without being called demon or having someone glare at me" she said.

"Well I could do that for you if you miss it so much" Naruto joked.

"Don't you dare!" she replied with a smile. "I'm really glad I met you" she added.

"You know so am I, it's always good to make some new friends and the more the merrier in our group" Naruto said.

"Yeah you have mentioned others, but where are they?" Fuu asked.

"Well Itachi sensei and Zabuza are helping the resistance in the Land of Water. And the others are out on a mission, they should be back in a few days. I think you will really like Akimi and Haku, there kunoichi around our age, although Haku is two years older. Gaara is a jinchuuriki like us. And Akaru is a really nice guy" Naruto said.

"Another jinchuuriki, which one dose he carry?" Fuu asked.

"Gaara carries the Ichibi, he was treated badly just like us, but Gaara's father the Kazekage declared him a failure as a host and tried to have him executed. So in many ways Gaara has had it worse than we have" Naruto said.

"I never knew my parents, that's why it was so easy to pick me as the host. The Nanabi host died and my parents died capturing it again after it reformed" Fuu explained.

"I never knew my parents either. All I know is they died the night I was born, the night Kyuubi attacked Konoha" Naruto said sadly.

"Looks like we have a few things in common" Fuu said.

"Yeah we do. Anyway, I am going to get in some personal training before going to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Night Fuu" Naruto said as he stood up.

"Goodnight Naruto" She said happily before he left the room going upstairs to his room. After he left Fuu also decided that it would be best for an early night a she knew that training with Naruto would not be easy.

(**Unknown Location**)

Nine projections of people stood on the large hands of a massive statue that had nine eyes all closed.

"Have you found anything?" a man with Rinnegan eyes asked authoritatively.

"_No, sorry Pein-sama_. **_The Nanabi jinchuuriki seems to have escaped Taki before we could get there_**. _With the help of at least two others I believe_" Zetsu said.

"I see, this is rather disturbing news. Deidara, how well are the jinchuuriki in the Land of Earth protected?" the man called Pein asked.

"They aren't, capturing them will be rather easy. The old man Oonoki never really liked jinchuuriki and saw them as a liability. They are both just wandering around somewhere in the Land of Earth" A young man with long blond hair tied up in a ponytail with a bang covering his left eye replied.

"And Sasori, what of the Ichibi?" Pein asked.

"There are no sightings of him, I have almost all of my spys looking into it, but he hasn't turned up anywhere" Sasori said.

"Looks like you are chasing a ghost huh Sasori-sama" Deidara said.

"We don't have it any better, we have been everywhere in search of the Kyuubi but he hasn't surfaced" Kisame said.

"The Land of lightning was easy, both jinchuuriki live inside the village are are relatively happy, but capturing them will be difficult" Hiruko said.

"We also can't get near Kiri while the Bloodline Wars are going on so we will have to wait, the last two months things have started looking good for the Kekkei Genkai side. They have been winning quite a few battles" Kisame said.

"If we interfere in the war we could end it and hunt the jinchuuriki at the same time" Hiruko suggested.

"No for now let them be, we are not ready to seal the jinchuuriki yet so when the time comes we will hunt them. If the war is still going it will only serve to distract Kiri allowing us to take the Mizukage with less difficulty" Pein said.

"The Gedo Mezo wont be ready to have anything sealed in it for another three and half years. We have time to wait. Until then keep your eyes out for the missing jinchuuriki, and if possible capture them. Now we are going to need money for this so I want you all to start collecting bounties and missions from any bounty office. Only take on the highest paying jobs" Pein said.

"Yes Pein-sama" they all chorused before the projections faded away. Leaving only the man with the Rinnegan eyes and a kunoichi with a flower in her hair.

"That's three jinchuuriki that have gone missing. Do you think that there could be someone else out there looking for them?" she asked.

"It's unlikely, but not impossible. But if they were being captured what purpose would it have. No I think they all left of there own free will. Those three jinchuuriki were all disliked to the extremes in their villages at least that's what the information from our early scouting reports told us. They probably fled there homes first chance they got" Pein replied.

"But Zetsu said that there were two people that helped the Nanabi escape" the woman said.

"Then I think they offered the host a better life. Perhaps that is indeed where the others are. But we wont know for sure until we find the Nanabi" Pein replied before he too faded away.

Over the next few days news spread over the elemental nations that the Nanabi jinchuuriki had gone missing. Taki placed a reward of then million ryo for her safe return to the village. And a further ten million for the deaths of the two unknown ninja that 'Kidnapped' her from the village.

Naruto just stared at the book with wide eyes when Jiraiya showed it to him. "Does this make us criminals now? Naruto asked.

"Hm not really as we are not mentioned by name. And Fuu is only wanted because we was supposedly kidnapped. So the only people who are considered official criminals in our organization are Itachi and Zabuza" Jiraiya said.

"Well that's good I guess" Naruto said.

"Yes not being wanted men is usually a good thing" Jiraiya chuckled.

Fuu was a little worried when she saw the Bingo Book entry but if she was honest with herself she didn't care. The last few days she had spent training with Naruto were the best of her life. At times she even found herself absentmindedly staring at Naruto and even she didn't know why. In the end she just thought it was because she had been learning so much from him that she wanted to see how he held himself as a person.

Naruto for his part enjoyed the time he spent training Fuu, she was a little more reserved than Akimi in that she didn't try and turn everything into a game and would do what ever it was that Naruto asked her to do while training without procrastinating by attacking Naruto in a mock ambush rather than complete the task. But at the same time she was more lighthearted than Haku who was always cool calm and collected.

Naruto and Fuu were just getting ready to go out and train when the entrance to the hideout opened and in walked Akimi and her brother followed by Gaara and lastly Haku.

"Hey, I see you have been creating havoc in the ninja world again" Akimi said the moment she saw Naruto.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"I mean you kidnapping the Nanabi jinchuuriki" Akimi chuckled.

"He didn't kidnap me, I chose to go with him" Fuu said defensively.

"I know, Naruto wouldn't kidnap someone. He's too much of a softy" Akimi said as she walked over to Fuu. "Hi I'm Akimi Hayaku, and you must be the new girl"

"My name is Fuu. I'm an orphan and I was never told what my last name was, so I don't have one. It's nice to meet you Akimi" Fuu replied.

Naruto went around the group introducing Fuu to everyone else before Jiraiya entered the room. "Oh good your all here. Sit down, we don't have much time, and I still need to fix Gaara's seal" the Toad Sage said.

"What don't we have much time for?" Akaru asked.

"We have to leave, Itachi is organizing a boat to Land of water in two days. It will only take three hours to get to the port but, fixing Gaara's seal could take almost a day" Jiraiya said.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay little bit of fluff, and some reactions to Fuu going missing. Nothing Major happened. Things should pick up again in a chapter or two.**


	22. Hit List

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 22: Hit List**

Naruto was standing next to Gaara in the lowest floor of the Yoinokuchi hideout. It was a massive room with a table in the center on that table lay Gaara a large seal matrix drawn over his body leading up to his three pillar seal that was containing the Ichibi.

"Okay Gaara the seal is all set. But now comes the tricky part. Naruto you need to focus your chakra to hold the Ichibi back while I undo his seal. We have to hold Shukaku back for three minutes while his new seal is placed" Jiraiya said.

"Is the suppressor seal in place?" Naruto asked.

"Please kid, who do you think I am. Of course it is, all you have to do is maintain the chakra level in the seal to stop Shukaku from escaping" Jiraiya said.

"Oh great so all I have to do is overpower a bijuu, that's fair" Naruto sighed.

"It's only the Ichibi. If you have to channel some of Kyuubi's chakra, that will easily do the business" Jiraiya said.

"Alright I'm ready I guess, just have to hold a flimsy basic chakra suppressor seal for under five minutes" Naruto said.

"What about you Gaara are you ready?" Jiraiya asked.

"As ready as I will ever be" Gaara said.

"Then lets begin... Three Pillar Seal: Release!" Jiraiya said.

The moment the seal released sand shot everywhere, and violently began whipping around trying to envelop the former Suna ninjas body. "Here we go" Naruto yelled and began channeling his chakra into the temporary seal while the seal around Gaara's body began to close up. The sand around Gaara slightly died down but still circled around him.

"How's it going Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well Shukaku is struggling but at the moment I have it suppressed. Just hurry the sealing up" Naruto said as a bead of sweat rolled down the blonds forehead.

The seconds passed slowly and by the time the new seal was half way through Shukaku began to struggle heavily and the sand began to fly violently around the Gaara's body whipping both Naruto and Jiraiya.

"Hey Gaki hold that seal, we still have over a minute to go and I am on double time here getting it done as fast as possible" Jiraiya said.

Naruto was swearing badly as he used all the focus he could muster to fight Shukaku back. "I'm doing my best sensei, it's not exactly easy to hold back a Bijuu you know" Naruto said.

"Don't complain, just one minute more, if you need to, draw on Kyuubi" Jiraiya said

The final minute became more and more difficult for Naruto but he managed to hold off without using Kyuubi's chakra. There was one final massive burst of sand as the seal snapped shut before it fell limply onto the ground.

"Phew we did it" Naruto sighed.

"It's over?" Gaara asked looking around at Naruto and Jiriaya who stood over him with smiles.

"Yeah it's done. You should be able to sleep soundly at night without having to worry about loosing control or the chakra suppressing seals" Jiraiya said.

"I see, thank you" Gaara said.

"Yeah, now let's test out to see if you still have absolute control over your sand" Naruto suggested.

Gaara shrugged but complied sending a stream of sand to collect a cup filled with water and float it over to him. "It's just as good if not better than it has ever been" Gaara said allowing himself to give a rare smile.

"Good to know. Come on we have to go get all of our stuff ready, we cant miss this boat to the Land of Water, they only run once a month because of the continuing war" Naruto said.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akimi and Fuu were sitting together, both of them could feel the massive surges of chakra disappear. "Looks like they are done" Akimi said.

"Yeah, what was wrong with Gaara's seal anyway?" Fuu asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, all I know is that the seal was not only just barely strong enough to hold Shukaku. But they also had no mental suppressors on it, he couldn't sleep without transforming into the Ichibi completely" Akimi replied.

"That's horrible, they must have had some horrible seal masters in Suna" Fuu said.

"You know he was from Suna? He doesn't wear a Hitai-ite" Akimi said surprised.

"Yeah it was part of my training. I had to know where the other Bijuu were held. Like Kumo has possession of the Nibi and Hachibi" Fuu said.

"So what else did your training involve?" Akimi asked.

"There was a lot of mental conditioning to help me suppress Nanabi, should I need to use it's chakra. And then I had to learn jutsu that would help me in a fight, but that is the only official training I was given. And I could not ask to learn anything they didn't deem necessary for my benefit as a weapon. And when I wasn't training I was forced to live alone and could only enter the village at certain times" Fuu said.

"That's horrible, I can see why Naruto would have wanted to rescue you" Akimi said.

"I couldn't believe it, when he told me that he wanted me to leave with him and Jiraiya-sama. I thought I was dreaming and grabbed onto him refusing to let go" Fuu laughed.

Akimi joined in. "Well he can do things that seem impossible, there is no doubt about that. But I can assure you that he is real" Akimi chuckled before they fell into a strange silence.

"I have to ask you, are you scared about going and fighting in a war?" Fuu asked eventually.

"I am a little scared. But I know that I will have friends watching out for me, so I can handle it. What about you?" Akimi said.

"Not really, I was trained to fight in full scale wars and battles. My poisons and genjutsu are specifically targeted to take out large unprepared numbers. They put me through the emotional conditioning to deal with this sort of thing" Fuu replied.

"Wow intense. Only training I had when I joined with Naruto and the others two years ago was the academy in Kumo. But everyone has really helped me out to improve quickly" Akimi said.

"Yes Naruto has been teaching me stealth since I have got here, and I have already learned so much like how to suppress my chakra signature and how to pick a good spot for an ambush" Fuu said.

"Yeah he's Mr perfect when it comes to the ninja world. But he can be sorta clueless at times when you are not discussing the best way to take out a repressive dictator or learning a new skill" Akimi said with a short laugh.

"Why do you call him that? I don't think he thinks that he is perfect" Fuu said.

"Oh he doesn't that's what is so infuriating about him. He can go toe to toe with Kage level ninja and he is only thirteen, but he is still so focused on learning more or becoming stronger. Not that, that's a bad thing. But it is just so hard to make any steps to catch up to him when he moves away at ten steps to every one that I take" Akimi sighed.

"Sounds like you are a little jealous" Fuu giggled.

"Maybe, but if you ever tell him that, we can't ever be friends" Akimi said in a mock threat.

"Don't worry my lips are sealed... For now" Fuu replied with a small smirk.

"So you are willing to use that information against me huh. We are going to get on just fine, I would do the same thing" Akimi chuckled.

Naruto and Jiraiya returned soon after, "I take it by the fact that we are all still alive and not burried deep under Shukaku's sand that the sealing went well?" Akimi asked when Naruto came over.

"Yeah it went perfectly. But Gaara is exhausted, the sealing process has taken a lot out of him, so he has gone to rest it off for awhile" Naruto said.

"Typical, you do all the work and he's the one exhausted" Akimi laughed.

"It's not like that, he has just had the strain of a massive construct of chakra try and burst out of his body, I don't care who you are, you wont be in top shape after that" Naruto said.

"Anyway what are the plans now?" Fuu asked.

"I guess get packed up and ready to go by tomorrow" Naruto said.

"Well that's no fun. And here I thought you had some grand adventure lined up" Akimi sighed.

"It wont take me long to pack, I only brought two changes of cloths. And unless you like white cloaks and baggy clothing" Fuu said.

"Yeah, most of the stuff was brought by Naruto and Itachi. They aren't the most wise when it comes to female clothing" Jiraiya spoke up.

"Well you shouldn't have given us that job" Naruto pouted.

"It's alright I can cope until we get to a town" Fuu said.

The rest of the day was spent packing and collecting equipment they might need for their trip. And it wasn't long before Akimi and Akaru found themselves staring at an old boat that looked like it had been around before the elemental nations even existed. the paint had faded there were panels of wood on the railings that looked like they were rotten through.

"We are going on that?" Akimi said looking at the boat disbelievingly.

"What you expected some sort of luxury cruiser? We are heading to a war zone not a tropical paradise little sister" Akaru said.

"Well no but this thing doesn't look like it will even make it to Kiri" Akimi said.

"We'll be fine, you could always try and run the distance" Akaru said.

"Yeah I think I will pass on that Akaru. Where are the others anyway?" the speedy kunoichi asked.

"I think Haku went with Fuu to get some clothes and Naruto went with Gaara. I don't know where Jiraiya-sama went" Akaru admitted.

The brother and sister waitied by the boat for their allies to return. The first group back was Naruto and Gaara who were both wearing there Yoinokuchi cloaks. "Hey guys, we got stuck looking around at stuff, this town is awesome" Naruto said happily.

"Weren't you supposed to be buying supplies?" Akimi asked.

"Yeah, we got them, sealed them away in here" Naruto said pulling out two large scrolls from inside his cloak.

"Gaara I hope you didn't let him just buy ramen" Akaru chuckled.

"No he didn't, it will be a two day trip to our port so I allowed him to buy enough ramen for two meals only" Gaara said while Naruto pouted.

After that Fuu returned with a large bag full of cloths. "This place is great, although that might just be because I was actually allowed into all of the stores" Fuu said a huge smile on her face.

"I take it you had a good time shopping then" Akimi said.

"Yeah, I was able to get lots of stuff, I will show you later" Fuu replied.

"Isn't Jiraiya back yet? He was only going to a weapon maker to get some extra kunai" Naruto asked.

"No not yet, I don't know where he is. I didn't see any less than respectable taverns or bathhouses on the way here" Akaru said.

"Why would someone like Jiraiya-sama be in one of those places?" Fuu asked.

"Short answer is he is a pervert" Naruto said.

"Hey I'm not a pervert" came the voice of Jiraiya landing on the rooftop of a building across from where Naruto was standing.

"Okay sorry, he's a super pervert" the blond jinchuuriki sighed.

"Thank you. Now I have gifts for everyone" Jiraiya said jumping into the street.

Fuu and Haku were still in disbelief that anyone would refer to themselves as a "Super Pervert" but didn't voice their opinions on the matter.

"What do you have for us Jiraiya-sama?" Akaru asked.

"New forehead protectors" he said lifting one out of the bag he was holding. They were brand new and in the center there was a kanji for Yoinokuchi. "So everyone will know who we are. You don't have to get rid of your old Hitai-ite if you don't want to, you can just wear this one as well" he informed the group.

Naruto readily accepted it and tied it to his head. "I used to dream of receiving one of these" Naruto said. Haku and Akimi collected theirs next. Akimi wrapped hers around her right thigh but Haku simply placed hers on her head. When Fuu grabbed hers she immediately removed her old Taki one and threw it away. Replacing it with the new on on her left arm. Akaru kept his Kumo forehead protector on his left arm and added the Yoinokuchi to his right. Finally there was Gaara who placed the new symbol of belonging on his waist as a belt buckle.

"I have two more for Itachi and Zabuza, they will be waiting for us at the port on the other side" Jiraiya said.

"Alright then, let's head out" Naruto said eagerly and boarded the boat that would take them to a port town in the land of water.

The others filed on and fifteen minutes later the boat took off. For Fuu it was a very weird experience, she had never been on a boat before, and was feeling a little sea sick. It was Naruto who first noticed this when he saw her sitting down holding her stomach.

"Sea sick huh. I suppose this is your first boat so I don't blame you" Naruto said sitting down next to the mint green haired kunoichi.

"I feel like I am going to spew everywhere" Fuu moaned.

"I was the same when I first went on a boat, but I was lucky, Tsunade-Baachan was there and she helped me out. Actually she showed me the jutsu if you want some help" Naruto said.

"That would be amazing" Fuu groaned in agony as she tried to hold in her lunch. '_I can't let myself spew in front of everyone_' she thought but in reality she was more concerned about what Naruto would think.

"Alright lay on the ground for me face up" Naruto said.

Fuu did as she was told and watched as Naruto's hands began to glow green. "Now I'm no master at this. My immense chakra reserves should make it impossible for me to do any medical ninjutsu. But my Rinnegan allows perfect chakra control" the blond said as he held his hands over Fuu's stomach, focusing on his jutsu.

The pain and need to vomit began to fade and the color slowly returned to her face. "Wow I feel so much better thank you" she said and slowly sat up.

Naruto offered Fuu his hand to help her up which she happily took. "Well you are looking a lot better too, just don't do too much physical exercise and you will be fine for the rest of the trip" he said.

"I'm going to find a way to repay you for all that you have done for me one day" Fuu said.

"I know, you have told me before. Now lets go find out what the others are doing" Naruto said and with a smile lead Fuu inside the ship to find the others.

The rest of the trip went without much incident, Naruto and the other teens talked and joked with each other while Akaru and Jiraiya would play cards and drink sake. Towards the end of the trip they noticed that a thick mist was setting in, and it didn't clear until just before they docked.

The town they arrived in was as run down as they come. Stores had boarded up windows and the only people walking the streets looked like they were prepared for a battle. Several buildings had been completely burned down and there was a feeling of hopelessness in the air.

"Not exactly the happiest place in the world" Akimi said as she looked around.

"Well this is supposed to be a war zone, who knows what has happened in this town" Akaru said.

"We need to find Itachi and Zabuza, the sooner we find them, the sooner we can find out what the situation is" Jiraiya said.

"Well there is no need to search, they are already here" Naruto said.

The moment Naruto finished talking Itachi appeared from behind a building with two Kiri ninja. One was an older balding man, while the other a tall middle aged man with an eye patch over his right eye. He had dark blue hair that seemed to defy gravity ending in a point. They both wore dark green kimonos and looked ready for battle.

"It's good that you have arrived Jiraiya-sama" Itachi said calmly as the three arrivals approached.

"This is your backup Itachi, a bunch of kids and a man as old as I am" the balding man said.

"Idiot that is Jiraiya of the Sannin, one of the legendary three of Konoha. Although I too share your disbelief at the thought of the younger ones being able to help" the man with the eye patch said.

"No way, Ao, you can't be serious that Konoha is actually helping us out" the balding man said.

"No Jiraiya-sama has retired from Konoha, Tyako. He started the organization that I work for shortly after that. And I can assure you we are all capable ninja, although we seem to have gained two new members since I have been away" Itachi said.

"It is an honor to meet you Jiraiya-sama. We cannot stay here for long, Yagura will most likely have spy's in the area. Come follow me" Ao said and he began to lead the group around the building that they had appeared from and into a tunnel leading under the village. Everyone remained quiet as they walked for what seemed like an eternity until finally the path opened up into a large circular room with ten separate paths.

"This is a interconnecting hub that we use to move around to the villages in this area. They are used for black ops missions and to escape Yagura's armies" Ao informed the group.

"This must have taken awhile to build" Akaru said.

"Yes, as you can imagine, Doton users are few and far between in Kiri. But Mei-sama was able to use her Yoton and Doton techniques to great effect" Ao said.

"Well it's certainly good work, I doubt I could do any better myself" Naruto said admiringly.

Jiraiya smiled at that knowing what Naruto could do with his gravity jutsu. But the balding man scoffed and muttered something about young brats not knowing their place which Ao smiled at but didn't reply.

"Anyway we need to go north east to get to the Resistance Head Quarters" Ao said before taking another tunnel and the others followed.

Again they walked in silence, focusing more on what they could see, or rather could not see in the darkness rather than talking amongst themselves.

Finally some lights started to appear in the distance and when they got closer they could see a huge room with several people busying themselves over a large desk with a map of the land of Water and Kiri. One of them was Zabuza who was standing at the far end of the table talking to a man with war paint on his face. At the near side there was a tall woman with long auburn hair wearing a long blue dress.

"We are back Mei-sama" Ao said as he entered the room followed by Naruto and the others all wearing their Yoinokuchi robes.

"So this is the team you have brought in to help us Itachi" the auburn haired woman said leaving her desk and going to inspect the new arrivals. "Oh my, Jiraiya of the Sannin. You are a legendary ninja even here in the Land of Water" she said when she saw the toad sage.

Much to the shock of Naruto Jiraiya didn't do anything even remotely inappropriate despite being in the presence of an undeniably beautiful woman. "Just glad that we could help out Mei, the bloodline purges have gone on for far too long" Jiraiya said.

She gave Akaru an appraising look over and then went on to the younger group. "They are all so young. I hope you haven't brought them into something over their heads" Mei said.

"I can assure you that they are all well trained and battle ready" Jiraiya said.

"Very well, if you say so, I am not prepared to simply discard them because they are young, not after all the help Zabuza and Itachi have been. Now is their any particular way that we will be using your men Jiraiya?" Mei asked with a smile.

"No, you may use them as you like. However, I have a special mission for Naruto and Itachi that will help win this war quickly" Jiraiya said.

"I see, would you mind telling me what it is you plan to have them do?" Mei asked.

"Of course, but can we speak in private, it's nothing personal I just want this to remain on a need to know basis to prevent anyone leaking plan to the other side" Jiraiya said.

"Yes of course, follow me" Mei said.

"Itachi, Naruto, you better come too. It's your mission after all" Jiraiya said.

The four shinobi came to a small office with a table and several chairs. Mei took a seat behind the desk, but the others remained standing. "So what is this mission that requires you taking the man who has almost singlehandedly turned the tide in this war?" Mei asked.

"These two are by far the strongest members of the Yoinokuchi other than myself of course. Because of that I will have them eliminate five key members of Yagura's forces. Niiro the Red Mist, the man responsible for the slaughter of the Yuki clan. Cou Ginji, head of Kiri's Hunter division. Taniyama Mai and Niang Mai, twin brother and sister that are the top jounin in command of kiri's army. And finally Choijo Shibuya, warden at the maximum security prison that holds over three thousand of your followers. Naruto and Itachi will take out those five men, and after that this war will be all but won" Jiraiya said.

"Impossible, we have been trying to get assassins close to those five, for three years now" Mei said.

"You are underestimating these two, if there is anyone who can get the job done its them" Jiraiya said.

Mei's eyes went from Jiraiya to Naruto and paused. "He is so young, do you really think he can do something like that?" Mei asked.

"Positive, two of the strongest ninja alive and wielders of the two strongest Dojutsu a ninja from Konoha has ever produced, they can do anything when they are put together" Jiraiya said confidently.

"Dojutsu? Those eyes don't look like the Byakugan to me" Mei said.

"That's not the the Byakugan, you are looking at the Rinnegan" Jiraiya said with a smirk.

"Rinnegan! Surely not, it was just a myth" Mei said.

"It's no myth, I have seen first hand what Naruto-kun is capable of" Itachi said calmly.

"Then do you think this is possible Itachi?" Mei asked.

"Positive, Naruto-kun and I will have this war over in no time" Itachi said allowing himself a dry smile.

**End Chapter! **

**Well what do you think, Naruto and Itachi will in essence be on assassination missions for the next couple of chapters. Like the idea or hate it, either way let me know. And suggestions for what you want to see happen are always welcome. **


	23. Locating the Water Prison

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 23: Locating The Water Prison**

The rolling hills and sparse tree cover of the Land of Water were almost completely obscured by a thick mist that rolled in, it was almost impossible to see your hand in front of your face, the figures of two ninja walking side by side wrapped in white cloaks. Or the bodies of the ninja who had just encountered them that lay lifeless on the ground.

"Well, did they know anything?" Itachi said passively.

"No. there is still no sign of where Yagura's secret prison or Choijo are, I have to admit the Mizukage sure has kept it well hidden" Naruto sighed.

"We could always go after some of the other targets first" Naruto suggested.

"No, Choijo has to be first, freeing the prisoners there will be a big boost to the resistance. Hit them where it hurts most first, we don't want Yagura catching on that we are taking out his generals, and moving prisoners to various locations" Itachi replied.

"Fine where should we search next?" Naruto asked.

"A few months ago there was a battle in a town about ten miles north of here, it was just before Zabuza and I joined the war. Several prisoners were taken, it might be a good place to look for information regarding Choijo" Itachi said.

"If you say so, it's your call sensei" Naruto replied.

They walked off and slowly the mist cleared to reveal a landscape covered in corpses of fallen Kiri loyalists. Every last one of them seemed to have no cause of death. They were all trapped in one of Itachi's genjutsu before Naruto removed their souls to find information.

(**Resistance Head Quarters**)

Mei sat over a three dimensional map of the Land of Water with Jiraiya both looking down at the map to plan the next move of the resistance. Since the arrival of the three weeks ago Yoinokuchi the resistance hadn't lost a major battle.

"There is a rumor that our spy's picked up. Of a division of Kiri loyalists all being wiped out by a strange jutsu. All that Yagura's men have been able to determine is that they were all caught in a harmless genjutsu before they died" Mei said not taking her eyes from the large map.

"That would be Itachi and Naruto. It seems they are getting impatient in their search for Choijo. I wouldn't be surprised if a few more of these turn up" Jiraiya said.

"Do you think that there is any risk that Yagura will find them? I mean they have been off the radar for weeks now. If we don't know where they are, we wont be able to help them should they need it" Mei said.

"Well it is a risk, especially if they are attacking large groups of Yagura's forces, but I see no real threat. Like you say, they are completely off the grid. We can't find them and we know what we are looking for, so what chance does Yagura have" Jiraiya replied.

"You are right, now tell me. What should our next move be? With our recent victories Yagura will move to strengthen his defenses before looking to strike back at us" Mei said.

"Well Division three with Zabuza and Fuu, recently captured the sea port town we arrived in. I would let them rest for a few more days. Gaara and Haku along with division two seem to be the best choice for Yagura to attack as they represent the official front line. Moving to strengthen them would be a wise choice. So that just leaves Division one, with Akaru and Akimi. They have been inactive the longest and would be the best choice to move to attack another target" Jiraiya surmised.

"Actually there is a town that we lost to Yagura a month before Itachi and Zabuza arrived that was full of our supporters, I think that would be a good choice to attack. No doubt anyone who openly supported the resistance will have been sent away but there is a good chance that some of them were able to remain hidden" Mei said.

"Good idea, we may have a mental edge right now but we still need more people willing to fight if this war is ever going to end" Jiraiya said.

"Then I'll send a messenger bird to Division one informing them of their new target, Sangyou town" Mei said.

"How well protected is the village?" Jiraiya asked.

"It is only a small outpost town, but at the same time it represents the high ground in the Land of water, I hear that one of Yagura's top jounin is in command of the place at the moment" Mei said.

"Then capturing him and extracting what ever information he knows will be an important job, have my team take care of that, so your men can focus on the battle at hand" Jiraiya suggested.

"I will, thank you for the idea. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go send a message" Mei said with the friendly smile that she always seemed to wear.

(Itachi and Naruto)

the pair arrived at the base of a tall mountain, up near the top the walls of a village could just barely be seen through the cloud cover. It was not an easy place to sneak up on, there was very little areas to hide from any guards that may have been watching and the incline was rather steep.

"This would prove to be a very useful outpost, it's no wonder Yagura made sure it fell under his protection" Naruto said as he stared up at the village.

"Indeed, we are going to need some cover" Itachi said passively.

"Yeah I'm on it" Naruto said before performing the hand seal for Suiton. "Hidden Mist Jutsu" Naruto whispered and the area in a massive radius became blanketed so thick in the mist it was almost impossible to see where they were heading.

"Let's go, make sure the mist keeps us covered until we get close enough to the village" Itachi said.

"I know Itachi sensei, I won't let you down" Naruto said with a smile.

"You never have before, but I thought it would be for the best to remind you" Itachi replied.

The mist encircled a good portion of the mountain and rose with the pair as they ascended towards the village, once they were within one hundred meters however they stopped. "I should lower the jutsu now, the Hidden Mist jutsu is Kiri's signature technique, they will recognize it if we get much closer" Naruto said.

"I agree, lower the jutsu and make a break for those trees for added cover" Itachi said quietly.

Naruto nodded and released his jutsu. As the mist faded the pair were able to successfully hide themselves in one of the rare tree covered area's.

"Now what? We still have a fairly large distance to travel" Naruto said.

"Wait here, I will go see if there is anyone watching with my sharingan" Itachi said.

Naruto sat and waited, he was never a very patient person, but he would always put in the extra effort to get a job done properly.

Itachi jumped back down next to Naruto around fifteen minutes later. "There is a patrol that passes every five minutes, but there is easily enough time to get into the village. We will wait for the next pass and then sneak in" the stoic Uchiha said.

"Okay, you lead the way and I'll follow" Naruto said.

Two minutes later Itachi made his move followed closely by the blond quickly closing the distance between them and the village wall before clearing it in a single jump and landing in a darkened ally way.

"Now we need to find where the commander is" Itachi said.

"Then I know the best way to do just that" Naruto said with a smile. "Raiton: Heavens Judgment" Naruto whispered but chanelled a massive amount of chakra into the jutsu which actually required two hand seals.

A huge bolt of lightning shot from the sky blasting a huge hole into the town wall several blocks over at the same place one of the guard patrols were walking.

"You plan on creating a scene? They will be looking for attackers now" Itachi said.

"I know, but they will be looking outside the village as well, it will spread out the enemies forces making it easier to find a group that wont have backup" Naruto said.

"It will also put the village on edge and make the leaders cautious about their safety" Itachi said.

"We can deal with that later, right now lets move" Naruto said as a warning siren went off around the village.

They hid themselves in a narrow almost pitch black alley and watched as the ninja and civilian loyalists that supported Yagura enough to join a militia began swarming to the large crater that was created by Naruto's jutsu. Eventually the constant stream of loyalists slowed and taking their chance Naruto grabbed a Kiri chunin that was lagging behind the others.

"Who... Who are you" the chunin stammered, in the darkness all he could see was a faint glow from Naruto and Itachi's dojutsu.

"We are the two people you have to help if you want to survive" Naruto said.

"What do you want, I don't know anything" the chunin said.

"Just tell us where the person in charge of this outpost is" Itachi said.

"You're both from the resistance aren't you... well I am not telling you anything, you can just kill me. You bloodline loving freaks" the chunin said.

Both Naruto and Itachi's eyes twitched at that. And Naruto no longer had any problems in placing his hand on the chunin's forehead. "Human Path: Soul Removal" the blond said and after absorbing all the relevant information that the chunin had to offer removed the soul of the chunin.

"Well what did you find out?" Itachi asked.

"He is in a compound in the center of town, there are two jounin guards and the commander is considered an elite jounin of Kiri" Naruto said flatly.

"Shall we go pay him a visit then?" Itachi asked.

"You go, I am going to deal with the ninja they have posted here" Naruto said.

"That isn't our mission, we are here to find Choijo's location" Itachi said.

"The Commander here knows it, this village was once full of resistance supporters and these ninja sent them all to prison just because they didn't think people with Kekkei Genkai deserved to be killed. Well I think it is time to send Yagura a message, that we are coming for him!" Naruto said and before Itachi could reply scaled the building and jumped off towards the site of his Raiton attack.

'_Typical Naruto, still can't stand to let anything go. It's not like we can stay here and protect this village ourselves. Oh well, I'll send a message to Jiraiya-sama and Mei once we leave here and tell them what happened as well as what ever information we receive_' Itachi thought before taking off in the other direction.

Naruto landed in the street behind a large group of Kiri he suppressed his chakra signature perfectly so that they didn't notice anything until they heard the several kunai rip through the air, but it was too late for the blonds targets.

"I think you are all looking for me" Naruto said with a smile before disappearing in a puff of smoke indicating that he was nothing more than a shadow clone.

The Kiri ninja were shocked that a young thirteen year old boy just got the drop on them. "Split up and find him now!" a jounin who seemed to be the leader ordered the large group on ninja and militia.

From the shadows using Jiraiya's Chameleon jutsu Naruto watched the teams split up and begin searching the village. '_They are splitting up, this is going to be all too easy_' Naruto thought as he waited for the last team to remain, the one containing the leader of the group that he had encountered.

Dropping his jutsu Naruto charged forward. "Thanks for sending everyone away... Rasengan!" Naruto yelled slamming the spinning ball of chakra into the jounin's chest leaving his team shocked at Naruto's sudden arrival seemingly out of nowhere.

The head jounin flew away and crashed through the side of a building but he was already dead from Naruto's jutsu. The other ninja in the group responded quickly and all unsheathed katana ready to attack the blond but Naruto was more than a match for three chunin and skillfully weaved in and out of the swipes of their blades before removing three kunai with on hand and as he jumped back sent each on at a separate ninja hitting a vital organ killing his targets quickly.

"Sorry, I'm not really a fan of killing but this is war and it can't be avoided" Naruto said to the corpses of the Kiri ninja before jumping off to locate the more groups.

(**Meanwhile**)

Itachi was standing in she shadows outside a large compound with high walls. And several guards stood overlooking the village.

Itachi ran through some hand seals and placed a genjutsu on the guards before effortlessly scaling the wall and entering the compound.

He found himself in a large open courtyard with a tall mansion like building at the far end. The mansion was about four stories tall and as long as four average sized houses stuck together. '_The man in charge must be in there. He's not exactly roughing it is he_' the Uchiha thought before closing the distance and entering the building via a window on the second floor.

Itachi arrived in a long corridor, red velvet carpet lined the floor and there was gold embroidery on the walls. It was a surreal experience even for someone like Itachi. Outside was a village that had been neglected and the people punished for their tolerance of the Kekkei Genkai clan's. But inside this building looked as though it belonged in the richest of city's far outside the reaches of war. In fact the only thing that kept Itachi grounded was the various explosions and general mayhem that his younger partner was causing out in the village at that very moment.

Itachi regained his composure after a short moment and began the search for his targets. '_My best guess would be that they will be hiding in an underground bunker if they fear an attack on the village. So I will try the basement first_' Itachi thought as he ran through the richly decorated corridors.

(**With Naruto**)

The blond was standing in the middle of the town square after dealing with another group of Kiri ninja, more than ready to jump off to find some more when he found himself surrounded. Around thirty shinobi and militia all began to close in on Naruto from every angle.

"You gave us a pretty good run around kid, but it's over now" a jounin said.

Naruto looked around and saw that there was indeed no escape without a fight. The closest building was cut off by what looked like the highest ranked of the group. '_They baited me, not bad, then again they are supposed to be ninja from one of the five great nations so I shouldn't be that surprised_' Naruto thought.

"Any last words kid?" a chunin holding two dueling kunai said with a smile.

"Yeah actually I have two... … Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said with a smile and the whole area around Naruto exploded out from Naruto's body in a wave, tossing the approaching ninja and militia away like they were nothing but a rag doll thrown by a crying child in a temper.

Smoke from the rubble filled the air obstructing Naruto's view. But that didn't effect him much as he kicked off heading straight for his first target, the jounin who had set the trap. Naruto made it to the man just as he picked himself up after Naruto's gravity jutsu. But he only had time to see the blond strike at him with a fist covered in Fuuton chakra that pierced right through his chest.

Two other Kiri ninja caught sight of Naruto and began preforming their own jutsu "Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet" they both yelled simultaneously and two dragons made of water shot towards the blond.

"Preta Path" Naruto said calmly and holding his hands out began to absorb the jutsu shocking both Kiri ninja. "Doton: Rock Slide" Naruto added before slamming his hands onto the ground, causing the land under the feet of the two ninja who had attacked Naruto to collapse burying the two men as the earth caved in around them.

Naruto moved on quickly dealing with any challengers with an air of ease, that sent terror through the ranks of the remaining Kiri ninja in the area.

For Naruto he had no time to be merciful. He recognized that if he stopped and began to spare the lives of these men then it would lead to his own death. This was Naruto's first taste of what it truly meant to be a ninja in times of war. There was no mercy on the battlefield and as such he could not show it now.

Once the blond had done away with around fifteen of the group that had attacked him the others began to flee in the various directions. Naruto was not inclined to allow that to happen and he took off after them stopping their escape one at a time before ending their lives quickly not wanting to draw it out.

(**With Itachi**)

Itachi found the stairs to lead to the basement but first he had to deal with two jounin chunin that were guarding the entrance.

'_No more hiding, it's time to take a page out of Naruto-kun's book_' Itachi thought as he walked out into the room containing the two guards.

Itachi casually walked forward not listening to the guards calls for him to identify himself. Slowly he activated his Sharingan and looked up making eye contact with the two chunin.

They both recognized the dojutsu and charged Itachi stabbing him in the chest with their blades but rather than collapsing Itachi bust into a murder of crows that flew around before reforming behind the two chunin.

The closest of the chunin responded by grabbing the Uchiha while the other held a kunai to his neck. "Got you! Now don't even think of trying anything?" one of the ninja said.

"I wouldn't dream of it, but first I think you should look closer at what you are doing before you do anything" Itachi replied.

The two chunin looked confused but soon went wide eyed as they soon found that they were both holding blades to the others throat instead of Itachi who was leaning casually against the wall. Watching the two ninja seconds away from killing each other.

"What the hell is going on!" one of the chunin said shocked.

"We are trapped in a genjutsu, it's a specialty of the Uchiha clan" the older chunin replied.

"You appear to have some experience with the Uchiha clan" Itachi said still resting against the wall calmly.

"That just mean's that once I break this genjutsu you wont stand a chance against me" he said.

"In that case I better not let you break the genjutsu then" Itachi said and began forming several hand seals. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu" he said.

The two chunin didn't stand a chance as they were burned away by Itachi's jutsu. '_I need to get moving. Last thing I need is the commander freaking out and fleeing the village_' he thought as he descended into the basement of the mansion.

Itachi came to a large set of large steel doors that looked like they could only be opened from the inside. Itachi sat in contemplation for a moment as he thought of the best way into the room. '_easiest option would be to wait for Naruto who could just bust the door open with his strength, but I think I will just have to take the door down with a jutsu_' he thought before running through some hand seals. "Suiton: Pressure Barrage"

A massively powerful stream of water shot into the door. The steel held for a few moments but eventually the door buckled and blew off its hinges.

"What the hell is going on!" came the call of a mans voice as the water from Itachi's jutsu began to recede.

Itachi slowly walked into the room. Quickly disabling the two bodyguards with quick strikes to several key nerves leaving them unconscious.

"Wait, I know you, you're Itachi Uchiha! S ranked criminal from Konoha. What are you doing here?" the jounin commander said standing up behind his desk.

"I am here for information on the location of Choijo Shibuya and the secret prison Yagura is using to hide away the people who support the resistance" Itachi said.

"You are even more crazy than the Bingo Books say if you think I am going to give you that information" the jounin commander said.

"I really don't have time to deal with you, ideally my comrade would simply extract the information we need, but seeing as he isn't around right now we will have to do this a more painful way" Itachi said.

"I wont break, do your worst" the man said confidently.

"Very well... Tsukuyomi" Itachi said.

The jounin commander was completely stunned and could do nothing as the world around him morphed. He was no longer standing in his office, instead he was in a large field tied to a cross. The air around him was thick and the sky was blood red. In fact the only color that this world seemed to have was red, everything else just seemed to be black or white.

"What is this... a genjutsu?" the he asked as he looked around unable to move.

"Welcome to my Tsukuyomi, for the next seventy two hours you will experience pain and suffering the likes of which will make you beg for a death that will never come. The only way to end it will be to give me the information I seek" Itachi said.

"You don't scare me, do your worse I will never break" the jounin commander said.

"Then let's begin shall we" Itachi said with an air of finality in his voice.

(**With Naruto**)

The dead bodies of Kiri ninja lay scattered around the village and the survivors were running scared. Naruto had torn through the village like a storm wiping out anything in his path. What ninja that could fled the village in order to send word to the Yagura of the young boy who had singlehandedly taken out a well fortified outpost. But even then their were no survivors capable of giving a detailed description of their attacker. All they had was the fact he was blond and wore a white robe, and even then that was what was told to them by others who had now been eliminated by Naruto.

Slowly after around twenty minutes after Naruto threw the first kunai the sounds of battle left the village and it was silent. Naruto calmly walked the streets waiting for someone to ambush him but nothing came. All remaining loyalist fighters had fled the village in fear of the blonds purge. 'Looks like it's over, I better go see how Itachi is doing' Naruto thought as he slowly walked towards the compound in the center of the village.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akaru and Akimi along with the First division of the resistance army arrived at the base of a large mountain.

"This could be a difficult place to capture" Akaru said looking up at the village.

"Yes, just look at the location of the village, they probably already know that we are coming" Akimi said looking weary of the task they were given.

Suddenly the figures of five people came running towards them. '_What the hell is this? They can't be serious in attacking us with this few numbers, and why would they attack anyway? They have the high ground. It would be much smarter to stay in the village_' Akaru thought but got ready for a fight either way.

As the people approached it became more and more clear to the approaching army that these people were in no mood to fight, in fact it looked like something had spooked them bad.

"Please we surrender, just call him off!" the nearest man yelled as they approached Akaru's location with their hands in the air to show they meant no harm.

"What are you talking about?" Akaru asked.

"The boy in the village, he is eliminating all of the loyalist's by himself. It's a massacre" the man said terror evident on his face.

"A boy is doing it?" Akaru asked in interest.

"Yes, so far he has taken out over one hundred ninja and militia out of the one hundred and twenty that were in the village all by himself" the spooked ninja said.

"You don't think he is talking about Naruto do you?" Akaru asked his sister.

"Can you think of any other boys that could do something like that, but if Naruto is there then that means so is Itachi but he is keeping out of sight" Akimi said.

Akaru nodded in agreement while several resistance ninja took the others into custody. "Naruto or not we need to go check out the village" Akaru said.

The Kiri ninja in command of the resistance division agreed and they all marched up into the village.

When they arrived they saw the bodies of the Kiri ninja littering the ground all around them. "They sure did a number here they thought as they walked to the center of the village. They arrived at the large compound Itachi had entered but found a gift waiting for them. The jounin commander unconscious and tied up along with the other survivors of Naruto's purge that hadn't run all tied up. Next to them was a letter, which Akaru picked up and scanned. "It's for you" he said handing the letter to his sister.

Akimi took the letter and began to read "_Looks like you weren't fast enough Akimi, and I thought you were the fastest kunoichi there is... Better luck next time. Naruto Uzumaki_" "Well at least we know for sure who caused this mess now" Akimi said scrunching up the letter and throwing it away.

(Outside the Village)

Naruto was following Itachi as he ran west at top speed. He didn't bother asking the stoic Uchiha just where they were heading, Naruto knew that his sensei would have a reason to be heading in this direction so he wouldn't complain.

It was almost an hour later when they stopped at a large lake. In the center was a tiny island with a small shack in the center. "It's here" Itachi said confidently.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked.

"Positive, use your dojutsu to see the chakra" Itachi said.

Naruto complied and he saw it, the lake was covered by a massive genjutsu, the small island in the center wasn't small at all, in fact it was massive almost twice the size of the village they had just left. And the shack was a large prison with high walls which had large spikes at the top that were channeling lightning between them.

So this is it. Did you find out how many guards there are?" Naruto asked.

"Only ten ninja take care of this facility, all cells suppress chakra completely making it impossible to escape" Itachi said expressionlessly.

"Then aren't they worried that outsiders will find it?" Naruto said.

"No they were confident in the quality of their genjutsu users and the fact only a handful of ninja knew of the location" Itachi said as he began to walk across the water to the prison island.

They soon found themselves standing at the base of the wall. To avoid the lightning at the top Naruto used a gravity jutsu to create a doorway in the middle of the wall to grant them access to the building.

"Okay Naruto, same game plan as in the village before, I will take care of Choijo, you bust everyone out of here" Itachi said.

"Sure thing" Naruto said with a smile.

"I need to go up to the top level, but I found out that there is a cage release at ground level that allows the prisoners out at certain times of the day, find the release and take care of the guards" Itachi said.

They once more split up Itachi running up a set of stairs while Naruto began scanning for the guards.

'_Looks like they are all together, what luck_' Naruto thought as he ran off in the direction of the chakra signatures. '_I think I should avoid the confrontation and get rid of them all quickly_' Naruto thought as he found himself staring at a large glass room where all the guards sat talking amongst themselves without a care in the world. "Katon: Devastating Blaze!"

A huge explosion rocked the prison and the Choijo shot out from behind his desk. Choijo was a short stocky man with spiky dark blue hair that seemed to avoid a large bald spot on the top of his head. "What the hell was that!" he exclaimed loudly. But the last thing he expected was to receive an answer.

"That was the beginning of the end of this prison" the voice of Itachi said calmly from behind Choijo.

"What are you talking about! Who are you, and why are you here!" the short balding man stammered.

"I'm saying that after today this place will no longer be a prison for Yagura to hide away the pro bloodline supporters. As for who I am that isn't important. But I am here to kill you" Itachi said.

"Just try it" Choijo said angrily as he slipped into a defensive position.

"In this small of a space that will not help you... Amaterasu" Itachi said as black flames erupted from his eye at the close proximity between Choijo and Itachi there was no way for the stocky Kiri jounin to avoid the jutsu.

Itachi left the room just as their target fell to the ground burnt to a crisp and the black flames began to spread. The Uchiha made it to a window in time to see thousands of people all flee the prison while Naruto stood in the courtyard directing them to the exits.

Itachi jumped through the window and landed beside the blond.

"How did it go?" Naruto asked.

"Target one of five has been eliminated" next up will be the head of the Anbu Hunters, Cou Ginji" Itachi said as they watched the black flames of Amaterasu spread around the prison.

"Then what are we waiting around here for, we need to infiltrate Kiri if we are going to get to our next target" Naruto said.

**End Chapter!**

**So target one of five is down. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter I gave Naruto and Itachi a chance to kick some ass. Going away for the weekend so you will have to wait until Sunday night at the earliest for the next update.**


	24. Commanders Niiro and Cou

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 24: Commanders Niiro and Cou**

A lone man stammered through the mist his shirt was torn at various places leaving only the mesh armor. He was exhausted from running for days on end, but he was slowly arriving at his destination. He burst through the mist and collapsed in front of a large gate with the symbol for Water engraved on an arch at the top.

Several guards saw the man and cautiously approached him. "Is he one of ours, or the rebels?" a guard asked.

"I don't know either way it looks like he has gone through hell to get here" another replied.

The man on the ground began to stir and the guards backed up not knowing if it was a trap. "I have vital information for Mizukage-sama" the man said weakly.

The guards stood for a moment longer before they sent one of the lower ranked guards to collect the man and carry him into the village. Little did the guards know that while they were inspecting the exhausted man two other arrivals had used the distraction to casually walk past the guards and into the village.

The guards carried the man inside and gave him some water. "What information do you have, is the resistance planning an attack?" one of the guards said.

"The attack already happened, we lost the northern outpost" the exhausted man said.

"What how many were there?" The guards asked simultaneously.

"All the damage was done by one boy. He completely decimated our forces, we didn't even stand a chance" the exhausted man said.

"So you expect us to believe that an entire division of troops were taken out by a kid?" A guard said disbelievingly.

"He was no ordinary kid. Nothing we did worked against him, all of our jutsu were simply useless against him. And every time someone got close enough to fight in taijutsu he used some weird jutsu to blow everything away from him" the man said.

The guards looked at each other as if unsure what to make of the mans story. But eventually the leader of the guards spoke. "That is a rather farfetched tale. But on the off chance that it is true we need to inform Yagura-sama. If the story turns out to be true we may well have found out why groups of our scouting teams have been found killed by some unknown jutsu. We will take this information to the head of the guard Niiro at his mansion once our shift is over"

(**Meanwhile**)

The two ninja who had used the distraction to sneak into Kiri were watching the scene in mild interest.

"Well your plan got us into Kiri, but now they are going to be looking for you" the Taller dark haired ninja said expressionlessly.

"It was bound to happen anyway, besides we needed a way into Kiri, letting a few people escape will make the loyalist troops scared of being the next target. And all we had to give away was the fact that it was a blond teen. And even then I can change my appearance if I really need to with Baachans special Henge" Naruto said.

"In any case lets get to work we need to find out where the head of the Hunter ninja will be" Itachi told his young companion.

Kiri was slightly smaller than Konoha. And the buildings were of a very different style, they were all of large cylindrical design and the roof were all covered in plants. A thick mist blanketed the village and coupled with several areas of the village that were burnt down due to being the homes of families killed at the start of the bloodline purge, and the hordes of Kiri Ninja standing around on guard. Made Kiri seem to be a rather depressing place to live.

Naruto and Itachi walked the streets while they scanned the area but they eventually came to a stop at a dango stall where they stopped for a snack.

"So what do you think?" Naruto asked.

"There are lots of Anbu keeping watch of the village from the shadows that may know where Cou will be, but at the same time if we were to take out one of them the others will know" Itachi said.

"Well I'm not that eager to fight the entire ninja population of Kiri" Naruto said.

"We will find another way, our latest information said that thirty percent of Yagura's ninja are located inside Kiri. It would be far too risky to make a scene in this village" Itachi replied.

(**Resistance Headquarters**)

Mei sat in her office looking over reports that were coming in when Ao burst into the room.

"Ao what is it?" Mei asked.

"Division One's attack was successful, Sangyou town is ours!" Ao said.

"Great new's and what about our casualties?" Mei questioned.

"There were no casualties, all fighting was finished before Division One even stepped foot into the village" Ao answered.

"How is that possible? What could have taken out all the men stationed at Sangyou town like that?" Mei said shocked.

"We have been told by the villagers that the loyalist's were all defeated by a young teenage blond boy wearing white. Then there was a letter left behind for the young swift release user from Jiraiya-sama's group. I am certain that they were eliminated by Itachi and the boy he is working with" Ao said.

"But why? They are on a mission that requires that they stay hidden, why would they draw attention to themselves?" Mei asked herself with a sigh.

There was a knock on the door and a young chunin came in. "Mei-sama, there are thousands of people flooding in requesting asylum from Yagura. They all claim to have been in prison for showing sympathy towards bloodline clans. One of them has a letter for you from the person they said rescued them" the chunin said, before handing over a small peace of paper.

Mei took the note and began to read. "_One down four to go. Choijo Shibuya and the secret Water Prison is not going to be a problem anymore. Just thought you would like to know. Naruto Uzumaki_"

"Well what do you know, looks like our numbers have picked up. Ao go help process the refugees. I need to go speak with Jiraiya-dono" Mei said as she stood up from behind her desk.

"At once Mei-sama" Ao said with a short bow. He then turned to the door and wordlessly instructed the chunin to show him the way to where the prison escapee's were being held.

Mei walked through the halls of headquarters until she came to Jiraiya's room. The toad sage was currently sitting at his desk writing on several scroll when the leader of the resistance knocked on his door.

"Come in" Jiraiya said loudly.

Mei entered slowly with the information Ao had just given her about Naruto and Itachi in hand. "It seems your plan to use Naruto and Itachi to take out Yagura's top supporters is working" Mei said as she entered. She then proceeded to hand Jiraiya the information she had received.

"I knew it would. So who did they get?" Jiraiya asked in interest.

"They killed Choijo. And Naruto apparently took out the outpost town we had division one to attack before they got there" Mei said.

"They probably needed information from the village" Jiraiya shrugged.

"Maybe, but that just goes to prove how valuable those two would be if they were fighting on the front lines" Mei said.

"Maybe, but if they have taken out Choijo then your numbers are bound to be boosted. By having them eliminate the generals behind the scene they will weaken Yagura's hold of power over the Land of Water, this is the best way to take them out. Take it from a man who has fought in two ninja world wars. You cut off the head and the body dies" Jiraiya explained.

"I admit the extra hands will be good for business. But why not just have them go straight after Yagura?" Mei asked.

"Yagura has done well in recent keeping himself hidden in his compound, it will take something special to draw him out. Like say two young ninja disposing of all of his best generals. We want to draw him out so we can kill him without destroying half of Kiri in the process" Jiraiya said.

"I guess I can see your point, but we have been fighting this war so long I am beginning to think that it will never end" Mei replied.

"Don't worry it will be over soon, Itachi and Naruto can handle this. By the end of the year we will all be calling you Mizukage-sama" Jiraiya said.

Mei smiled at that and relaxed a lot. "I really must thank you for all the help you and the others have been, your ability to gather information on where Yagura's forces are weakest is uncanny" she said with a smile.

"I am a spy master after all" Jiraiya said gloatingly.

"In any event it has turned the tide of this war" Mei said still smiling.

(**Kiri**)

Naruto and Itachi sat watching squads of Anbu come and go from the HQ. So far Naruto had discovered that rather than animal code names like they were given in Konoha the Anbu were determined by their rank and occupation. They had individual masks for each job. The Hunter ninja masks were white with a symbol for Kiri on the forehead, they also had a wave design stretching across the face.

There was a small hint of anticipation every time another group of Hunter ninja checked in, but each time neither Naruto or Itachi got any sight of where in the building they reported to.

"I don't suppose you would let me just flatten the whole complex?" Naruto asked.

"No, they could be underground" Itachi replied.

"Well there is bound to be someone in this village that knows how to find Cou" Naruto said.

"I'm sure there are lots of people. But we don't want to be found, and they are clearly suspicious of your Soul Removal jutsu. We don't need any unnecessary kills" Itachi explained.

"That's it!, while we are here in Kiri. We take out Niiro the red mist" Naruto said.

"We don't know where he is either" Itachi sighed.

"Actually yes we do. He's the head of the guard and he will be at his mansion inside Kiri, all we have to do is follow those guards we tricked when we entered the village. Then we have Niiro who will be able to tell us where Cou is, then we high tail it out of Kiri and begin our search for the last two generals" Naruto said.

"So we take out the commander of Kiri's guard and head of the Hunter Anbu in one night. I like it" Itachi said as a small smile graced his face.

The pair turned and left the Kiri Anbu HQ and slowly made their way back to the entrance in hopes of finding the same guards. Itachi cast a low level genjutsu on Naruto and himself to make it seem as though they were barely even there allowing for free movement around the village without being disturbed. Although a few people almost walked right into them while they were walking.

It was late that night before the guards finished there shift and split off, Naruto and Itachi followed the squad leader when he left and he led them to a large circular building almost as large as the Kage mansion. The guard knocked on the door and two jounin guards opened to greet him.

"So there are at least three jounin level ninja inside" Itachi said from where they were observing the exchange.

"So, nothing we can't handle in other words" Naruto replied.

"Be serious, we do not know how strong they really are. It is also important to do this quietly" Itachi said.

"Alright, so how do you propose we take them out?" Naruto asked.

"Quietly, separate them and do it silently" Itachi said.

"Well we need to get inside first. Can you see any open windows? Your eyesight with the sharingan is better than mine at night" Naruto said.

Itachi activated his sharingan and began to scan the building. "Second floor, third window from the left. It's open and big enough for us both to get through easily" Itachi said.

"Alright lead the way, I will follow" Naruto replied and the pair took off keeping to the shadows as they approached the large circular building and slipping through the large open window.

"Scan for their chakra signatures" Itachi said as they looked around the empty room they had entered.

"Found them, they're on this level. Total of five ninja" Naruto informed his sensei.

"Good work, come on lets get going" Itachi said and they both took off towards the meeting room.

When they were just around the corner from the meeting room Itachi and Naruto stopped and slowwed down. "The room is right in the center f the building with no windows, this is the only way in or out" Itachi said.

"So do we wait and take them out once they have finished?" Naruto asked.

"Nah lets just do it now. First we need to take out the two guards at the door" Itachi said.

"Alright let's do this" Naruto said.

"Quietly. No noisy jutsu only blades. Wait while I cast a genjutsu on the area around the guards... … Bringer of Darkness Jutsu" Itachi said quietly.

The guards didn't even have enough time to yell about their whole world going black before they each felt a kunai embed itself in their chests, cutting the wind pipe as it entered the lungs preventing them from alerting the ninja inside the room.

Itachi walked around the corner to find Naruto standing over two dead bodies a liberal amount of blood splattered on his once perfectly white robe.

"Can you hear anything?" Itachi said quietly.

Naruto placed his ear to the door and listened but nothing could be heard. "No it's dead quiet" Naruto answered.

"As I thought, the room has privacy seals up, this is perfect for us" Itachi said as he walked forward and turned the nob.

They walked in and saw the back of one man who was obscuring the view of another who was sitting behind his desk the other guard who immediately saw Naruto and Itachi was immediately placed under a genjutsu.

"So he want's us to believe that Sangyou town was taken over by a damn teenager all alone!" the man sitting at the desk said angrily.

"Oh I wasn't alone" Naruto answered causing both the ninja at the desk to turn to see Naruto and Itachi casually standing in the doorway.

"What the hell is this, how did you get in here!" the man at the desk yelled standing up. He was around the same height as Itachi and had a large red beard that matched his short flat hair and dark blue eyes.

"Well you left a window open so getting in here was pretty simple. And we are here for information" Naruto said.

In your dreams kid! Do you know who I am?" The man behind the desk yelled.

"Sure I do, you are Niiro the Red Mist. A title you received for the brutal massacre of the Yuki clan at the start of the bloodline purges. You were the sick bastard who took pleasure in having your men kill innocent women and children" Naruto said.

"I killed my fair share as well, and I wouldn't call them innocent, they all had tainted blood, we want to keep this land pure from freaks like them. Now Jicharo, Hiro, take them out" Niiro ordered.

The two other ninja in the room didn't move and just seemed to sway as if mesmerized. "They aren't going to help you. It seems they have both looked into Itachi's eyes and been caught in his genjutsu, as far as they are concerned they are already fighting us. Leaving me to deal with you" Naruto said.

"If you think I can't deal with some little gaki like you, then you are sadly mistaken. Now bring it boy!" Niiro said.

"Thought you would never ask. Its a good thing this room is protected by privacy seals, otherwise people might hear this" Naruto yelled as he charged forward striking a punch at Niiro's face only for him to slide out of the way.

"Pathetic child do you really think you can defeat me?" Niiro chuckled as he attempted a swing at Naruto only for the blond to flip away.

"Well defeating you isn't the problem, not killing you is. After all I cant let you die until we have the information that we are after" Naruto said.

"Cheeky brat, you don't know who you are dealing with. I will end you" Niiro said as he through another kick which Naruto vaulted spinning in mid aid to deliver one of his own that while being blocked still sent the man crashing into the wall.

"I guess it's you who doesn't know who they are dealing with. I am surprised you didn't recognize Itachi Uchiha, S ranked criminal from Konoha. That may have given you a hint as to who you were up against" Naruto said as he removed two kunai and sent them into the heads of the guards that Itachi was keeping occupied.

When Niiro picked himself up he found himself face to face with not only Naruto but Itachi as well.

"You will never get me to talk and you have already said you cant kill me because I have the information you need so fuck you!" Niiro spat.

"I didn't say you had to talk. Just that I couldn't kill you until I extracted the information that we needed. Itachi if you would please subdue him" Naruto said.

Itachi casually walked forward and Niiro backed away. "What the hell are you doing here anyway, this is a Kiri affair, why are you getting involved?" the guard commander said as he backed away. He had designed the room to stop anyone from getting in, he had never thought that he would ever need a way to escape like this.

"It's simple, what you are doing is wrong, and Naruto-kun and myself along with several others are here to put a stop to Yagura" Itachi said.

"You will never defeat Yagura, he is a jinchuuriki with complete control over his Bijuu, you are nothing but flies to him!" Nirro said as he reached the wall that Naruto had sent him crashing into just moments earlier.

"Look into my eyes and say that again" Itachi said as he activated his sharingan again.

Niiro forgot about the warning that Naruto had given him after the pair entered the room and looked right into the eyes of Itachi only to be caught in his genjutsu.

"Sure he is tough when he has an army at his back but alone he is little more than a jounin who knew how to climb the political ladders" Naruto said as he walked over to the man and placed his hand on the top of his head. "Human Path" the blond added and a few seconds later pulled the soul from his body.

"Well that's two down, did you find out where Cou is hiding?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, he has an underground compound beneath Anbu HQ but apparently it is full of traps and seals that Cou has designed to capture intruders. Fortunately Niiro knew the location and the way through" Naruto said.

"A seal master? We best be on guard regardless of what Niiro knew, there is no way that someone that takes so much care to stay hidden that they reside underground would ever give away all of his secrets to another" Itachi said.

"Well there is only one way to find out" Naruto replied.

"You're right, now lets get out of here before anyone finds us" Itachi said and the pair quickly moved back along the building to the window before slipping out into the night and off to find the next target.

They made their way back to Anbu Headquarters avoiding the various ninja patrols that were set up. Once they arrived Naruto took the lead and moved around to the back of the building to find a hidden passageway behind a large rock. The pair remained perfectly silent as they avoided the traps not even the sound of them breathing could be heard in the dimly lit corridors.

Eventually they came to a large room full of scrolls and books. In the center there stood a man in a blue kimono with two swords strapped in an X on his back. He also wore what appeared to be a white mask that was permanently stained with blood.

"You found your way through my traps quite impressive" the man said as Naruto and Itachi entered the room.

"You knew we were coming?" Itachi asked.

"I have sensory seals and camera's hidden, I know when anyone is coming. Not even Yagura can get into here without my knowing. But that is of little relevance, why are you two here? From the appearance of the younger one I would say it is not going to be a peaceful visit" the man said.

"Well that depends are you Cou Ginji?" Naruto said.

"Yes I am, so I take it that you are here to kill me?" Cou said.

"Yes, we are, you are our third target" Itachi said drawing his tanto and walking forward.

"Third target, so you must have already caused a bit of distruction, but now it is time that we do away with you, I have no intention of dying" Cou said and quickly drew his blades at the same time as the room filled with hunter ninja. That shot forward to engage Naruto and Itachi.

Itachi slipped though the first strike and countered it perfectly with the swing of his blade cutting the ninja's side. Naruto on the the other hand had to repel his attackers with a suiton jutsu.

"I don't suppose that you have another sword do you?" Naruto asked Itachi as the Anbu surronded the pair.

"Sorry Naruto-kun can't say that I do" Itachi replied.

"Looks like I am going to need to use some jutsu to get this job done" Naruto replied as he ducked under a swing from an anbu and attempted to strike back at the attacker only to have him escape in time. Naruto couldn't stop their as another Anbu kicked out at the blond while he was still in mid air. Naruto caught the kick and threw the much larger man at another ninja that was attempting to attack from behind.

"Fuuton: Cutting Wind Blades" Naruto yelled as he created two lades made of wind extend out from his arm.

The closest Anbu struck without hesitation but Naruto parried it with his blades made out of Fuuton chakra. They both battled for a moment until the Anbus blade snapped and Naruto shot forward removing the mans head.

Itachi who was once an Anbu captain and a master of kenjutsu was having a much easier time of it than Naruto and was weaving in and out of the strikes with ease as he predicted every movement.

While this was going on Cou was watching in interest as his men were being defeated by the pair. Slowly but surely their numbers began to lessen until only a handful remained.

"I will take care of the remaining Anbu, you take care of Cou" Itachi said taking over the fight.

"Interesting move, I would never have expected the great Itachi Uchiha to pass up on a chance to test his abilities against a strong opponent. I was once in the running to be one of the members of the Seven Swordsmen after all" Cou said as he looked at Naruto with a smug smile.

"Well then I guess he probably just had enough of sparing with Zabuza" Naruto replied his wind blades were still active.

"Is that so. Then let's begin shall we little boy. You are quite skilled for your age, to bad you wont live to find out your true potential" Cou said and his swords bote began to glow before the first burst into flames and the other became covered in a thin layer of chakra that extended the reach of the blade.

'_Shit, a fire blade. My Fuuton jutsu will be useless now_' Naruto thought and for his own safety deactivated his wind blades.

"So you are clever as well, you knew that your Fuuton jutsu is nothing compared to my Katon blade seal. A fire that will never extinguish until I stop channeling my chakra into it. And that's not all it can do" Cou said before swinging the blade over his head and bringing it down sending a huge stream of chakra towards Naruto.

"Preta Path" Naruto said and the flames were absorbed into his body like they were never even there at all.

"What the hell was that?" Cou asked in interest.

"Nothing to concern yourself with" Naruto said.

"Either way it would be unwise to waist my jutsu on you if you are somehow absorbing it" Cou said.

'_I need some way of countering his two blades, nothing that is lying around will be strong enough to hold out, and Itachi told me not to use any powerful jutsu. What should I do_' Naruto thought as Cou began approaching. Suddenly something inside clicked and at the palm of his hand a long black rod appeared out of thin air.

Naruto blinked as he stared down at the weird looking rod and Cou even stopped his advance to marvel at what he had just seen.

"You didn't summon a weapon, how did you get that?" the Kiri general asked.

"I created it" Naruto said passively.

"Created it? How?" Cou asked.

"Not really sure. But I think I have always been able to do it. There is still so much about the Rinnegan that even I do not understand. Looks like I have just found a new ability" Naruto said.

"Did you just say that you have the Rinnegan?" Cou asked.

"I did, but that isn't important" Naruto said and with his new weapon in hand charged forward.

Cou reacted quickly and brought down his weapon blocking the strike. They engaged in a kenjutsu match with Naruto's chakra rod up against both of Cou's blades. Eventually however Naruto's weapon broke.

"It seems that the Rinnegan's powers are not so great after all" Cou taunted. But he spoke too soon. The shattered chakra rod reformed in Naruto's hand and shot forward piercing the Kiri Anbu commanders arm.

Naruto could suddenly feel the mans chakra. And not only that, he could repress it. And control it. He had full control over part of his body.

"What the hell is going on!" Cou said shocked as the flames faded from his blade and the chakra manipulation ended on the other. "I can't move, and I cant even mold my chakra it is all out of control. What have you done to me!" He stammered.

Naruto didn't answer as he was still trying to figure out just how the ability worked himself. '_So looks like as long as my chakra is more powerful, I can control other peoples chakra and bodies, these rods act like a receiver for my chakra_' Naruto mused as he slowly approached Cou.

Naruto didn't even realize that Itachi had finished the last of Cou's Anbu and was now admiring Naruto's new skill carefully under the scrutiny of his sharingan. '_It's like a path of chakra. Naruto is using it to disrupt the chakra flow in Cou's body and replace it with his own removing control of his body... should enough of these recievers be put in place it is not inconceivable that Naruto could take control of bodies and use them like puppets. Amazing!_' Itachi thought as he watched Naruto slowly draw another chakra rod, at will this time and use it to pin Cou to the floor.

"Sorry Cou, but it was our mission to kill you" Naruto said and while Cou frantically struggled in vein to move his body Naruto placed a hand on his head. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer... Human Path: Soul Removal"

A silent scream that didn't even reach Cou's own ears appeared on his face as Naruto removed the translucent form of his soul and released it into the pure world.

"It's done. We should get out of Kiri before sunrise" Itachi suggested.

"Yeah. I think we should head back to the Resistance Headquarters. The last two targets are the head generals in command of Kiri's army that is fighting outside Kiri, in the Land of Water. We wont be able to get to them without drawing out Yagura's main forces" Naruto said.

"Did you find that out from Cou?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, he has some other information that I think Jiraiya sensei and Mei would like to know as well but it would be best to tell them in private. Come on let's get out of here" Naruto said and the pair left sure to avoid all of the traps that littered the way out.

(**Several Hours Later**)

Yagura stood expressionlessly staring down at the dead body of Cou. His bodyguards marveling at the thick metal rods that pinned his body to the ground. In the shadows far behind Yagura however there was a man who had a contemplative look on his masked face as he looked at the injuries Cou had sustained.

'_So it appears that there is another Rinnegan user. This could be rather interesting. I wonder who it is. To the best of my knowledge most of the people who have the minute possibility to awaken the Rinnegan are dead. I will find out who has come to end my party soon enough I guess. Until then I shall just enjoy myself. This game had to end eventually after all_' the mask man thought with a chuckle before leaving the room in a circular ripple of space.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry it took so long, it's currently double exp on CoD so I was kinda preoccupied. Actually it still is but I wrote this up during my breaks. In any case hope you enjoyed it. I will bring the other members of the Yoinokuchi back into the picture next chapter. Naruto and Itachi are basically done with their ass kicking tag team for now.**


	25. The Loyalists Retreat

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 25: The Loyalists Retreat. **

Naruto and Itachi ran through the mist away from Kiri, the destination was a small village a few hours run away, maybe more if the mist held.

Behind them in Kiri a vacuum of power had been created. Yagura's generals in charge of the defense of Kiri and the hunter ninja gone, the city was in turmoil even though the dead bodies of Niiro and Cou had only just been found. To make matters worse there were no suitable clear cut replacements. And because of this the higher ranking ninja who wanted the job turned on each other justifying the name of "The Bloody Mist".

Unknown to the people of Kiri a masked man sat atop the tallest tower looking down on the carnage as it unfurled below. '_What a nice bit of chaos my new friend has made I couldn't have done any better myself. He picked the perfect targets to cause the most damage in Kiri's loyalist army. I must say that I am impressed_' he thought gleefully as parts of the village began to burn due to the fighting.

It took the two Yoinokuchi ninja longer than expected to find the village in the fog that blanketed the land at night. The sun was still an hour from rising but that suited the pair to no end, they were unsure if Kiri's forces were tracking them or not.

"What is so special about this place? It doesn't look like much, although with a nation in the middle of a war i guess that is a bit harsh" Naruto said as they walked through the seemingly abandoned village.

"There is an entrance to the underground tunnel system here" Itachi replied.

"Really, aren't we a little far behind enemy lines for that?" Naruto asked.

"It is a one off, the special operations teams use it for sabotage and assassination missions" the Uchiha said.

"That makes sense I guess" Naruto said as he followed Itachi into an abandoned house that looked like it had been put up for demolition years ago.

Itachi walked into the center of the living room and smeared a small amount of his blood on the floor. A large seal array began to glow and the floor separated to reveal a large staircase.

"Let's go it will still take awhile to reach the Resistance Headquarters so we better make a move" Itachi said.

Naruto nodded in agreement and followed. The tunnel was completely dark, Naruto had no idea where he was going until Itachi lit a torch that had been placed on the wall. The blond found one of his own and lit it using a Katon jutsu.

Compared to the other underground tunnels that Naruto had seen during his time in the Land of Water this one was by far the worst. It was narrow only allowing for two people to just stand side by side. And the floor was uneven, with several bumps and rocks extending out.

"You know compared to the others, this tunnel is a dump" Naruto said.

"It was built quickly and is only used on rare occasions. So it isn't that big of a surprise to me" Itachi replied.

"How did you know about this place. Did you use it for a mission while the rest of us were in the chunin exams?" Naruto asked.

"Yes just once, I was asked to lead a team to destroy a new weapons factory in a village just outside of Kiri. Because of that I was shown the passageway and they added my blood to the list of people that could activate it. If anyone else tries to get into the tunnel without the seal the whole thing will collapse" Itachi said.

The pair walked through the tunnel talking quietly as they went. It took them several hours to arrive at a circular room that connects the rooms between villages and resistance outposts.

"Which way now?" Naruto asked.

"We go west" Itachi said before taking a now well lit tunnel. It was an still an hour before the tunnel opened up again to reveal another juncture room. This time they went north. Half an hour later it opened up to reveal a large room. There were people frantically running around sending out messages to the surface.

"What's going on here?" Naruto asked as they exited the tunnel.

"It's them!" one of the men said in excitement.

They were then greeted with loud cheers. And various ninja all came around trying to shake Naruto or Itachi's hand or pat them on the back.

"Uh Itachi sensei do you have any idea what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know" Itachi replied.

"I guess it's no real surprise you don't know yet?" the voice of Jiraiya called out from the other side of the room. The toad sage was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed.

"Jiraiya sensei, what's going on?" Naruto called back.

"Because of you Yagura's army is in turmoil, they have been in open retreat all over the country. We have claimed more than three quarters of this nation's loyalist land in the past six hours. We now have Kiri and the remaining forces that haven't surrendered yet surrounded. The loss of three of the enemies ranking generals in a week has created a vacuum and the remaining ranking ninja are killing each other in an attempt to take their place" Jiraiya said with a satisfied smile on his face.

"They finally held up the retreat a few hours march from Kiri. The only thing that stopped them were the two remaining generals, Niang and Taniyama. We have set up defensive hold points in case of a retaliatory strike. But I believe that it will be awhile before they are ready to launch any form of counter attack" Mei said entering the room with Ao a smile plastered on her face.

"It seems even without your added help this war is but weeks from ending" Ao said.

"Told you those two would bring the end of the war much faster on there own, rather than fighting on the front lines like the other Yoinokuchi members. Not that they haven't been doing great things" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah how has everyone been while we have been gone?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Everyone is fine, I figured that you would be coming back here so I called everyone back from the front lines. We still have two more targets after all, but we will need to draw the majority of Yagura's remaining forces out to do that" Jiraiya said.

"Awesome I know it has only been about a month since we left on our mission but it seems like it has been much longer than that" Naruto said.

"How do you intend to draw our Yagura's main forces?" Itachi asked.

"We throw them some bait. Maybe the people that have cost them the war" Jiraiya said.

"You plan on throwing them to the wolves?" Ao asked shocked.

"In a sense yes. We need them to find out a specific location that we can have our army encounter theirs. So we make the enemy find that place to be where Naruto and Itachi are hiding" Jiraiya said.

"So a simple piece of misplaced information. We let the enemy get their hands on. And because of the trouble Naruto and Itachi have caused they will send the main army to avoid the same thing that happened at the northern outpost town" Ao said approvingly.

"Yes and we will all be there to deal with them, giving Naruto and Itachi time to get behind the enemies front lines and take out the twins. But we have a little planing to do before we can accomplish that and not to mention we need them in the condition to send there army" Jiraiya explained.

"So basically we sit and wait? Shouldn't we push on and force them back we can win this war without this plan" A stocky man with war paint on his face in the shape of two waves meeting at the center of his forehead said.

"If we continue to push on recklessly we could fall into a trap. Even with the added turmoil we can't afford to be reckless" Mei said.

Naruto and Itachi were taken to their quarters still being praised as Hero's much to the embarrassment of the pair.

Jiraiya went to talk to them and was joined by Mei. When they entered both Naruto and Itachi were sitting on their respective beds. Still with a mild embarrassed look.

"How's it going guys?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk as he entered.

"I have been praised before, I was considered the one of the most promising members the Uchiha clan had ever seen. But this is so much more intense" Itachi said.

"The only sort of crowd reaction I have ever had has been negative, to be called a hero is a bit much" Naruto said.

"Regardless, you two have saved this country. It is only a matter of time now before the War ends. You have managed to do in a month what the constant fighting has not been able to accomplish. Kiri under Yagura is made in bloodshed. Everyone that passed the exams at the academy knows that they need to outlast the others to make it to the top. Because of that the loyal ninja who desire power have wiped each other out and we stand on the brink of ending this war" Mei said.

"How many other people know about what happened?" Naruto asked.

"Everyone, even the loyalists. Some of the people are calling you 'God's Judgment'. Making those responsible for the bloodline genocide pay for their crimes" Jiraiya said proudly.

"Aw man, I didn't want this, I haven't worked any harder than anyone else, if anything Mei deserves the credit for holding these people together. She is a real leader and hero to these people" Naruto said.

"You know behind closed doors you are rather humble, but in a battle you are sometimes seen to be arrogant" Itachi said.

"Well there are a few reasons for that. It get's under the opponents skin, granted not as well as your stoic detached calm. And also it pays to be confident, makes other less likely to challenge me" Naruto said.

"It is a relief to hear you say that, I was beginning to fear you were suffering from a swollen head" Itachi said.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Naruto pouted.

"Nothing really. Arrogance is the downfall of great people. It is what made me give up hope of saving my accursed clan. Their belief that they were better and superior to everyone else because of the sharingan. They wanted to rule Konoha because they were stronger than others. When you're strong you become arrogant and withdrawn. That was the downfall of the Uchiha" Itachi said.

"But it doesn't have to be that way. If you work hard you appreciate the power you have earned. That is how we grow as people. Growth occurs from hard work and pushing yourself beyond your limits. Realizing that is important" Jiraiya said.

"I get it. Don't worry I won't let my skills get to me. Oh that reminds me... look what I can do" Naruto said. He then proceeded to create two chakra rods out of nothing in his hand.

"Amazing how did you do that?" Mei said shocked.

"I discovered I could do it in my fight with Cou, he was a kenjutsu user and I needed a weapon. And then just like that, one of these black rods appeared. I used my chakra and solidify it forming these" Naruto said.

"Amazing to be able to create something from nothing. It is a power only the Sage of Six Paths was said to have. Maybe you really are his heir" Mei said shocked at what she was seeing.

"Rod's are one thing. But the Sage was said to have made several great tools. That had amazing properties. These are impressive, but not up to his skill level" Itachi said.

"Then it looks like he still has a lot to learn. It is a bonus of being young after all" Jiraiya added.

"Do you really think it is possible for me to even come close to the Rikudou Sennin?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know kid, but I know you have the potential to be the strongest ninja alive and to become the person that brings about a great change in the world" Jiraiya said.

"I think we should let them get some rest, they must be tired" Mei suggested.

"Yeah you're right. Get some sleep guys you both did amazingly well" Jiraiya said before they left the room.

(**Several Hours Later**)

Itachi woke and looked around the dimly lit room. It was always hard to tell what time it was when you lived underground. But he assumed it was the late afternoon or early night.

Naruto was still fast asleep breathing heavily but not quite snoring. Not wanting to wake Naruto up, Itachi quickly get dressed and left the room. Walking out he found several people waiting for him.

"Ah it is good to see that you are up Itachi-sama" a man said.

"Sama? You don't have to call me that, Itachi is fine" the usually stoic Uchiha said calmly although he had a small blush of embarrassment.

"But it is only right Itachi-sama, you and young Naruto-sama have saved the Land of Water. You are both being praised as miracle workers, the men who crippled Yagura's armies. We give you the title as a necessity Itachi-sama" the man replied.

"Well I would prefer to just be called by my name" Itachi said flatly. "Tell me, have the others in our group returned yet?" he asked.

"Yes I believe they are all in the relaxation area" the man said.

"And where is Jiraiya-sama?" Itachi added.

"He is in his quarters working on some notes that he said were vitally important, and he wasn't to be bothered" the man replied.

Itachi nodded and walked off.

"Hey where are you going, the relaxation area is back that way" the man called pointing in the opposite direction.

"I'm going to talk to Jiraiya-sama. His smut book can wait, although I can think of a a few people in Konoha who would disagree" Itachi said. And interestingly enough in Konoha both Hiruzen and Kakashi simultaneously sneezed.

He came to Jiraiya's door and walked right in. "Itachi, what are you doing here?" Jiraiya asked.

"I came to talk to you, it's something about Naruto's new skill to create those rods. When I said they were not as remarkable as the seven tools of the Rikudou Sennin... I lied. They are just as amazing even though they do not look it" Itachi said.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked.

"When Naruto was in combat with the head of the Hunter ninja Cou Ginji, he stabbed cou with one of the rods. From my sharingan I could see what was happening. Naruto was able to flood Cou's system with his own chakra and suppress it. He could even to a degree control Cou's movements, I am not entirely sure if he even knew that but if I am correct, Naruto could in theory control another person completely if he had enough of those rods inserted into someone" Itachi said.

"So they make the other ninja's chakra useless and unable to be molded while forcing his own chakra into their system to control their body and those rods act like a receiver to his chakra" Jiraiya surmised.

"Yes from the brief encounter that is what I believe to be the true purpose of those rods" Itachi said.

"I see, I have been doing some research on the Rikudou Sennin over the past few hours looking for references to those poles. And I found a most interesting jutsu. It's called Banbutsu Sozo, the Creation All Thing's Jutsu. The writings stated that the sage could create almost anything he imagined as long as he had the imagination. He would use Yin chakra to create shape and form from nothingness, much like Naruto's chakra rods. But the jutsu doesn't stop there. After creating an object, it has the ability to breath life into it with Yang chakra. So in theory he could remove a soul and place it into a body that he created for it and bring the object to life" Jiraiya said.

"So the only limitation the jutsu has is it cant create a soul?" Itachi asked.

"Well from the readings I would say yes. But in practice it would be far more difficult. You say Naruto learned that he could do this when he was looking for a weapon to fight Cou right?" Jiraiya said.

"Yes that is correct" Itachi replied.

"And how long would you say it took the object to form?" Jiraiya continued.

"A few seconds, five at the most" Itachi said.

"Then I would say the Jutsu would take a long time, to use and a lot of chakra should he try and make something more complex as thin black rods are not my first thought when I think of weapons. He may even need to rely on Kyuubi to make something that could be considered living" Jiraiya said.

"But the could make anything, as long as he can think of the right components and knows how it works. Like a heart or lungs for someone in need of a transplant" Itachi said.

"Or perhaps a new set of eyes for a blinding brother figure" Jiraiya said in understanding.

"I would rather not go blind, and I still need to fight Sasuke one of these days. But at the same time I will not pressure Naruto into doing it" Itachi said.

"They wouldn't be normal eye's, if he made them for you there is no telling what they would do. After all look at what those rods can do" Jiraiya said.

"I would like to never need them, but having the option is somewhat comforting. And who knows if it's done right I might have a new Kekkei Genkai different from the sharingan and I could be free of my clan forever" Itachi replied quietly.

"If there is anyone who can do it I am sure it would be Naruto, he is a lot like his mother, so talented yet always getting into trouble" Jiraiya said reflectively.

"Do you plan on telling him about his father? He is strong enough to protect himself now and he has the right to know" Itachi asked.

"I want to, but I am scared as to how he will react. He isn't the biggest fan of Konoha after all" Jiraiya said sadly.

"He can take it, if he can't then he isn't your child of prophecy" Itachi said.

"Yeah I guess I have to tell him. But when? We are in the middle of a war right now. Even if it is almost over" Jiraiya sighed.

"After the war, we are still taking him on a training trip to finish his education right?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, I want to take him to see the Toad Grand Elder, but he hasn't signed the contract. And I am not sure if he even can" Jiraiya said.

"Perhaps it would be wise to summon the boss summon Gamabunta. He will be able to give you an answer on Naruto signing the summons" Itachi suggested.

"Signing Gamabunta... I would really prefer to avoid that. He gets rather grumpy. Only person he ever really let summon him on a regular basis was Minato" Jiraiya said.

"Then is there anyone else that you could ask?" Itachi mused.

"Well there is the elders but this seems a little mundane to call them, still they would have a much better understanding of Naruto's summoning abilities and the toad law than Gamabunta" Jiraiya thought out loud.

"Then when we leave on our training trip simply summon them to talk to you and Naruto along with the contract scroll. It can't exactly hurt to try" Itachi replied.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto awoke in a daze. '_Wow I haven't slept that well since I left the Land of Fire hideout. I wonder where everyone is_' he thought as he rolled out of bed and slowly got dressed.

Once fully clothed he left his room to find the same man that had greeted Itachi upon his exit. "Uh hello, can I help you?"

"Oh not at all Naruto-sama. I am here to assist you in anyway that you might need" the man said.

"Well you can start by not calling me Sama. Other than that I don't need anything so you don't need to stand around here" Naruto replied.

"Thank you. Oh by the way, Miss Fuu came to check up on you along with Gaara-sama. I believe they are waiting for you to wake in the recreation area one floor down.

"Gaara-sama? What did he do to get that honor?" Naruto asked.

"He is the hero of a battle on the eastern planes outside of a Loyalist stronghold. Our men were about to be leveled by a large water jutsu and Gaara-sama was able to save the lives of everyone in his division" the man replied.

'_At least he received the honor for saving lives not taking them like I have_' Naruto thought. "Thank you, I will go meet with them at once" he said and ignoring the bow turned to leave down the corridor towards the staircase.

'_I don't think I will be able to get used to that, I'm starting to miss Cou and Niiro already_' the blond thought as he descended the stairs in order to see his friends again.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so not much happened this time, mostly reaction to Naruto and Itachi's successful assassinations and there implications on the war. Thought I would break up the action a bit. Anyway hope you liked it and as always suggestions are welcome. **


	26. A Trap is Set

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 26: A Trap is Set**

Naruto walked down the stairs and was once again greeted with cheers from the gathering crowd. Naruto tried his best to hide his face, but there was not much he could do. He was the center of attention from the moment he had entered the room.

The blond gingerly walked through the crowd scanning to find the other members of the Yoinokuchi. But it was Akimi who found him first. Humping on his back and slapping him on the back of his head.

"Ow what was that for?" Naruto asked when Akimi hopped down.

"That was for taunting me with that letter. Why couldn't you have stuck around to say hi or something. I haven't had anyone to talk to other than solders and Akaru for a month" she said.

"Well at least you had other people. Have you ever tried joking around with Itachi sensei? You would have more luck getting his brother to dance around in a pink tutu and confess his everlasting love for Sakura" Naruto said.

"Hm maybe you have had it bad as well. You poor baby... Come on everyone wants to know what you have been up to with Itachi, all we have been told are rumors" Akimi said before dragging Naruto over to a corner table where the other members of the Yoinokuchi sat.

"Well look who's finally up. I must say that I am impressed. Even when I was a ninja at Kiri that bastard Cou was untouchable. It would have been easier to have just gone after Yagura himself" Zabuza said with a sadistic smile.

"It was only a matter of gaining the right sort of information. He had been cooped up for too long in his underground hideout and neglected his training. But he had spy's everywhere. And knew quite a few things that he probably shouldn't" Naruto said.

"Like what?" Akaru asked.

"There is a man, who is rarely seen except for when he wants to be, and even then is always wearing a mask. He said the slaughter of the bloodline clans was all his idea and Yagura is somehow being controlled by the man. I still have to tell Jiraiya about this, I forgot to mention it when we came in. I was too tired.

"Someone is controlling the Mizukage... Then Yagura might be innocent?" Fuu said.

"Not exactly, Yagura still has the ability to do as he wishes at some times, the masked man only uses him when he needs to. Yagura is still a mass murdering bastard. Just a mass murdering bastard that has had someone to push them into what ever the masked man wants him to do" Naruto said.

"So how is he being controlled? Some sort of genjutsu?" Akaru asked.

"I don't know, the only genjutsu that I know that can control someone like that are Itachi sensei's and even then it is limited not a full controlling jutsu" Naruto replied.

"But still there is a mastermind behind this war, and we must have thrown a wrench into his plans. As far as I'm concerned that is a win" Akaru added.

"Yeah well we can worry about that later if it comes up. I want to know what you guys have been up to. I hear that everyone is praising you as a hero Gaara" Naruto said.

"Yes it is a rather different feeling to how I was treated in Suna... Although the title Sama is hard to accept" Gaara replied.

"Well if you were still worried about having to justify your existence you don't anymore. Your a hero to a nation" Naruto said with a smile which Gaara returned.

"What about you Fuu, how was training with Zabuza?" Naruto asked.

"It was good, a lot of learning by doing, and it was really hard work, but I learned a lot. I'm much stronger now as well" Fuu said happily.

"You will have to show me some time" Naruto replied.

"I would love to" Fuu said with a large smile on her face.

They all sat and talked for awhile after that about their experiences in the war so far. Naruto listened intently to the stories of battles they had all taken part in. Naruto found Fuu's tales of her training with Zabuza quite entertaining. As he would often give the young kunoichi tasks to complete that were often more difficult than she thought that she could complete as part of her training.

Awhile later Itachi entered the room and joined the others helping Naruto recall their adventures over the past month.

Eventually the fact that Naruto had slept most of the day caught up with the others and they began to head to sleep leaving only Fuu and Itachi awake.

"So now that Zabuza is gone, what was it really like hanging out with the 'Demon Of The Mist' for a month" Naruto asked.

"Scary, he enjoyed the fighting a little more than I did. He also made me learn the silent killing technique. But you were right when you said that he was a master of stealth and could teach me a lot. Still I think I preferred you teaching me, it was a lot more fun and less life threatening. On one mission Zabuza made me infiltrate an enemy camp and plant explosive seals alone" Fuu said.

"Well with any luck this war will be over soon and we can get back home then I might be able to see what I can train you in" Naruto said with a smile.

"I hope so, I'm glad that I have been helpful to these people but I would like some time to sit down and relax, get to know everyone during more peaceful times" Fuu replied.

They talked for awhile longer until it seemed they were all caught up on what the other had been doing during the time they had been apart.

"So do you want to show me what you have learned?" Naruto asked eventually.

"What now? In the middle of the night?" Fuu asked.

"Why not, there wont be anyone on the surface. And all the villagers are now under Resistance control. Let's head up to the surface and you can show me what you have learned and I will show you a cool new thing I learned how to do" Naruto said.

"Alright I guess so, let's go" Fuu said and the pair got up to leave.

"Hey Itachi sensei do you want to come?" Naruto asked before they left the table.

"No I said I would help Jiraiya-sama find a decent location for the enemy to think we are hiding. You two can take care of yourselves I am sure" Itachi replied.

Naruto and Fuu climbed up through a ladder that took them out to the surface. They were in a open field beside a large lake. The full moon illuminated the water and the reflected light gave the area a heavenly glow.

"Wow this place is beautiful" Fuu said in awe.

"Yeah it really is I had no idea that this was up here" Naruto said

"Yeah so what was this new technique you learned?" Fuu asked turning around to look at Naruto. '_His eyes have a feint glow to them, I can see them so clearly even at night_' she thought almost in a trance.

Naruto's voice pulled her out of her musings. "I don't think so, show me what you learned from Zabuza first, then I will show you my new skill"

"Aw no fair" Fuu pouted.

"Tough, now come on show me what you have learned" Naruto said.

"Fine... Hidden Mist Jutsu" she said and the air filled with a thick mist that obscured the view of the lake but was hauntingly illuminated by the moonlight.

'_Hm she has really improved, only the faintest trace of her movements and chakra can be felt... Impressive_' Naruto thought as he stood seemingly alone in the middle of the mist.

Suddenly Naruto jumped to the side as Fuu attempted a mock strike. Naruto's response was to quickly trip the green haired jinchuuriki and pin her to the ground.

"You're a lot better than you were when we left, and that attack would have worked on most ninja, but unfortunately for you I am not like most ninja" Naruto said as he held her arms above her head and he saddled her waist.

Fuu was very thankful that it was night and vision was not great because she was blushing uncontrollably at the position Naruto had placed her in. "H-How did you know where I was going to attack from?" she stammered not even bothering to struggle.

Naruto smiled and pulled her to her feet. "I could hear your movement through the air, I channeled chakra into my ears allowing me to hear things that I normally wouldn't" Naruto explained.

"So you win again it seems" Fuu said with a smile.

"I would say you have, your stealth is impressive now, you learn really quickly" Naruto said.

"Well when you are in a town filled with enemy ninja and you need to escape, you either learn fast or die" Fuu joked.

"Yes that is a rather good incentive to improve" Naruto chuckled.

"Well it's your turn now" Fuu said.

"Alright here goes" Naruto replied and slowly the lock black chakra rod appeared in his hand. "Pretty cool huh?" he said proudly.

"That's Amazing! How did you do it?" Fuu said clearly impressed.

"Well in truth I am not really sure, I just sort of think that I need a weapon and add chakra, and I get these. I can make them as long or short as I want. And when I am close to them I can sort of feel them, like they are part of me, it's sort of hard to explain" Naruto said.

"I have never seen anything like it before, you can just create them from nothing" Fuu said.

"Yeah I found out I could do it by total fluke, but that is pretty much how I have discovered all of the Rinnegan's abilities so far, I don't really have much to go on, Jiraiya sensei has been doing research but he hasn't been able to find many solid leads" Naruto said.

"I'm sure in time you will learn everything in time. You are an amazing ninja after all" Fuu said

"Thanks. Anyway do you think we should head back inside now?" Naruto said.

"Uh can we stay a little longer, this place is really peaceful and I want to enjoy it some more. Lets go sit down there by the lake" Fuu said and grabbing Naruto's arm dragged him to sit under a tree at the edge of the water.

They sat for a long time in a comfortable silence, no words needed to be said. They both just sat enjoying each others company and the peaceful serenity of the scenery.

After awhile Naruto noticed that Fuu was shaking from the cold so he moved to sit right beside her removing his Yoinokuchi cloak and covering them both with it like a blanket. "You should have been wearing your cloak it's cold out here" Naruto said kindly.

"Sorry I didn't know it would be this cold" Fuu said.

"That's fine, just tell me when you want to head back inside okay" Naruto said with a warm smile.

Once more Fuu was glad that it was dark and therefore hiding her blush. '_What is wrong with me? I'm __blushing like an academy fan girl. It's not like I like him or anything... Do I?_' she thought her answer came subconsciously when she leaned into Naruto and relaxed. '_He's so warm... Oh Kami, I do like him. I guess it's not so surprising, he was the first person to ever treat me like a person. He saved me from the hell I was living in Taki_'

The two jinchuuriki sat for awhile enjoying the peaceful scenery until Fuu fell asleep her head resting peacefully on Naruto's shoulder.

'_She fell asleep, I should take her back inside. It's going to be a pain in the ass to carry her down that ladder, I will have to use a gravity jutsu to do it without waking her_' Naruto thought as she began to stand.

Naruto carefully manipulated the gravity around Fuu to lift her into the air at his side as he walked to find the entrance to the hideout.

Entering the base Naruto went straight to Fuu's room and left her wrapped in his cloak as he lay her on the bed and left, deciding that he should try to sleep as well.

(**The Next Day**)

Naruto woke late and went to find Jiraiya who was working on his novel. Arriving at the door he knocked twice before the toad sage answered.

"What do you want Gaki, I'm busy here" Jiraiya said impatiently.

"I need to tell you about something that Cou found out about Yagura" Naruto said.

"Really this is interesting. It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the rumors that he is being controlled is it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes it does, and they aren't rumors. Yagura is being controlled at least half of the time. To what purpose I don't know, all that I was able to find out was that he is being controlled by a masked man. It may be that Yagura was controlled into starting the bloodline purges. But even if that is the case he hasn't done anything to stop it during the time that he is in control of his body, I think the man would be someone who is in someway friendly with the Mizukage" Naruto said.

"I see, that is interesting news. But it doesn't change anything. Our plans have to go ahead without change for now, we can deal with this masked man when or if he shows himself" Jiraiya said.

"I agree, I just thought you should know what I found" Naruto said.

"I will pass the news onto Mei, you should go grab some breakfast before the kitchens close to prepare lunch" Jiraiya said and Naruto nodded and left the room.

Over the next few days the members of the Yoinokuchi all stayed in the resistance HQ happily chatting at times Naruto would gout and train often accompanied by Fuu and Akimi. Sometimes Jiraiya and Itachi would come and teach Naruto some advanced jutsu or skills while the two kunoichi would watch.

This went on for almost a week until they were called into the war briefing room. "So I take it we are going back out into the firing lines" Naruto said as he entered the room followed by Itachi.

"Yes, we have the perfect location. A low lying town with good defenses. You two are considered the most wanted people in the Land of Water. So Yagura will do anything it takes to take you both out" Jiraiya said.

"So in other words he will send the remaining forces after us" Itachi said.

"What about the rest of us, I don't want to stay behind while Naruto and Itachi are used as bait" Akimi said.

"That's why we are all going with them. Along with what extra units can be spared. We will be out numbered but we will have a good chance at ending the war if they take the bait" Jiraiya replied.

"So when do we leave?" Naruto asked.

"Later today, as soon as possible" Jiraiya replied.

"A battle to all but end the war, I'm in" Zabuza said with a smile.

"Well let's not waste time around here, we have a lot of ground to cover" Naruto said. And without waiting for anymore orders left the room heading to collect his things.

"He seems eager" Akaru said.

"He want's the fighting to end, and this is the best chance for that to happen" Itachi voiced.

"Doesn't he even care that he is being used as the bait in a trap?" Fuu asked.

"He wouldn't care about that sort of thing, he would much rather help out others than protect himself. That's just the kinda guy he is" Akimi sighed.

"So we fight and make sure Itachi and Naruto both come back alive" Akaru said determinedly and he too left the room to collect his things.

'_Hopefully this will be the start of the breaking of the chain. Hate begetting hate, wars producing more war's. This must be broken or this world will be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. The five nations have done nothing but move to strengthen themselves. It is time we move to shoulder that hatred and Naruto will be the symbol for our revolution_' Jiraiya thought as he followed Akaru out.

"I guess that is our answer, let's go get our things ready" Akimi said and she dragged Fuu and Haku away with her.

Soon all of the members of the Yoinokuchi were standing at the above ground entrance to the Resistance base.

"Well let's head out. For the first time we will all be fighting together" Jiraiya said proudly as he looked at the group all wrapped up in their robes.

"I thought Mei and Ao would be joining us" Akaru said.

"I believe she is arriving later with our back up. We need to get there first so the loyalist spy's that were allowed into the village won't suspect a trap" Itachi replied.

"The what are we waiting for, let's head out" Naruto said eagerly, before pushing off at a decent speed.

Everyone else followed after Naruto and didn't stop until they reached a large village with well constructed defensive walls. As they walked through the streets they noticed that there were not many civilians around. But considering what was being planned that was a good thing as far as Naruto and the others were concerned.

"So now what?" Akimi asked once they found where they will be staying.

"We need one of the loyalist spy's to find Naruto and Itachi, we already let slip a detailed description of Naruto to the enemy, so when they see him it will only be a matter of time before the message goes out and they move to take this village" Jiraiya said.

"So basically all we have to do is walk around the village and then wait?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah that's about it" Jiraiya replied.

"Alright, I'll see you all later. Let's go Itachi sensei, we better get to work" Naruto said.

Itachi and Naruto left to let the others find their rooms. As they walked they noticed that they were getting a lot of people staring at them in interest.

"I guess they know who we are" Naruto said as he looked around at the civilians who just had a shell shocked look on there faces and the ninja who seemed to be trying not to cheer at the arrival of the two hero's.

"They did say that everyone knows what we have done. So that must include people outside of the resistance" Itachi mused.

"It's strange they didn't react like this when we were with the others" Naruto said.

"We were hidden then by a genjutsu that I cast. I'm surprised you didn't pick it up" Itachi said.

"Well I wasn't focusing any chakra into my eyes so I couldn't see the chakra. But I should have been able to sense it" Naruto said.

"It just goes to show that you still have a lot of things to learn" Itachi said.

"Yeah I guess so. Still I have time to learn" Naruto replied.

They walked for a little longer in silence. It was Itachi who first spoke up. "Have you noticed yet?"

"Yeah, we are being followed" Naruto replied quietly.

"Question is, have we found our spy or does this person want something else?" Itachi said.

"We could confront him and find out" Naruto suggested.

"But we don't want to kill him, we need him to send a message to Yagura" Itachi said.

"Then we issue a challenge, make him send the message to Yagura saying that we will be waiting here for him" Naruto said.

"That might work. But let's keep moving our tail is almost within hearing range" Itachi said.

Ten minutes later the sound of metal ripping through the air caught the ears of both Naruto and Itachi and the pair lazily moved to the side to avoid several kunai.

"Bansho Ten'in" Naruto said calmly, a man flew forward from the shadows and right into a fist from Itachi knocking the man out cold.

"He need's to be consciousness to be able to pass on our message you know" Naruto said.

"I didn't anticipate him not being able to withstand the punch" Itachi replied.

"Well let's wake him up" Naruto said. The blond went on to draw some water from a nearby fountain and drench the unconscious spy.

The spy awoke in a splutter and volley of curses.

"Well he seems to still have some fight in him" Itachi said with a dry smile.

"Yeah what he lacks in brains he certainly makes up for in spirit" Naruto added.

The spy finally realized his position. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

"Well we could... But first we need you to take a message to Yagura for us... Tell him that we will be waiting here in this village and that we challenge him to come and get us. And to stop hiding behind the walls of Kiri" Naruto said.

"So you have a death wish then. You will never be able to defeat Yagura-sama" the Spy spat.

"While it is comforting that you would try and dissuade us from fighting the Mizukage, I can assure you we are not worried" Itachi said.

"Fuck you... I'll take your damn message, and I will enjoy watching you both die along with all the resistance soldiers that occupy this doomed village" the spy replied.

"Yeah what ever, just get out of here already. Oh and if you attack either of us again, you will die" Naruto said and for added intimidation formed a rasengan and placed it just over the spy's heart before it faded and both Naruto and Itachi shunshined away.

The spy struggled to his feet sweating heavily before taking off to escape the village and take Naruto and Itachi's Message to his superiors.

The two Yoinokuchi ninja watched him leave the village with satisfied smiles on their faces.

"He will take that to his closest superior. Yagura will now do anything he can to make sure that he kills us" Itachi said.

"Do you think that he will actually show up?" Naruto asked.

"I think he might, but I doubt that he will join the fighting unless things are not going his way" Itachi said.

"We better go tell Jiraiya sensei that our job is done, and tell him how we changed the plan" Naruto said.

"Good idea let's go" Itachi replied and the pair made their way across rooftops back to their hotel ready and waiting for the battle that would soon arrive.

**End Chapter! **


	27. Twin Problems

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 27: Twin problems.**

Naruto sat alone on the roof of the hotel staring off into the sky in the direction of Kiri. The clear night sky filled with stars that shone brightly as as they were casting their light down on the blond who was lost in his own thoughts about the possibility of ending the war in the coming battle.

Inside the hotel most members of the Yoinokuchi slept trying to keep there strength up for the battle that was coming. They had been at the town for a few days now and they had spent that time informing the resistance fighters about what they expected to be coming.

Naruto's solitude was broken when Akimi appeared on the roof beside him in the blink of an eye. "You've gotten faster" Naruto said not taking his eyes away from the sky.

"Thanks, I had to do a lot of work during the war so when I could I tried doing it without the use of Swift Release. you were right about how much it would help" she said as she took a seat beside the blond.

Naruto finally turned his head to look at Akimi. "Why aren't you asleep, It's not your turn to be lookout until later?" he asked.

"I thought I would come an keep you company. We haven't had much time to talk just us lately... I miss it" Akimi said with a small smile.

"Yeah but now we have everyone else to talk to as well. I see it as a good thing" Naruto said.

"I enjoy having them around as well, but I like spending time just joking around with you alone as well" she said.

"But we still joke and have fun with everyone else" Naruto said scratching his head in confusion.

"Yeah I guess so. I guess it doesn't really matter anyway" she laughed halfheartedly.

'_Kami, I'm trying to tell you that I like you more than them, you idiot Naruto. Why is it you can tell when you are about to be attacked minutes in advance but can't see that I have liked you for almost two years... Ever since I met you. Why couldn't I have a crush on Itachi, he always seems to know what people are thinking. although he is about as warm emotionally as a freezer_' she thought in frustration.

"You know, all over the land of water all I have seen is suffering. These people have been put through so much pain" Naruto sighed as he looked back up into the sky.

Akimi turned to face him but he didn't turn to return her gaze. "That's why we are fighting isn't it? To end this war and return the lands to peaceful times" she said.

"Yes but there still a group of people that believe in what Yagura is doing, they could come to hate Mei and the resistance for finishing off Yagura's rule, that's why I want them to hate me instead. I will kill Yagura and take his supporters hatred onto myself. Let them hate me and leave Kiri to stabilize" Naruto said.

"But aren't you even slightly scared? I mean Yagura is a Kage level ninja and a jinchuuriki who supposedly has full control of his bijuu" Akimi said.

"Well that would depend, as ninja we could die on any mission. This one is no different than any other, I can't just turn it down because it is difficult, what kind of ninja would I be. A ninja's life is not judged by how they live. But how they die, that's what Jiraiya sensei told me. I guess that is why I idolized the Hokage's when I was younger. They all died to save hundreds of people. If I die killing Yagura then I think that I will be judged as a great ninja" Naruto said.

"You won't die... You're far to strong to let some overgrown tortoise with three tails beat you" Akimi said with a weak smile.

"Well I certainly don't plan on dieing I still have things I want to do with my life" Naruto said.

"Is that so, what does a person with no village do with their life?" Akimi joked.

"I don't know I guess the usual, have a family, children all that stuff" Naruto said.

"So the great Naruto Uzumaki wants a family huh. Sorta weird thinking of some powerful ninja like you with a family. But then again most of the really powerful ninja in the world are old" Akimi chuckled.

"Well there is Itachi sensei" Naruto said.

"Oh yes the loner and his apprentice, I can just see you both going on double dates" Akimi laughed.

"Itachi sensei isn't that bad, I just think he still feels guilty about what he did to his clan. Anyway it doesn't really matter, I'm not thinking about any of that stuff at the moment and I can't see it happening for a long time anyway" Naruto said.

"Yeah I was uh, just trying to take your mind off Yagura for awhile" Akimi said

"Oh thanks I guess. Well then while we are on topic, what do you want with your life?" Naruto said.

"Um the same as you I guess, I hadn't really thought about it. I guess I would charm some idiot into falling in love with me" Akimi said with a smile.

"How do you plan on doing that? By beating them up until they agree to marry you?" Naruto joked.

"I could get anyone I wanted. It's you that is in trouble in that regard. You were raised by a pervert and someone who shows about as much emotion as a log. Neither are traits that women tend to go for" Akimi chuckled.

"Hey I'm not a pervert!" Naruto whined.

"Yet... You're not a pervert yet" Akimi chuckled.

"I won't ever be a pervert like Jiraiya sensei" Naruto said.

"Well I'm glad you said that, because I don't think anyone is a pervert like him" Akimi laughed.

"In the end everyone is a little perverted, if they weren't none of us would be here" Naruto reasoned.

"I guess you are right. Still if you ever do turn out like Jiraiya-sama I don't think we can continue being friends" Akimi joked.

"What ever, you would be lost without me" Naruto said with a smile.

"Well it looks like I'm stuck with you then, after all I wouldn't want to be lost" she chuckled.

Naruto didn't respond, instead he reclined, his back leaning against the roof tiles and he stared out into space. Akimi followed suit and the pair lay there in a comfortable silence the black haired kunoichi occasionally sneaking glances at the blond that went unnoticed.

They didn't speak for almost half an hour but eventually Naruto turned away from the sky to face Akimi. "Thank you for coming out and staying with me during my lookout shift"

"Don't mention it, we are into my shift now anyway. So I guess we are even" she said with a warm smile.

"When the fighting starts, take care of yourself. Promise me okay?" he said with a serious look on his face.

"I will, if you promise to come back safe yourself" she replied.

"It's a deal then, I wont let that overgrown tortoise wannabe take me out" Naruto said with a confident grin.

"Then I promise to make it through safely as well" she said. They sat and talked for a few more hours until Itachi came and took over for them as the lookout.

(**The Next Morning**)

Naruto, Akimi and Fuu, were walking through town when they heard a disturbance at the main gate.

"What the hell is going on?" Fuu asked as flocks of people began heading in the direction of the disturbance.

"I don't know, let's go check it out" Naruto suggested.

"Sound's like a plan, do you think it would be the enemy already?" Akimi asked.

"Don't think so, it will take Yagura a few days to rally his men for a meaningful attack anywhere with his forces as depleted as they are" Naruto replied as they all began heading towards the entrance to the village over rooftops.

Arriving at the main gate they found the reason for the noise earlier. Mei and Ao had shown up along with fifty ninja. And she was receiving a hero's welcome.

"It's good to see that they believe in her, she has been a good leader to the resistance and will make a great Mizukage" Akimi said as the three ninja sat on a nearby rooftop watching Mei walk through the village being greeted by everyone.

"Yeah without her we wouldn't be here at all, she is the real Savior of the Land of Water" Naruto said.

"I think the resistance would have won this war anyway, from what Zabuza sensei told me, even before he showed up with Itachi the Resistance was gaining more and more supporters and a lot of people were defecting to join them. All we did was speed up the process" Fuu said.

"That is good, it means that her dream of a unified Kiri where Kekkei Genkai clans along with non bloodlines can live together in peace might become a reality. There will still be some tension for awhile but she will sort it out" Naruto said.

Mei made her way into a large courtyard in the center of the village where a market place would usually be set up. However as the civilians had been evacuated the remaining ninja had set it up as a base of operations for the defense of the town. Jiraiya and Itachi had been working along with the highest ranked member of the resistance army to set up an affective strategy for the coming attack but they were all too ready to hand over responsibility to Mei and Ao when they arrived.

"Ah Mei-dono glad to see you could make it on time" Jiraiya said.

"So am I, we have received word from a scouting party that the loyalist army should be hear in about a day. So we don't have much time to plan for their arrival, we will be heavily outnumbered, but I do not think we can afford to pull any resources from elsewhere in case they do not take the bait and attack a different area" Mei replied.

"Understandable, I have been working on some summoning seals to bring a large quantity of toads to help without wasting my chakra" Jiraiya said.

"Good does anyone else in your group have any summons?" Mei asked.

"Well Naruto can summon what ever he wants to. Some of his summons can be quite deadly I am sure he will be more than happy to summon them to aid the fight" Jiraiya said.

"Good what else have you been planing?" Mei asked with a smile.

"We have sent a team out to plan trip wires and explosive tags and I am in the middle of setting up a sensory barrier. So we will know if they try and sneak anyone into the village before the attack" Jiraiya said.

"Excellent work. Looks like all that is left to do is set up the units into various rolls" Mei said.

"I would propose three groups. A large group of front line fighters to engage the enemy before they reach the village in the field. Defenders on the walls using long range jutsu to cover them. And a group of inner city defenders. We need to minimize damage to the city as much as possible" Ao said.

"In that case, most of the Yoinokuchi will fight with the front line. Haku will join the distance support with her Hyoton jutsu. But the rest of us will fight at the front" Jiraiya said.

"Then I will join you" Mei said.

"Mei-sama if you were to be killed in battle it would be devastating to the resistance movement, you should take a position on the wall. And join the front lines later once the generals show themselves" Ao said.

"Ao is correct, it will be easier for you to control your troops from the wall in any case" Itachi said.

"Very well, you both make sense after all, but if Yagura shows himself I will not stand back in a support role while my people die" Mei said.

"I think that is understandable" Itachi said

"Well we better get to separating the units into the three rolls. Four front line ninja to each support and defense divisions" Mei ordered and the ranking Kiri ninja all split up to gather the troops.

Up on a nearby rooftop Naruto and the two kunoichi sat taking in what was said.

"Looks like we will be fighting by tomorrow night" Naruto sighed.

"I guess so, at least we will all be fighting together" Akimi said.

Naruto and the others spent the rest of the day gathering equipment that might be needed in the battle. It was no surprise that most people had rather restless nights in anticipation for the battle. That tension seemed to grow during the next day and hit a peak when a warning alarm sounded and several explosions could be seen in the distance.

The second the alarm sounded Naruto made his way towards the field joining up with Itachi on the way there.

"You know our role?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, draw out the generals Niang and Taniyama Mai and take them both out" Naruto replied.

"That's right, which means we have to be in the thick of the action to make them come out from the back to deal with us" Itachi said.

"Don't worry, I will make sure that they wont be able to ignore our presence for long" Naruto said as they made it to the gate where the resistance forces were making their way into trenches that had been set up in the field surrounding the village facing Kiri.

There were several more explosions before the proximity barrier was breached and the first signs of Yagura's army rose from the nearest hill and spread out as wide as the village.

Naruto and the other members of the Yoinokuchi stood in the closest trench watching as the army spread out and filled the field.

"Itachi any idea on there numbers?" Jiraiya asked the Uchiha who already had his sharingan activated.

"A rough guess would be around eight thousand. It must be everything that Yagura had left" Itachi said.

"Looks like we are outnumbered by far more than I expected" Jiraiya said frantically writing on a scroll and turning to a chunin that was sharing their trench. "I need you to get this information to Mei at once" he said passing the scroll over. The chunin saluted before taking off at top speed.

"What was in the scroll?" Naruto asked.

"There are two villages that are only about half an hour's run from here, I told Mei of Yagura's numbers and the belief that yagura cleaned everything out for this attack. So I am recommending that she send word to those villages for aid. We are outnumbered by more than ten to one right now" Jiraiya said.

"Well looks like we will just have to even the numbers out with our summons then" Naruto said.

"Even then you cant expect them to take out that many" Jiraiya said.

"Well your toads are set to be summoned from the back, they will be able to provide a decent amount of cover to us. And I already have a pair of summons waiting for my command to ambush them then I will summon some other offensive creatures. How many they take out I couldn't say but it is bound to be a decent number" Naruto said.

Eventually the advance of the loyalist army stopped and the field went deathly quiet. Seconds passed into minutes and still nobody had moved. Until there was a loud roar from the loyalist side and the air filled with kunai and arrows. They looked like a massive black cloud as they approached.

"Show time!" Naruto yelled and thrusting his hands forwards created a massive wall of gravity. As the projectiles hit the barrier they fell from the air unable to go any further. '_And now to go on the attack!_' the blond thought.

There was a huge explosion from inside the ranks of Yagura's forces and two large centipedes burst out of the ground sending confusing among a good portion of the men.

The resistance fighters saw that as a sign to start their attacks and once more the sky was filled with kunai, only this time they were sent in the opposite direction.

By the walls the summoning seals that Jiraiya had prepared were activated and two large toads appeared. The first was dark red wearing a black kimono he held a round shield and a Sasumata in either hand. The other was aqua green and had two massive katana strapped to his back. At their feet was a small army of smaller toads about the size of a large human.

"It seems we have been summoned Gamaken" the green toad said.

"Yes you're right Gamahiro, and to a war zone it would appear, but I cannot see Jiraiya anywhere" Gamaken said.

"I'm here" Jiraiya called out standing up from the trench.

"Ah Jiraiya, I take it you require our assistance?" Gamahiro said.

"Yeah, I'm in a bit of a bind we need all the help we can get" Jiraiya said.

"Very well then, we will assist you, although I am rather clumsy at distance attacks" Gamaken said.

"That's fine, just do your best" the toad sage replied.

As if they were one all of the toads that were summoned took a massive breath in and each sent a powerful jutsu towards the enemy front line that was still being terrorized by Naruto's centipedes.

The jutsu were mostly Suiton, but every so often there would be a Katon and even a Doton attack, as well as several toads that supplied oil.

The massive barrage flew over the front lines of the defenders, but Yagura's forces had enough time to see the attack coming and created a massive wall with their Doton users blocking the attack. The wall blew apart from the strength of the jutsu but most of the damage was prevented. They did however provide Naruto with enough time to summon several creatures. Now standing on his side of the field was a large Ox, Rhino, twin headed Dog and a bird which Naruto was now standing on as it took off into the air. The other summons charged the enemies line which had not yet recovered from the sudden appearance of the toads and finishing off the centipedes.

Naruto's summons ripped through the lines of the enemy charging anyone and anything that got in their way. A large siege weapon that had been brought forward to deal with the ninja on the walls was the fist thing to go once they had broken the lines.

The confusion Naruto and Jiraiya's summons had caused slowly subsided and an order was given for Yagura's men to charge.

In the first trench where the other members of the Yoinokuchi sat, they all prepared for the first wave. Itachi began casting a genjutsu over the area immediately in front of them that seemed to confuse the enemy. Zabuza readied his giant cleaver while performing a Suiton jutsu that sent a large number of the enemy flying away. Akimi was rapidly sending kunai after kunai at the enemy each was a killing blow as the speed at which she was able to throw with swift release chakra made the blades almost impossible to block. Fuu was using a small portion of the Nanabi's chakra which allowed her to spit an acid like substance at the enemy she also cast a genjutsu that sounded like crickets chirping all over the area that caused the enemy to attack each other. Akaru was casting wave after wave of Raiton jutsu. And Jiraiya was sitting in meditation focusing his chakra.

Behind them waves of kunai and jutsu were flying over head and casualties were starting to build up on either side now.

Naruto who was flying over head on the drill beaked bird decided to rejoin the fight and had the bird fly over the enemies lines using its wings to create a powerful Fuuton jutsu knocking a large group of loyalist supporters far away. A pass over another section caused a massive dust cloud to form which was set alight with lightning shocking all the ninja in the area. The loyalists decided they could no longer ignore the blond flying over head and began focusing their attack at trying to take out the bird which was now laying eggs that exploded upon contact with anything.

The giant drill beaked bird was too fast however and skillfully weaved between jutsu and those that it couldn't avoid Naruto would absorb.

Down below the enemy ninja had started entering part of the trenches and were engaged in fierce fighting. The main trench that contained the Yoinokuchi at the front was still free of attackers however and the dead bodies of Yagura's men were beginning to stack up around them.

Suddenly Jiraiya finished meditating and slammed his hands onto the ground. When the smoke cleared he was standing again but he looked much different to normal. His nose was much larger and his eyes now had small bar like black pupils and were otherwise completely white. On his shoulders sat two old toads.

"Jiraiya-chan, what'cha summon us for" the old male toad with gray hair and a beard said.

"We are in the middle of a war and I need your help Fukusaku-sama" Jiraiya replied.

"A war ya say. Oh my you certainly weren't jok'in. Why do you always summon us in these horrible places" the female toad with curly black hair and a rather threatening looking rolling pin said.

"Well it's not like I had much choice this time, we need all the help we can get. I will try to summon you somewhere nice next time Shima-sama" Jiraiya said.

"I can see that... well then let's go shall we" Fukusaku said.

And Jiraiya stood up one toad seemingly growing from each shoulder. Straight away the two toads got to work Shima sending a thin jet of water that cut what ever touched it apart which killed a massive group of ninja before it was eventually stopped by a group of four Doton users working together to put up a wall.

Fukusaku was casting various Fuuton jutsu that were tearing through the enemies lines and Jiraiya himself was using his hair to send thousands of needles into the onrushing crowd.

Meanwhile a good long distance away a man sat in a tree watching the proceedings with great interest. '_That boy has incredible skill with his Rinnegan for being so young. But I didn't expect to see Itachi and the Toad Sage, Jiraiya here. Even with the superior numbers we sent, it looks like I will loose my tool. A shame really he was so obedient when I wanted to use him_' the man thought and beside the masked man stood the gray haired, pink eyed Mizukage who watched the fighting completely expressionlessly. '_I had hoped to capture the Rinnegan user and try to manipulate him to join me, but if he is with Jiraiya then it would have no purpose, I may as well see just how advanced the boys eyes really are_' he thought and turning to Yagura he gave the man a wordless command and he slowly walked in the direction of the fighting.

Naruto who was still flying expertly over the battle field causing havoc where he could was currently casting a Raiton jutsu that tore through a decent section of loyalist ninja before bursting at speed away from a hail of kunai aimed for the bird when he felt two attack coming. The attacks were so well coordinated that he knew before they hit that he would loose his summons. They were spaced the perfect amount of time apart and had enough chakra in them that he couldn't repel them both nor could he absorb them in time. So he did the only thing that he could think of, he jumped from the bird landing in the middle of Yagura's forces.

They didn't miss a beat and charged right at the blond. While the two attacks caused his giant bird to dispel. "Well, looks like you got me... then again... Shinra Tense!" Naruto yelled and a large area around the blond went up in smoke and loyalist ninja flew in all directions. Clearing a path almost all the way back to the resistance lines.

Jiraiya and the others saw that Naruto had come down and they acted immediately charging out of their trench taking out all that approached with deadly precision.

Naruto was now taking out ninja as they approached wave after wave. Fortunately for the blond most of the better ninja had killed each other trying to seize the positions of power vacated by the deaths of the three generals.

Naruto was just about to impale a chunin with a chakra rod when the targed fell to the ground covered in hair needles.

"How's it going Gaki, didn't think we would leave you stranded back here did you?" Jiraiya said.

"I knew you guys would show up. And it's a good thing too, because I found the twins. They are about half a mile to the east, they took out my bird" Naruto said.

"Well, there army has mostly moved on past us, you and Itachi go take them out, we will stay here and cover you" Jiraiya said.

Naruto and Itachi took off wasting no time in taking out any opposition that stood in their way. Finally they came to what looked like a moving fortress that had two ninja standing on top. A man and woman each with electric blue hair and red eyes. The man wore dark green armor and blue ninja pants and the kunoichi wore dark red armor and black shorts.

"Oh look at what we have here Niang" the kunoichi said.

"Two ninja with a death wish for crimes against the Mizukage I believe dear sister" Niang said with a wicked smile.

"We don't wish for death, nor do we seek it. You are the ones who seek your end by causing pain in others without justification" Itachi said.

"Aren't you the Uchiha who killed off your entire clan? You have no right to be lecturing us boy" Taniyama laughed.

"Enough of this... Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto yelled before spewing out a massive blast of fire.

The twins didn't move and instead the the giant object that they were standing on began to glow light blue and ice shot up protecting them.

"Hyoton? You have Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto asked shocked.

"Of course we don't. We simply kept some clan members partly alive and bonded them with this... The juggernaut, made from the bodies of several clan's from Kiri" the kunoichi laughed.

"That is made from humans?" Naruto said in disgust.

"Those freaks are not humans. I mean it's shape has come from the bodies of the Kaguya. Harder than steal... how is that human" Niang replied.

"Why you, sick bastards!" Naruto yelled and charged forward his fist ready to deliver a devastating punch.

This time the juggernaut glowed red and lava shot up creating a shell around them.

"Yoton now... this is sickening how many people did they kill to create that thing?" Naruto seethed.

"Don't loose your cool Naruto-kun that is what they want" Itachi said calmly. He had yet to move but was observing everything that went on clearly.

The large orb of lava started to distort and small bullets shot out towards Itachi and Naruto who quickly created a gravity barrier sending the small balls of lava far behind them where they exploded with great force.

"They are controlling that thing by sending chakra through it, essence allowing them to use all of the bloodlines that have become part of it's creation. Which means you should be able to absorb the jutsu" Itachi whispered.

"I get it, you want me to expose them, and then you can get them off this thing" Naruto replied quietly as well.

"That was my plan, yes" Itachi said.

"Let's go then" Naruto said and he activated Fuuton jutsu creating a blade of wind along the side of one arm and charge forward.

This time the juggernaut began to glow white and steam created a wall around them. "Gotcha!.. Preta Path!" Naruto yelled and the steam began to recede into Naruto's body, much to the shock of the twins.

"What jutsu is this!" Taniyama yelled in shock.

"You shouldn't be asking questions right now.. it's bad for your health" Naruto said as Itachi finished his hand seals and sent a large jet of flames in the shape of a dragon at the two who without the protection of the juggernaut were forced to jump off, before Itachi's fire dragon jutsu crashed into it blowing the small movable fortress apart.

"Without the chakra to sustain the Kaguya bone density jutsu it became brittle just like all bones... you two are going to pay for the people you violated in creating that thing" Naruto spat glaring at the two ninja.

"We might have been scared, but you see help has just arrived" Niang smirked looking to the side.

Standing about one hundred yards away was a shortish man holding a staff with two hooks at the end. On his head was a large circular hat with the kanji for water.

"Yagura" Naruto whispered as the Mizukage quickly lifted his head and in one swift motion waved his staff sending a huge torrent of water towards the pair. 'This just got interesting' the blond thought as the massive tsunami careened toward him.

**End Chapter!**

**Evil cliffhanger I know, but it will give you something to look forward to next time. Anyway how did you like the battle? Did I make it believable? And if not some suggestions would be good as it would help with my other story and this one later on. Other part of note Akimi saying that she likes Naruto does not necessarily mean that this will be a harem, just means that both Fuu and Akimi are starting to develop feelings towards the same person. **

**Anyway next chapter will be Naruto vs Yagura and Itachi vs the twins. With a little bit of the rest of the battlefield thrown in. **


	28. Unrivaled Potential

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 28: Unrivaled Potential**

Naruto saw the wave and with a smile formed the seal for Doton. Slamming his hand into the ground a large wall appeared that would direct the water straight at the Mizukage's two remaining generals.

Naruto was shocked however when Yagura simply raised his staff and the Suiton jutsu changed direction and rose up above the wall only to come crashing down on the blond who quickly activated the Preta Path to absorb the jutsu.

"Interesting chakra conductor he has there" Naruto said to Itachi as the dirt wall came down.

"Do you think you can handle him?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, he's much stronger than most of the other people I have fought with but I can't afford to fail. So I know I can win" Naruto said confidently.

"Good then I will take care of these two then" Itachi said.

The wall finished coming down and the twins were shocked to see that not only were Naruto and Itachi unharmed by the Mizukage's jutsu, they were barely even wet.

Yagura on the other hand had no expression on his face at all. "I take it that you are the pair who are responsible for the deaths of my generals" he said flatly.

"Yeah that's right" Naruto said.

"Such skill for one so young. To think I would have to soil my hands to take out a child" Yagura said.

"Well what are you waiting for let's go... Raiton: Lightning Dragon" Naruto yelled and a dragon made from lightning shot forward at Yagura.

Yagura waved his staff sending a torrent of water into the dragon which charged the water causing it to spark and with another flick of Yagura's wrist sent the static water flying toward the blond who expertly jumped back and away from the jutsu just before it hit.

"Your reflexes are good, and that was a powerful jutsu. But it's my turn now" Yagura said and he banded his staff on the ground three times. The first time all around Naruto water rose up into the air. The second, separated the water into thin blades that surrounded Naruto on all angles. And the final hit sent the blades flying at Naruto.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said and the jutsu struck the gravity jutsu and faded in the intense gravity.

"Now this is interesting, what do you say we take this up a notch huh?" Yagura said.

"I thought you would never ask" Naruto replied.

(**With Itachi**)

The stoic Uchiha stood face to face with Yagura's two remaining generals. Neither side moving an inch waiting for the other to act first.

'_There is two of them, so an ocular genjutsu wont work as it will leave me open to the other, I will have to do this the old fashioned way_' "Katon: Grand Fireball" Naruto yelled.

A huge flame shot towards the two ninja who both quickly ran through there hand seals. "Sibling Collaboration: Aqua Mudslide" the yelled together at the same time. A thick mud shot forward and right through the flames unable to compete with the Doton and Suiton jutsu in perfect combination.

"Raiton: Lightning Bullet" Itachi said pointing his finger forward like a gun and firing off a large bolt of electricity that moved at incredible speeds.

"Collaboration Jutsu: Fire Storm" Fuuton and Katon jutsu combined and once more overpowered Itachi's jutsu barely even slowing down on it's path towards the stoic Uchiha who skillfully avoided the blast.

"You can't beat us with jutsu. We are always perfectly in sync, and together we can use all five elemental transformation's and we can combine them all for our collaborated jutsu" Niang said.

"There is a weakness to every tactic, it is just a matter of finding it" Itachi said evenly.

"I don't think he believes us, brother" Taniyama scoffed.

"Then let's give him another demonstration then" Niang replied and they both ran through separate hand seals. "Collaboration Jutsu: Burning Meteors" Niang slammed his hands onto the ground sending a large group of stones up into the air which were then ignited by Taniyama's Katon jutsu and sent careening towards Itachi who with the aid of his sharingan avoided the flaming rocks that exploded with a massive force when they hit the ground.

"Still want more, huh okay then... … Collaboration Jutsu: Static Wave" Niang yelled but this time his sister was not performing her half of the jutsu and the water half of the jutsu fell to the floor harmlessly.

"Taniyama where was your half of the jutsu!" Niang exclaimed loudly as he turned to face his sister which proved to be a mistake as Itachi shot forward and wrapped Niang up in a bear hug before exploding leaving a massive crater in the ground. When the smoke cleared however there was only a burnt log.

"Substitution huh" Itachi said passively as he walked out from behind a tree.

"What the hell was that!" Niang asked.

"Great clone explosion. You have both been fighting my shadow clone I tested it by using a genjutsu on your sister. I needed to find out how your jutsu work after all. It is rather simple really, one of you provides the power and the other provides the direction and shape. You are not a unbeatable ninja team as you say. Rather you are only two half ninja. Separate one from the other and your jutsu are useless. Your sister lacks the power in her jutsu to be a threat to anyone. And you lack correct shape manipulation. Together you are rather formidable. But apart you are nothing special" Itachi said confidently.

"Still we outnumber you two to one" Niang said.

"Is that so?" Itachi replied and in a puff of smoke three more versions of Itachi appeared. "Now I out number you. And as you lack the proper shape manipulation to make clones and your sisters clones would not have enough power to sustain themselves. Now shall we continue?" Itachi said.

The twins began to sweat slightly but prepared for an attack none the less.

(**Meanwhile**)

Jiraiya and the other members of the Yoinokuchi were standing in the middle of a group of loyalist Kiri ninja.

On Jiraiya's shoulder Shima formed several hand seals. "Now. Everyone down" Jiraiya said when Shima finished her jutsu.

Jiraiya stood still while Fukusaku spat out a stream of toad oil that was ignited by Shima, using a powerful Katon jutsu.

The flames were so powerful the enemy ninja in the area were completely burned away, bones and all.

"Where to now?" Akaru asked.

"We need to go sure up the cities defenses. We are falling too far back from the front lines" Jiraiya said.

"But what about Naruto and Itachi?" Akimi asked.

"We are going to have to leave them for now and trust that they will come back alive. Protecting the village is more important right now" Jiraiya said.

"What!, you are going to abandon them!" both Fuu and Akimi yelled.

"Don't you dare say that, Naruto is like a son to me! I would never just abandon him. But what they are doing won't mean anything if that city falls and Mei dies, and that is the last thing that they want" Jiraiya said.

"I believe that is what Naruto would want" Gaara said.

"But I can't just leave them" Akimi said.

"They can handle themselves. We have to believe in there ability" Akaru said.

"I agree, saving the village is what is important here" Haku said.

Fuu and Akimi looked like they still wanted to argue but nodded sadly and followed the others as they quickly made there way back to the village where several large siege weapons were set up firing massive four point shuriken and rocks into the village over the walls. Mei and several other Yoton users were using their Lava jutsu to melt as many of the incoming projectiles as they could.

Jiraiya's toad summons had retreated as far back as they could. The smaller toads on the walls and Gamaken and Gamahiro were fighting the enemy at the gates.

"We need to each take one of these weapon's take one out then make your way to the village as quickly as possible" Jiraiya said.

The others nodded and they split up each running at full speed towards the weapon they had targeted.

Fuu arrived at the back of a crowd of Kiri ninja and channeling some of Nanabi's chakra sent a small cloud of poison gas over the area of her target. She then ran through some hand seals and sent a spike of water crashing into the catapult bringing it down. The huge hoard of loyalist ninja turned around when they heard the weapon collapse but Fuu was already gone.

The next to arrive at their target was Akimi who had picked the sight that was furthest from where they had stated. '_The sooner we fight these bastards off the sooner we can go and help Naruto_' she thought as she removed several kunai from her pouch and disappeared in a blur. The loyalist ninja by Akimi's target started dropping like fly's, all that any of them could see was a blur as Akimi would reappear sparking with her swift release chakra at full power and then she would fade again after another kill. Once the area was clear she placed several explosive tags and left as quickly as she came seconds before the explosion.

Zabuza took out his target with expert use of the silent killing technique. Cleaving the heads of the operators off before slicing his target weapon clean in half.

Akaru had used a long range high powered Raiton Jutsu to fry everything in the area of his target including the weapon.

Haku created a large dome of ice and hailed her targets with ice spears and senbon. Several of the Kiri ninja survived but the giant shuriken launcher was completely totaled by Haku's ice spear.

Gaara was far more brutal, he covered the entire area in his hand before compressing it, crushing his target and every singe ninja in the area along with it.

'_Look's like everyone else is done_' Jiraiya thought as he arrived at his target.

"How do you want to do this Jiraiya-chan?" Fukusaku asked.

"I think we should get it done fast. A large scale collaboration jutsu. I will supply the oil, you just need to add the fire and wind" Jiraiya said.

"Sage Art: Goemon!" Jiraiya yelled and the three parts combined to form a huge wave of boiling oil that eradicated everything in it's path. The head from the oil was so intense that when it hit the large wooden weapon he was targeting it burst into flames.

"It's done Jiraiya-chan. Let's get back to the village and help defend the walls" Fukusaku said.

(**With Naruto**)

Naruto and Yagura were firing jutsu at each other rapidly but neither could get the upper hand, the agility of the others made it impossible to hit on the rare occasion that one would not have a counter to a move.

"We seem to be evenly matched" Yagura said.

"I don't think so... Bansho Tennin!" Naruto exclaimed and forming a rasengan in his other hand slammed it into Yagura's stomach only for him to explode in a burst of water which then clung onto the blonds arm before it began to boil. "Shinra Tensei" the blond yelled blowing the water off his body leaving small patches of skin exposed from where the water had burnt through.

Yagura slowly rose out of a nearby puddle his face still an expressionless mask. "You are good but this fight is pointless, you cannot defeat me" he said.

"Well we will just have to wait and see, I still have plenty up my sleeve" Naruto said.

"It is pointless for you to try. You have taken on one fight too many" Yagura said.

"Is that so?... then I guess if I am going to go out, I may as well go out with a bang" Naruto said as he started forming hand seal's even with his perfect chakra control this one was a long chain of seals. "Time for my strongest Lightning attack, Raiton: Raijin's Revenge!" he yelled.

Lightning shot from all angles from the sky and the entire area around Naruto became a large dome of Raiton chakra. Pools of water were evaporating, the grass and leaves on trees crumpled up.

'_Such incredible chakra, it shouldn't be possible. How can he stand to use that much and survive?_' Yagura thought as the sky lit up almost blindingly as the lightning continued to become more and more condensed around the blond until he was complete covered.

The jutsu could be seen from miles away as it shone brighter than the sun. "Raijin's Revenge... Fire!" Naruto's strained voice came from inside the lightning dome. The second he said it the energy faded in an instant. Shooting up into the air. Leaving Naruto behind panting heavily sweat pouring from his face. The milliseconds felt like an age for Yagura who didn't know what to expect but suddenly the ground beneath his feet crumpled and bolt after bolt of lightning shot from the sky Yagura managed to deflect the first strike which blew a hole in the side of the a hill the size of a large house.

Then the bolts came fast. Constantly striking one after another. Dust rose into the air as the sound of the jutsu could be heard all over the Land of Water. In the end the jutsu in full only last a few seconds, but it felt like an age.

Naruto now stood on the edge of a massive crater that went so deep it had begun to fill with water at the bottom.

Naruto stood not ready to relax when a massive claw of aqua green chakra shot out of the water and wrapped Naruto in its grasp.

Emerging from the water was Yagura, his clothes torn and bleeding heavily but somehow still alive. "You are a best that needs to be put down, but you deserve some credit, you were able to force me into using Sanbi's chakra" the Mizukage said.

"Damn, what do I have to do to kill this guy" Naruto thought out loud.

"You're out of chakra, I can see it in your face, your fight is over now" Yagura said.

"Well I guess I am just going to need a recharge then... Preta Path" Naruto said and Yagura's three tailed cloak was completely absorbed into Naruto.

"You are able to absorb chakra and make it your own?" Yagura said a mixture of annoyance and begrudging respect in his voice.

"Yeah, this fight isn't over yet... not by a long shot" Naruto said, before he prepared for Yagura to recharge his Bijuu cloak.

Yagura didn't disappoint and his three tailed state returned. '_I need to find a way to end this. There is always Chibaku Tensei, but I will need to get far enough away from him to use it. And I don't see that happening I'm going to have to try a soul removal_' the blond thought.

Yagura concentrated Sanbi's chakra into his feet and pushed off at a great speed shooting forward in an attempt to slam a fist into Naruto's face.

The blond had to resist the urge to repel the charging jinchuuriki with a Shinra Tensei, and instead opened his hand. Yagura struck and Naruto deftly slid out of the way placing his hand on the Mizukage's chest. "Human Path Soul Removal" Naruto said and the thin outline of Yagura's soul began to appear outside of his body.

Yagura's eyes widened but he found himself somehow unable to move as more and more of he soul appeared before him. Suddenly something snapped and a large fist made of chakra shot out from his body and knocked him away forcing Naruto to break his hold on Yagura's soul.

'_Damn I was so close!_' Naruto thought as he stared down Yagura who was looking over his body as if trying to make sure that everything was still where it should be.

"You... what are you? The ability to grab the soul of a living creature and drag it from it's body is not the power of a mortal. Nothing you do is normal. But that doesn't matter anymore, this ends now. I will destroy you and everything in this area!" Yagura said.

The Mizukage's body began to contort and change and then there was a giant spike in chakra levels that could be felt back at the village where the tide of battle had begun to turn towards the resistance side as units from nearby villages began to arrive to back up the defenders.

(**Meanwhile**)

The masked man was watching the proceedings with great interest while he was sitting down watching his puppet fight for him. "Interesting, he has already discovered four of the six paths. Something Nagato didn't do until after Jiraiya finished with him. But some still seems to be off about that boy, something I can't put my finger on" he said to himself as Yagura began to transform. '_Well it looks like Yagura is going all out. Let's see just how good you really are boy_' he thought.

Elsewhere Itachi and his clones were on the offensive against the twins who were struggling to deal with the Uchiha's clones.

"We seem to be at a stalemate Uchiha, you can't catch us both in your optical genjutsu's and our combination jutsu are too powerful, face it you can't win" Niang taunted.

"And can you feel that... Yagura is about to finish your little friend. His final transformation has begun" Taniyama added.

Itachi didn't reply, he like everyone else in the area had seen and heard Naruto's battle with Yagura. And he knew exactly what the massive chakra spike he was feeling meant.

Slowly the stoic Uchiha's eyes began to change morphing from there usual sharingan form into the three point pinwheel of his Mangekyo Sharingan. '_I can't afford to waste anymore time on these two. I need to finish them off_'.

At the village, the fighting seemed to have almost come to a halt. First the sky was set alight by Naruto's Raiton jutsu, and now the form of Sanbi was growing in the distance towering high over the landscape.

On the walls the members of the Yoinokuchi were standing in separate area's but were all looking at the newly formed Bijuu in awe.

Mei saw this and immediately kicked into business mode. "Yagura! We need to bring him down! At what ever the cost. Charge!" she ordered and jumped from the wall using her boil release to burn away any attackers that were nearby who were shocked at seeing their leader in that form.

Fuu was standing still on the wall as a thick cloak of chakra the same amber color as her eyes usually were. Her eyes now had gone blue and dome like increasing Fuu's range of sight. The chakra cloak began to cover her whole body and took the shape of a large Rhinoceros beetle. '_It's been a long time since I have done this... I just hope it still work's_' she thought as two large insect wings made of chakra shot from the jinchuuriki's back and Fuu took off into the air covering Mei's charge with her poisons.

'So that is the ability of the Nanabi, I heard that rather than tails it had large wings but I didn't know that the jinchuuriki was able to fly with them' Jiraiya thought as he too jumped from the wall to join Mei's charge, along with the other Yoinokuchi ninja.

(**With Yagura**)

Naruto stood completely dwarfed by the giant turtle. And he didn't have time to calm his nerved when one of the tails shot forward at Naruto's location.

The blond was able to flip out of the way in time to avoid the blade like tail but the others continued to thrash and chase the blond around.

"**Hahahaha Look at him run, it's only a matter of time little pest before I do away with you for good**" Yagura yelled his voice distorted by the demons chakra and body.

Naruto escaped another blade and performed the seal for a Doton jutsu "Doton: Swamp of the Underworld" he yelled and the ground beneath on of the legs of the Sanbi turned into a swamp causing the giant turtle to fall over.

Not wanting to give the Bijuu form of Yagura time to recover Naruto decided to go on the offensive. "Fuuton: Decapitating Winds" he yelled throwing his arm in a large arc in front of his body sending the winds towards the turtle.

Yagura acted quickly and rolled over so his shell would face the brunt of the attack before pushing off with his free leg and tails freeing himself from the large swamp Naruto had created.

"**You think I would be defeated by that, I must say you amuse me boy**" Yagura taunted.

"Well I kind of hoped that it would have finished you off" Naruto replied.

"**It's my turn now... Suiton: Sanbi Water Blast**" Yagura yelled and a huge jet of water the size of the Hokage monument shot toward the blond.

"Shit there is no escaping that one... Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said pumping a large amount of chakra into the jutsu.

The land all around Naruto ripped up and the water was repelled. Yagura could only watch as even the Sanbi was tossed away unable to get a proper anchor on the ground.

"**You... I hate you! And I hate those damn eye's of yours**" Sanbi roared it had seemed that Yagura had lost his complete control over the Bijuu, who had now taken over.

"Well if you hate me, I guess you should try harder to kill me then" Naruto said, although he was unsure as to what to expect from this new development.

"**No I have a better idea... I will kill your friends!**" Sanbi roared before throwing his head up into the air.

A large black sphere was appearing in the sky as Naruto seemed to be shell shocked. 'What immense power, I don't think I can repel that even with my gravity manipulation, it's just too much. What can I do, everyone will be killed... I have to stop it' Naruto thought as his eyes began to redden.

Mei and the others had just broken through the enemy lines when they saw it, the massive orb of condensed chakra in the form of a large black ball that floated ominously in the sky. In the mouth of the massive turtle that stared right at them.

Sanbi fired. The air around the blast seemed to explode and the members of the resistance could only stare as their death approached, annihilating everything in it's path.

A split second before it hit however the ball was intercepted by a huge chunk of earth the size of a small village that flew into its path. The explosion it caused sent even the toughest of ninja to their knees in awe.

The area for miles around was blanketed in debris and smoke from the Bijuudama striking the large projectile of earth.

"**My Attack what did you do!**" Sanbi yelled in anger.

"**I wont let you hurt them... Ever!**" Naruto roared loud enough for the approaching army to hear his own voice distorted by demonic chakra.

A massive wind picked up and blew the dust away revealing Naruto covered in a cloak of chakra in the shape of a fox, three tails swinging behind him.

"You're a Jinchuuriki as well! How could I not sense Kyuubi's presence?" Sanbi roared.

Naruto couldn't respond, he was not in enough control of his body to answer the question and simply shot forward at blistering speed and grabbing Sanbi's tail threw the giant turtle into the air.

Naruto lifted both hands high above his head before bringing them down. And as if controlled by chakra strings Sanbi's flight stopped and it plummeted to the ground crashing into what once was a large hill that turned into a crater.

Jiraiya and the others stopped a safe distance away and could only watch on as Naruto continued his barrage.

'_Amazing, the Rinnegan's jutsu powered by Kyuubi's chakra, his manipulation has gone to a whole new level. But I don't know how much longer Naruto can hold out until he looses himself completely_' Jiraiya thought.

Sanbi picked himself up off the ground with a roar, but before he could attack Naruto the blond had continued his assault. Rock spears shot up from underneath the creature piercing it's arms and under its shell. There was an anguished roar of anger and pain from the giant turtle as he was once again blown away by a gravity.

(**With Itachi**)

With his Mangekyo Sharingan activated Itachi countered the combination jutsu used by the twins with an Amaterasu.

"Black flames? What the hell is this?" Taniyama said shocked as Amaterasu overpowered their combined jutsu forcing them to jump away.

"It doesn't matter, even with that jutsu, he wont be able to his us, we will always be able to escape" Niang taunted.

"Then I guess I have no choice" Itachi said as a large spectral figure formed above Itachi. "You are right, your combination jutsu make it almost impossible to get in close enough to finish you off without help. Although I am sure Naruto-kun would have little problems dealing with you both. However if Naruto is using Kyuubi's chakra like I suspect then they might need my help to suppress it and I cant stay and play with you both any longer. I have to finish this now with the sword of Totsuka" Itachi said.

The large spectral figure surrounding Itachi had a blade in one hand and a shield in the other. The bladed arm shot forward causing the twins to use a jutsu to try and stop it but it was no use, the blade shot through and pierced Niang's chest sealing his soul within the blade.

Taniyama watched in horror as her brother died. Her fear only lasted a second however as Itachi cast his blade toward her ending her life in the same way.

The Susanoo faded and Itachi covered his eyes as his vision slightly faded. '_I don't have time for this I need to go help out Naruto-kun_' he thought as he reactivated his normal sharingan and took off in the direction of Naruto's battlefield.

In the distance the masked man was both impressed and annoyed. "I didn't expect him to be a jinchuuriki. And to the Kyuubi no less, this must be the son of the Yondaime Hokage. That would explain why that fool Jiraiya is hanging around. And you have certainly grown Itachi. A Mangekyo sharingan with the ability to fully awaken Susanoo is a rare and valuable thing. Maybe your brother will be more willing to join me when the time comes" he said to himself. As he turned his attention back to the fight with the two jinchuuriki.

(**With Naruto**)

It was not much of a fight anymore, the blond was in complete control and Sanbi was fading fast.

'_**Can't sustain this form any longer**_' Sanbi thought as Naruto struck with a Fuuton Jutsu that with the added power of Kyuubi cracked off a small part of his shell.

The large turtle collapsed and the chakra reseeded leaving Yagura sprawled out on the floor just as Itachi arrived.

Naruto quickly created two chakra rods in each hand and charged to finish the job but was caught in a genjutsu by Itachi.

The pair stood together before a large gate. "So this is what you really look like Kyuubi" Itachi said facing the cage.

"**An Uchiha! Although you lack the stink of arrogance and evil that Madara once possessed**" Kyuubi said.

"Itachi sensei what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"You won the fight Naruto, if you don't stop now, you might hurt someone, I'm here to help you suppress Kyuubi" Itachi said

"**Don't listen to him boy, I can make you powerful. With those eyes and my chakra you will never be harmed again**" Kyuubi said.

"Thanks for the offer Kyuubi, but I think for now I will go with my friends instead" Naruto replied.

Naruto and Itachi both held there hands out and forced chakra back into the cage.

Back outside the chakra shroud around the blond faded and his eyes returned to their normal purple color. Yagura was struggling to his feet.

"Well what are you waiting for boy? Come and kill me" Yagura said.

"No I will... You have sent this country on the wrong path for far too long, today that changes" Mei said walking forward authoritatively.

"Either way I am finished" Yagura said.

"Mei you don't have to, he still has plenty of supporters, if I kill Yagura they will hate me rather than you" Naruto said.

"No, we should let her do it. Yagura's supporters mostly believe in power, if Mei kills Yagura it is a symbol that she is the new power head in the country. They will be forced to accept her as the next Mizukage then" Jiraiya said.

Naruto sighed and stood back clearing the way for Mei. "Your rule of terror ends now... we will no longer be known as the Bloody Mist. From today Kiri and the Land of Water will begin to reach out and connect with the other lands" she said before sending a stream of lava at Yagura who didn't even try to block it as it covered his body.

The fighting stopped as word spread that Yagura had been killed. The loyalist troops that remained all surrendered, instantly pledging their loyalty to Mei.

Naruto and Itachi stood on the far edge both exhausted from their efforts and ready to collapse as others started celebrating and sending news to all the different parts of Kiri that Yagura's rule was no more and that the Yondaime Mizukage was dead.

"So, you won. You defeated a Kage alone with no help" Itachi said.

"I guess I did huh. The masked man didn't show himself though" Naruto sighed.

"What masked man?" Itachi asked.

"It doesn't matter, just something that I heard from Cou when I removed his soul. It's not important anymore" Naruto said as the other members of the Yoinokuchi ran over.

Fuu and Akimi both gave Naruto a huge hug when they arrived before telling him just how amazing his fight was.

Jiraiya and Itachi moved off to the side so they could leave Naruto to talk to the others. "Channeling the Kyuubi's chakra, makes his Rinnegan powers increase exponentially. And that was just three tails. Should he ever gain complete control of Kyuubi he may well be as powerful and the Rikudou Sennin" Jiraiya said as they watched Naruto be praised by the others as the resistance army arrived and the celebrations started.

"I agree, and I think the Kyuubi knows this as well, when I was inside the seal the Kyuubi offered to give Naruto all the power he needed as long as Naruto would do what Kyuubi wanted" Itachi said.

"Strange, I would have thought that Kyuubi would want to get out and be trying to have Naruto remove the seal" Jiraiya said.

"That's what I would have thought too. But it seems that Kyuubi finds Naruto to be worthy to keep around for now, even if it is only to be his tool. Then again it could have all been a lie in an attempt to get free" Itachi said.

"Either way we have seen a small glimpse of Naruto's true potential here today" Jiraiya sighed taking a seat on a small patch of grass that had somehow survived the battle that had just transpired.

In the distance the masked man stood in a tree, still looking down upon the battlefield. '_Well, looks like my time as Mizukage has come to an end. And from the looks of that boy completing my Moons Eye plan will be far more difficult than I had anticipated. Still for now things can go on as planned. I will not let the son of the Yondaime Hokage get in my way!_' he thought before he disappeared into a vortex of time and space that came from his left eye.

**End Chapter!**

**Well Yagura is dead and the Land of Water arc is almost done, just another chapter or so to wrap it up. Now question is, do I put in the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Or do I just move on and begin the process for the time skip. I would like to hear what people think either way.**

**Anyway hope you liked the chapter and that the fights were believable. Feel free to criticize as along as it's constructive. I don't mind flames so much but if you're going to hate on something at least give reasons. **


	29. Three Year Plan

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 29: Three Year Plan**

The celebrations had begun and Naruto was right at the center of them. While Mei had killed the Yagura, Naruto was being praised once again as a hero. Those that had witnessed the final moments of the fight were saying it was a power unrivaled by anything less than higher Bijuu.

Naruto attempted to distance himself from these rumors but to little success. And soon people could be heard singing songs about Naruto and Itachi's work in saving the Land of water along with those in celebration of Mei as the leader of the resistance.

The members of the Yoinokuchi slowly made it back to the village which had been badly damaged in the fight. It looked as though more than half the village was gone but the people of the town who had returned once they were given word that Yagura was dead were all in high spirits and joyfully beginning the reconstruction of their town.

A few hours later Naruto had managed to escape the party that was still raging on and was now sitting alone on top of the wall. "Is that it? The war ends just because one man died? Surely it can't be that simple... Can it?" he asked himself.

"That really depends on how the enemy forces react" came the voice of Jiraiya as he arrived by Naruto's side and took a seat.

"Well what do you think?" Naruto asked.

"I think it is done. Not only is Yagura gone, but also the five generals that would have been in the running for the next Mizukage are gone as well. Right now the word is spreading and we have already received reports of the vast majority of the remnants of the loyalist army laying down their weapons and pledging loyalty to Mei" Jiraiya said.

"Still, there will be those that hate Mei and the resistance for what they have done even though it was the right thing. Eventually that hate will fester and they will strike back against them" Naruto said.

"Yes that is always a possibility. Complete success and peace seems almost impossible. But to not even try, is the same as letting the people that want to see the world burn win. It is true there is far too much hate in this world of ours and it is building into more wars. I want to do something about it, but finding the right answer is difficult. That's why I write my books, I hope that day my books would bring everyone together and true peace would be possible" Jiraiya said.

"For that to happen you would have to get women to actually read them. And while all you write is smut I don't much like your chances sensei" Naruto replied with a smile.

"Harsh kid. But in the end you may be right, I haven't been able to figure out how to bring peace. Maybe it is impossible, but that doesn't mean that I can't try" Jiraiya replied.

"Then it's my job as your student to help and carry on your work" Naruto said.

"Well then, do you have any ideas?" Jiraiya said.

"No not yet, but I will find them. You said hate breads hate, then I guess stopping that circle if our goal then" Naruto said.

"Well you will need to become stronger if that is your goal you know" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah I will do anything I need to in order to help you succeed" Naruto replied.

"Good, because I have a training trip planned for you" Jiraiya said.

"Training trip?" the blond asked confused.

"You are strong there is no denying that. However you are not strong enough to complete your goals. If you want peace then you need to fight for it. Stop those that endanger it. Give the people someone to believe in. The Sage of Six Paths did just that, and the world was at peace. You need to become a symbol of hope to those that need it" Jiraiya said.

"How long do you think the training you have planned will take?" Naruto asked.

"Three years" Jiraiya said.

"Three Years! What about the Yoinokuchi and everyone else, I can't just abandon them" Naruto replied.

"Itachi will be running the group in our absence but he will also be helping in your training from time to time. After the three years are over we will return" Jiraiya said.

"But why that long, and all in one go? couldn't we do it in six month periods. Sure it would end up taking twice as long but I wouldn't be away for three whole years in one shot" Naruto said.

"I wish we could. But there is another reason why we need to do this... The Akatsuki, are starting to move. They're hunting the Bijuu and you need to be ready to defend yourself against anything they throw at you" Jiraiya said.

"But what about the other jinchuuriki... What about Fuu and Gaara? They need the training just as much as I do" Naruto said.

"I agree, and they will be trained. Itachi, Zabuza, and Akaru will be overseeing the training of Akimi Gaara and Fuu while we are gone" Jiraiya said.

"I see... So when are we leaving?" Naruto asked.

"Not for awhile yet. I just wanted to tell you now so you have enough time to say goodbye when the time comes. I know that Akimi will be especially upset if that you are going. And I would say that Fuu will be highly disappointed as well" Jiraiya said with a sly smile that Naruto didn't catch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blond asked in confusion.

"Nothing never mind" Jiraiya replied. '_Damn he still hasn't realized that Akimi likes him, and I would bet the total profits from my next book that the Nanabi jinchuuriki does as well. Oh well he's only thirteen, in time he will notice women_' he added as an afterthought.

"So where will we be going on our three year trip?" Naruto asked eventually as he stared out into the now empty field that just hours before was the sight of the fight with Yagura.

"There are lot's of places. But more importantly people you need to meet. We need to go everywhere that might have a connection with the Rikudou Sennin. I also need to introduce you to the great toad elders and of course continue our training" Jiraiya said.

"It will be strange, most of the group I have only known for a few months. Even Akaru and Akimi have only been with us for two years. To leave them for three will be weird" Naruto said.

"You will adjust. Dealing with hardships is how you become a man... Use the fact that it will be awhile before you see them all again as a motivator to work had to become as strong as possible" Jiraiya said in a fatherly tone.

The master and his apprentice sat talking for awhile until Jiraiya left to go work on his novel.

'Well there is no use staying here, I think I will go get some sleep, we are planning to enter Kiri tomorrow, and I need to be prepared in case there is any resistance on the way' Naruto thought.

The blond stood up and he made his way around the village so as to avoid the continuing celebrations and quickly sneaking inside his bedroom window.

'_Parties are not really my thing after all_' The blond thought as he decided to go to sleep early to recharge after the battle that day.

(**Meanwhile**)

The party was still in full swing in the village, and the Members of the Yoinokuchi were for the most part enjoying themselves. Itachi was rediscovering the horrors of fan girls that he had managed to escape upon leaving Konoha, but the others were sitting at a table talking amongst themselves.

"Did you see Jiraiya-sama's weird transformation during the fight? He had two really old toads growing out of his shoulders" Akimi said.

"That was Jiraiya-sama's Sage Mode, it is the reason he is considered the strongest of Konoha's Sannin" Akaru said.

"What does it do?" Fuu asked.

"In truth, I do not know. It makes him faster and stronger, but that is as far as my understanding goes. Itachi might know more" Akaru said.

"Well those two toads that he summoned were amazingly powerful even if it was a rather unique way to use summoned creatures" Zabuza complimented.

"Speaking of Unique things, I didn't know you could fly Fuu" Akimi said.

"Oh yeah, well my Bijuu is a little different to Naruto and Gaara's. Rather than have seven tails it has six wings and a long horn tail for the seventh. It means that as long as I am using at least two tails worth of chakra in my Bijuu cloak I can fly" Fuu explained.

"Does the Nanabi give you anything else?" Akaru asked.

"What do you mean?" Fuu replied.

"Well Gaara can control sand freely and Naruto heals at an amazing rate. I was wondering if you were gifted with anything like that?" Akaru said.

"Oh, yeah I am immune to all poisons and can change my breath into a poison mist as well as saliva into acid if I want to" Fuu answered.

"Talk about a kiss of death. You must be glad to no longer be part of a village" Zabuza said.

"What are you talking about Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked.

"Well it is common practice for kunoichi with skills like that to be given assassination jobs that involve seduction. For example, with Fuu, a kiss from Fuu could be deadly if she chooses it to be. A rare skill to have and one that most villages wouldn't ignore" Zabuza said.

"Huh, well I think it was a good thing that the leader in Taki wasn't that smart. Fuu was only being trained as a weapon for war, isn't that right?" Akimi said.

"Yeah, they saw no value in me as a shinobi at all" Fuu replied.

"Well it would appear that their loss is our gain, you were of great help in this battle and I am sure you have been a great asset to the war" Gaara said.

"Thanks Gaara" Fuu replied.

"You know I haven't seen Naruto or Jiraiya-sama for awhile... where did they run off to?" Akimi asked.

It was Itachi who responded, after shaking off his fan girls... for the moment anyway. "Naruto told me he was going to the eastern wall, but that was a few hours ago, Jiraiya followed soon after to talk to him about something"

"Why hasn't he come to join in the celebrations?" Fuu asked.

"Naruto has spent most of his life avoiding large groupings of ninja to avoid people discovering his Rinnegan. I guess he doesn't really feel comfortable being the center of attention" Itachi said.

"That's stupid, he deserves more praise than anyone" Akimi said.

"I agree, we should go drag him back here" Fuu said.

"You are certainly free to try, but I don't think you will have much success" Itachi said.

"It will work... anyway, your girl friends are back" Akimi said with a smile.

Itachi's eyes widened and subtly glanced behind him to see that there were indeed several woman and kunoichi heading in his direction. Itachi slowly dissolved into a murder of crows that flew away leaving a group of rather disappointed women.

"Knowing Itachi he will have gone to a place without anyone around that overlooks a large area" Akaru said to one of the women.

"Oh I know where that might be!" another said and they all ran off.

"That was a rather cruel thing to do to Itachi Nii-san" Akimi said although found it hard not to giggle at the thought of all the women catching Itachi.

"I was hoping at least one of them would stay" Akaru said with a sweat drop.

"You should go out and find your own girlfriend, instead of trying to steal Itachi's" Akimi laughed.

"Well, I could but everyone seems to be either after Itachi or Naruto, and as they cant find the blond they are all looking for him" Akaru said.

"What!" both Fuu and Akimi yelled standing up. They both had the same image of Naruto being dragged away by a group of fan girls. And were too preoccupied with that thought to realize that they might not be the only person in there group who had started to develop feelings for the blond.

"Where did Itachi say Naruto was again?" Akimi asked.

"Eastern wall I think" Fuu replied.

"I'm going to find him" Akimi said.

"I'm coming too" Fuu said and they both ran off much to the amusement of the other members of the Yoinokuchi.

"Is there really a Naruto fan club?" Zabuza laughed.

"There is but they are all far too young for me, I just wanted to get under Akimi's skin, although I didn't see Fuu joining in" Akaru chuckled.

"Do you think they even realize that the other also likes the kid?" Zabuza said.

"I don't think so, give it some time, I bet they figure it out before Naruto does" Akaru laughed.

Fuu and Akimi ran over the rooftops towards the location Naruto had previously been sitting.

"I can't see him? Can you?" Akimi asked.

"No, and I can't see any groups of people out looking for him either" Fuu said.

"I think Nii-chan tricked me. I'll make him pay for that" Akimi said.

"What should we do?" Fuu asked.

"I still want to find Naruto. So I am going to continue on towards the wall. Try to convince him to join the party" Akimi said.

"Well I am coming too" Fuu said and the pair continued searching for the blond. However when they made it to the wall they found nothing.

"He's not here... I wonder where he went to?" Fuu said looking around.

"Who knows. Knowing him he could have moved on somewhere else" Akimi replied.

"What if a bunch of fangirls found him first?" Fuu replied.

"He wouldn't let that happen... Let's keep looking" Akimi said.

(**The Next Morning**)

Naruto awoke early and went to search for some breakfast. It was still early so there were not many places that were open yet but he eventually found a small dango shop and entered.

After a small breakfast Naruto exited the store only to be tackled by an exhausted looking Fuu and Akimi.

"Uh hi" Naruto said in shocked confusion as he lay on the ground.

"Where the hell have you been... we have been looking for you all night" Fuu said.

"Um, I guess I was asleep... did you try my hotel room?" Naruto asked dumbfounded.

The two girls looked at each other and both hung their heads in embarrassment. "Uh no we didn't" they both admitted.

"You didn't sleep at all did you?" Naruto asked.

"No" Akimi sighed.

"And we have to walk to Kiri today as well" Fuu moaned.

"That is exactly why I went to bed early" Naruto said.

"Oh kami, do you know when we leave?" Akimi asked.

"About three hours then we will be marching to Kiri and Mei will become the new Mizukage" Naruto said.

"Well wake me up in two and a half hours... I'm going to get some sleep while I can" Akimi said before blurring off.

"And what about you?" Naruto said turning to Fuu.

"I'm fine, I can go a few days without sleep, it doesn't bother me at all" She replied.

"Oh okay well do you want to do some training or something then?" Naruto asked.

"Nah I would rather save my strength, how about we just go somewhere and talk for awhile" Fuu suggested.

"Yeah alright... and it is a good idea to save our strength, there could still be some resistance to Mei becoming Mizukage after all" Naruto said with a smile.

The pair walked for awhile until they came to a small empty park.

"This place looks nice" Fuu said as she took a seat beside a small pond.

Naruto sat down next to her and they both sat together not talking for a few moments.

It was Fuu who spoke first. "What was it like fighting against another jinchuuriki?"

"Tough, he was strong even when he wasn't using his Bijuu. His manipulation of Suiton was amazing almost as good as the Nidaime Hokage's. I had to go all out to beat him down, and even then it wasn't enough. I needed to use the Kyuubi" Naruto said.

"I suppose that is to be expected from one of the five Kage" Fuu said.

"How are you able to control your Bijuu so well? I was just barely conscious while using three tails of Kyuubi's power" Naruto said.

"It is very difficult. Bijuu are entities that feed on negative emotions if there is any personal conflict within someone they can take over. And then for full control I was told I would have to fight against the Nanabi and defeat it. I'm not ready for that yet. I cant use more than three tails of Nanabi's chakra without beginning to lose control" Fuu explained.

"Still more than me, I start to be effected the moment the cloak appears and it is a struggle to hold back" Naruto explained.

"But you are far stronger than me without the Bijuu so it's not as though I am in anyway stronger than you. Besides I had to go through special mental conditioning to get even this far" Fuu said.

"Jiraiya sensei told me that he wants me to start learning how to control the Kyuubi, but it's difficult. I just can't stay calm while I use it's power" Naruto sighed.

"Jiraiya-sama has really taken an interest in your development huh, although I guess its not really a surprise considering that you said that he raised you. What was it like being brought up by someone like Jiraiya-sama?" Fuu asked.

"It was a lot of hard work really, he wanted me to be strong enough to defend myself. When he was training me he was mean and made me work everything out for myself, said that struggling to achieve something gives it more value, and I guess it does. Still we traveled around so I could learn new skills and we began searching for anything that had to do with the Rikudou Sennin. We were looking for clues about the power of these eyes. Over all growing up with him was good. And we weren't alone, Itachi sensei was there as well" Naruto said.

"Sounds like you have been to quite a few unique places. Have you been able to find much on the Rikudou Sennin?" she asked.

"Not really, and most of the stuff we found was really old. But we haven't stopped looking eventually we will find something useful I'm sure of it" Naruto admitted.

"Yeah, so do you know where we are all going after we leave the Land of Water?" Fuu questioned.

"Nah, it's up to Jiraiya sensei really" Naruto said.

"I hope we can have some time off... Continuous fighting is rather tiring after all" Fuu moaned.

"Regretting joining us?" Naruto asked.

"Not at all, just some time off would be nice" Fuu said.

"Yeah I know what you mean" Naruto replied.

The two sat talking for awhile longer until the time came around and Naruto went to wake up Akimi.

Arriving at the hotel Naruto knocked on her door still accompanied by Fuu. There was no answer so they tried again.

"She's not answering" Fuu said.

"Well I better go in then" Naruto said.

"You can't go in there... she might not be decent... Or are you a pervert?" Fuu said with a small smile.

Naruto blushed at what she was saying and stepped away from the door. "I'm not a pervert. You go wake her up" Naruto said.

"Alright I'll be back later, you can go tell everyone that we are on our way" Fuu replied.

"Okay I guess I will see you both at the gate" Naruto said before turning and jumping out a nearby window.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay bit of a nothing chapter really, a bit of a come down from the previous battles. Kinda short as well I'll make the next chapter longer. **


	30. Mei Terumi, Godaime Mizukage

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 30: Mei Terumi, Godaime Mizukage**

The Land of Water and the village hidden in the mist were on edge. Ever since news spread of the death of the Mizukage, Yagura at the hands of the leader of the resistance Mei Terumi much of the population were waiting with baited breath for the resistance to claim Kirigakure and end the conflict that had scarred the landscape of the Water nation for years.

It had been a war that had left the country isolated and weakened. And the majority of people were just glad that it was about to come to an end, they even welcomed the outcome. Yagura's hold on the peoples beliefs towards those with Kekkei Genkai had been faltering. The depiction's of them as heartless killers that were not to be considered human demolished by the countless acts of kindness and forgiveness that several members of the Resistance with bloodlines had shown to liberated villages and captured prisoners alike.

Kiri was having a very uncharacteristically sunny day. The mist that so often enveloped the village had been pressed back and the sun shone down on the village for the first time in what felt like years to it's inhabitants adding to the feeling of optimism that spread through the village when word of a large group of ninja containing both Mei Terumi and the unknown Hero of the Mist that they had heard so much about.

Outside the village the mist still circulated but it seemed to thin out as Naruto and the rest of the group walked down a large stone road. The group comprised of about fifty ninja and at the front Mei walked with Ao and Jiraiya just behind. Naruto and the rest of the Yoinokuchi were placed at the front of the main pack as a symbol of strength.

After a few hours of walking the mist cleared and the group from the resistance stood before the gates of Kiri, several ninja stood there weapons drawn as if ready for a battle.

"You intend to fight?" Mei asked with her trademark smile which seemed to be even more threatening than a scowl. "I recommend you think carefully before drawing your weapons and challenging us" she added.

The guards all began to sweat and one by one they began to lay their weapons on the ground at their feet and bow in submission. "Forgive us Mei-sama, we had no intention of blocking your path" they said.

"Good then open the gates and allow entry to my men and I" Mei ordered.

"Y-yes at once" one of the guards stammered and ran off to open the gates of Kiri.

Just behind Mei and the two she had picked as her personal guard Naruto was standing next to Itachi. Both had satisfied smiles on their faces. "It feels good to be able to enter a village without having to sneak in or trick the guards" Naruto said.

"I was just thinking the exact same thing Naruto-kun. It seems that this war is truly over now" Itachi replied.

Naruto smiled as they walked past the gate and into the village. Although he felt kind of awkward as civilians all came running out to see the group of ninja who brought down Yagura and the woman who would almost certainly become the next Mizukage.

It was comforting to the group that a vast majority of the villagers that had come to watch the precession were smiling. Some were even openly clapping and cheering about the result of the war.

They continued to walk at a slow pace through the village until they came to a large three level building with large banners that had the Kanji for 'Water' on them. At the base of the tower they were greeted by two older people who appeared to be the village elders and several ninja that Naruto guessed were their bodyguards.

"Ah Mei Terumi, a pleasure to see you again, you have not been in Kiri since the start of the bloodline purges" an elderly bald man said.

"Well as I am a user of two separate Kekkei Genkai and was an elite jounin despite my young age when they started, I felt it was wise to make myself scares. I'm sure you can understand chief elders" Mei replied.

"Yes it is certainly understandable. Yagura's rein was certainly a dark time for our village. And called into question our status as one of the great ninja villages. I guess that is what we get for picking one of those things to be the Yondaime Mizukage" the old man said.

Naruto,Gaara and Fuu all physically stiffened at the statement they knew quite well that, 'those things', meant jinchuuriki.

"There is nothing at all wrong with jinchuuriki. Yagura was made to hate those around him by how he was treated" Jiraiya said with a scowl.

"Oh my, Jiraiya of the Sannin. So this is the so called 'Hero of the Mist'... A retired ninja from Konoha" the old man said.

Jiraiya walked forward before turning and pointing at the blond jinchuuriki "I'm not the Hero of the Mist, he is!" Jiraiya said.

"What but he is a child. There is no way he is responsible for the deaths of any of the five generals and Yagura" the old man said.

"Age has nothing to do with it old man" Naruto said walking forward. "I helped kill off the five generals with Itachi sensei... And if you don't believe me then I guess you will just be someone else who has underestimated my abilities" he added.

The old man was shocked. A young boy was standing in front of him with no regard for who he was, as if titles and respect didn't matter to this boy. "You have some nerve boy" he said ready to berate the child for his rudeness when he finally got a good look at Naruto and saw the ripple pattern of the eyes and immediately knew what he was seeing. "You... You have the Rinn-Rinnegan, Impossible!" he stammered.

"Impossible or not, he has the eyes of the sage. And he is indeed the person being praised throughout my followers as the Hero of the Mist" Mei said with a smile.

"This could be the second coming of the 'Sage of Six Paths' either way the child must be destined for great things" the elder said.

"Well he has already achieved great things on this country" Mei said.

"It doesn't really matter. I take it you are here to discover our choice for the next Mizukage and to end this war?" the bald elder said.

"Yes, this war ends today no matter the consequences" Mei said.

"Yes, well we feel that for the prosperity of both the Land of Water and continued strength of Kiri that you become the Godaime Mizukage. Your fist duty will be to call the remaining ninja forces back to Kiri and address the people of Kirigakure" the elder said.

"Then I should get to work immediately. But my comrades will need a place to stay" Mei said.

"We will take care of the Mizukage-dono" the elder said with a respectful bow.

Several guards showed the resistance force to a large empty compound and told them that all the buildings were empty and to make themselves at home until Mei is ready to declare the war over.

(**Two Day's Later**)

Naruto was in a small training ground practicing several ninjutsu and taijutsu moves when he felt someone approach him at a high speed. Acting instinctively he rolled out of the way of a punch shich shattered the earth where he was previously standing.

"Not bad, but you will need to be faster than that to get me in a sneak attack" Naruto said with a large chuckle.

"Damn it, I thought I had you for sure that time" Akimi pouted. But the second she thought Naruto had dropped his guard she attacked again. Throwing a intensely fast kick towards Naruto's ribs.

Naruto caught it at the last second and flipped over her leg before attempting to sweep her supporting leg from under her.

Using impressive agility Akimi was able to push off with her one leg into a back flip narrowly avoiding Naruto's sweep. Not wanting to stop, Akimi shot forward aiming a straight jab at the blonds face. But he caught it with ease this time and threw her to the far end of the small field.

"Had enough yet?" Naruto asked happily.

"I'm not even warmed up yet!" Akimi said with a large smile.

"You can't beat me... I don't know why you even try" Naruto said with a smirk clearly indicating that he was joking.

"Maybe you are just scared because you think I might actually have you this time" Akimi replied and she blurred away appearing behind Naruto throwing a punch at the back of his head. But Naruto had been expecting the attack and ducked under the punch before turning and tripping the speedy kunoichi before pinning her down with several kunai with ninja wire.

"Not bad, you get faster every day" Naruto said taking a seat next to the struggling Akimi.

"No fair, let me up!" she yelled.

"It's fair, you attacked me and I subdued you" Naruto chuckled.

"Damn it Naruto let me out of this thing, I cant even move my hands for a substitution!" she yelled.

"You know, you're kinda cute when angry" Naruto laughed.

Akimi blushed, although Naruto just thought she was becoming more infuriated with the blond. '_He thinks I'm cute! Maybe I should just tell him that I like him? He is too much of an idiot to see it. But admitting that to him I don't think I could live it down if I get rejected_' she thought as the wires released themselves.

Meanwhile Naruto was laughing at how flushed Akimi looked. "You look like a tomato, you must be really pissed huh? Kami I am going to miss our little duels" Naruto chuckled.

"Shut up, if you weren't such an idiot I wouldn't be all flustered... Wait what do you mean 'Miss!" She said.

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you yet. Jiraiya sensei wants to take me on a training trip and I will be gone for three years" Naruto said sitting down.

"Th-Three Y-y-years?" she stammered.

"Yeah we are leaving sometime soon, although I am not sure when" Naruto admitted.

"But you can't! What about the Yoinokuchi. What am I supposed to do without you around!" Akimi said disbelievingly.

"I have to go, I need to become strong enough to protect everyone also the Akatsuki are looking for jinchuuriki. Believe me if there were any other way, I would consider it. I'll be back in three years time, you will be fine without me around. You have Gaara Haku and Fuu that are all around our age" Naruto said.

"But they're not the same as you" she said sadly.

"That might be, but I still have to go, just promise me that while I'm gone you will continue to become stronger and that we can have another fight when I return" Naruto said.

"I promise, but you won't win, I'm going to kick your ass" Akimi said with a forced smile.

"Well I guess we are just going to have to wait and see won't we" Naruto said with a smile of his own.

They sat in silence for a moment until they felt someone new approach. Turning there heads in the direction of the chakra signature they saw Fuu land in the center of the training field.

"Hey, It's time, they are about to officially make Mei-sama the new Mizukage" Fuu said.

"Oh okay cool where are they holding the ceremony?" Akimi asked, glad for something to take her mind off the fact that Naruto would be leaving for three years soon.

"In the main square. It's packed, but they are asking for Naruto to be up on the stage. I think Mei wants to give him an award or something" Fuu said.

"Just me? I mean Itachi did half the work and he did most of the planning" Naruto said.

"No Itachi, and Jiraiya-sama are joining the Mizukage along with several of Mei-sama's top ninja" Fuu said.

"Alright. As long as they don't try to make it all about me I guess I can agree to that" Naruto said and the three ninja all made there way to the main square of Kiri.

Upon arrival they found themselves in a massive courtyard with building that were packed with people looking out over a large stage that had been put up. In the center of the courtyard was a large fountain that shot water straight up into the air before descending in an arch at the base. Every so often the water would be lit with different color lights.

"You need to go up to the stage Naruto, they're all waiting for you" Fuu said.

"Ah alright, see you both in a bit" Naruto said and after waving goodbye took off up one of the nearby buildings before jumping onto the stage in one swift movement shocking the bodyguards that Mei had picked to guard the stage. "Uh sorry I'm late, I was training" Naruto said sheepishly upon his arrival.

"That's fine, lets get this started" the bald Elder said before walking up to a podium.

The crowd saw the old man who obviously was highly respected in the village and everything fell silent.

"Today is a day of both celebration, sadness and reconciliation. Several days ago we lost the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. Which is a sad loss for our village. However, Yagura had caused almost irreparable damage to both Kiri and the Land of Water, he caused a genocide of some of the clans that helped make us one of the five strongest villages. And because of this, a war started. But with Yagura gone, a new Mizukage has been chosen, and I am proud to introduce the Godaime Mizukage... Mei Terumi" the bald elder said loudly.

There was a large eruption of cheering from the majority of the gathered observers as Mei walked up to the podium and knelt down as the elder placed a blue hat with the Kanji for Water on the brim.

Everyone fell silent again as Mei stepped up to address the people. "People of Kiri, and to everyone else that has journeyed to be here today... my first declaration as Mizukage is to call an end to the persecution of Kekkei Genkai clans in the Land of Water". Again a large cheer came from the majority of the crowd. "Now that's taken care of, I hereby disband the underground resistance and call for an end to hostility between the clans and people of Kiri. This country has been divided for too long. While we have been fighting, the other villages have been expanding. While they have been reaching out, we have been isolated. While the others have moved towards peace, we couldn't even bring peace to our own village... As Godaime Mizukage, I will make sure that we correct the mistakes of the past, and to start this I offer all those in Yagura's army a full pardon on the grounds that they accept me as the rightful Mizukage and end hostilities upon the Bloodline clans. We offer forgiveness for past crimes and a chance at retribution in this new Kiri" she said proudly.

The crowd seemed happy by what they were hearing and clapped approvingly. Even some of those that still didn't like the fact that the Kekkei Genkai clans had won were pleased to have the chance to still be apart of Kiri.

Mei paused for a moment to let everything she had said sink in before continuing. "While I am thrilled and Honored to be named Mizukage, this day may not have happened if it wasn't for the work of a group of ninja that offered there aid to our cause... They were the Yoinokuchi led by Jiraiya the Toad Sage" she said indicating Jiraiya who didn't hesitate in standing up and posing for the people in attendance. "Because of this I am giving all members of the Yoinokuchi Honorary positions as Kiri ninja and citizenship in the Land of Water. You are all Hero's to the people who fought against the oppression placed upon this country. Because of this you are always welcome here in Kiri as long as I am Mizukage" Mei added.

'_Seems like most of the people are liking what they are hearing so far_' Naruto thought as he waited for Mei to continue.

"There are two more people who need to be honored for making today possible. They are both members of the Yoinokuchi and it was directly because of their actions that Yagura was brought down. Because of the work they have done with the resistance I am proud to award Kiri's Medal of Honor to Itachi Uchiha, and the person known as the Hero of the Mist, Naruto Uzumaki" Mei said.

Murmurs and whispers spread through the crowd as for many of them this was the fist look at the people who were responsible for the deaths of the five strongest ninja in Kiri during the civil war. And when they saw two teenagers the oldest being no more than eighteen. And the younger only thirteen.

Itachi was the first to receive his award with Mei adding a kiss on both cheeks. Causing a small blush to appear on the usually stoic Uchiha's face. The award was a gold pendant in the shape of the symbol for Water Country.

Next up was Naruto who stood uneasy at all the public attention being directed towards him, but figured that he had best learn how to deal with it sooner or later.

"Ladies and Gentlemen... I present to you, The Hero of the Mist, Naruto Uzumaki" Mei said loudly as she placed the award over his neck before kissing the blond on the lips.

"Thank you for saving my country Naruto. I can tell you will be a very handsome man in a few years" Mei said with a smile trying not to giggle at how red Naruto had become. A problem not shared by Jiraiya who was openly laughing his ass off in between frantically taking notes on his book.

In fact the only people who were not either laughing or cheering were two kunoichi who both seemed to be devastated that Mei had stolen Naruto's first kiss and were out for blood. The crowd seemed to give them a wide birth. Ironically they both seemed unaware of the others killer intent and still didn't know that they had a rival for the affection of the blushing blond.

Eventually Naruto came back to his senses and with a smile gave a small bow to Mei and returned to his seat only to receive a big pat on the back from Jiraiya.

"Way to go kid, you bagged probably the hottest Kage there has ever been" the Super Pervert said.

"Shut it, you old perv there was nothing in that, it was just as a thank you and for show" Naruto said.

"Sure what ever you say" Jiraiya said.

The rest of Mei's speech was about rebuilding the nation and branching out in an attempt to build connections with the other nations. Once the speech ended people gave Mei and the the occupants of the stage a guard of honor out of the square as they cheered.

It took awhile for the crowd to disperse and go there separate ways, small parties began to start up around the village and the main topic of conversation at any of the jounin bars were that of the young Hero. Many of them couldn't believe that one so young could have taken out any of the five generals and those few with the minor details or those that had seen the end of Naruto's fight with Yagura were eagerly telling what they knew of the blonds strength.

During this time, Naruto was staying well away from large population areas knowing that there would be unwanted attention there. He had only just sat down when he felt a familiar presence approach.

"Hey Fuu, I'm up here" Naruto called from the tree he was relaxing in once the Nanabi jinchuuriki was close enough.

"Wow you are scary good at finding me" Fuu said jumping up into the tree.

"Whats up?" Naruto asked.

"Oh nothing really, I just wanted to see what you were up to, everyone in the village is talking about you at the moment" Fuu said.

"Yeah I figured that might be the case, all of the former Yagura Loyalists and most of the resistance had only heard about what I had done and never seen me so I guessed the fact that I am so young would have thrown them" Naruto said.

"Yeah. Still it's kinda cool that we have all been given citizenship here. Now we can come and go as we please" Fuu said happily.

"It is a nice honor isn't it. I just wonder how the rest of the elemental nations will react" Naruto said.

"What do you mean?" Fuu asked.

"Well a small group of ninja not affiliated with any nation stepping in and ending a war isn't going to go unnoticed. And once they find out that you and Gaara are members of the group we could be considered a criminal organization in Suna and Taki" Naruto said.

"I see, I didn't know that could happen. Maybe I shouldn't have come, if I am putting you all in extra danger" Fuu said.

"Don't be ridiculous Fuu, You have been a great help. We can deal with not being liked by Suna and Taki. As far as I am concerned they don't deserve to have either of you. And if that means that we are there enemies then so be it" Naruto said.

"Thanks Naruto, I feel a lot better now. So what were you doing here all alone before I showed up?" the Mint haired kunoichi said.

"Thinking really. First about the end of the war, and also about what that means for me" Naruto said.

"You mean that fact that a whole nation sees you as a hero now?" Fuu asked.

"Not really, more about that once we leave here it wont be long before I will have to leave with Jiraiya" Naruto said.

"What do you mean?" Fuu questioned.

Naruto proceeded to explain that he would be leaving to which Fuu was visibly upset but also understood why he had to go.

"Well, I guess I'll need to up my training if I want to be even close to your league when you return" Fuu said.

"Yeah, I want everyone to get much stronger, the Akatsuki are no joke, ever one of them is a S ranked criminal. So we will all need to be stronger if we want to stand a chance in dealing with them" Naruto said.

"I'm going to miss you, if you get a chance you better write letters" Fuu said.

"I think I will be able to do that. I'll send them with summons if I have to" Naruto replied.

Naruto and the others spent the next few weeks in Kiri helping to rebuild but eventually Jiraiya told Mei and the others that they would be leaving the next day. The group all packed there things and readied themselves to head out. They didn't make it far from the gates however when they were called back.

Turning around they saw a huge crowd of both ninja and civilians all come to see them off. At the front of the group Mei stood, proudly wearing here Mizukage robes and hat, Ao and the bald elder at her sides as she waved goodbye to the nine ninja who had been of such great help to her.

"So do you think we will see them again?" Ao asked as they slowly disappeared from view.

"I'm sure we will, but even if we don't this is not the last we will hear of them. Especially Naruto, he has the potential to shape this world" Mei said with a smile.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry for the late update, I was away for a few days visiting family. Anyway hope you liked the chapter.**

**Now I was asked by several people about any fan art, for Akimi and several other points of interest. Eg: the Bloodline Platform Niang and Taniyama (Last two generals that Itachi Killed) used. While I would love to supply them myself I am absolutely useless at visual arts. So I would like to ask if anyone would be interested in supplying some fan art. **

**Anyway that's the end of the Civil War arc, hope you enjoyed it, I'm beginning to focus on the Time Skip, now which will take the next few chapters and it will in some way have elements of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc in it, even if it is just the reaction to his desertion. I still haven't decided as to how much detail I want to give it so next chapter might take a few days while I decide what I want to do.**


	31. Wake up Call

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 31: Wake up Call**

Naruto stood for the first time in almost two months at the entrance to the Yoinokuchi main hideout in the Land of fire. It had been a peaceful trip back, from Kiri. Mei had set up a private boat for there hero's.

"Wow it feels good to be home" Akimi sighed as she entered the base and took a seat before laying across a couch.

"Well as I only spent about a week here last time, I can't call this place home yet but it does feel good to have a place to be able to call home again" Zabuza said.

"It will grow on you, this place is rather comfortable" Itachi added.

"Well I'm just looking forward to having some time off" Naruto said as he took a seat on the opposite couch to the one Akimi was lounging on.

"I agree, it's going to nice to not have to worry about an possible enemy attack every day" Fuu said before taking a seat next to Naruto.

"Yeah well don't get too comfortable gaki. You can have the rest of the day to relax, but we spent too long in the Land of Water. We need to start our training trip" Jiraiya said as the last person to enter the room.

"What he's leaving so soon?" Fuu asked shocked.

"That's way too soon, you should at least let him relax for awhile Jiraiya-sama" Akimi added.

'_This doesn't give me much time... He will be gone for three years. That means I need to tell him how I feel today! Oh that's not enough time to prepare... then again if he turns me down I will have three years to get over it. Alright... Mission for the day is get Naruto alone and tell him I like him more than as a friend_' this thought was had simultaneously by both Akimi and Fuu.

"Eh one day hey... that's not much, and I have lot's to pack" Naruto sighed.

"Would you like some help?" Akimi asked jumping at the first opportunity that presented itself.

"I think it would be a good idea if we all helped Naruto with this" Gaara said.

"Yes I agree, I would also like to help out" Haku said.

"Yeah... the more the merrier" Akimi said with a fake smile but was still convincing.

'_Damn it... at least this wont take long with everyone helping, I will have a chance later_' Akimi thought.

'_Damn, because Akimi blurted that out, it stopped me from showing up at Naruto's room while he was packing and offer to help then_' Fuu moaned internally.

While both kunoichi thought that there plans were well hidden, the older ninja in the room were reading them both like an open book. And as soon as the young teens left Zabuza spoke up. "Poor kid is going to be put in a tight spot"

"I don't know what you are talking about. Lucky bastard has two kunoichi chasing him... in a few years they will both be quite the lookers. And anyway this is great inspiration for my novels" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, I can just see your next novel being about a ninja in the center of the affection of a few different kunoichi... Wait a second, that's my sister!" Akaru said yelling at the end.

"They don't even realize the other likes him. And I bet they both think Naruto is the only clueless one" Itachi sighed.

"Talk about the blind leading the blind. So do you think either will get a chance to tell him how they feel before he leaves?" Jiraiya asked.

"It will depend on if they can get him alone, so I would say that Akimi will have a chance. She is really driven when she wants something" Akaru said.

"Don't rule out Fuu, I taught her how to be sneaky, she might not appear to be as eager, but under the surface she is calculating her next move" Zabuza replied proudly.

"There is a decent chance that neither will get the chance. Because at every opening they will cut each other off. They will both go for any opening and in the end run into the other at every turn" Itachi said.

"Well then it looks like we have a bet" Jiraiya said.

"One hundred Ryo each. Akaru bets on Akimi confessing. Zabuza has Fuu. And Itachi is neither. Should they both confess, Itachi's Ryo will be split between you both. We have until Naruto leaves and we can't get involved in any way. Which means that even if one of them asks you where Naruto is you say that you don't know no matter who it is... got it?" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah" the three ninja replied and took out the money.

Meanwhile Naruto and the others were busy packing away anything that could be useful on a three year training trip before sealing them into scrolls.

Naruto's room was slightly bigger than the other rooms and seemed to be furnished with rather luxurious furniture and had a very homely feel about it.

"Wow where did you get all this stuff from?" Fuu asked as she admired the king sized bed and large rug.

"Well, I always received the more difficult missions when it was just the three of us, it was considered part of my training. Then when Akimi and Akaru joined we began taking them on in pairs and Itachi and I could take care of S ranked missions and bounty's together, so our rooms have more stuff in them. I have no real need for money, but it is nice to be comfortable" Naruto said.

"I'll say. I knew you would have had to be making some good money, with all the missions that you went on with Itachi. but this is amazing" Akimi said as she sealed a large set of kunai away.

"It's not going to be much use to me while I am away" Naruto sighed.

"Well, then I guess I will just have to move in while you are gone" Akimi said.

"What's wrong with your room? You have been a member for two years haven't you? I have only been here for two months and my room is completely empty... I should be the one staying here" Fuu said.

"I don't care either way, you two can decide amongst yourselves but could you do it later?" Naruto asked.

As they packed Naruto's things whenever Naruto found himself alone for even a second he would soon be in the company or either Fuu or Akimi, and seconds later the other would show up. Naruto thought they both looked like they wanted to say something but whenever they saw anyone else around they would just blush and disappear.

The packing took longer than the blond had anticipated and it was the late afternoon before they had finished.

"Phew, thanks for the help guys, it would have taken me all night if I had to do that alone, packing enough stuff for at least a year is tough. How about we all go out to dinner together? As it will be the last night I will be seeing any of you for the next few years, it's my treat" Naruto said.

"I think that would be a good way for us to say goodbye. But I think we should all put in together to pay for you" Gaara said.

"I agree, if it wasn't for you Naruto, none of us would be here at all" Haku added.

'_Kami... It's going to be really difficult to tell Naruto I like him with everyone coming to dinner, it was bad enough that every time I thought Naruto was alone today someone was with me, and on the rare occasions he was alone I never got a chance to talk to him_' both Akimi and Fuu thought.

The teenage members of the Yoinokuchi told the elders that they were going to a nearby town for dinner and they left. They talked amongst each other happily as they hopped from tree to tree until they came to a small village inside the Land of Fire. As they walked through the town there seemed to be a lot of people gossiping about the outcome of the civil war in the Land of Water. And not only that the fact that a thirteen year old blond ninja had defeated a Kage in a battle and was being called the Hero of the Mist had also made it's way to the common people of the Land of Fire.

"How the Hell do these people know anything about that?" Naruto asked.

"Well I guess, Mei wanted to inform the other nations that Yagura's rein as the Mizukage had come to an end. Also news of what you did is hardly going to stay quiet for long" Haku said.

"Oh well, at least they don't know it is me they are gossiping about" Naruto sighed.

"Who cares if they do, we will get more work if people know that the Hero of the Mist is a member of the Yoinokuchi" Akimi said.

"Sure you say that, but you're not the one who is turned into a celebrity" Naruto said hanging is head.

The group walked through the town until they came to a barbeque restaurant that looked good. The meal was once again a major disappointment for Fuu and Akimi, every small chance that it looked like they might get was cut off. The best chance came when Naruto went to the toilet and both of the kunoichi had the idea to get him alone as he came back and ran into the other.

'Damn it, every time there is an opening Fuu seems to be around... Although if Naruto wasn't such an idiot I wouldn't be in this situation anyway' Akimi thought. And her sentiments were shared by the mint green haired kunoichi, as they made there way home that night.

It was late at night when they finally made it back to the hideout and after thanking everyone for the meal Naruto made his way up to bed.

A couple of hours later Fuu lay in her room contemplating just how to tell Naruto before he was gone. After all he would leave with Jiraiya the next morning. '_Maybe if I just dragged him out of the room in the morning... oh but he might react badly to that, and knowing him he will think it's a challenge for a duel_' she thought with an audible sigh. "That's it, there is only one way to do it now where there is no chance of anyone finding out" she said before jumping out of bed and pulling on a dressing gown.

The Amber eyed kunoichi made her way upstairs past the main living area and made it all the way to the base of the stairs leading up to Naruto's room when she noticed that there was someone else heading up the stairs just above her. "Akimi what are you doing here?" Fuu asked loudly in an accusatory tone.

The dark haired kunoichi jumped visibly at being caught. "I – uh left something in Naruto's room from when we were helping him pack and I wanted to go and get it" Akimi lied. "Wait!.. What are you doing here?" Akimi said turning the accusatory tone and glare back at the Nanabi jinchuuriki.

"I need to talk to Naruto about something" Fuu said.

"He's sleeping can't it wait?" Akimi asked seriously.

"Can't the thing you left in his room wait till morning as well then?" Fuu replied.

"No I need to get it now or else I wont be able to sleep" She lied convincingly.

"Well, I need to speak to Naruto in private" Fuu said.

"What is so important that you have to do it now though" Akimi investigated.

Fuu squirmed but decided to just admit the truth. "I want to tell him that I like him a lot, as in more than a friend"

Akimi's eyes widened and realization broke on her. The reason Fuu was always hanging around while Naruto was alone that day, and she couldn't get him alone to talk to him. "You can't be" she said in a breathless tone still trying to deny what she now knew had to be true.

"Why are you so surprised. He is the most amazing person I have ever met" Fuu said.

"But he's mine... I was going to tell him how I feel about him today before he leaves for three years and forgets me. That's why I am really here" Akimi said.

Now it was Fuu's turn to get slapped in the face by an obvious realization. '_Of course, she was never really jealous of Naruto's skills or trying to prove that she is strong by challenging him to all those fights and joining in with his training. She just wanted to be close to Naruto because... Because she loves him... But so do I and there is no way I'm just going to let Akimi steal Naruto from me_' the amber eyed jinchuuriki thought. "I'm not just going to give up without a fight. I will tell him how I feel one way or another" she said.

"That's fine... but he is going to pick me! We have been close for two years and you only met Naruto two months ago" Akimi said.

"Well maybe, you are so close that he only sees you as a friend!" Fuu replied.

Akimi became flustered, that was a very real possibility that she had been very worried about. "And he isn't going to wait around for three years for someone he has just met!" Akimi said after regaining her composure.

"Which is why I need to tell him how I feel now. So move out of the way, so I can go up to his room" Fuu said.

"There is no way I am letting you confess first" Akimi said blocking the stairs.

"Well, I can't let you take the lead on me now can I" Fuu said.

Both girls received a massive fright when a passive soothing male voice spoke from behind them. "Maybe you would like to take this elsewhere and decide what you are going to do. Settle things between the two of you before deciding on how to proceed" both girls were looking into the darkness as Itachi came into the light with some warm milk.

"I-I-Itachi... How much did you hear?" Akimi stammered.

"All of it... but I have known for a while anyway" the Uchiha said.

"We were that obvious?" Fuu said in disbelief.

"Very obvious... Akaru, Zabuza and I have a running bet on who will be able to tell Naruto before he leaves" Itachi said casually.

"A bet! Then who did you bet on?" Akimi asked.

"I bet that neither of you would be able to, because of the chance the exact thing that is happening now happened" Itachi replied.

"Then why did you give us both advise at how to get around it?" Fuu asked.

"Because Naruto-kun locks his room with seals when he goes to sleep. You wont be able to get in no matter how hard you try. Couple that with the fact that he will be leaving first thing in the morning and it would seem that I have already won my bet " Itachi said. '_Unless they tell him in front of everyone. But I doubt that will happen_' he added as an afterthought

"Oh no... So we are both too late?" Fuu said visually deflating.

"To win his heart? Of course not... but to tell him before he leaves, I would say that you are too late" Itachi said and without any other interaction turned and walked up the stairs to his room.

"Alright then. It looks like we both have failed this time. But when he gets back... It's war, I won't let you steal Naruto from me" Akimi said with a determined smile.

"And I wont give up either, we have three years from now, and when he gets back I will tell him exactly how I feel" Fuu said.

"That is if you still feel that way, three years are a long time after all and I guess the same goes for me. We wont know until we see him again" Akimi replied.

"Either way, from now on we are rivals" Fuu said.

"That's fine with me" Akimi added and both kunoichi returned to their bedrooms.

As Itachi predicted the next morning neither kunoichi got the chance to talk to the departing jinchuuriki. And he left with Jiraiya right after breakfast. Naruto and Jiraiya had been walking for a few hours before Naruto finally asked a question that was bugging him. "So sensei... Where are we going first?"

"We are going to Konoha" Jiraiya said.

"What!... Why are we going there of all places?" Naruto asked.

"We need Tsunade-Hime's help with your training" Jiraiya replied.

"But I already know enough medical jutsu... what do I need to learn from Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"It shouldn't take long. It's just a small anatomy lesson" Jiraiya said.

Naruto sweat dropped "Knowing you that could mean anything"

"I want you to learn the anatomy of the human eye and if possible the sharingan eye and that is something that is only possible in konoha" Jiraiya said.

"Huh... why?" Naruto asked.

"Because as you know the more Itachi uses his Mangekyo Sharingan, the more his eyes deteriorate. However, I found something interesting after you showed me the unique way you created those chakra rods" the toad sage informed his pupil.

"And what did you find?" Naruto asked.

"A jutsu, Banbutsu Sozo. The Creation All Things Jutsu. With this jutsu the Rikudou Sennin was rumored to have created many things. His only restrictions was the immense chakra output that the jutsu requires and his imagination. As the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and the perfect chakra control that comes with the Rinnegan I think you might be able to pull it off" Jiraiya said.

"So you want me to study the unique anatomy of sharingan eyes so I can create a set for Itachi sensei to cure his blindness" Naruto surmised.

"Exactly. And there are a few eyes that were saved from the Uchiha massacre. Most of them disappeared which Itachi said was not his doing. But Sarutobi sensei managed to collect two sets for future research into the Kekkei Genkai" Jiraiya said.

"And they wont simply let me waltz in and take it... which is why we need Baa-chans help to get it for us" Naruto said.

"Exactly. With any luck we be there long and can move on to bigger and better things" Jiraiya said.

Naruto wanted to know what exactly they would be doing but he knew Jiraiya well, and bigger and better things meant that he only had a rough outline of his plans.

'_He was so eager to go and he doesn't even have much planned. Oh well, he maybe a hopeless pervert, but he is the strongest ninja that I know. And he will know what I need to work on most and the best places to accomplish those goals_' Naruto thought.

As the two Yoinokuchi ninja were not running it took two days before the pair were close enough to see Konoha from one of the surrounding hills. Although those two days were not wasted by any means. Every couple of hours the pair would have a few sparing matches and Naruto was happy to see that Jiraiya was taking him seriously.

"Hm I wonder what kind of reaction we will get?" Jiraiya mused as they made there way down the hill.

"Well, I would say, you will be greeted by everyone and I will be treated with indifference bordering on hatred" Naruto sighed.

"Not everyone dislikes you" Jiraiya replied.

As they approached the main gate it appeared that extra guards were put on duty. "Something is strange here. There is no way that so many people should be on guard duty" Jiraiya said as they approached.

"I guess we will just have to wait and find out for ourselves wont we" Naruto said.

The pair approached the gate both wrapped up in the Yoinokuchi robes with a hood covering their faces. The guards saw this and immediately were on edge. "Halt, state your name and purpose in Konoha" one of them said.

Neither Naruto or Jiraiya answered and they both kept on walking at the same pace.

"Hey I said stop!" the guard repeated.

Again no response, Naruto and Jiraiya both just continued slowly walking towards the gate. Little did the guards know that the two ninja both had huge smirks knowing that it wouldn't be long before one of the guards were forced to physically defend the gates of Konoha from the suspected threat.

"Last chance... Stop now or we will use force!" the guard said when they didn't respond this time several of the guards all drew kunai and didn't hesitate to throw them directly at the approaching ninja.

Naruto mentally sighed before holding his hands out from his body and the kunai seemed to stop in mid air and hang there for a few seconds before collapsing onto the ground. Jiraiya also used the shock from the guards to toss a small book onto the table before they both kept walking forward towards the village.

Izumo and Kotetsu were currently behind the desk on guard duty and Kotetsu decided to look at the small book that had landed on the desk. "It's a passport... for J-Jiraiya-sama!" he stammered.

Izumo's eyes went wide at this. "Then that means the kid is..."

Izumo was unable to finish his shocked sentence when both Yoinokuchi ninja removed their hoods. "Naruto Uzumaki, who else" Naruto said with a smile.

"Ah! Jiraiya-sama, we are sorry for attacking you. But why didn't you comply with our request?" one of the extra guards that seemed to be in charge said.

"What and ruin our fun... Not a chance" Jiraiya chuckled.

"What's with the extra guards anyway?" Naruto asked.

"We had a young ninja betray Konoha and abandon the village to join Orochimaru" the guard said.

"And what did the old man do?" Jiraiya asked.

"He sent a team after him, but the young genin had help from a group of ninja calling themselves the sound five. Four of those members were killed but one Kimmimaro Kaguya got away along with the retrieval teams target" the guard said.

"Who was the deserter?" the toad sage asked.

"Sasuke Uchiha" the guard said flatly.

"That idiot. He is letting his hate consume him. Abandon Konoha to run off and join that snake at the drop of a hat just because some creepy old man offers him a small amount of power" Naruto said shaking his head.

"What action has been taken against him?" Jiraiya asked.

"He has been put into our Bingo Books and is wanted dead or alive" the guard replied.

"Well there goes Itachi's plan for the redemption of the Uchiha clan" Naruto sighed Under his breath so that nobody but Jiraiya could hear him.

"Well in any case we should go see the old man. let's go Naruto" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah then we need to go find Tsunade-Baachan" the blond said before they both ran off jumping up onto the roof of a nearby building and pushing off towards the center of the village.

It had been a very busy day for the old Sandaime Hokage. Despite the fact that Sasuke had left a week ago he was still suck in meetings every day, then there was the paperwork from the fiasco that was the mission to capture the runaway. The old Sarutobi sighed as he picked up a pen to start work on the paperwork that had piled up while he was in the last meeting.

"It's good to see that you are as busy as always" the voice of Jiraiya came from the window.

Hiruzen looked up to see both Jiraiya and Naruto sitting in different windows. "Jiraiya... Naruto! Why are you both back here?" he asked in shock.

"We need to see Tsunade-Hime, for the kids training" Jiraiya said.

"She should be free for awhile. She has been busy lately we have had a rather disastrous mission failure" the Hokage said.

"This have to do with Itachi's brother?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes, he left the village to go and join Orochimaru. Unfortunately the time of his excursion was awful and we had no jounin on hand to go after him. So I sent a chunin to create a team to capture the wayward ninja. It didn't turn out well, everyone survived but most were in a bad way. Luckily Suna agreed to help and sent backup. However Sasuke Uchiha has still abandoned the village and because of his actions I added him to our bingo books as a B rank Missing Ninja" Hiruzen said.

"It had to be done, I'm sure Itachi will understand as well" Jiraiya said.

"I did my best to keep him safe. Anyway, let's change the subject, the Uchiha is all I have been talking about in meetings for the past week. Well that and the certain outcome of the civil war in Kiri and the appearance of a thirteen year old blond ninja who defeated the Yondaime Mizukage in combat" Hiruzen said smiling proudly at the end.

"So I take it all of the elemental nations will know of the outcome of the war and our involvement?" Naruto asked with a sigh.

"Yes, we received a message that was passed to all of the countries informing us that the civil war in the Land of Water was over and some of the details behind it" Hiruzen said.

They talked for awhile longer about the involvement of the Yoinokuchi in the civil war but eventually Jiraiya decided it was time to move on. "Sorry to do this sensei, but we have to go. Lots to do and all"

"Alright, it was good seeing you both again" Hiruzen said.

Naruto and Jiraiya left and they began to head towards the hospital where they both assumed Tsunade to be.

"Hey gaki, you don't have to come. I'll talk to Tsunade-Hime and she will get the eyes for us... I want you to go find a training ground and practice elemental manipulation focus on your gravity element" Jiraiya said.

"Alright, there is a training field near here so, I'll see you later sensei" Naruto said and the pair split. Naruto found the training ground he was looking for but soon found that there were other ninja who were having some kind of meeting in the main clearing. Ten ninja all his age were either standing or sitting around in a circle.

'_Hm, it's my old classmates, I wonder what they are doing?_' the blond thought as he slowly approached.

"How could the Hokage do this! Sasuke-kun was not himself... he was being controlled by that mark on his neck. It made him leave" Sakura said.

"I agree, we should be sending people to get him back! Sasuke-kun wouldn't simply abandon us because he was offered power" Ino said.

Naruto who was hiding in a nearby tree lost it at this and broke out into laughter.

"Who's there, Show yourself!" Shikamaru ordered.

Naruto dropped out of the tree casually still chuckling.

"It's you!" Ino said shocked.

"What do you find so funny huh!" Sakura demanded.

"I find it funny that you think Sasuke leaving this village is in anyway out of character. Sasuke would kill each and everyone of you if that meant that he would have a chance at killing Itachi sensei. Not that he will ever be strong enough to do that" Naruto chuckled.

"You don't know Sasuke-kun, he is nothing like that!" Sakura yelled.

"What ever, it's in your best interest to just give up on that Teme. He's betrayed this village and joined its greatest enemy, that's not something that can just be forgiven" Naruto said.

"He is still a comrade, and we have to try and get him back" Shino said.

"I agree, although Naruto has a point" Shikamaru said.

"His actions caused a group of ninja to be injured. And by the looks of things, it was you lot. So not only did Sasuke betray Konoha, he left his fiends to fight against opponents that could have killed them. He didn't just abandon his village, he also proved he doesn't care about any of you" Naruto said.

"Shut up! He does care about us!" Sakura yelled.

"There is no proof in that. Besides how are you going to make Sasuke return if you cant even take out a few Oto ninja. You are not strong enough, none of you are" Naruto said.

"You are underestimating us? And not all of us went on the mission" Shino said.

I might be underestimating you. But I think it is you all that are underestimating someone like Orochimaru. He wont simply just hand Sasuke over to you. If you were to take him on the only outcome would be your deaths. It's a fact. Use this failure to become stronger" Naruto said.

"We do not need a lecture from you. I am older than you are after all" Neji said.

"Age has nothing to do with strength. Looks at people from Konoha like Kakashi Hatake who was a genin at five and a chunin at six. Or Itachi Uchiha who was an Anbu captain at my age. They were both stronger than most of the village at a young age" Naruto said.

"So you just propose we forget about a comrade? That is something we cannot do" Kiba said.

"That is what I propose, but as you say that, how about a small demonstration of how outmatched you would all be going up against someone like Orochimaru. If you all can defeat me, then not only will I stop trying to convince you to listen to the Hokage and treat Sasuke as an enemy but I will help you get him back" Naruto said.

"Heh ten on one? This will be a piece of cake" Kiba said confidently.

'_He's not bluffing, who knows how much he has improved since he left after the chunin exams. and then there is the story of him defeating both the Shodai and Nidaime during the invasion even though most people don't believe it_' Shikamaru thought.

Shikamaru was about to deliver a warning to his comrades but didn't get a chance as Kiba jumped forward confident even without Akamaru who was still with his sister at the vet.

Naruto subtly side stepped Kiba's lunge sending him sprawled out on the ground. Taking the Inuzuka's lead most of the other members of the Konoha rookies joined in. The only two that didn't join were Shikamaru who had decided that it was too troublesome and Hinata who seemed to be torn on the issue and unsure if she should side with the others and attack Naruto or listen to his advice.

Meanwhile the blond jinchuuriki was dodging the attacks of the genin like it was a game. The only genin that seemed to have any luck at all forcing Naruto into any action was Lee, but even then Naruto would stop his attacks easily.

Eventually the genin stopped there assault after about five minutes of failing to land a single hit on the blond.

"I don't get it! Was he always this strong?" Neji said panting slightly.

"No he wasn't this fast during the chunin exams I am sure of it" Lee said.

"Oh I wasn't even trying in the chunin exams in truth I doubt you will make me break a sweat even now. But you are right I am a bit stronger and faster now" Naruto said.

'_Not even trying? Then how strong is he?_' all the genin thought.

"I knew it, fighting him is just too troublesome" Shikamaru said from where he was watching clouds.

"Anyway, my turn now" Naruto said with a grin.

The rookies prepared themselves and were about to scatter and wait for an opening when the blond jinchuuriki performed the seal for Doton and slammed his hands onto the ground. "Doton: Swamp of the Underworld"

thanks to the rookies all being ready for an attack the only two that were caught in the swamp were Ino and Sakura who proceeded to curse about how dirty they were going to be.

Naruto didn't mind much as he had expected them to escape his first attack. As it was only to get them to split up. Performing a weak Raiton jutsu he managed to paralyze Tenten, Kiba and a currently still thin Choji. Up next was Shino who landed on a branch only to be hit with a strong wind before he could escape which winded him making it impossible to continue fighting.

Lee landed and after seeing just how quickly Naruto had taken out the others removed his weights and blurred forward.

Naruto saw Lee charge and quickly sealing for Suiton created a wall of water that swept the green clad ninja into a tree.

Lee struggled to stand but another blast from the jutsu knocked him out. Neji watched every move with his Byakugan looking for an opening. '_He hasn't even moved from that spot and he has taken out everyone else_' Neji thought and was glad that he was still on guard as a large stone pillar shot out of the ground before him and was heading his way. Neji quickly jumped back but found himself in the middle of a large circle of the pillars.

"Game over... Bansho Ten'in" Naruto said and Neji flew forward crashing into the stone beams knocking him down. "Do you see now why I said not to go after Sasuke? Orochimaru is not like me, he wont just let you live. He will kill you, or worse do experiments on you all. I'm trying to show you that you need to be stronger" Naruto said from where he was standing as the others struggled to pick themselves up.

"But you could, you are strong enough to beat Orochimaru and return Sasuke to Konoha" Hinata said. She was still slightly frozen from watching how easily Naruto had taken out the other rookies.

"I am not a member of this village, and while I do hate Orochimaru with a passion, it would be suicide for me to attempt to invade his bases to search for him. If it was that simple don't you think that Hokage-jiji would have done something about it" Naruto said.

Hinata lowered her head in understanding, the other rookies also could see that Naruto was being serious.

"Yosh, then I will train to become strong enough to make sure that what happened with Sasuke-kun never happens again" Lee said quickly returning to his old self after awakening.

"Good, that is what you should be looking to do. You were all crying over someone who didn't want nor deserve it. Your energy is better spent making Konoha stronger so that when you see that Teme again you can knock some sense into him" Naruto said.

Naruto turned to leave without waiting for anyone to reply. Shikamaru took everything he said very seriously but didn't look it due to his lazy attitude.

'_He beat us all so easily, even if we were all at full strength the result would have been the same... I'm supposed to be the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, yet he beat even me down without moving an inch. He is right about everything_' Neji thought as he watched Naruto disappear from the training field.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so I decided against the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, I thought about how I could work it in, but the sound five just wouldn't be a believable challenge to Naruto as he is. And the chances of Sasuke getting away from Naruto would be near impossible. **

**There will be one more chapter before the time skip... maybe two if I need them. **


	32. Naruto Vs Tsunade

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 32: Naruto vs Tsunade.**

Jiraiya arrived at the Hospital and wasted little time in finding Tsunade's office."You look tired Hime, I think you need a drink" he said as he let himself in.

"Jiraiya! What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked shocked.

"What, no good to see you, or how have you been?" the Toad Sage teased.

"Cram it, I've been busy. So tell me what you want already" Tsunade replied.

"I want many things. A date would be nice" Jiraiya said with a lecherous grin.

"Not going to happen" the Slug Sannin scoffed.

The Toad Sage pouted comically, but soon regained composure. "Then I will settle for a pair of Sharingan eyes that are kept in the hospital storage" Jiraiya said.

Tsunade was shocked at the reason he was here "What for? have Itachi's eyes gotten that bad already?"

"No they haven't but I believe with Naruto's new ability he will be able to reproduce the eyes from nothing" Jiraiya said.

"To be able to create something like this... it has to be impossible, you cant just create a pair of eyes from thin air. You can't create anything that way" Tsunade said.

"Naruto can, the basic form of the jutsu creates these rods of a chakra conductive metal that I have never seen before" Jiraiya said and took a piece of a chakra rod from his robes and handed it over to Tsunade to inspect.

"I've never seen a material like this... and you are saying Naruto made it out of nothing?" Tsunade asked.

"That's right, he just visualizes them and adds chakra. With training I expect the quality to improve along with what he is able to create" Jiraiya said.

"Well you have got me interested. I'll get you what you need. But if he isn't ready to attempt the creation yet, why do you need them?" Tsunade asked.

"Well study aid, and we will be gone from the Land of Fire for three years. This is just a pit stop on our journey" Jiraiya said.

"Three years huh, so who have you left in charge of running your little mercenary group?" Tsunade said.

"Itachi will for the first year, then he is joining us to help with the skills that I am not great at, genjutsu and kenjutsu mostly. That will be for a year then Itachi will return before us. And we will be back just before the Akatsuki begin to make their move on the other jinchuuriki" Jiraiya explained.

"In that case I have a few medical jutsu I want him to learn. I will get you the scrolls along with the eyes, but you owe me one" Tsunade said.

"I can live with that" Jiraiya replied.

"Wait here I'll go get them" Tsunade said.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto had found a empty training ground and was sitting cross legged while using gravity manipulation to levitate a few meters off the ground. He had been doing this for a few minutes when he felt a presence approach.

Naruto turned in the direction of the intruder prepared for anything. He relaxed slightly when they slowed down. And Shikamaru appeared from the treeline.

"Oh it's you" Naruto said calmly. "I thought you were the smart one? Don't tell me that you want to challenge me alone?"

"Not at all, that would be far too troublesome. I have a few questions I would like to ask if you don't mind" the normally lazy Nara said.

"I guess not, what do you want to know?" Naruto said.

"The fight you had with the others, you did it to show their weaknesses. Too prove that we weren't ready to face someone like Orochimaru even if we were all together. But to why are you determined to make us stronger? Is there some threat to Konoha we don't know about, or were you just doing it to prove how much stronger you are than them" Shikamaru asked.

"A fair question. There are always threats we don't know about. You are the future of Konoha, and while I dislike the people of the village it is still my home, and the home of my parents. I do not want to see anything happen to it despite my dislike of the people. You and the other rookies are the future of this village and will need to be strong to protect that because I wont be around to do it for you. At the moment you are all far too weak to protect this village, I needed you all to realize that so you can defend it against any enemy that would threaten it" Naruto said.

Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding. Then another question popped into his head. "A few days ago my father came home and told me about a thirteen year old ninja that defeated a Kage in a life or death one on one fight. That was you wasn't it"

"Is it really that obvious?" Naruto asked.

"The only description Konoha was given from the new Mizukage was it was a blond ninja around thirteen years of age. But I can tell the reports are talking about you. The way you hold yourself now is different to when we met at the Chunin exams. Also you seem far more mature, something that my father told me happens when someone experiences war. Coupled with your overwhelming power and skill then it becomes fairly obvious... well to me at least" Shikamaru said.

"Man Shikamaru, you really deserve the title of genius don't you. When did you figure it out?" Naruto asked.

"Just before Kiba attacked at the start of the fight. I tried to warn them but I was too late. It would have been troublesome to stop the fight after that" Shikamaru sighed taking a seat on the grass and looking up into the air. "Man it's days like this I envy clouds, they don't have to worry about this sort of thing. But you are right, we are not strong enough. I always just pictured myself becoming a chunin and getting a simple duty around the village. Marry a nice quiet woman who is not too pretty, but not ugly either. And you come along and ruin that"

"It sounds like a good life, if that is what you really want go for it. However, wouldn't you want to be strong enough to be able to protect that wife of yours. Also someone as smart as you, should be leading the others, not reduced to mediocrity" Naruto said.

"Kami your more trouble than your worth you know that" Shikamaru sighed in defeat.

Naruto took a seat and joined Shikamaru in gazing up into the sky. "You know this is actually quite relaxing" the blond admitted.

"Why do you think I do it" Shikamaru said flatly.

A few moments later Jiraiya landed in the clearing. In his hand was a scroll that had everything Naruto would need as well as the scrolls on medical jutsu Tsunade wanted him to attempt to learn. "Hey I'm back, you ready hit the road?" Jiraiya asked.

"Huh are we leaving already?" Naruto asked clearly surprised.

"Yeah we just needed to stop here to get the items we needed" Jiraiya said.

"Oh okay cool. See ya around Shikamaru" Naruto said as he kicked himself up to a standing base.

Naruto and Jiraiya didn't even get to the other side of the clearing however when they were stoped dead by a wave of strong killing intent. Slowly turning around they saw a very unhappy looking Tsunade.

"Leaving already?" she said with a wicked smile. "Without even saying goodbye to your big sister Naruto I thought you were better than that" she said.

"Sister? If you were my sister our parents must be super old, Baa-chan" Naruto said.

"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered under his breath knowing from experience that calling a woman old was never a good thing.

Jiraiya backed away slowly as Tsunade approached. "I'm calling in my favor... you both are staying here until I beat this gaki into the ground for calling me old again" Tsunade said.

And before Jiraiya could answer she had shot forward and slammed her fist forward. Naruto reacted in time and caught her fist with an outstretched arm. The pressure of the punch however sent Naruto skidding back. "Wow that was close" Naruto sighed.

Tsunade was not going to let it end there and attacked again. This time Naruto dodged the punch causing the ground to crater. The force of the attack sounded like a huge round of thunder and could be heard all throughout the village.

"Okay, I'm sorry baa-chan, I wont do it again" Naruto said with a smirk.

"Damn it gaki get back here!" Tsunade yelled.

Naruto and Tsunade continued on in this fashion for awhile with Tsunade unable to land a hit and Naruto running scared. Eventually a crowd began to form. Even Hiruzen showed up flanked by the four Anbu that were on the roof during the invasion.

Finally Tsunade stopped her pursuit and Naruto stopped at the other side of the clearing before turning back to smile at the slug Sannin. "Not bad gaki, you have improved since last time we fought, that is clear just from the warm up" Tsunade said.

"Or maybe you are just getting rusty in your old age Baa-chan" Naruto teased.

"Shut it! Now let's go... Taijutsu only" Tsunade said.

"What no fair, I can't beat you with taijutsu" Naruto yelled back.

"Too bad" Tsunade said charging forward.

Naruto shrugged and followed her lead. They met half way and both fists struck each other causing a large cracking sound like lightning striking a tree from the force of both ninja's punches. And they dueled for dominance over the other.

"Amazing, I have never seen anyone be able to match Tsunade for strength" Hiruzen said.

"They are both doing the same thing, releasing chakra at the point where they come in contact to add extra force. But Naruto is also uncannily strong physically, he can throw me easily with one arm. I think it has something to do with the Rinnegan, but I can't be sure" Jiraiya said as he joined his sensei watching the fight.

"So who is stronger?" Hiruzen said.

"Tsunade will be able to over power him soon. He may be strong but he is still a thirteen year old and Tsunade has been doing this a lot longer than he has" Jiraiya said.

As soon as had Jiraiya had finished talking Tsunade began pushing the younger blond back. Naruto knowing that it would be best to save his energy flipped away. "Physically stronger as well, you were able to hold me back almost twice as long as the last time. But you can't beat me yet" Tsunade said with a smile.

"That's only because you said no jutsu. If I could use a gravity jutsu you wouldn't have a chance" Naruto said with a smile of his own.

"You can't always rely on that. I thought Jiraiya would have taught you better. Maybe you should ditch him as a sensei" Tsunade replied.

"Your just jealous you didn't get to train me to be some some sort of super medic like you" Naruto said as the two clashed again, this time it was less of a test in strength as Naruto let Tsunade win so he could attempt to deliver a kick to the side of her head.

Tsunade was ready however and ducked the kick before delivering one of her own that Naruto blocked just in time. He was still propelled away despite blocking the strike however. '_Fucking hell her taijutsu is flawless, it's even better than Jiraiya sensei's_' Naruto thought as he tried to find a weakness in her form.

"Naruto create four clones" Jiraiya yelled out from the sidelines.

"What! That just screws up my vision and anyway we said no jutsu" Naruto called back.

"No it's fine, do as he says" Tsunade said calmly.

"Aw man, it's going to be hard enough fighting you in taijutsu, but now I have to put up with obstructed vision. Fine, Shadow Clone Jutsu" Naruto said creating four clones. "Okay now I see five of her, what now?" Naruto asked Jiraiya.

"Move them to separate parts of the field... we will consider this part of your training" Jiraiya said.

Tsunade watched in mild interest as the four clones took up positions at each side of the clearing they were currently fighting in.

"Okay you can continue now" Jiraiya said.

Tsunade flew forward but Naruto remained still, obviously struggling to deal with the extra fields of vision. However as the punch came in Naruto was able to regain enough composure to escape the attack that would have surely knocked him out cold.

'Man this is tough, all these different angles of vision are screwing with my balance. I need to focus on my eyes and leave the other fields of vision as a reference' Naruto thought as he instinctively dodged another strike from the slug princess.

This continued for a few minutes with Naruto unable to fully grasp his bearings enough to complete an effective counter attack. But on the plus side he was getting the hang of using the clones to cover his blind spots. All of the openings that Tsunade had attempted to exploit seemed to be covered and Naruto could instinctively dodge or block them in time even if he couldn't get the hang of attacking yet.

In this time more people had shown up. The other rookies along with their sensei's all appeared. Along with several members of Danzo's Root who were all taking mental notes on Naruto ability. So they could return them to their master.

"Looks like Tsunade-sama is going to put that baka in his place" Sakura said.

"I wouldn't be so sure Sakura" Kakashi said receiving a confused look from most of the genin.

"What do you mean Kakashi sensei? Naruto-kun doesn't look like he is even able to launch a counter attack" Hinata said.

"Tsunade-sama has been unable to hit him. Even though by the looks of things he is disorientated. Should Naruto regain control this could go either way" Kakashi explained.

"No way, he's strong sure, but that is one of the Sannin" Kurenai said.

"And Jiraiya is his master. Counting Naruto out of this fight would be unwise that is all I am saying" Kakashi added.

Meanwhile Tsunade was getting frustrated, sure she was on top but nothing she tried would work. Every time she managed to get behind him he still knew where she was attacking from to the degree that even the worlds best sensors would find impossible. Of course she knew why, Naruto's connective vision, but she never imagined that it would be this useful. And Naruto had no practice in using them like this, so she thought it would have been an easy win once he started using the clones.

They continued for a few more minutes until something happened that not even Jiraiya had expected. Naruto landed a hit.

Tsunade flew away before adjusting in mid air before skidding to a halt, a small amount of blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. But still he was smiling.

"Looks like I am finally getting the hang of this" Naruto said returning the smile.

"More like a lucky hit gaki" Tsunade said.

"Well then bring it on you old hag" Naruto replied jokingly.

Then Naruto closed his eyes at the same moment that Tsunade sped forward at a much higher speed than previously used shocking most of the crowd who didn't know of Naruto's extra lines of sight.

Tsunade sent a punch direct at Naruto's face which he ducked expertly while spinning into a leg sweep that Tsunade was expecting and performed a single handed handstand before pushing off landing behind Naruto and attempting to kick his side which he blocked at the last second and sent a kick of his own back at Sannin.

During all this Naruto kept his eyes shut getting used to fighting just with the external lines of sight. It became more and more natural to the younger blond and now understood just how useful a skill this would become.

"He has his eyes closed... there isn't a sensor alive that could fight this precisely without the use of there eyes" a random jounin said as he watched the fight escalate, Naruto and Tsunade pulling no punches each countering the others moves flawlessly and continuously increasing there speed up to the point when even most of the chunin were seeing nothing but blurs.

The two fighters broke apart again both smiling at each other and panting slightly. "It's over" Tsunade said confidently.

The crowd were initially confused with Tsunade's statement but a moment later Naruto's right arm fell limply at his side. "Medical taijutsu... that's cheating" Naruto said smiling regardless.

"I don't recall saying that, besides haven't you been manipulating the gravity around you to increase your speed. All I did was stop the nerve supply to your arm, it will be fine in a few minutes, but you lost this fight" Tsunade replied.

"This isn't over Baa-chan, you are forgetting who you are dealing with" Naruto said and his eyes turned red in the center and a second later Naruto lifted his arm again apparently healed. "Alright shall we continue.

"Cheeky brat, now look who's cheating" Tsunade said as she returned to her fighting stance.

'_It appears that Naruto has some amount of control over Kyuubi's chakra now. Should he gain full control I have no doubt he will be truly unbeatable_' Hiruzen thought as Tsunade and Naruto began another flurry of taijutsu.

Naruto's strength and speed were greatly increased due to him using Kyuubi's chakra to counter Tsunade's medical taijutsu and it was starting to show. But the slug Sannins form was till perfect and even with the new speed and power advantage they were still evenly matched.

"Amazing, and this is just them fighting in taijutsu, Naruto defeated us without throwing a single punch, and here he is going blow for blow with one of the greatest ninja Konoha has ever produced" Neji thought out loud earning nods from the other genin.

"Yeah he's really strong. Much stronger than Sasuke, probably a better choice for a boyfriend too" Ino said.

"Are you giving up? That means Sasuke-kun will be all mine" Sakura said.

"I didn't say that forehead" Ino yelled back.

While the two fangirls bickered Naruto and Tsunade were once again testing out each others strength. The power of which was cracking the ground under their feet as they each battled to overwhelm the other. Then they both broke away at the same time each connecting with a punch, unfortunately for Naruto his shorter arm reach cost him and he took a far bigger hit that sent him flying, while Tsunade was simply rubbing her cheek.

As Naruto struggled to his feet Tsunade punched the ground causing a huge crack to appear which swallowed the younger blond effectively trapping him.

"Ah damn it just wait till I get out of here!" Naruto complained loudly.

"It's over gaki... you lost" Jiraiya said.

Naruto struggled to free himself for awhile longer but he soon realized that the second he freed himself he would be met with another punch from Tsunade. "Gah... fine!" Naruto sighed and substituted himself with a nearby log before dispelling his clones.

"I have to say you have improved a lot" Tsunade said with a smile.

"Yeah, just you wait, because when I get back there will be no way you will win simply because you have longer arms than I do" Naruto said.

The crowd realizing that the fight was over dispersed leaving only Naruto, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Hiruzen.

"Looks like we made a bit of a scene" Tsunade said.

"A bit of excitement is good every now and then, don't worry about it, this sure beats the paperwork I was doing" Hiruzen commented.

"You came to catch us before we left so you could fight me didn't you?" Naruto asked.

"Well I wanted to see how much you had improved since we last fought, I also knew it would be a long time before I saw you again" Tsunade said. Then smiled as she walked over to the blond who was still nursing his cheek from where Tsunade had hit him. "And there was one more thing I needed to give you before you left" she said.

"Really what's that?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade's answer was to pull the younger blond into a hug. "Good luck with your training and if you let Jiraiya turn you into a pervert I will kill you both!" she said causing both ninja to pale from the threat that seemed to be deadly serious.

"Don't worry Baa-chan, I wont end up a pervert like Jiraiya sensei" Naruto assured her.

Tsunade bonked Naruto on top of the head sending him crashing into the ground again. "I told you not to call me that" she said.

Naruto got up rubbing his head but otherwise fine. "You just can't admit you are old that's all" Naruto grumbled.

"Look as great as this reunion is, we have to get out on the road. We have lot's of places to visit" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, I still have so much to learn, so we better get started" Naruto said.

Hiruzen and Tsunade followed the two Yoinokuchi ninja to the gates and waved them farewell as they left on their journey, knowing it would be three years before they set foot in the Land of Fire again.

That night Naruto sat in front of a fire reading over the anatomy notes Tsunade had given him when Jiraiya came to sit next to him. "What's up sensei?" he asked.

"Well Gaki I think it's time I told you about your parents"

**End Chapter!**

**Next chapter will be the time skip, I was going to write out Jiraiya telling Naruto about his Father and Mother, but I don't really think it is all that necessary in the development of the story. Although if people really think it is necessary I will put it in as a flashback at some point next chapter. **

**On another note the chapter was really just a bit of fun. Wanted to end with a fight, but VotE wouldn't work so I figured let him fight either Jiraiya or Tsunade, and I chose Tsunade, he can fight Jiraiya anytime. Anyway, hope it was both enjoyable and believable. **

**Suggestions of what you would like to see post time skip would be nice. Just for some ideas to work with.**


	33. The Pit Stop Going Home

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 33: The Pit Stop Going Home **

In an old abandoned cabin out in the middle of one of the darkest woods in the elemental nations several bandits and missing ninja sat together around a table. Suddenly the door burst open and a group of about five more missing ninja burst through the door, terror was etched on their faces and they were breathing uncontrollably.

"What the hell is this? Why are you all back here already? And where is everyone else?" the leader said angrily.

"They are dead. We attacked the caravan like you asked but there were two ninja with them" a bandit said.

"So what, you had ten ninja with you, what happened to them?" the leader asked.

"The smaller one wiped them all out with a single jutsu" the bandit replied.

The leader of the bandit group became more interested in there story now "Ten well organized ninja with a single jutsu? You can't be serious. What type of jutsu was it?"

"A Fuuton jutsu I think, it's hard to tell because he didn't use any hand seals, didn't even say anything. He just held his arms out and everyone seemed to drop to the ground with deep cuts all over their bodies" the bandit explained.

"A jutsu like that without hand seals or even speaking the name of the jutsu, only the best of the best can do something like that" the leader mused. He paused for a moment before continuing. "What did they look like?"

"Well they both wore long white cloaks but I could see their faces. The taller one had long white hair tied back in a ponytail and red markings under his eyes. He also wore a large metal forehead protector with two horns on it... but it was the smaller one who did all the damage, I will never forget his face. Expressionless purple eyes with circles extending out leaving no scrlea at all, long spiky blond hair down to his shoulders that was tied back like the taller one" the man said.

The leader of the group seemed to be contemplating what his subordinate was saying but it was another mam sitting in a corner of the room that spoke up first. "I have heard the description of the shorter one before. There have been rumors about a young ninja that is incredibly powerful. For the last six months he has been taking on jobs that nobody else would dream of doing solo. He is some celebrity in the former Land of Snow. Apparently he somehow ended the constant winter and made that actress from those princess gale movies the ruler"

"Well where does he come from? A ninja like that doesn't just appear out of thin air!" the leader said.

"Nobody knows he has no village affiliation that I am aware of" the man replied.

The leader of the bandits became irritated at this. "Does this ninja have a name, I would like to at least know the identity of the person I have to kill for disrespecting us"

"The people said his name was Nar-" the man in the corner began but was cut off by a loud bell like screech from outside.

"What the hell is that!" one of the bandits yelled holding his ears.

The bandit leader made his way outside only to find himself face to face with the very blond his men described holding above his head a large rotating disk of chakra.

"You must be the people who attacked the trade caravan" Naruto said flatly.

"And you're the one who is going to die for killing my men" the leader said angrily.

"I was using that caravan to get back to Fire country, now I am going to have to run there myself... I can't stand bandits like you lot" Naruto said.

"Yeah well what are you going to do about it?" the leader said obviously forgetting the spinning disk of chakra in the young blonds hand.

"This... Fuuton Rasenshuriken!" Naruto said calmly and threw the disk which tore right through the bandit leader before striking the building and expanding. Enveloping the area in a huge gale of wind and light from the chakra used. When the explosion died down nothing was left of the old shack and the bandits that once used it as a hideout.

"Don't you think that was a little extreme gaki?" Jiraiya asked stepping out from behind a tree.

"It was the quickest way to get rid of them, they weren't stealing for a reason, they just wanted to spread fear and misery to others, that is enough for me to want to stop them" Naruto replied.

"Well we lost the caravan, shall we start walking, it's time we returned to the Yoinokuchi. You are more than ready to take on anyone or anything that you come across. I really pity the Akatsuki ninja they send after you that's for sure" Jiraiya said.

"It's going to be good to see everyone again, I know when Itachi came he delivered some letters and gifts from everyone but it will be great to see them again" Naruto sighed.

(**Meanwhile**)

Hundreds of miles away from where Naruto and Jiraiya were now walking through woodland a weekly duel was coming to a close. Akimi and Fuu were fighting over who would get to use Naruto's room for the next week. For the last three years they had a sparing match to decide who would get to use the room that week. They held these duels in a field outside of the Yoinokuchi hideout because Itachi had complied they were making more noise than even Naruto did in the indoor training areas.

"You won last time no fair" Akimi whined.

Fuu stood triumphant in the center of the large field, a smile spread across her face. "And you won three in a row before this, deal with it" she said sticking out her tongue.

Akimi picked herself up and gave Fuu an mock angry glare. '_Well looks like I will just have to get my revenge a different way_' the speedy kunoichi thought. "Well, I guess I can't complain too much, after all I have won most of the duels, you were bound to win two in a row eventually"

"What ever, we were about even, or maybe you forgot how to count. Did those things growing on your chest make you dumber or something" Fuu replied.

In the last few years both kunoichi had grown a lot, leaving Akimi with a set of D cup breasts. An area where Fuu, while by no means was flat but still fell behind the swift release kunoichi.

"You are no smarter than me, besides, if Naruto is anything like that perverted master of his, I will have him eating out of the palm of my hand" Akimi replied with a smirk.

Fuu clenched her fist in anger of being outdone by her rival. "Or maybe, he will prefer a more modest bust and you will be stuck fighting off Jiraiya-sama" Fuu laughed.

Akimi paled at the thought but remained composed as the two continued bickering even as they walked back inside where the other members of the Yoinokuchi that were not out on missions were currently eating.

The other members of the Yoinokuchi had not changed all that much over the last three years. The biggest change of the others was Gaara who was considerably taller than he was when he first joined. Haku had also changed slightly, she seemed to be less shy about the fact she was indeed a girl and stopped strapping her chest flat. Zabuza and Akaru who were both out doing a mission hadn't changed in the slightest and the only noticeable change with Itachi was that his hair had grown slightly.

"Who won this time?" Haku asked mildly interested.

The answer was apparent before either kunoichi spoke, as Akimi huffed and looked away while Fuu seemed to still be celebrating her victory. "I did, that means I get the nice big bed for the next week" Fuu cheered.

Haku congratulated Fuu while Gaara and Itachi seemed far more interested in there meal. Eventually Gaara glanced over at where the three kunoichi were talking about the fight. "You know, if you two took more missions you wouldn't have to fight over who gets the larger bed, you would have your own by now" the red haired jinchuuriki said.

Akimi and Fuu didn't respond, they knew this was true, they had been going on far fewer missions, since Naruto left. In the last year especially. "But we have to train otherwise Naruto will come back far stronger than us. And we want to be able to beat him into the ground for being gone so long" Akimi replied.

This time it was Itachi who lost interest in his food. "I can't see that happening, you two may train more than anyone else, but believe me fighting Naruto is out of your league. Not even Jiraiya-sama could keep up with him for long the last time I saw them and that was almost a year ago" Itachi said calmly. '_That reminds me, they should be back any day now. Looks like things are going to get busy again_' the stoic Uchiha thought about passing that information on to the rest of the group but decided against it. Last thing he needed was Akimi and Fuu to start fighting about who would get to talk to Naruto first or kami forbid become two out of control fangirls. He also thought it would be a good surprise for everyone if the two long term absent ninja came back unannounced.

(**Six Days Later**)

Jiraiya and Naruto stood looking at a familiar site, although something had been added next to the large stone face of the young blonds father. "I can't believe she actually agreed to become Hokage" Jiraiya said in shock as both ninja still outside the village marveled at the large stone head of Tsunade.

"Well I guess Jiji couldn't do the job forever, and other than Tsunade who else is there that would be strong enough to do the job?" Naruto said as the two ninja began walking closer to the village.

Jiraiya thought about the question for a moment rubbing his chin as if in deep thought. "Nobody that would do anywhere near as good of a job as Tsunade, that's for sure" he eventually answered.

"Well they couldn't pick you because you're not part of Konoha anymore, so you are out. Who else could do the job?" Naruto asked.

"Well actually, they could. I was born in Konoha and I'm a resident of the Land of Fire, so they actually could choose me. Other than myself, I would say Kakashi Hatake would be a good choice as the next leader, but he lacks a little in the power department thanks to that implanted sharingan of his. The only other candidate would be the former Anbu commander, Danzo, he used to run a second branch of Anbu ninja that did jobs without the Hokage's knowledge, but Sensei forced him to end it's operation because he was creating slaves not ninja. Reports say it is still running however" Jiraiya said.

"Somehow that last choice doesn't fill me with much optimism" Naruto said.

"Nor should it, Danzo believes fully in his own power and the power of Konoha, given his way Konoha would be nothing more than a personal army of emotionless drones working so that Danzo would rule the elemental nations" Jiraiya said.

"Sounds pleasant" Naruto joked as the two ninja approached the gates of Konoha. "So why are we here exactly?" the blond asked.

"We have to return the items we borrowed from Tsunade-Hime" Jiraiya said.

Naruto was puzzled for a moment but then it hit him. "Oh right, the eyes and the medical jutsu notes as well as the jutsu scrolls" he said in realization.

"I think we should give her a set of the others you made as well, she will want to examine the eyes i'm sure of it" Jiraiya added.

"Are you sure,we don't even know if they work yet. I mean most Uchiha have black eyes but the ones I create are all blue, closer to my original eye color. I might have just made some useless fleshy orbs" Naruto said.

"Nonsense, you followed the anatomy of the sharingan down to the finest detail. I think they will work fine, the fact that while not active they are blue in color is because your own eyes were initially blue. And then there is also the possibility that you have added something to the sharingan. It wouldn't surprise me" Jiraiya said.

They walked through the gates of Konoha and nodded to the stunned guards who looked as though they had just seen a ghost before continuing on into the village.

Across town in a tall room overlooking the village Tsunade sat in her office filling out paper work. Her beloved sensei forgot to mention just how much of the job was paper work.

She had been going over several reports that she had received from spy's in other nations. Most of it was useless information that she didn't care about in the slightest. However there were a few that had caught her attention. Tall tales about a single teenager taking on over a hundred men and not getting a single scratch on him. Or the liberation of the Land of Snow, once again a teenage boy defeating a large group of ninja and samurai defeating a man who desired to be the ruler of that nation. She also noticed that all of these incidences happened in the last six months.

A smile grew on the Godaime Hokage's face as she knew just who it was that was mentioned in the reports. '_Looks like you have been busy Naruto. You better come back soon_' Tsunade said. Not knowing just how close the pair were at that very moment.

"Man it's hot, I forgot that the Land of Fire was like this in summer time" Naruto whined as they walked down the center street of the village not caring about the stares they were receiving from the villagers.

Jiraiya didn't seem to mind the heat but still looked as though he was feeling it. "If it's that bad, then why don't you take off your cloak?" he said indicating the Yoinokuchi robe that Naruto was wearing.

"Ah I can't" Naruto said quietly.

"Why the hell not?" Jiraiya asked incredibly confused at Naruto's statement.

Naruto fidgeted under Jiraiya' questioning gaze but eventually answered. "Ah well, I sort of tore my last shirt by accident when I was training yesterday, all I have left is this robe. If I took it off I would have to walk around topless"

Jiraiya broke out into a fit of laughter. "How many times does this happen, maybe you just should give up on wearing tops. So how did you do it this time?" the Toad Sage chuckled.

"It's not funny, I was trying to combine two elements into the one rasengan, and it sorta backfired on me" Naruto said.

Jiraiya was impressed at Naruto's idea and he knew that all of his single element Rasengan were easily S ranked jutsu he was wondering just how powerful they would become if he could add a second element to it. "So your still not satisfied with how strong you are at the moment huh?" Jiraiya said.

"There is still so much to learn. If I knew everything already, what would be the point in living. There will always be something new to learn and some way to improve on it, that's what make's life fun" Naruto said with a smile.

Naruto's smile was infectious and Jiraiya couldn't help but join in. "I couldn't of said it better myself. But I guess I'm running out of things I can teach you... unless you would like to learn about pleasing women?" Jiraiya asked hopefully.

They blond scoffed at the question "What would you know about that. You pay most of the women you sleep with"

"I know a hell of a lot more than you do gaki" Jiraiya said.

They walked a bit further arguing with each other and having a bast in doing so. For the two ninja it was a sign of affection rather than a malicious attack on each other. And after a short while they broke into another fit of laughter.

"It feels really weird being back here again" Naruto admitted after awhile.

The Toad Sage nodded his head in understanding "It's still the same old Konoha though, nothing much seems to of changed, well apart from Hime's face up on the monument next to your fathers" he said.

"Yeah but that just makes it seem weirder. It's almost as though the last three years just missed Konoha completely" Naruto said.

"Well the place might look the same, but I am sure there are some changes around somewhere, lets hurry up and go see the new Hokage" Jiraiya said to which Naruto nodded and the pair picked up the pace until the large Hokage tower came into view.

The two ninja stood in front of the tower as if contemplating their next move, eventually Naruto spoke up. "So the usual entrance?" Naruto asked.

The older ninja chuckled at the question and nodded. "Of course. It's been way to long since either of us have used a door anyway"

Tsunade was just finishing up a list of that weeks completed missions when she felt two large chakra signatures behind her. And she was not the only one who felt it the two Anbu hiding in the room all did as well and after seemingly appearing out of nowhere all readied themselves for a fight but soon found themselves flung across the room by several high powered Fuuton jutsu knocking them both unconscious.

Tsunade was shocked, and also sitting with her back to the attacker. If they could take out both Anbu guards that quickly then even she would have a hard time defending against an attack at this range.

"I think you need some better guards Baa-chan" Naruto chuckled from behind the Hokage.

'_Baa-chan? Then that means..._' "How many times have I told you not to call me that Gaki!" Tsunade said spinning around in her chair and throwing a punch at Naruto who caught it with little effort.

While Tsunade hadn't put any real strength behind the punch she was still shocked to see how easily Naruto was able to both read her attack and block what would normally be enough to send most ninja under jounin level flying halfway across the village.

"It's nice to see you too" Naruto said calmly before jumping down from the windowsill and landing in the office. Jiraiya doing the same from the opposite window.

Tsunade clenched her fists in irritation at the pairs antics as well as the fact the young blond seemed to be completely at ease after the attempted attack. "Don't either of you know how to use a door?" she said not trying to hide her annoyance.

"I don't know. In truth I think it's been about two years since we used one" Jiraiya said scratching his head as if he had just been asked a difficult question that required great thought.

"Actually, I think you used one a few months ago, to book a hotel room" Naruto said with a dry smile.

"Oh yeah that's right.. they didn't have any windows in the office... that was a sad day for me" Jiraiya said, causing both ninja to laugh again.

"You're both Idiots!" Tsunade yelled smacking her head on her desk.

The sound must have been far louder than anyone in the room thought because seconds later the door bust open to reveal Shizune with Tonton in her arms. "Tsunade-sama are you alright!" Shizune asked before taking in the newcomers in the room.

Naruto smiled warmly upon seeing Shizune again. "Shizune-Neechan! How are you" he said happily.

Shizune did a double take at this and a few seconds later realized just who it was. "Naruto? Wow look at you. You're so handsome now" she said fighting down the small blush once she realized it was her adoptive little brother that was standing there.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked away in embarrassment. "Ah... If you say so" he said unsure as to how to respond to that particular compliment. During his training trip he had mostly been avoiding human contact with Jiraiya and Naruto only going into towns to resupply before moving elsewhere. But in the last six months while he had been performing missions to fine tune his skills in a real life situation he had noticed that several people seemed to be almost overly friendly. He noticed this the most with the actress and now Daimyo, Koyuki Kazahana, but he didn't think anything of it. Jiraiya at the time said that the actress had a crush on the blond, a statement that Naruto denied completely.

"I'm fine Shizune, you can go back to your office now. Oh before you leave, how is everything at the hospital?" Tsunade asked.

"Everything is going fairly well, Sakura and Ino are just finishing for the day so I'm about to head over to start my shift" Shizune said.

Naruto thought back and remebered the faces of the two fangirl kunoichi that he had embarrassed three years ago by trapping them in a swamp. "Those two useless kunoichi are in control of a hospital?" Naruto said feeling sorry for the patients.

Tsunade sighed understanding why Naruto would be skeptical. "They have improved a lot. Sakura came to me shortly after our fight the day you left and asked me to train her. Shortly after that Ino asked to be trained as a field medic as well and Shizune has been training her" Tsunade said.

"Really? She actually asked for private training from you? wouldn't she be afraid to break a nail and her precious Sasuke-kun wouldn't like her anymore" Naruto laughed, and was joined by Jiraiya who also found his students antics humorous.

"I felt the same way so I originally said no, but she pestered me and I agreed on the condition she did everything I said with no complaints. And with her chakra control she has become a great medic" Tsunade said.

Jiraiya seemed to be convinced then a question popped into his head. "What about Kakashi, he was Sakura's assigned sensei wasn't he?"

Tsunade nodded in affirmation of Jiraiya's question. "He has been training the Hyuuga heiress Hinata privately after Sasuke left and Sakura came to me.

"I guess she was the only person left from his team to train" Naruto sighed.

Tsunade nodded "She and Shikamaru just became the first two ninja that are your age to be promoted to jounin. With Neji Hyuuga being promoted a year before" Tsunade explained.

"Looks like Kakashi did a good job then" Jiraiya said.

"Well he is my best ninja, when he actually wants to work and isn't three hours late" Tsunade said.

"When the hell is that?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well he shows up on time for missions that are A ranked or higher. I tried calling every mission he went on in a month A rank, but it backfired and when we actually did get an A rank mission he was almost five hours late" Tsunade sighed.

"Where is Kakashi anyway, I have a copy of my new book for him. It was supposed to be Naruto's but.." Jiraiya was interrupted by Naruto and unable to finish his thought. "But I don't want to read your perverted novel, it was bad enough when you made me proof read parts of it"

Tsunade smiled happily at this. "I believe he would be out by the shrine to the fallen ninja. Also it's good to see you haven't taken completely after Jiraiya, Naruto" she said.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?" Jiraiya said indignantly.

"It means she thinks your a pervert" Naruto answered earning a smile and a nod from Tsunade.

"What ever. Anyway Hime we just stopped by to return the items you lent us and give you a copy of the results to study" Jiraiya said taking out three jars one with a set of black Uchiha eyes another with the sharingan active and a final pair of azure blue.

Tsunade was astonished by what she was seeing and quickly picked up the third jar to examine it's contents. "They look perfect" she said activating a medical diagnosis jutsu and examining the eyes. "The anatomy is spot on, these are sharingan eyes replicated to perfection. However, these are not activated, also it's very hard to tell but there is slight differences, not in anything anatomical but physiologically. It's like the wiring is all there but the lighting is different" Tsunade said.

"So they wont work?" Naruto asked slightly crestfallen.

"No they will work fine, but don't be surprised if some of the abilities the sharingan can perform are either changed or work at different levels" Tsunade said.

Naruto and Jiraiya both exchanged glances as if to ask the other if they knew what Tsunade meant. "I don't get it what do you mean different levels?" Naruto asked.

"Well take the sharingan's ability to copy ninjutsu. With these eyes they might not have that ability, then on the other hand it could be increased to the point where they instantaneously understand and can reproduce any jutsu. And at the same time it could be the same. All I was saying is that while all the parts are there they don't all seem to work in the same way. You could have even made a new Kekkei Genkai, it's just too early to tell" Tsunade explained.

Naruto thought about it for a minute and lightened up considerably. "That would be awesome, a new Kekkei Genkai all together, I'm sorta Envious of Itachi sensei now" Naruto said giving a small pout at the end.

"Can I see the jutsu, I would like to see how you are able to make a set of eyes out of nothing at all" Tsunade said.

Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "I can't right now" he said.

Tsunade was confused by this but Jiraiya answered the unspoken question she had. "The jutsu requires an incredible amount of chakra. He is bedridden from exhaustion for days after using it even once to create anything other than his chakra rods. For anyone else to even attempt something with that much chakra output would be suicide" the Toad Sage explained.

Naruto could see that Tsunade was now worried about Naruto's health and decided to intervene "At least we know that the Banbutsu Sozo works" Naruto said happily.

"Yeah if you don't mind almost killing yourself in the process" Tsunade replied.

"Well I could supplement my chakra with Kyuubi's but I didn't want to do that when I was creating something like a set of eyes" Naruto explained.

Tsunade could see the logic in this, there was no telling how something as unstable as Kyuubi's chakra would effect a jutsu that required such finely tuned control to use effectively. "So you still don't have control of Kyuubi yet I take it" Tsunade asked.

"No, and in truth we haven't made all that much progress, I can use the first few tails of the chakra cloak though. Fuu has had special training to use Nanabi, so she might know more than we do on that subject" Naruto admitted.

"So what did you do during the three years you were gone then? I'm sure it wasn't just all focued on your speed and strength" Tsunade asked.

Naruto smiled at this as did Jiraiya. "A good ninja never gives out his secrets" Naruto said.

"Especially to the leader of a village that they aren't a part of" Jiraiya added.

"Just shut up and tell me" Tsunade sighed.

Naruto pretended to be in deep thought, even stroking his chin with his thumb and pointer finger. "Um... no" Naruto said finally.

"What! Why not?" Tsunade asked loudly giving the younger blond a look that promised severe pain should she not like what the answer is.

Naruto gulped. Despite the knowledge that he could handle himself in a fight Tsunade always seemed to give him a sense of dread whenever she was angered. Although in a way Naruto almost welcomed this, he thought it must be like having a mother, he could remember Shikamaru was once yelled at for goofing off in the academy and when he met him again years later he was still scared of her. "I won't tell you because at the moment the only person who knows what I am truly capable of is Jiraiya sensei. And I can't tell you because you are the Hokage and will need to save the information as it could benefit Konoha later. That is your job after all" Naruto said.

Tsunade growled in response but could do nothing else, he was right after all. Any information on ninja that could be considered A rank or higher were always documented. It saved lives of Konoha ninja that crossed paths with them later in life. And Naruto already had a file from three years ago. "Alright fine, you don't have to tell me anything" she said in a angry yet defeated tone.

"Anyway, we still have a bit of a journey on our hand so we should head out sorry we can't stay any longer. Besides I still have to give this book to Kakashi. And I wouldn't want to disappoint my number one fan" Jiraiya said.

"Alright, it was good to see you both again, don't be strangers. I would like to see you out but I have a lot of paperwork" Tsunade sighed.

"It's cool, we'll be around for sure. I'll stop by every now and then, even if it's only to freak out the civilians into thinking that I am back for revenge" the younger blond chuckled.

"Don't you dare, I have enough paperwork already. Last thing I need is you scaring the villagers into a frenzy" Tsunade said as the two ninja sat in the window preparing to leap out.

Jiraiya and Naruto both waved goodbye to the Godaime Hokage and leaped back into the village below. "You can go look around for awhile, I'm going to go see Kakashi. Have fun and be by the main gate in an hour" Jiraiya said.

Naruto shrugged "Alright see you soon" Naruto said and the two ninja split up.

It wasn't long before Naruto found some potential fun. Sakura and Ino both walking around talking friendly together.

Naruto dropped from a nearby roof into the street in front of the two kunoichi. "Hi" Naruto said with a friendly wave.

Both kunoichi's eyes bulged at the sudden appearance of Naruto. And both medic ninja failed to fight back the blush. "Who is that" Ino whispered to her pink haired companion.

"I don't know, but I think I've seen him before" Sakura replied.

"Oh you don't remember me? I'm hurt" Naruto said.

Sakura and Ino seemed confused but an answer soon came to them in the form of Shikamaru. "So your back, Naruto"

"Wait.. Naruto, is it really you?" Ino asked.

Naruto chuckled and Shikamaru simply rolled his eyes. "Oh of course it is him. Who else has eyes like those" Shikamaru said in an exasperated tone.

"Should of known you would recognize me" Naruto said. His eyes then moved to the blond kunoichi standing behind the lazy Nara. "Hey aren't you Gaara's sister? You're from Suna right, what are you doing here in Konoha?" Naruto asked.

Temari glared at the blond with clear disdain and hatred burning in her eyes. "You... You're the responsible for taking Garra away. I'm supposed to kill you or anyone from your organization" she said through gritted teeth.

Naruto chuckled and just smiled back. "Well, you are certainly willing to try. After all I'm not a member of Konoha so killing me wont effect Suna's relationship with Konoha" he admitted as calmly as if he was asked for directions to a nearby town.

The two other kunoichi couldn't believe how calm Naruto was after having someone say they were ordered to kill him, and were also worried, they knew that Temari was an Elite Jounin in Suna, not someone who was to be challenged lightly. Shikamaru just seemed bored but raised an eyebrow when Temari removed the the fan from her back.

"You stole my little brother from me, I'll never forgive you" she seethed.

Naruto still stood calmly watching as Temari prepared for an attack. Shikamaru was even preparing a shadow technique to stop the kunoichi should things get out of hand. "It's fine Shikamaru, stand down. She has a right to hate me, what she said is true after all" Naruto said.

Shikamaru reluctantly dropped his guard and a second later Temari struck sending a massive cutting blade of wind right at Naruto who just stood passively watching it approach. As the jutsu struck however it was simply absorbed into the blonds body as though it didn't faze him in the slightest, shocking all present. "What the hell, that should have cut you into a hundred pieces" Temari said in shock.

"With an attack like that? Not very likely sorry. But let me tell you something about my organization, the people in it are free to leave at anytime. So if Gaara wanted to he could go back to Suna. But because he hasn't I would say he is happy. So rather than blame me for taking him, blame yourself for not being a proper sister to him when it was needed the most. He was hated in Suna, and he had a brother and sister that avoided him just like everyone else. So you sicken me the most, now let me show you how to use Fuuton properly" Naruto said and with a simple thrust of his hand a huge spiraling gust of wind shot out and flew towards the Wind mistress of Suna.

Temari responded by using her fan again to try to repel the attack but she barely even slowed it down as all she could do in the end was take the hit, even blocking it with her large fan she was still thrown back several feet. '_Amazing, such power, and no weapon to aid the jutsu or seals. Just what the hell is he_' Temari thought in fear as she watched Naruto approach.

"I can take threats to myself. But if Suna harms even a single hair on my allies I will obliterate every last trace of ninja in that village. Tell the Kazekage that it is the one and only warning from Naruto Namikaze" Naruto warned, and before anyone could respond to the fact Naruto just claimed to be the son of the Yondaime Hokage he was gone.

Naruto who had left with a shunshin to avoid any unwelcome questions decided to go to the main gate early and wait for Jiraiya. He didn't normally let people who attacked him live, but as Temari was Gaara's sister and in truth she was only following her orders he would let it slide.

In the end he wasn't waiting for very long before Jiraiya arrived. And the pair set off for the last leg of their trip home, knowing that they would see their comrades again the next day.

**End Chapter!**

**Alright, Hope you liked it, I tried to put in a bit of action, but in truth nothing much really happened just a brief glimpse of Naruto's power to whet your appetites. **


	34. Unwelcome Surprises

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 34: Unwelcome Surprises. **

Jiraiya and Naruto stood in front of the opening to the underground hideout of the Yoinokuchi, and they both seemed happy to have returned. "This is it, were home" Naruto sighed as they stood in front of the entrance to the underground hideout built into the side of a cliff.

Jiraiya stood there for a moment then opened his mouth before shutting it again. Naruto saw this and gave him a quizzical look which Jiraiya saw. "Well, I was just realizing... we don't have any windows, that means we have to use the main entrance" the Toad Sage joked.

Naruto's confusion turned into a look of mock horror as he took in what his sensei was saying. "Well, I guess our irrational dislike of doors has to come to an end, for now at least" the blond said.

"Well it was good while it lasted" Jiraiya said wiping a fake tear from his eyes.

Inside the hideout the Yoinokuchi members were sitting around relaxing when the door opened and Jiraiya walked in, with Naruto trailing behind. "Hey guys, we're back" Naruto said with a friendly wave.

Itachi gave a small smile as he observed the complete silence that seemed to envelop the room. "What not happy to see us?" Naruto asked with a mock hurt expression.

It was Akimi who came to her senses first jumping out of her seat before rushing over to hug Naruto. That seemed to spark everyone into life again and all the members of the group went over to greet there long absent companions.

Fuu was kicking herself for not reacting faster than Akimi and was now glaring at her rival as she still hadn't broken the hug. "Ahem, I think other people would like to welcome Naruto back as well Akimi" she eventually said through gritted teeth although with a surprisingly warm smile.

The swift release user then realized just where she was and broke the hug blushing ferociously at the fact that she had just been hugging her longtime crush who she still hadn't confessed to in front of everyone. "Ah sorry, I was just happy to see them again" Akimi said defensively.

"I'm sure you were, but so are we" Fuu replied coolly.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments but it was broken by Naruto. Wow, you guys have all changed. Gaara, your not a short anymore" Naruto said shaking the stoic former Suna ninja's hand.

Gaara couldn't help but smile, Naruto just seemed to always be able to push the right buttons that made him loosen up. "It's good to see you again Naruto, you look much stronger than when you left"

Stronger was not the way either Fuu or Akimi would have described the new Naruto. In fact they were both already running through possible ways of confessing their feeling for him, so they could have the blond all to themselves.

Naruto went around the group marveling at how they had changed and they would comment on the changes to Naruto. Until finally all that was left were the two kunoichi who had been waiting to talk to him for three years. "Wow look at you two. You both look amazing!" Naruto complimented.

A small blush formed on both of their cheeks at this comment. "You look good yourself" Fuu said. Her heart was racing just from the smile Naruto offered upon the compliment. Fuu knew she still may not know if it was love, but she certainly knew she was feeling lust.

"I want to fight you!" Akimi blurted out drawing Naruto's attention onto her, she didn't even know why she said it, but was proud of the results.

Naruto did a double take, and then beamed at the swift release kunoichi. "You haven't changed a bit, oh it is good to be home. You want to fight me? Then fine, I did promise you a match when I returned after all"

"I think that's a great idea, but we can't do it in here, this is the perfect opportunity to show some of your new talents gaki" Jiraiya said patting Naruto on the shoulder.

Naruto seemed to be lost in thought. "What right now? We just got home" Naruto said.

"What you're not scared to fight me are you Naruto?" Akimi purred.

Naruto chuckled and dropped his bags where he was standing. "Not at all, but I can promise you, the result will be the same as always" he replied.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's get outside so we can start this thing" Jiraiya said happily.

The Toad Sage led the way outside and the others followed. "Do you think she has a chance Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked once they made it to a large field and Naruto slowly made his way to the other side.

"I don't know Haku, but the girl is incredibly strong when she is serious and she definitely won't want to look weak in front of Naruto" Zabuza admitted.

Itachi who was standing only a few feet away heard the exchange of views and decided to add his own. "Akimi is strong, but I still cannot see her troubling Naruto much, especially if he gets serious, although I highly doubt things will get that far" Itachi said.

"He's that good huh?" Zabuza asked in wonder.

Haku too was interested as apart from Jiraiya the only person with any small glimmer of an idea of how strong Naruto really is would be Itachi. "Well let me put it this way, if I was to fight him seriously and give my all, then there would be a ninety nine percent chance that I would not only lose the fight, but also my life" Itachi admitted.

Zabuza who had at several times over the past few years challenged Itachi to a spar knew that he was no match for the stoic Uchiha, which also meant that Naruto was far out of his league, however the thought of the challenge excited rather than scared the Demon of the Bloody Mist. "Impressive, I might have to fight him myself one of these days" he said with a smile.

The other members of the Yoinokuchi cleared the field leaving only Naruto and Akimi. Both had large smiles on their faces ready for the confrontation. Naruto was just about to move into a ready position when Akimi took off. Appearing behind the blond in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly '_She has gotten so much faster_' he thought, but then the corners of his lips twitched into a smile as he ducked under her attack and flipping away. "Not bad, you are a lot faster, but you are going to need more than that to defeat me" Naruto said.

Akimi clenched her fist, she knew the attack would probably fail, but it looked as though he hadn't even been troubled by her speed at all. "Don't worry I'm just getting warmed up" she said. 'T_his isn't like fighting Fuu, I can't hold anything back, I want him to respect me as an equal. I don't want to be seen as someone that needs protecting_' she thought before she took off again this time there was a sound like thunder as she pushed off.

On the sidelines Jiraiya gave a whistle of being clearly impressed. "She is taking this very serious, already pushing more chakra into her movements. And her speed is certainly impressive" the Toad Sage admitted.

Those thoughts were also going through the mind of Naruto but he was far less worried as he playfully jumped out of the way of the attack. "Woah, not bad Akimi, you have really improved. Three years ago I wouldn't have stood a chance" Naruto admitted with a warm smile.

Akimi looked at his smiling face in shock. '_How did he dodge me, that attack broke the sound barrier, but he still saw it coming_' she thought as she leaped off again to attack the blond with a volley of punches and kicks that Naruto would always just narrowly avoid.

Back with the other members of the Yoinokuchi Fuu was staring with wide eyes not believing what she just saw. "That was Akimi's fastest attack, and he was able to get out of the way like it was nothing. I have never once been able to escape that move"

Jiraiya and Itachi both chuckled at Fuu's statement. "Well if it wasn't for Akimi he never would have been able to" Itachi said.

Fuu looked puzzled. "What do you mean Itachi?" she asked.

"Well, at the moment Naruto is using two different techniques that he developed in order to counter people with superior speed like Akimi" Itachi said.

Jiraiya then took over as he understood the techniques better than Itachi did. "The first one is a simple matter of him manipulating the gravity around his own body, making him lighter. He had started to develop this before we left but now it is mastered... the second technique however works inside his body, using Raiton chakra to increase the speed of his synapse responses giving him ultra fine and precise reaction times. An idea he thought of from watching Akimi's Swift release"

Fuu was shocked by what she was hearing. "Wait so he is using two types of elemental manipulation at the same time?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, it was a skill that I taught him. I got the idea when I fought the two generals in that final battle in the Land of Water. There plan was perfect, use two different elements together in perfect harmony, something which most ninja need to share a bond with another to accomplish. I however theorized that should someone have the chakra control and elemental manipulation down to almost perfection, then it would be possible to isolate areas of your body and manipulate multiple elements at the same time. I failed miserably, but Naruto was able to complete the training" Itachi said.

"What about you Jiraiya-sama did you attempt it?" Fuu asked.

Jiraiya looked a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "Ah well, I did. But chakra control was never really my strong point. I think the only reason Naruto is able to do it is the Rinnegan" he said almost defensively.

"You're not fighting me seriously!" Akimi yelled as she through another punch that Naruto narrowly avoided.

"Huh were we fighting?" Naruto teased.

"Damn it, fight me Naruto!" She replied trying to kick him in the ribs only to have him block the strike.

"But you're so pretty when you're flustered" Naruto said. On the inside however he was not as relaxed. '_She is faster than me... if I go on the offensive like this I will leave myself open. Yes taijutsu is definitely out, so ninjutsu or genjutsu are the only ways to defeat her now. I have to say I'm impressed_'

Akimi grew redder whether it was from the anger of Naruto's teasing or a blush because she said he was pretty not even she could tell. All she knew was that she was getting nowhere like this. 'How the fuck is he able to fight me and remain so calm, he hasn't even used a jutsu yet. Oh why couldn't I have been a genjutsu type like Itachi or Fuu, its the only real weakness he has' she thought as she pumped more and more chakra into her swift release increasing her speed more and more.

Naruto could tell she was getting faster, and was almost tempted to see just how fast she could actually get, this however was probably a bad idea when they were this close together. "Alright Akimi, it's been fun but I think it's time we end this... Shinra Tensei"

Akimi flew back away from the blond but she had been expecting this move long before it eventually came and quickly threw a large spike with a thick chain into the ground preventing her from being blown away. "You think I wouldn't think of a way to counter that fucking jutsu by now?" she taunted and once the force of the jutsu faded she shook the chain like someone would crack a whip and it retreated into a belt that she wore beneath her Yoinokuchi robe that was discarded in the gravity jutsu.

This was the first time Naruto had gotten a good look at Akimi since he had returned. She wore a tight fitting black shirt that left a good deal of midriff showing and long black pants that seemed to cling to her long legs showing them off while still completely covered.

Jiraiya couldn't help himself and took out his notepad and started taking notes. "When did that happen, she filled out while we were gone" Jiraiya said eying Akimi's rather well endowed chest.

Naruto was having a similar thought although far less obvious for to the world as his masters was. '_She looks amazing. And when did her chest get that big, if those things keep growing she might end up like Tsunade-Baachan. Although they are a really nice size right now perfectly proportioned as well_' Naruto thought as he fought back a small blush. '_Wait what am I thinking, she's my best friend and I am not a pervert, bad Naruto don't do that anymore_' he added berating himself for the thought. Wanting to get his mind out of the gutter he decided to ask Akimi about the weapon she had used. "Interesting tool you got there, how does it work?" Naruto asked.

"Well allow me to show you" she said and at either side of the belt she wore she removed to blades that looked like kunai with the handles removed. Attached to them were the chains. "The chains keep me anchored and only extend and retract with my chakra" she said before tossing the blades toward the blond who dodged them. But the attack didn't end there as the blades seemed to move in the middle of the air and fly straight back towards the jinchuuriki.

'_She controls them like a puppet masters chakra threads, I am loving this weapon_' Naruto thought as he ducked under another strike. He continued to humor Akimi for a few more minutes before deciding to do something about the two blades. "Fuuton: Tornado shield" a large vortex of spinning air erupted around Naruto sending gale force winds in every direction blowing the blades away and forcing even the ninja watching on the sidelines to brace themselves against something to prevent being thrown away.

Akimi had to use the chains to anchor her to the ground from the pressure of the wind flowing from Naruto. '_What amazing power, and he isn't even breaking a swea_t' she thought in awe.

Inside the vortex of wind everything was calm and Naruto stood as if the torrent of wind assaulting the others was not happening at all. '_Time to end this, with her anchored with those chains her movement will be drastically lessened_' the blond thought as he removed his cloak and stopped the jutsu. Shooting forward he grabbed the chains holding Akimi in place and yanked her forward, flipping her over onto her back before his cloak had even hit the ground.

The watching ninja minus Jiraiya and Itachi were shocked. They considered Akimi to be one of the strongest of their group and she was defeated easily.

"Nice match Akimi-chan, you're really strong" Naruto admitted helping the speedy kunoichi to her feet. '_Wait did I just say chan? I think I need to lay down for awhile_'

Akimi was blushing ferociously, and she was not the only one Fuu and even Haku couldn't hold back there blushes. Naruto had left a muscular yet unrefined thirteen year old. And come back with the perfectly formed body of a man. And the fact that he didn't wear a shirt was obviously effecting the kunoichi present.

It was a few seconds later after Naruto had returned his robe which appeared to be heavily weighted by the large crater it formed in the ground. '_He called me Akimi-chan! He's never called anyone that before, heh round one is mine Fuu, and I don't plan on letting you win any_'.

"Well that was a good little demonstration, although you didn't really show too much, and I think you are favoring Fuuton jutsu a little too much lately, Akimi's swift release is

fifty percent wind so it could have been possible for her to over power your jutsu with less force than most would need" Jiraiya said giving Naruto a critique of the battle.

"Well, Fuuton seems to be the easiest for me, even though I have great control over all the elements I think Fuuton was originally my basic elemental form. All my Fuuton jutsu seem to be stronger than the other elements. Katon is as well but not as much" Naruto said.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin in thought while smiling "You might be onto something, but you shouldn't fall into the trap of just using one style of jutsu, last thing you want is to become predictable"

Naruto thought about what Jiraiya was saying and it made a lot of sense the more unpredictable an opponent the harder it would be to guess their next move, it was another life lesson about the ninja world that Jiraiya was able to teach him. "Thanks sensei, I'll remember that, it wont happen again"

Jiraiya smiled a laughed. "Knowing you, I am sure you will remember it perfectly, you soak up everything like a sponge"

Akimi was watching Naruto chat happily with Jiraiya, she was upset that despite all of her training Naruto had still defeated her. But at the same time, she also had the feeling that she earned a great deal of respect from the blond jinchuuriki.

"Well you sure got your ass kicked little lady" Zabuza laughed, as he approached the defeated kunoichi.

Akimi couldn't help but glare at the former Kiri ninja. "Why don't you see how long you last against him? don't forget I beat you last time we had a spar" She said angrily.

"Gotta say I wouldn't mind, it would be the ultimate challenge. But after seeing how badly you lost I think I might wait a bit before taking him on. I don't want to take a beating as bad as you did" Zabuza laughed.

"Ah shut it, I may have lost but at least I had the guts to try and fight" Akimi said.

"Well you got me there" Zabuza said with a shrug. "Things around here look like they might get exciting again, that's good I was getting bored while they were gone the most exciting thing that happened was your constant squabbling with the jinchuuriki girl" Zabuza chuckled.

Eventually the ninja made their way back inside and they all began exchanging stories of what they did during the last three years.

After awhile Jiraiya called everyone together. "I know your all happy to see me again" he said with a smile.

"Hey what about me?" Naruto grumbled.

"I'm sure they are fond of you as well. Look that doesn't matter right now, we have business to discuss don't we" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah I guess you're right" Naruto said crossing his arms in a huff.

The other members of the Yoinokuchi were slightly confused, they hadn't expected things to get so serious so soon. "I knew things would become interesting again once you two got back. So what are we planning?" Zabuza asked eagerly.

"Well, it's a robbery" Jiraiya said.

This shocked the others, only Naruto and Itachi seemed to have any idea what they were talking about. "A robbery? That isn't really our style, don't we normally try to help people?" Gaara questioned.

"Normally yes, but we are making an exception this time, there are several objects that I want Naruto to examine, unfortunately they are locked away quite securely" Jiraiya answered.

This made the mood somewhat tense as they tried to figure out what it could possibly be that they needed to steal. "A second problem, is the objects in question are all rumored to take an incredible amount of chakra just to carry" Itachi added indicating that he knew exactly what Jiraiya was talking about.

"Just get to the point already" Zabuza said impatiently.

Jiraiya chuckled and nodded his head. "Alright, seems you are rather impatient. The seven legendary tools of the Rikudou Sennin. They are all located in Kumo. We had hoped they had not been recovered by the Raikage's after they were stolen years ago. But it seems they are all back there. I want Naruto to examine the tools so he can attempt to create something like them himself. They are bound to have some clues about there creation as to if they really were created by the Rikudou Sennin or not" Jiraiya explained.

Zabuza blanched at the task they were set. And he was not the only one "Are you serious! You actually expect us to be able to get in and out of Kumo with those tools? It's a suicide mission" the former Kiri ninja said.

Several nods from the gathered ninja showed that they all seemed to agree with Zabuza's sentiments. "No I believe it can be done, we just need to deal with three main threats. The Raikage, A, his brother the Hachibi jinchuuriki, Killer Bee, and the Nibi jinchuuriki Yugito Nii. If we can get them together, Naruto-kun and I will be able to deal with them, giving the rest of you time to extract the tool" Itachi said.

"How do you propose to do that?" Gaara asked curiously.

Naruto chuckled at the question. "Simple, we will do the thing I'm best at... Cause a scene. We create a distraction in the center of the village and the Raikage will come running. He is a Kage after all"

"And how do you plan on getting out of there? The Raikage is considered one of the strongest ninja to have lived" Zabuza said.

"We have that covered" Naruto said with a smile.

"Alright fine I'm in, sounds like it could be fun anyway" Zabuza said.

"I knew you would think that way" Jiraiya chuckled.

All around the group the members of the Yoinokuchi agreed to help in the plan until Haku who was the last member to speak also agreed. "Alright, so when do we leave, I want inspect the Sage of Six paths handiwork" Naruto said eagerly.

"Not so fast gaki, we cant go to the Land of Lightning yet, not until your training is complete" Jiraiya said.

Naruto looked confused and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment for having to ask the following question. "Uh sensei, I thought you said that my training was completed when we began to head home" Naruto said.

Itachi smiled as Jiraiya spoke up. "Oh as far as your fighting and power as a ninja are concerned you have finished your training. But that isn't all there is to being a ninja"

Now several of the other younger members seemed to be interested in what the Toad sage had to say, but it was Itachi who took over. "You can fight, but there is a political element to being a ninja, and you have to do things you may not be comfortable doing, you also need to know how to blend in at various places and occasions".

"Eh I don't understand what you mean Itachi sensei" Naruto admitted.

"Well, you are a great ninja when it comes down to a fight, you can even sneak past almost anything. However, you need the people skills to blend in during any special occasions you may have been asked to attend. It is good for relations between villages and people of importance will generate more work and in turn you will become well known as not only a ninja who is powerful, but also as a person" Itachi explained.

Naruto eyed his sensei's suspiciously. "Why do I get the feeling you have something planned that I am not going to like".

Both Jiraiya and Itachi smiled a smile that told the blond all he needed to know even before they spoke. "We are going to the Land of Water, they are holding a party and dance to commemorate three years since the end of the war. And we have been invited by both the Mizukage and the Water Daimyo.

"What Dancing, you can't be serious right? This is some kind of punishment for defeating you in out last spar isn't it" Naruto said frantically.

"No sorry Naruto-kun. I had to do similar things when I was a member of Anbu, and they are vital for infiltration missions where you need to interact with people in these situations" Itachi said.

Naruto paled knowing there was not much of a chance to get out of this particular piece of training. '_Oh man, I can't dance, this is going to suck worse than all of Jiraiya sensei's perverted books combined_'

similar thoughts were had by Gaara, while Zabuza too did not seem thrilled by the idea. Fuu, Haku and Akimi however were giddy with excitement, although they each had to admit that they had never really had any experience with formal events either.

"Well, get some sleep and relax for a few days. We need to be in Kiri by next week" Jiraiya said happily and left the room followed by Itachi.

**End Chapter!**

**Hope you all liked it. **

**I still haven't decided on Naruto/Fuu or Naruto/Akimi. I was going to make it Naruto Fuu, but I am having quite a bit of fun developing Akimi's character, and because of that I think I may have skipped out a little bit on Fuu's, as she isn't my own. And I forgot that there isn't much information about Fuu's character at all which makes her in many ways an OC. Anyway I would like to hear what people would prefer before I make my mind up about the final pairing. I suppose I could do both, but I really prefer a single pairing. Harems are great at times but they also make it difficult to develop emotional connections to characters or pairings. **

**Anyway if you have an opinion on anything or even just some suggestions that you think could enhance the story I would appreciate the feedback, after all if it helps make the story better it becomes more enjoyable for you all to read. **


	35. A Fighting Return

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 35: A Fighting Return**

It was late at night, although when you live underground it was sometimes hard to tell. The rooms of the Yoinokuchi hideout were for the most part empty. Only three people remained awake and while Naruto was using this time for some training before going to sleep downstairs in the main dormitory area the sound of friendly bickering.

"And why do you think Naruto will choose to dance with you" Fuu said harshly.

"Simple, I know him the best, who else would he choose to teach him how to dance" Akimi replied with a proud smirk.

"Maybe someone he can actually hold properly without having to deal with that overgrown chest of yours" Fuu replied.

"My chest is a perfect size, you are just jealous because you know Naruto will pick me, after all he already called me Akimi-chan" the swift release kunoichi teased.

Fuu looked shocked and placed her hands firmly on her hips "When? He has been back for a few days and I haven't heard him call you that, you are just making that up to trick me" she accused.

Akimi smiled knowing that nobody heard the small exchange between her and Naruto. "After our fight, he helped me off the ground as asked if I was okay. That was when he called me Akimi-chan. Just face it, I win" she said playfully.

Fuu huffed not having any proof to be able to back up her claim was one thing, but she had noticed that Akimi wasn't as upset about loosing as she normally would be. In the past when she lost a match she would demand a rematch right away, the only person to be spared this treatment was Itachi, and that was only because the one time she had attempted it the stoic Uchiha had got fed up and introduced her to his Tsukuyomi.

Fuu also thought that loosing to Naruto as badly as she did would hurt the most, after all she was always training so that she could be as strong as he was. Never wanting to be weaker than anyone.

Eventually the green haired jinchuuriki realized that she had been quiet for too long. "Even if you are telling the truth that doesn't mean anything, just you wait. Maybe I will challenge him to a match and tell him how I feel at the same time, after all you had your chance"

Akimi went red and clenched her fists, "Everyone was watching, there was no way I could tell him in front of everyone. Maybe if you all hadn't come to watch I would be sleeping in his bed now rather than here arguing with you"

Fuu blushed at the statement knowing what Akimi had implied. "I didn't know you were that eager to get into his pants" she teased.

Now it was Akimi's turn to blush she just realized what she had said. "That doesn't mean I would have had sex with him already" she said defensively, although the thought did bring another rosy hue to her cheeks. "I just want to spend more time alone with him" she explained.

"Yeah, well too bad. I'm not just going to give him to you that easily" Fuu smiled.

"Well we will just see, tomorrow we are going to return to Kiri for the festival and I plan to make my move. All I need to do is convince him to dance which will give me all the time I need to tell him that I like him" Akimi said.

"Not if I get to him first!" Fuu replied.

They continued bickering for a couple more minutes, before heading to there separate rooms. Despite being incredibly competitive with each other and rivals, not just for Naruto's heart there exchanges never became heated. In truth they were both good friends although often Haku would have to calm them both down if only to save the other members of the Yoinokuchi from their constant arguing.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto sat cross legged with his eyes closed as if in deep concentration. He had a Rasengan in each hand, although upon closer inspection they were not normal Rasengan. In his left hand tiny blades of wind spun around indicating wind manipulation while in his right he had small sparks of lightning shooting out from the ball.

He sat in silence but after a few minutes eventually stood up. '_Okay, I can do this, all I need to do is add gravity manipulation to the two jutsu without losing my focus. The more elements I can manipulate at the same time the power powerful I can make my jutsu, and once my control becomes good enough in theory I should be able to create sub elements_' Naruto thought as he held both arms palm out from his body as if ready to stop a boulder.

Naruto's eyes opened as he attempted to add the third element to his current state of elemental manipulation. "Elemental Rasengan Cannon!" Naruto said as he sent a bust of gravity from his hands in an attempt to propel the two jutsu forward but the second the gravity began to fuse with both rasengan they exploded in a huge blast that sent Naruto flying back ruining yet another shirt.

The explosion from the jutsu was loud and normally would have woken everyone in the base up. But the training ground was well set up with privacy seals blocking all sound from escaping. "Kami damn it! I was so close that time. I felt the pressure from the gravity build but I still cant combine them into the same jutsu... Aw and I ruined another shirt! That's it unless there is a reason to wear one, I'm just going to use my Yoinokuchi cloak, It's all I need anyway" Naruto yelled in frustration.

Picking up his cloak which he removed for the the training he wrapped himself up and after repairing what damage he caused decided to get some sleep knowing that he would have a long trip to Kiri coming tomorrow.

(**The Next Day**)

The Yoinokuchi members all wrapped in there trademark white cloaks stood in front of a large ship unlike there last trip back from the Land of Water, this ship had the look of luxury no expense seemed to be spared in the creation even the boarding ramp was lined with gold delicately created carvings on the railings.

"Wow the transportation has really improved since our last trip" Naruto said clearly impressed by the large ocean liner that was docked in the bay of the main port in Fire country.

"The land of water is no longer in a state of civil war, and has become a rather popular holiday destination for civilians since you last came, they are drawn by all the small island resorts that surround the main island" Itachi informed the blond.

"Well a holiday sure sounds like fun" Akimi said.

"Why, you haven't gone on a mission in weeks anyway. The last thing you need is to relax anymore" Gaara said.

Haku and Fuu both giggled at that leaving Akimi red faced in embarrassment. "Just because all you do is missions doesn't mean we all have to work that hard!"

"Or in your case, at all" Haku added.

Akimi was shocked that Haku would side with Gaara. "Not you too Haku-chan. I do work,i just prefer to train that's all" she whined.

"If you like training so much why did Naruto beat you so easily" Fuu chuckled.

"What was that bug girl!" Akimi said.

Fuu went red in the face in anger, she didn't like to be called bug girl, even though she and Nanabi in some ways got along she didn't like people thinking she was a bug or in anyway obsessed with them. "I said you lost so bad against Naruto that it made me embarrassed to call myself your rival"

Akimi clenched her fist in anger. "I kick your ass all the time so you wouldn't do any better against him" she seethed.

"I think you will find that I won both of our previous two spars, I think I'm going to have to look for someone else to challenge as you are obviously not strong enough anymore" Fuu replied knowing it would infuriate her hot headed rival.

Fuu's plan worked and Akimi acted in the way anyone who had known her for longer than a day would know that she would "That's it, we're fighting right now!" the speedy kunoichi yelled and was about to throw a punch only to find herself thrown back a few feet. '_What the hell?_'

"What's going on why are you two fighting?" Naruto asked as he walked over.

Akimi realizing what had happened went red from both embarrassment and anger. "It was nothing really, I just lost my cool that's all" '_Damn Fuu knew that would happen, she's going to pay for that_'.

"She's right, it was nothing serious, just some friendly banter that got out of hand that's all" Fuu aded.

Naruto looked confused but then just shrugged it off. "Makes sense to me, I fight with Jiraiya sensei all the time, but that seemed to be a bit hostile, oh well" he said before boarding the large boat.

Akimi huffed and sent a small glare at Fuu before following after the blond. "Hm, I don't think she liked the fact I made her look bad" Fuu thought out loud in amusement, then something else jumped into her mind. "Oh I should go after her, she's going to try and corner Naruto and ask for a dance, I can't let that happen, at least not before I get one of my own" she said and ran off after Akimi.

Haku and Gaara were the last two left and they both just looked at each other shaking their head. "We need better friends" Haku said exasperation evident in her voice.

"I was thinking the same thing" the red haired Suna ninja sighed before the pair made their way onto the ship.

Inside the large vessel was even nicer than the outside. Great detail had been put into everything to make it seem as though the passengers were not even aware they were in a boat, as it seemed more like a floating luxury hotel.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he looked around the main cabin. "This place is amazing... but where are all the other people" Naruto asked.

Once they thought about it most of the other members of their group also found it weird that the only other people that were on the ship were sailors.

Jiraiya chuckled "There will be nobody else taking this ship to the Land of Water. It was sent by Mei to pick us up. Naruto is going to be their guest of honor" the Toad Sage explained.

"Why am I the guest of honor? And anyway how would she even know I was coming? I didn't even know until earlier on this week" Naruto said.

"That's simple, I had Itachi send a message that we would be attending this years festival when he came back from helping with your training" Jiraiya explained.

Naruto paled. "So in other words I wont be able to just act like a normal person and enjoy myself?" the blond sighed.

"Well, you are not a normal person anyway, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself" Itachi said.

"This sucks, I bet you just did this to get a free vacation" Naruto complained.

Jiraiya smiled happily and shrugged. "Well, yeah it was a good way for a cheap vacation. And I think you owe me that much, after all I did just spend the last three years training you" he said happily.

Naruto wanted to complain but bit his lip to stop himself, what Jiraiya had said was true, he did owe his sensei, and for more than just the training. "Alright you win. I just hope they don't make a big deal out of the fact I am back in Kiri, it was bad enough with them all praising me a hero last time. I wouldn't feel bad about it if I actually did more work than everyone else, but they all fought in the war, and probably did more work than I did" he sighed.

"Ah shut it will ya, you defeated the Mizukage, something I doubt most of the army could have done combined, not many in their numbers could have stood against him. Only Mei, and maybe Ao" Akimi said.

Naruto had to admit that Akimi was probably right. At the time the resistance fighters while being organized well by Mei and competent as a group they were not all that strong individually. The former loyalist soldiers were easily stronger ninja. But with the cut throat attitude of the Bloody Mist teamwork was not always the easiest thing to come by. "Maybe your right, thanks I feel a little better" he said and happily went to explore the various parts of the ship followed closely by both Akimi and Fuu who would quietly bicker and shoot annoyed looks at the other every time Naruto wasn't paying attention.

It was a two day trip to the Land of Water and they arrived in the same port town as last time. However now they stepped out into a thriving village. The feeling of depression gone replaced with smiling faces and busy people going about their daily work. Coupled with the fact the last time they were here it was a mist covered overcast day while the sun was out in full force at the moment and the transformation was complete.

"Wow it's so different, I'm so glad" Fuu said happily as she exited the ship and looked around.

"Yeah, it feels good to know that we have been able to help change the lives of these people" Naruto admitted.

Once everyone was off the boat they were about to leave the port and enter the small village when several horse drawn carriages pulled up and out of the first one stepped Ao accompanied by a shy looking ninja around Naruto's age wearing glasses.

"Hey it's Ao" Naruto said happily waving to the tall Kiri ninja who only bowed in response keeping his face calm. "What no love? Or didn't ninja have friends back in your day?" the blond asked.

Ao's face scrunched up slightly trying to hide his amusment at Naruto's antics. The young ninja accompanying Ao looked incredibly shocked at the way Naruto was addressing his sempai, but also found it rather funny that he knew him well enough to be able to hit on his favorite saying. "Yes Naruto people had friends, but in my day they were not so overly energetic. In any case we brought these carriages to take you to Kiri, it will be faster than running even with ninja speeds, it will also alow you to keep your strength for the festivities.

"Uh why would I need strength for a dinner and dance? It couldn't be that tiring right?" Naruto asked.

Ao nodded in agreement. "It's true that the dinner and dance party will not be that overly tiring for a ninja. But before that a ninja battle royal will be held, and Mei-sama was hoping that you would take part. The last couple of years have been rather interesting but, I she believes if you are competing then the numbers who turn up to watch and compete would triple" he explained.

Naruto's apprehensive look turned to one of delight "Sure why not,sounds life fun. What about you guys?" he said eagerly turning to the other members in the group.

"What and get my ass kicked by a kid in public? I'm feared here kid loosing would damage my rep" Zabuza said.

"Gah you're no fun Zabuza. What about the rest of you?" Naruto said.

The young man standing by Ao went wide eyed at the Zabuza's name. '_Zabuza, he is one of the disbanded Seven Swordsmen. I can't believe I am actually getting to meet him, I really want to talk to him later_'.

"Hm I guess I will enter, like you said it could be fun" Akaru said.

"Well I'm in, I need to get some payback for the loss the other day" Akimi said.

"I'm afraid that is not possible I'm afraid" Ao said.

"Huh why the hell not!" Akimi said angrily.

"It is an all male tournament I'm afraid. The winner is granted the first dance of the ball with Mei-sama" Ao explained.

"What! That's what you get if you win! Why bother fighting at all, you should pull out of the competition Naruto" Akimi said.

"Well I already agreed to enter, but I think Mei would be better off if I didn't compete, I can't dance so it would be bad for her if I won" Naruto admitted.

"It shouldn't be a problem, the last couple of winners were not what I would call elegant. Also it was her request that we alloy you to enter" Ao said.

"Well I did agree to enter already, it would be bad if I went back on my word" Naruto said.

Fuu and Akimi were not happy at all. They saw Mei's request for Naruto to enter the match a clear challenge to them both. And the worst part was she had out maneuvered both of them. '_This is bad, Mei is beautiful after all, and he's an idiot... He wont stand a chance, she will seduce him and it will be all over. Why couldn't she go after someone else, like Itachi or Akaru_' Akimi thought miserably.

"Hey Itachi sensei, Jiraiya sensei do you guys want to join in, it will be fun even if the dancing wont be" Naruto asked.

And there it was a small ray of hope. Itachi and Jiraiya, those two would be able to at least give Naruto a challenge in the match. "I don't think we should, remember the last time we all fought against each other. The people of that village were not very happy with us" Itachi said.

"Yeah I agree, if we fight we will need a much larger area" Jiraiya added. And as quickly as hope of Naruto actually loosing and staying out of the Mizukage's grasp came it went.

Fuu leaned over to Akimi a worried look on her face "Uh do you think Akaru could win?" she whispered.

"Not a chance, He's a strong ninja, he was one of the top jounin in Kiri, but I cant see him defeating Naruto" Akimi sighed in disappointment.

The two kunoichi were in a bad mood all the way to Kiri. Something that Naruto found confusing but when ever he asked what was wrong they just said it was nothing so Naruto put it down to motion sickness.

Their mood didn't improve when Mei met the carriages at the gate's of Kiri and gave everyone a tour of the newly rebuilt hidden village. Although they both had to admit the new village was beautiful. Small canals of water divided sections of the village, the circular building style remained but the defensive stronghold look was gone replaced with a friendly atmosphere with the buildings covered in water loving plants.

Eventually they arrived at the hotel and Mei left after giving Naruto and Akaru the information regarding the battle royal that would be held later that afternoon. The hotel was nice, they each were given a room to themselves and free room service, personal guests of a Kage are treated well after all.

"You ready to go Akaru?" Naruto said when everyone met at the entrance to the hotel ready to head to the stadium where the fight would be held.

"Yeah, we are supposed to get there early so we should get going" Akaru said.

"Good luck Akaru" Akimi said giving her brother a small hug.

"What you're not going to wish me luck too?" Naruto asked with a friendly smile.

"No, I don't want you to win" She replied coolly causing Naruto's smile to falter slightly.

'_Did I do something to upset her? I don't think I have done anything to her, sure I beat her in our spar but she seemed fine after... Ah I don't get it, why can I understand the most complex jutsu but not something like this. Ah women are just confusing. Maybe Akaru knows why she is angry with me_' Naruto thought as he left. "Hey do you know why your sister is upset?" he asked as they walked through the main street.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, it's not really something I can say anyway" Akaru said.

"Fair enough, I was just wondering if I did something that upset her that's all" Naruto said.

"You haven't really done anything, I think she just doesn't like this competition" Akaru said. '_Well more the fact that you are competing in it to win a dance with the Mizukage, because she wants you all to herself. But if I told him that Akimi would kill me_' he added as an afterthought.

They made it to the stadium where a long line up of people were waiting to enter. "Wow there sure are a lot of people competing, hope you have been training because I'm not going to go easy on you" Naruto said nudging Akaru with his elbow.

"Yeah, I may not be as strong as you, but I will put up a fight" Akaru replied.

"I didn't expect this thing to be so popular, but it must be an awesome way of training to fight against multiple opponents" Naruto said happily.

A group of Kiri jounin heard Naruto and Akaru's conversation and scoffed loudly. "People don't enter this thing just for training. They do it to prove that they are the strongest. Mei got rid of the old graduation exam and all rules put in place by Yagura, but she added this competition instead. And this year it is going to be even better" one of the jounin said.

"Huh why's that?" Naruto asked.

"Don't you know anything? They say a hero from the civil war is competing. Everyone wants to beat him more than anything it would be a major boost to their careers if they win" the jounin explained.

Naruto didn't seem overly surprised. '_So Mei has said told people that a hero would be competing, she must have known that at least one of us would take up the challenge. That explains why she wanted me to compete_' Naruto thought. "Sounds like there could be some tough competition then, that's good" he added loudly.

"Yeah well, just don't hope to last to long, the weaklings always get taken out first" a large muscle bound jounin said arrogantly.

Naruto smirked and decided to play a little game he liked to call poke the bear. "Oh well then I guess you won't last very long then"

The muscle covered man cracked his knuckles menacingly. "What did you say punk, you think some pretty boy like you can win this huh? This is a competition for ninja not little boys who don't look like they can even take a punch let alone throw one" he said trying to intimidate Naruto.

Naruto found the man to be rather amusing and had to stifle his laughter. Quickly regaining his composure Naruto pretended to yawn and turned away from the ninja with muscles that were larger than Naruto's head.

The Kiri ninja didn't like this at all and went over ready to strike Naruto in the back of the head only to be thrown back by some invisible force.

Akaru who was watching the proceedings was just shaking his head with his dropped and a hand covering his face. '_He's is too much like Akimi. Although at least he is calmer. She would have knocked that idiot into next week for trying something like that_' he thought.

The gorilla like ninja picked himself up and was about to go back to Naruto and hit him but the doors to the stadium opened and everyone filed in.

Naruto was impressed with the arena. It was far larger than an average training ground. And despite there being close to one hundred ninja in the arena floor everyone had enough room for themselves. The stands were already filled with spectators who were happily cheering for their favorite or who they had bet on to win. The odds were projected up on a screen and saw that there was a mystery person as the favorite by a short margin and the second favorite was also marked as a mystery although he was paying far less. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were as the only names missing were his and Akaru's.

The whole stadium fell silent when Mei stood up to address the people in the arena. "Welcome one and all. As you may or may not be aware this year we have two very special contestants in the ninja free for all. These two fighters were both of great help during the civil war, and it was thanks to the actions of one of these ninja that the war was finally ended. I present to you Akaru Hayaku and Naruto … … Namikaze" Mei said reading their names off a piece of paper that Jiraiya had given her. Two large spotlights shone down on both Akaru and Naruto who were standing together. '_That name... that's the Yondaime Hokage's last name. Now that you mention it they do look familiar, if his eyes were blue I would say he looked just like the pictures of Minato Namikaze. Could he be the son of the Yondaime Hokage? It would make sense, jinchuuriki are often related to a Kage as to prevent them from turning against the village due to their usually cold treatment_' Mei thought.

Once the cheers died down the Mizukage was able to continue. "The Rules of this competition are simple. Killing is prohibited, a ninja will be eliminated once their torso hits either the ground or a wall. Other than that anything is allowed, and all jutsu are legal. Now that that is done... … Begin!" Mei yelled.

Naruto and Akaru looked at each other and both exchanged a look and nodded before jumping off in opposite directions. It was only a short glance at the other but it told them exactly what the other was thinking. '_I'll deal with you later!_'

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so main reason I put this little battle in was to add a little action into what might have been a rather tame few chapters, at least in terms of fighting.** ** And the reason I chose Akaru to compete and not any of the others was simply because I think if he fought properly with Itachi, Jiraiya or Gaara it would be far more destructive than a stadium in the middle of a village could cope with, although I had thought of putting them in, it would have been a rather difficult fight to be able to do justice, my four favorite characters in a free for all.**


	36. Battle Royale

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 36: Battle Royal**

Naruto landed in a rather open part of the field and quickly looked around observing how the fight had started. Several ninja had already been eliminated, and a large group of mostly jounin were all eying him hoping to be the one to take out the so called 'Hero'.

"How's it going guys. You wouldn't hurt a kid would you?" Naruto said in a mock scared voice.

It had no effect on the other ninja. They were still looking like they were ready to strike. "I don't know why some punk like you would be considered a war hero. You don't look like anything special to me" a tall bald man in a dark blue Kiri jounin outfit said.

Naruto shrugged. "Well if you ask me I don't consider myself a hero either, but if you really want to find out why, I guess you should just attack me and find out for yourselves" Naruto said changing from a scared genin persona to that of a confident and competent ninja.

'_What the hell is it with this kid, one second he acts like a child the next he is basically asking for us to kick his ass_' on of the jounin thought.

The group of ninja all acted at the same time and jumped forward to attack. Naruto was impressed they were actually working together do defeat him. But he wasn't going to let them win, and quickly jumping into the air Naruto waited until the small group was directly below him before releasing a wave of gravity downward sending the ninja crashing into the ground and knocking them out of the competition.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akaru was having a slightly harder time dealing with two jounin that had teamed up against him. '_Heh these guys are not too bad_' he thought as he deftly shifted out of the way of a swipe from a blunted blade used in this competition to prevent casualties.

The jounin were keeping up their attacks not giving the Yoinokuchi ninja a chance to counter thanks to the teamwork from the two other ninja. "You know, I think you were stronger during the war" one of jounin said with a smile as Akaru dodged his punch.

Akaru smiled as he escaped the attack rolling to attempt a kick back at the jounin but was blocked by his partner. "So you knew me during the civil war?" he asked.

"Yeah that's right, we both did, you were one of the two mercenaries assigned to our division. Both you and the the young girl you had with you were incredibly strong. But I was just a chunin then" the other jounin replied.

"Well, I'm sorry that you think I have gotten weaker, I was once known as the best Raiton element user in the Land of Lightning, I guess I should try to live up to that reputation at least. Raiton: Blinding Flash" Akaru said with a small smirk.

A bright flash of light seemed to radiate out of the former Kumo ninja blinding all other ninja in the area allowing Akaru to knock the two jounin to the ground.

As the fighting continued more and more ninja were being eliminated. Naruto and Akaru were easily dispatching of any ninja that attacked them but for the most part Naruto was sitting back and watching. There were several reasons but mostly Naruto didn't want to show off and win the match to easily. It was supposed to be an event to allow the ninja of Kiri to showcase their talents after all, so despite the fact that it would have been possible for him to win with a single relatively powerful gravity jutsu he decided to sit back and allow the others to fight it out.

Akaru on the other hand was more involved, and was showing that he was a superior ninja to most of the competition, but when you spend time training and on missions with people like Zabuza and Itachi, you are always bound to improve.

As the numbers began thinning out everyone could see that the ninja remaining were much stronger than the others and with twenty ninja left it showed that Kiri was steadily recovering from the civil war and the quality of their ninja along with it.

Akaru was currently engaged with a short middle aged jounin with short spiky brown hair. And Akaru had to admit that this ninja had some serious talent. They were evenly matched in taijutsu, every punch one would make the other new exactly how to counter it. '_There is something about this guy, it's like he knows all my moves before I make them, yet whenever he attacks he seems to be predictable. There is no way someone can be that much better in defense than attack_' Akaru thought as he easily dodged an attack trying to counter only to have his opponent block the attack. '_He is so fast when he attempts to block yet slow with everything else... why?_'.

Again Akaru went to strike only to have his attack easily blocked. Trying to press his attacks harder Akaru tried increasing his speed as much as possible but his opponent seemed to become just fast enough to match him every time he attempted a new attack. And still as soon as the Kiri ninja attempted to attack back he was slow. '_That's it, what a simple little trick how did I fail to sense it_' "I finally figured out your technique, you are using a genjutsu to slow my movements when I attack but you need to release it when you want to attack yourself" Akaru said proudly.

The Kiri ninja began to sweat, running wasn't an option either. "Kai!" Akaru yelled as he charged and the genjutsu around him dropped.

Now Akaru's superior speed was evident and it wasn't long before the genjutsu using Kiri ninja was on his back and up on the board his name was crossed off the still active competitors list.

The fighting continued, and it wasn't long before the numbers fell to only a handful. There was Naruto, Akaru and three other Kiri ninja. Among them was the young man who accompanied Ao to meet them off the boat. He carried a rather weird looking sword and had elected not to use the ones offered to contestants to avoid serious injuries. This intrigued Naruto and he quickly made his way over to his fellow teen. "How's it going" Naruto said with a friendly wave ignoring the other ninja who were attacking each other.

The Kiri ninja almost jumped out of his skin at Naruto's sudden arrival. "Ah hello" he said shakily.

His timid attitude interested Naruto. '_Just earlier he was confident and has been able to last this far so he must be strong, but now he seems weak. It could be a trick but I don't think so, maybe he just doesn't have confidence in his ability or at least when he isn't fighting_' he thought. "You're a little too on edge you should try to relax more".

"Yes Mei-sama tells me the same thing, but Ao sempai always says to be on guard at all time" the teen replied.

"And why can't you do both? Some things are much easier to do if you are relaxed. What's your name anyway?" Naruto asked in a friendly manner.

"Cho- Chojuro" the teen stammered in reply.

"Well then Chojuro, let me ask you, do you find it easier to spot the difference between a friendly movement and a deadly attack when you are all jumpy like you are now, or if you are relaxed?" Naruto asked.

"Well... um relaxed I guess, it is always easier to spot killer intent and chakra signatures when you are calm" Chojuro answered.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Exactly, also if you are nervous or jumpy people will just naturally make more mistakes. If learn to remain calm while being both confident and smart you will not only become stronger you will make your opponents think twice about challenging you. Itachi sensei taught me that" he said.

"I see, I think I understand. I need to keep calm and focus rather than to always be expecting an attack, Thank you I think I understand what Mei-sama and Ao sempai have been telling me now" Chojuro said.

"Nah no need to thank me, just calm down then show me what you can do, I'll wait for you to make the first move" Naruto said and prepared himself for an attack.

Chojuro was shocked at that, he didn't expect someone to openly let him attack them in the middle or a free for all brawl. But he wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity either. Grabbing his double hilted blade he decided he would follow Naruto advice and calm himself. A few seconds later his anxiety seemed to leave him and the Kiri ninja attacked. Swiping his sword though the air a large amount of concentrated chakra shot from the end right at the blond jinchuuriki.

Naruto eyes widened slightly as the chakra blast came in. '_So that's why he wields that massive thing, it's a long range and short range capabilities. Also from the size of it, it seems like it would make a decent shield as well_' Naruto thought jumping to the side just as the blast would have hit.

Chojuro was shocked nobody had ever escaped one of his attacks from such a close range before. '_Woah he dodged it! Well I shouldn't be so surprised, this is the person who defeated Yagura when he was thirteen, and is known as the Hero of the Mist_'.

Naruto looked at the large crater formed by the blast. "Impressive, to use an attack that could kill you must have been confident that I would either dodge or be able to block the attack in some way" he said.

"Well it's not so much that. I know that if I want to stand a chance at defeating you I need to go for the kill, it's the only chance I really have, if I hold back even a little bit you will defeat me, I am not fool to think that this means I can win, but it will at least give me a chance to test how strong I really am" Chojuro said.

Naruto chuckled. "You know what, I can respect that. You want to test your limits, so do I. I'm always looking for new challenges and obstacles to overcome. It makes life interesting don't you think" Naruto said.

"I do, but I also have one request" Chojuro said.

"Oh and what would that be?" Naruto asked.

"Take off your weighted clothing, I want to fight you while you are not impeded by any restrictions" Chojuro said.

"If I do that I will become much faster and stronger than I am already, knowing this do you still wish to fight me without my weighted cloak?" Naruto asked preparing to undo the top button.

"I don't care, I want you to fight me seriously so I know how strong I am in comparison to you" Chojuro said.

Naruto shrugged, it was a reasonable request after all. "Alright if you insist I will fight seriously" he said before tossing his Yoinokuchi robe into the air, leaving him standing there in black ninja pants but no top.

'_He has no armor at all! The only thing protecting him was that weighted robe. Is he that confident he wont be harmed?_' Chojuro thought as the robe hit the ground with a massive thud creating a massive crater along with a small shockwave that the whole stadium could feel. It was then that Chojuro felt he may have just made a small mistake.

Naruto took off without the extra weight he was almost as fast as Akimi and Chojuro only narrowly wa able to use the large shield like side of his blade to block the attack.

Chojuro tried to use the blocked attack as an opportunity to counter but by the time he had swung his leg around for the kick Naruto was already gone.

The crowd had all but forgotten Akaru's duel with the other remaining Kiri ninja, they were too absorbed watching Naruto and Chojuro. Naruto was relentless but at the same time seemed to refuse to finish the young swordsman off. Every hit that should have been a finishing blow in the end was only struck lightly enough to stun Chojuro.

Chojuro stumbled back unable to keep up. '_It's no good, he is just too fast, I can't keep up_' he thought. Dropping his arms to his side he closed his eyes and waited for a final strike but it never came. Opening one eye he saw Naruto standing with his arms crossed.

"Do you know why you failed?" Naruto asked flatly.

The swordsman was breathing heavily from all the hits he took "You're too fast, there is no chance at blocking you" Chojuro panted.

Naruto shook his head. "I used to think like that, but if that was the case why isn't the fastest ninja always the victor?" Naruto said.

"There are many styles of fighting. So speed isn't always the best weapon" Chojuro said.

"But how can you catch someone in a genjutsu or strike with ninjutsu if they can just doge it. The answer was given to me like this, you attack in the moment and defend ahead of it" Naruto said.

"Huh I don't get it what do you mean?" Chojuro asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Funny that's the exact same thing I said when I was told that from my sensei. I means attack instinctively but rather then defend an attack as it happens read where the attack will strike and block that. I am not the fastest member of my group, but I know her movements well enough to be able to avoid almost all of her attack's. You have a great offensive and defensive weapon in that sword of yours but instead of using it to defend your vital areas you tried to block the attack before it even came close trying to keep me at a distance. But all that did was leave a larger gap for me to exploit in behind" Naruto explained.

"I see, every strike you landed hit a vital area that would have killed me had this been a serious fight. I'm a failure of a ninja" Chojuro said flowing his head in shame.

"Don't say that, you are incredibly talented. Rather than doubt yourself improve, so that the next time we meet you can show me how strong you have become. You will be a great ninja for Kiri but just like me you have plenty still to learn" Naruto said.

"Then I promise I will train hard from now on and become a great ninja, and then I want to fight you again" Chojuro said his normal anxiety and timid nature gone.

Naruto smiled. "Good, then I have no problem in ending this now" he said before slamming Chojuro into the ground.

"Why did you go through all that to help me?" Chojuro asked as his name was crossed off of the board.

"I saw the potential you have and I wanted to help, that's all" Naruto shrugged. "You can never have enough rivals, a good rivalry will make both ninja stronger"

Naruto had barely finished his sentence when he was hit with a blast of lightning from behind sending him flying towards the wall.

Naruto spun in mid air so he was facing his attacker as he flew towards the wall. '_Guess that is to be expected, it is an anything goes match_' he was just about to hit the wall when he released a burst of gravity to prevent him from hitting and land safely on the ground. "Not bad Akaru, looks like you were able to take out your opponents without too much trouble. So it's just us now then"

Akaru shrugged, "looks that way, I always like to save the best till last after all" he said with a smirk.

"Then what are we waiting for, lets get this over with" Naruto said. A small amount of blood was trickling down his arm from where the Raiton jutsu struck causing some discomfort for the blond but there was no way a simple graze like that would prevent him from finishing the match.

"Raiton: Lightning blast!" both ninja yelled at the same time. The jutsu struck in the middle and canceling each other out.

"The power of your Raiton Jutsu is not as impressive as your Fuuton, probably something you should work on" Akaru said running through another set of seals. "Raiton: Thunder Hounds".

Three large spectral dogs glowing with electricity formed around Naruto, who eyed the creatures suspiciously. '_This is a new one, I haven't seen this jutsu before. They each contain a lot of chakra, I cant afford to get hit by them_' he thought as he prepared for the attack to continue.

The three large hounds all shot forward at great speed causing Naruto to jump high out of their range, but just as he thought he was safe one of the dogs opened its mouth and shot a large bolt of lightning at the ninja in mid air and the hound faded away. '_Well fuck me_' "Shinra Tensei!" Naruto called.

As soon as the jutsu was repelled the other two also attacked in similar fashion from different angles. '_Ah so he's going for the time it takes for me to recharge my gravity jutsu, and by using two different followup attacks he wants to prevent me from being able to absorb it with Preta path. Clever but nothing I cant handle_' the blond thought.

Spinning in mid air Naruto thrust his palms out sending waves of compressed air knocking the lightning away. Before landing calmly a few feet away from Akaru.

Akaru clenched his fist, he was hoping that attack would have worked. '_Naruto's problem solving skills have greatly improved, that was the perfect answer to that jutsu. And I'm not strong or fast enough to challenge him in taijutsu. He is really the worst person that I could ever hope to face off against_' he thought as he began running through any jutsu he may have that would work against Naruto only to come draw a blank. '_I'm really gong to let Itachi and Jiraiya-sama have it, they made the kid too strong, I suppose I could use the Thunder Hound jutsu again, but I doubt it will do any better than this time, he already figured out what my plan was after all_'.

"Phew, that was close, nice attack, it was almost perfect" Naruto complimented before seemingly disappearing and reappearing behind his fellow Yoinokuchi member.

"I could say the same thing about your defensive capabilities. They are almost perfect, only Gaara could hope to rival them" Akaru said, as he jumped away from Naruto while spinning to face him.

It was a very tentative sort of duel, despite them both knowing that Naruto was the stronger of the two they seemed to be testing each other out, Naruto only ever moving first when it wasn't overly threatening or in an attempt to test the depths of the Raiton users jutsu ability which he had to admit was first class.

"Well it's been fun, but I was never one to throw a fight sorry if you were hoping to win" Naruto said before disappearing in a blur of speed only to reappear seconds later in the air directly above Akaru. "No hard feelings" he said as he extended his arms out. "Shinra Tensei!"

The gravitational pressure was immense but Akaru was managing to stay on his feet even if he couldn't move, the pressure eventually dropped and even he was surprised to see that he was still standing. What he didn't see however was Naruto spin into a dropkick as he came back to earth Naruto's heel striking his shoulder causing him to collapse. 'I see, the gravity jutsu was just to stop me from being able to move away from the attack. He didn't expect me to be defeated by it at all. He really is the strongest ninja I have ever come up against' Akaru thought as he lay on his back looking up into the sky as the last name was crossed off the screen leaving the name Naruto Namikaze projected alone as the winner.

The crowd were going wild everyone cheering and yelling out what a great match they thought it was. Even Fuu and Akimi couldn't help but get caught up in the festivities, even though the fact that Naruto had won meant that Mei would get the first dance at the ball later that night.

"Akaru did his best to win I am sure. I guess Naruto is just too strong to fight against for any of us. Maybe Gaara, Itachi and Jiraiya-sama would be able to put up a fight, but for the rest of us he is just too strong" Fuu sighed.

"Well, I'm not going to give up. I'll keep on training until I defeat him!" Akimi said defiantly.

"Well I'm not going to let you become stronger than me, so I will train twice as hard" Fuu said with a smile.

Mei walked down to the stadium floor along with Ao acting as her bodyguard just as Naruto returned his cloak to cover his bare torso. "Congratulations Naruto-kun. As I expected your skills have grown exponentially, I am glad I was able to witness a small glimpse of your abilities" Mei said, the smile she always wore present yet seemed to be warmer than Naruto had seen before.

"It was lots of fun so the pleasure was all mine" Naruto said returning the smile.

"I'm sure it was, but I think you should let the medics take a look at your injury" Mei said.

"Injury?" Naruto said as if he had no idea what the Mizukage was talking about.

"Your shoulder, you were hit with a Raiton jutsu were you not?" Mei said.

"Oh right, nah its all better now" Naruto said removing his arm from the robe and showing it to to Mei.

The area where he had been hit with the jutsu seemed to be completely healed. There wasn't any sign that he had been hurt at all other than the dried blood. Mei ran her hand over the area as if to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. "How is that possible?" Mei asked.

"Well, while I was fighting I concentrated a small amount of Kyuubi's chakra into the wound I also used a medical jutsu that Tsuande-Baachan taught me. Well not so much her as the scroll she gave me" Naruto said.

"Tsunade-Baachan? Your not really telling me that you are a Senju as well as the son of the Yondaime Hokage are you?" Mei said.

"No, but Tsunade-Baachan is like family to me" Naruto explained.

"I see, well I hope to hear more about you and your last three years tonight, but right now I have to address the crowd" Mei said still smiling happily.

"Alright, I guess seeing as we are supposed to dance together we should at least talk for awhile" Naruto said a small amount of worry in his voice.

"You don't seem to be pleased, do you not wish to be my partner tonight?" Mei asked.

Naruto squirmed uncomfortably. "It's not that, I just don't know how to dance, I imagine it will be similar to learning a taijutsu style but still to have to do it with lots of people watching is going to be embarrassing" he admitted lowering his head in shame.

Mei giggled unable to contain herself. "Is that what you are worried about? It will be fine, believe me dancing is easy, you will pick it up in no time, we will just have to keep trying until you get it right" she said and with a wink turned to face the crowd. "I present this years champion, the Hero of the Mist Naruto Namikaze" she said proudly and a huge roar of cheering erupted from the audience.

Naruto gave a bow and waved to everyone. Once the round of applause died down Mei spoke again. "Yes congratulations Naruto-kun a fantastic victory, you really showed why you are considered a hero. Now as you are aware the festivities do not end here. During this event my ninja have been setting up the carnival which is full of games that will challenge everyone from a civilian to even the most war hardened veteran ninja. And as every year prizes will be up for grabs including invitations to the ball tonight, I hope you all enjoy yourselves and I hope to see you tonight" when she finished speaking she gave the crowd a friendly wave and departed to the happy applause of the audience.

Naruto followed Mei to the exit of the arena and was about to split off to go meet up with the others when Mei called out to him. "I will have an Anbu escort you to the Kage tower at around seven. Oh and as much as I appreciate your lack of clothing the ball is formal dress, so you might want to wear a shirt" she said a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"Sure thing, I take it there is somewhere in Kiri where I can buy some formal clothes?" Naruto asked.

"Yes of course there is, I'll give you the name of the best place in Kiri" she said and taking out a small handkerchief from her Kage robes she wrote out the name and location of the store. "I'll see you tonight" she said before walking off.

'_Man now I have to wear some uncomfortable dress clothes, I'm really starting to think this dance thing is just some form of punishment from Jiraiya sensei and Itachi sensei. At least the carnival sounds fun_' Naruto thought and with a sigh placed Mei's note in his robes folded his arms behind his head and walked of to join his friends.

**End Chapter! **

**Nothing much happened I know, just thought it would be a good for a little bit of fighting because there might not me much for the next few chapters. At least until they move on to the next arc. **


	37. The Weight of Love Blinds Eyes

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 37 The Weight of Love Blinds Eyes**

Naruto walked out o the stadium and found Jiraiya waiting for him. "Hey sensei where is everyone else?" he asked.

"They have gone to the carnival, we are going to meet up with them in a bit. But first we need to find something for you to wear tonight. Can't have you showing up without a shirt on after all" Jiraiya chuckled.

"Yeah Mei gave me a the address of a good place, here" Naruto said handing over the handkerchief.

"Well that saves us some time. Speaking of time it didn't take you long to start getting love letters from a powerful kunoichi" Jiraiya said with a lecherous smirk.

Naruto blushed from the implication behind what Jiraiya was saying. "It not a love letter, all that is on it is the name and address of a place to get dress clothes. Get your head out of the gutter you damn pervert".

Jiraiya's smile didn't falter, he just wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulder and led him away from the stadium. "You have a lot to learn about women kid, I can teach you all you will ever need to know if you want" the Toad Sage said.

"I think I will pass, all you will teach me is what ever is in those perverted books of yours" Naruto said.

"Ah you say that, but when it comes to the fairer sex you are are a complete novice. I mean you didn't even make a move on Koyuki and everyone could see that she was interested" Jiraiya sighed.

"You don't know what you are talking about. Koyuki-Hime wasn't interested in me. She was just happy that her home had been saved from her uncle" Naruto said.

Jiraiya just shook his head, he couldn't believe how thick his normally brilliant student was when it came to women. "Fine, I'll let you figure it out for yourself. I just hope it doesn't take too long, I need inspiration for my books after all".

"No way in hell will I let you use me as inspiration for your damn smut" Naruto said.

"Oh please! It's family tradition after all" Jiraiya pleaded.

Naruto stopped in mid step. "What do you mean 'family tradition' Naruto asked wearily.

"My first best seller was based on your parents and how they fell in love. Although I changed it just enough so that not even Kakashi could tell it was inspired by Minato and Kushina" Jiraiya explained.

Naruto was now unsure how to react, on the one hand he was angry Jiraiya had used his parents as inspiration. But on the other hand he was intrigued, to the point that he was even contemplating reading the novel, he always wondered how his parents fell in love. "How closely did you follow the story?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin in contemplation of the question. "Well obviously I had to change the characters so nobody would even think that it was inspired by my old pupil. I also had to lengthen it quite a bit, add some more challenges for them to overcome, raise the age that they met added some sex here and there to help it sell. But I would say it follows the story Minato and Kushina told me quite closely" he answered eventually.

"I see, so you know how they met then, would you tell me?" the blond asked hopefully.

"No read the book and find out for yourself" Jiraiya chuckled.

Naruto visibly flinched. '_Damn, if I want to know I'll have to read his perverted trash. I guess I could just ignore the smut_' "Can I get a copy of the book then, but I swear if this is just a trick to get me to read your books you will pay!" Naruto threatened.

Jiraiya's lips twitched into a very satisfied smile and just walked on towards the tailor.

Picking out a set of dress clothes was one of the most painful experiences of his life. He was once left bloodied in the middle of a forest, all alone and scared. But the more Naruto thought about it, the more he thought he would prefer the endless expanse of the Land of Forests to shopping for another set of dress clothes. Naruto had been content to go in pick up the first suit he saw and purchase it. The store owner however had other ideas taking Naruto's measurements from every angle to get a suit that would fit. Then he came out with a precession of different shirts and made Naruto try each one, the same thing occurred with the trousers and then again with the Traditional Land of Water dress robes until Naruto felt that it might be less trouble to just flatten the village with a gravity jutsu and run for it. Eventually however the store owner was satisfied.

"Two hours! Two fucking hours! The free for all battle, with one hundred ninja only took twenty minutes, yet getting dress clothes took two hours... Never again!" Naruto sighed once they finally left the store.

Jiraiya couldn't help but agree, but was also impressed with the tailors attention to detail. "Well at least you know that the man likes his work. If he just allowed you to buy any old thing it would have looked bad for someone who takes pride in what they do" he said.

"I guess, but still I wish it didn't take so long. I probably spent more time buying the clothes than I will be wearing them" Naruto complained.

Jiraiya just laughed knowing that Naruto wouldn't be far from being right about that. "Come on, the robes will be delivered to the Hotel so lets go check out the carnival, we still have a few hours before we need to get ready after all".

"Yeah should be fun, lets go" Naruto said happily and the pair jumped up onto the rooftops and ran off towards the area where the other ninja were gathered.

They arrived on the main street of the village and began looking for the other members of the Yoinokuchi. Lights stretched across the street and stalls games and food lined the side of the street. At the end of the road was the town square and that too had been set up for a night of partying and celebration.

"It's no good, they have all separated" Naruto said after searching for their chakra signatures.

Jiraiya scanned the area and sighed. "It's alright, lets just go have fun. We can meet back at the Hotel later" he said happily.

"Sounds fun, see ya later sensei" Naruto said and then took off with a small wave of his hand.

Naruto inspected the stands as he walked up the street. Most of them were targeted at civilians in the area he was at the moment with a few that allowed genin to play as well. But the further he walked towards the town square the more stalls began showing up that were targeted for ninja of all skill levels. There was an arm wrestling booth and kunai obstacle course that seemed to be highly popular. Then there were specialized games, a section for genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. There was even a large area devoted to kenjutsu games and a small area devoted to fuinjutsu.

'_Now this is more like it_' the blond jinchuuriki thought as he made his way over to join the cue for the kunai throwing course.

Hours passed and Naruto had a great time, even though he had failed to find his friends the people of Kiri were all really friendly and he had won quite a few prizes. After getting a perfect score on the kunai run he received a box of finely made kunai, each one had the symbol for the land of water at the end of the handle and was coated in a chakra conductive metal. He also had won two double length dueling kunai from the kenjutsu area, and several ninjutsu and genjutsu scrolls.

Overall Naruto had a great time and was upset when he realized that he needed to get back to the hotel and get ready for the ball that night, so he reluctantly left the area just as the party lights came on giving the village a warm glow of many different colors.

It was a good thing that Naruto left the festivities when he did because he only just had enough time to have a shower and wasn't even finished getting dressed when there was a knock on his door.

Naruto opened the door, his shirt was still unbuttoned, and his hair that was normally kept in a neat yet loose ponytail like Jiraiya's was loose and still slightly wet.

On the other side of the door was a kunoichi slightly older than Naruto with burnt red hair and green eyes upon seeing Naruto half dressed began blushing. "U... um I'm supposed t-to tak-e you to the Mizukage tower to meet with Mei-sama" she stammered fighting back the blush although somehow retaining a business like attitude.

"Oh alright, just let me finish getting ready and I'll be right out. Would you like to come in for a drink?" Naruto asked with a friendly smile.

The kunoichi's blush intensified but she soon regained her composure. "I'm sorry I have to decline, I appreciate the offer however" she said.

"Oh alright, I'll be quick, no more than two minutes promise" Naruto said and then with a quick wave left the kunoichi to finish getting dressed.

Naruto exited his room now fully dressed. He wore a nice pair of black shoes and pants. His shirt was a deep auburn a few shades darker than Mei's hair and over the top a loose fitting black cloak that went all the way to his ankles with gold wave patterns at the edge of the arms and around the base. Naruto had to admit that despite the fact that it was dressy it was also comfortable, something that wouldn't have happened had he just brought any old thing in the store. "Uh sorry to do this, but what do you think? I'm no good at these things" Naruto asked the kunoichi who was going to be his escort to meet up with the Mizukage.

The kunoichi appraised Naruto appreciatively with a smile. "You look very handsome, I am sure Mei-sama will be pleased to be accompanied to the dance by you" she said.

Naruto was a little put off by her formal tone of voice. '_She looks relaxed but she speaks it's as though she is addressing a superior_' "You know you don't have to be so formal around me" Naruto said.

"But you are considered a war hero and an incredibly powerful ninja, it would be disrespectful to address you in any other way" she said the shock of seeing him just after getting out of the shower now completely gone.

"Well it creeps me out. I'm not superior to you. I do not even hold a rank in this village as a ninja apart from the title as an honorary Kiri ninja. With that in mind I would say that you out rank me" Naruto said.

"Even if you say that you are a far superior ninja than I will ever be" she replied.

"You don't know that, if you train hard you could accomplish anything. Anyway, shall we go?" Naruto said.

"Yes, follow me" the kunoichi said and began to lead Naruto out of the hotel.

Upon reaching the Mizukage tower the kunoichi turned to Naruto. "I will leave you here, Mei-sama's living quarters are on the top floor" she said then with a respectful bow shunshined away.

Naruto made his way up the tower to the top floor. Until he stood in front of a large arched doorway with double doors made of deep red wood. Each door had a carving of the kanji for water and the handles were made of gold and designed to look like the symbol for water country.

Naruto knocked twice and waited for Mei to answer. Mei opened the door fully dressed, she wore a long elegant blue dress with a low V neck dress showing off a large amount of cleavage, so much so Naruto was tempted to ask how she managed to keep her ample chest inside the dress at all. Shaking those thoughts off Naruto took in the rest of Mei's appearance. She wore matching blue lipstick and eye shadow that was the exact same shade of blue as her dress. Her hair was in the same style as always but it just worked to emphasize just how stunning she looked.

"Hello Naruto-kun, you are looking tremendously handsome" Mei said smiling as always.

"You look beautiful yourself Mei, are you ready to go?" Naruto asked returning her smile with one of his own.

"Yes I am ready, but come on in and have a drink first, we still have time before we need to be at the hall for dinner" Mei said opening the door to allow Naruto to enter.

The Mizukage's apartment was truly stunning. The rooms were not separated by walls, rather by water that rose up from the maze like river that ran around the area. When someone wanted to move to another section the water would drop allowing them access. The room also was very green, Mei seemed to like surrounding herself with plants, it gave the whole apartment the feeling that it belonged outside in the open for everyone to appreciate rather than hidden away.

"This place is amazing" Naruto said in awe.

"It is isn't it. But it is also deadly. Anyone who enters the room without the knowledge of the current Mizukage is killed. Those water walls will fire deadly Suiton jutsu at intruders or anyone who intends to harm the Mizukage. It is why we were never able to get anyone close enough to Yagura to attempt an assassination" Mei said leading Naruto to a small couch with a table in front full of different types of alcoholic drinks.

Mei poured two rather exotic looking drinks that smelt like a mixture of pineapple and strawberries. "Have you had alcohol before?" Mei asked as she handed a glass over to the blond.

"Yes I have, but only once before" Naruto answered before taking a sip. Naruto enjoyed the taste of the drink it was not as strong or as bitter as the sake he shared with Jiraiya during their training trip. This was sweet and tasted exactly like it smelt fruit flavored and sweet.

"So tell me, how have you been the last three year's? I'm sure that doing nothing but training must have become rather boring after awhile" Mei asked.

"Nah it was fun, I like learning new things so I always found the training interesting. And I could think of lots of people who would be worse sparing partners than Jiraiya sensei" Naruto replied.

Mei giggled lightly "Yes I'm sure there are, not everyone gets the chance to test there skills against someone of his caliber every day. In fact at the moment I am the only ninja in Kiri considered to be an S rank. It makes things difficult, we haven't been able to locate either Bijuu although Sanbi might not have reformed yet. Anyway without S ranked ninja or jinchuuriki Kiri will remain the weakest of the five great shinobi villages. Although I hear that Suna is in a similarly poor state at the moment" Mei said.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Iwa only appear strong, they have no idea where there jinchuuriki are. In fact I think Kumo is the only hidden village with jinchuuriki at the moment. And Konoha only retains its title as the strongest shinobi village due to have the most A and S ranked ninja" Naruto said.

"Well what about you? I'm sure you don't want to live the life of a mercenary forever. One day you will inevitably look for a place to belong" Mei said.

"Yeah that's true, I haven't really put too much thought into it. I suppose my home is Konoha, I was born there and so was my father. Maybe one day I will return for good" Naruto said.

"You know, you would always be welcome here? The people love you for ending the war after all" Mei mused.

Naruto chuckled and gave Mei a warm smile. "Thanks for the offer Mei, but for now at least my home is with my team, they are my family. Besides we have a lot of work to do" he said.

Mei just smiled back, she had hoped that Naruto would join Kiri as a shinobi but she knew it was a futile task. "So you said your father was born in Konoha and was obviously Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. But where was your mother from if not Konoha?" the Mizukage asked to change the subject.

"My mother was Kushina Uzumaki, from the whirlpool village. She was also the previous host of the Kyuubi. Something must have happened to her seal when she gave birth to me. Unfortunately Jiraiya sensei didn't know what it could have been" Naruto said.

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that, I guess you know that there is not much left of the old whirlpool country, as far as I know the whole island is abandoned" Mei said solemnly.

"Yeah Jiraiya sensei told me that, I would still like to check out out one day though" Naruto replied.

They finished there drinks and left Mei's home walking together to the location of the ball. Naruto was pleased to find that the whole town seemed to love Mei, everyone came running to give respectful greetings and a small boy around ten years old even gave her several small blue flowers that she accepted with a kiss on the boys cheek. Naruto couldn't help but smile at seeing the boys face warm up from being kissed by the Mizukage. "It's good to see the people have warmed up to you, I must admit I was a little worried when we left that some Yagura loyalist's would attempt to regain control" Naruto admitted.

"Most of the people fought for Yagura out of fear. It wasn't easy to locate our hideouts after all. And the others were honestly happy for the years of war to end" Mei explained.

Naruto nodded in understanding. "It make's sense, after years of suffering they just wanted the pain and loss to end, they didn't really care who won anymore" he sighed.

"Well I like to think they wanted us to win, but in essence you are right" Mei chuckled.

The Hall that was the location of the dance was by no means a grand building, just a long plain construction in the same design as most of the building's in Kiri. It was however lit up with lights of all different colors giving it a grand feel and made it look as though it was the most important building of the village.

Naruto and Mei walked inside and found that they were entering a hall that was already full of happy people sitting at various round tables. Most of those that were in attendance were clan heads and high ranking ninja, there were however a few civilians that Naruto guessed made up Kiri's civilian council.

Mei dragged Naruto up to their table that was at the front of the hall. Three other people were also seated there. Jiraiya, Ao and the elder Naruto had remembered from the end of the war.

"It's good to see that you made it on time, I was beginning to fear that you had got lost" the elder said.

"Oh I'm sorry we were having a good talk getting to know each other better and lost track of time while we were walking here, that's all" Mei said with her trademark smile.

After having their apology accepted by the three other members of their table Naruto and Mei sat down and were immediately served a glass of wine by several older genin. "Now that is what I call service, we should get some genin to work for us as butlers" Naruto joked as he took a sip.

"That would be nice, but it would also be very expensive added to the fact that we live in underground in a hideout and it isn't exactly on the cards" Jiraiya laughed.

Naruto pouted and mumbled something about him never getting genin butlers. "Hey where is everyone else? I can't imagine the others coming all this way and not even showing up for the main reason we came" Naruto asked once he had calmed down.

"They are on a different table over there" Jiraiya pointed out a table a few rows of tables back where the rest of the Yoinokuchi were sitting and chatting happily.

Naruto nodded and was about to get up and go talk to them since he had failed to do so after the match, but as he stood the genin returned and distributed the food, a traditional Land of Water seafood dish with stir fried rice and vegetables.

Naruto had to admit the food was delicious, the chefs had really outdone themselves. Sitting and talking happily to the various people at the table it want long before the plates were being cleared away and the lights seemed to dim slightly.

Mei then stood up and after grabbing Naruto's arm dragged him off to the dance floor. "So you ready to learn how to dance" she asked.

Naruto paled slightly. "Ah well I guess so, it's just I was hoping we would do this when the dance floor was full and everyone would be to drunk to notice how bad I am" Naruto admitted.

"Don't worry, it's easy. Just do what I do and you will be fine" she assured the blond.

"I wish I was that confident" Naruto sighed as they made their way to the center of the floor and as if on cue the music started.

"Okay then, lesson one is a slow dance it would seem, place your hands on my waist gently then just follow me" Mei said and after wrapping her arms around his neck began to lead the dance.

Naruto was surprised by how simple it was, and after a short while began to get into it more and more until he began to take the lead. "Now that wasn't so hard was it, but there is still different styles for you to learn so I would be delighted if you let me teach you those as well" Mei said.

"Yeah that would be awesome, thanks for your help Mei" Naruto said.

Meanwhile two kunoichi were glaring daggers at the Mizukage. "That should be me" they both sighed at the same time. In this situation however they were too focused on Naruto and Mei that they both didn't hear the other. When the song came to an end both kunoichi were planning on dragging Naruto away to dance with them but as soon as one ended another started and Mei and Naruto were still dancing.

"What the, it was only supposed to be one dance! What dose she think that she is doing" Akimi seethed. "And I spent all this time in the afternoon trying to look my best" she added. Akimi was wearing a long flowing red dress with a decent amount of cleavage showing. Her long hair was tied up in an elegant yet loose bun. Her normal yellow highlights were now gone replaced with a few streaks of electric blue that were not tied back and fell gracefully around her face.

While Akimi was hot headed and fuming, Fuu was far more calm although no less disappointed. "They entered the hall together, ate together and now they are dancing again. I think we may have both lost, our constant bickering has cost us both in the end. Looks like he is having a good time with Mei-sama" the green haired kunoichi sighed.

Akimi clenched her fists. "No way I'm letting her take Naruto without a fight, where is Haku? We can use her ice manipulation to make the Mizukage slip. It would be the best prank I have ever pulled and would give me a chance to talk to Naruto" Akimi said.

"Well that's horrible, I know she seems to be stealing Naruto, but is that any reason to do something like that. Besides this is the Mizukage we're talking about, something that simple wouldn't work, we need a better plan" Fuu said.

Akimi's eyes went wide. She had expected the Nanabi jinchuuriki to lecture her for her joke about embarrassing the Mizukage, but she had never expected Fuu to join in. "Well, it wouldn't do any good anyway. Haku is already out there with Gaara" she said pointing to a corner of the dance floor where Gaara and Haku were slowly turning to the music.

The longer the dance went on the worse of a mood Akimi found herself in. Fuu was trying to look on the bright side and just be supportive, but that was not the style of the Yoinokuchi's resident hot head. Song after song went on and Naruto and Mei hadn't left the dance floor once.

Naruto on the other hand was having a great time. Each different style of dance was like a new taijutsu style, and just when he thought that there couldn't possibly be anything else to learn a different style of song would come on. Also Naruto couldn't help but marvel at how good Mei looked and the clear smile on her face that indicated that she was having fun pleased Naruto considerably.

At the end of a slow song Mei leaned into Naruto "This has been a lot of fun Naruto-kun but I have a lot of work to do, the life of a Kage is filled with paperwork that wont go away just because I am having fun. I would like to do this again sometime, you are a fast learner" she said quietly in his ear.

Naruto smiled "I would like that a lot Mei this was great" he said happily. Then Mei pulled back from his ear and leaned in again this time to give the blond a kiss. "Goodnight Naruto-kun I hope you think about me" she whispered.

Naruto was stunned and blushing like mad as Mei pulled back and walked away. The blond had a goofy smile on his face that soon turned into a look of confusion as he turned around to go back to his table only to be met with a slap across the face from a clearly crying Akimi. "What the fuck?" Naruto said rubbing his cheek but the answer didn't come as his long time friend had bolted.

Naruto saw the corner of her red dress slip out the door and quickly moved to chase after her.

Chasing after someone like Akimi was no easy task, if she had wanted to she could be half way across the village by now. So Naruto remained calm and waited. '_I don't know what that was about, but I am going to find out. Now where are you hiding_' the blond thought as he scanned the area. '_There you are!_'.

Akimi sat atop the tallest building overlooking the village, holding her knees against her chest as tears fell down her face. She was so upset that she didn't even feel the arrival of someone behind her. "Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Naruto asked standing behind the swift release ninja.

Akimi tried her best to control her tears but it was proving to be rather difficult. "Go away" she said quietly.

"Not until you tell me whats wrong! I don't know what I did to upset you but I can't apologize or make up for it if you don't tell me" Naruto said.

"It's nothing just go enjoy your night with that woman" Akimi said wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What you mean Mei?" Naruto asked raising an eyebrow in confusion. "She has to go back to work so she had to call it a night. So I can stay here for as long as it takes for you to talk to me" he added.

Akimi stood up and faced the blond anger mixed with the sorrow etched on her face "That didn't stop you from kissing her did it! You run off with the first woman who throws herself at you and you are still completely clueless! And in the end I never got the chance to..." she trailed off unable finish her rant as tears once again took over.

"But Mei kissed me, and I'm certainly not going to, uh run off, with her. I don't know what you are talking about at all" Naruto said.

Akimi rubbed the tears away from her eyes, a small glimpse of hope. "Kiss me" she said so quietly that it was barely audible.

"Huh what did you say?" Naruto asked not sure what it was that she had said.

"I said Kiss me!" Akimi replied this time with force.

Naruto took a step back not believing his ears. "What why do you want me to do that?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious!" she answered tears once more beginning to form at the corner of her eyes.

"Uh should it be?" Naruto confessed knowing that Akimi wouldn't like the answer he gave.

"Yes!" she screamed and not waiting anymore grabbed the front of Naruto's robes forcefully and pulled his face forward so she could slam her lips against his trying to put all of her feelings for the blond into the one action. She didn't even care that he was too shocked to return the kiss all she cared about was making sure that Naruto knew how she felt. "It should be obvious! How could you not know that I... that I lo" Akimi was once again unable to finish her thought, although this time it was Naruto who stopped her with a kiss of his own. And the young swift release ninja's troubles just seemed to melt away as she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened their embrace.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so I'm sure some of you will be upset at the way the chapter ended. Keeping everyone happy at this point seems to be an impossible task. Some people wanted Fuu others wanted Akimi while another group thought using them both will be the best option. I went on what the reviews were saying and there were lots of people that wanted to see Akimi win this one not saying I wont add Fuu. So I'm sorry if your disappointed at the chapter. All I can say is this was not what I had planned when I did the poll. **


	38. Their First Mission

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 38 Their First Mission**

Naruto and Akimi stood together lips locked, time seemed to not exist for the pair as the seconds ticked on.

After what seemed an eternity to the pair Naruto broke broke the kiss. Before placing his forehead upon hers. "When?" he asked.

"When what? Akimi replied staring into his rippling eyes as if looking for the whites that were no longer there.

"Since when did you have these feelings for me?" Naruto asked.

"Since our first mission together, do you remember it?" Akimi answered before giving the blond another small peck on the lips.

"Oh course I do, it was my first time leading a mission, and your first one without your brother tagging along although I think it would have been better if he did" Naruto said with a small laugh at the end.

(**FLASHBACK**)

A eleven year old Naruto was standing in an seemingly empty field when a hail of kunai shot out of a nearby tree. Naruto flipped away but no sooner had he landed than he was forced to duck under a powerful kick from Itachi.

"Better Naruto-kun, your ability to sense chakra signatures and pick the correct counter has improved greatly. And I do not see any point in testing your ninjutsu skills anymore, you have already proven that you are a master in every sense of the word. Let's see how you do with genjutsu instead shall we" Itachi proclaimed before his eyes began to morph and the world around Naruto began to change.

The illusion world was, for lack of a better word creepy. The sky was red and the earth black. Looking around he thought he was inside of Konoha yet something was different. Trees seemed to grow from out of nowhere blocking his path. "What the hell is this, it's like no genjutsu I have ever seen before" Naruto said.

"That's because it isn't like anything you have faced before" a bodiless voice of Itachi said. From everywhere around Naruto as if it was part of the wind.

Naruto took a step back at this. "What do you mean? Why is this any different from all of the other genjutsu?" Naruto asked.

A ghostly spectral figure of Itachi rose from the earth. "This is my strongest genjutsu, Tsukuyomi, in here I control everything including time. And I want you to break free of it. You have seventy two hours to try" the Uchiha said before bursting into crows and flying away.

"A genjutsu is still a genjutsu all I have to do is disrupt my chakra flow" Naruto said.

Again Itachi's voice came on the wind. "You are certainly free to try".

Naruto tried to fluctuate his chakra but it had no effect at all. "What the hell? Why didn't it work?" he asked.

Itachi once again appeared, his form was there but he still remained completely see through. "It's simple, this is not a jutsu that can be ended in the usual ways. Your presence is in a sense removed from your body and brought into my Tsukuyomi. It is a genjutsu void of the usual weaknesses and can be cast just with eye contact from my Mangekyo Sharingan. To escape you need to have ocular powers greater than my own, something that you have in the form of the Rinnegan. Now escape or I will be forced to torture you here until the time is up" and as if trying to emphasis his point a large blade appeared suddenly behind the blond piercing his shoulder.

Naruto screamed in pain as he struggled to remove the blade. "As you can see, pain is very real here, you can tell yourself that it is all in the mind all you want but pain is pain regardless of how it is caused" Itachi added as another blade appeared out of thin air ready to be driven through the young teen.

A split second before it struck Naruto rolled out of the way. "Shit, come on Itachi sensei, this is nuts give me a break already" he wailed as more blades shot at him. He was able to dodge mot of them but the last one left a deep gash on his arm.

"I am cutting you some slack already, Tsukuyomi can be much more powerful, now stop whining and focus on your ocular powers, I'm sure there is something that will let you get out of this jutsu, gravity manipulation and summons cant be the only abilities of those eyes of yours after all" Itachi said.

Minutes turned into hours and Naruto still had not been able to break free of Itachi's Tsukuyomi, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the jutsu to budge, his gravity jutsu did nothing and his body was severely cut up.

"Running will not do any good here" Itachi's voice bellowed as his spectral form rose up in the middle of the road in front of him.

Naruto clenched his fists in anger. "I don't know what kind of training you think this is Itachi sensei but when I get out of here I'm kicking your ass!" Naruto yelled and attempted to hit Itachi but before he could make contact he once again dispersed in a murder of crows.

"Kami damn it what do I have to do! How do I get out I need to know!" Naruto yelled to himself. Then as if the answer came out of thin air a huge burst of chakra burst to his eyes. "Preta Path" he said as if he always knew what he needed to do.

The world around him began to dissolve and Naruto stood once more in the training field across from Itachi. "Congratulations I knew you could do it" Itachi said.

"I didn't that was the worst genjutsu ever. On the plus side I think I have unlocked a new power, I was able to absorb the chakra that you were using, but I don't know how I did it" Naruto admitted.

"It seems you were able to subconsciously call forth new powers when the need is great enough. Just as I thought. The Rinnegan acts a lot like the sharingan in that sense. When a Uchiha is in need and is desperate, that is when they are most likely to awaken their dojutsu and the same goes for the amount of of Tomoe in each eye. And just like unlocking the Tomoe you need to unlock the new paths. My guess is that there is a total of Six and you currently have three. The Animal path, Deva path and this new Preta path, each path has a unique skill as you know, but the question is what abilities have you yet to unlock" Itachi said.

Naruto was about to yell at his sensei for using such a powerful jutsu like the Tsukuyomi for a training exercise when Itachi collapsed holding his head. "Itachi sensei are you alright?" Naruto asked quickly running over to where the Uchiha lay.

Itachi struggled to his feet but coughed out a small amount of blood. "I'm fine Naruto-kun do not worry about me, but I think our training is over for today" Itachi said.

"I understand, but we should go see Jiraiya sensei, you can't just play this off as nothing" Naruto said.

Itachi nodded his head. "Very well, but I do not think there is much he can do for me" the Uchiha replied.

Naruto helped support Itachi as they walked back to the Yoinokuchi hideout and they headed straight for Jiraiya's room where he was working on his next novel. After knocking on the door a slightly annoyed Jiraiya stuck his head out. "What the hell do you wa... Itachi you look like shit, don't tell me the Gaki beat you this badly?".

"Not exactly sensei I was caught in this weird genjutsu and once I finally broke free Itachi sensei collapsed and started coughing up blood" Naruto said.

"I see, you better bring him in, then go take a bath" Jiraiya said and after Naruto handed Itachi over to Jiraiya he left.

Jiraiya took Itachi over to a couch and set him down. "So the illness is back I take it" the Toad Sage said.

"It only effects me when I use my Mangekyo Sharingan, I'm fine" Itachi protested.

"No you are not, it may not seem like it but you are sick, the extra strain the Mangekyo Sharingan puts on your body just amplifies that, if we let this go any longer you could die" Jiraiya said seriously.

"And what do you propose?" Itachi asked.

"We are leaving tomorrow to find Tsunade-Hime. She is the only person who will be able to know for sure whats going on with your body and if anyone can heal you it will be her" Jiraiya said.

"But we have a mission tomorrow, leaving then is impossible" Itachi replied.

"Naruto will take care of it, he needs this to help his training. So far he has always had one of us with him. He will never learn to rely on his own strength if he is always looking to us when things become difficult" Jiraiya said.

"Your going to send him out there alone? Someone should at least go with him" Itachi said.

"You're right, I'll send Akimi with him, her training has come along nicely and I would say she's easily chunin level already" Jiraiya said.

"I agree she is talented but there mission is in the Land of Lightning, what if Kumo ninja recognize her. She is considered a valuable asset to Kumo after all" Itachi said.

"Then it will be a good test to see just how far Naruto and Akimi have come" Jiraiya said.

"So this is just more training for Naruto-kun then?" Itachi asked.

"Yes in a sense, Naruto is a genius much like his father, but the problem with geniuses is they often become lazy and arrogant. Naruto is neither of those things yet, but I want him to continue working hard and appreciate that hard work is more important than any amount of brilliance" Jiraiya said.

"I think you are proof to that effect. You were considered a failure at one point and even finished as the dead last in your graduating class, paired with the brilliant Orochimaru and Konoha's own princess Tsunade. But you proved that hard work was enough to close the gap on your rival until you became known as the strongest of the three legendary ninja. It was because of that story I never once believed my fathers rants about the superiority of the Uchiha clan" Itachi said.

Later that evening Jiraiya called everyone together. In the main living area of the Yoinokuchi hideout. "Well, first things first, there will be some changes to the teams for the next week or so, I need to take Itachi to see Tsunade-Hime so Naruto, you will be paired with Akimi. Now as for your mission, you are to go to the Land of Lightning and help a young couple escape the country. The woman had escaped from a wealthy family in Kumo to be with a young man that she had met while on a business trip with her father. However he didn't approve of their relationship and when she left her father hired Kumo to locate the daughter and return her to Kumo" Jiraiya said.

"Wait, this seems a little dangerous, I'm fine with going but Akimi is wanted in Kumo, and it sounds as though we will almost certainly have to take on Kumo ninja" Naruto said.

"Hey I'm not some weak little girl, I can take care of myself" Akimi said angrily.

"I know you're not, but if they recognize you, we wont just be dealing with a bunch of chunin or foot soldiers, they will send jounin and Anbu. It's dangerous for her to come" Naruto said.

"Then you will just have to do a good job in protected her wont you, Naruto" Akaru said calmly.

"Fine, I swear on my life I won't let anything bad happen to Akimi while I am still breathing. I will protect her no matter what" Naruto said.

(**END FLASHBACK**)

Akimi smiled and blushed slightly. "I remember that well, I was only young and you were promising that you would protect me with your life. I remember thinking you were just a big show off but I couldn't help but feel a little touched that you would do that" she said.

"So that was when you started to like me as more than a friend?" Naruto asked.

"No, I was touched but in truth I still found your eyes creepy, and you were more of a rival, someone that I wanted to beat at anything, I would go as far as saying I hated how calmly you were able to accomplish everything you tried while I would work just as hard if not harder and everything seemed so difficult" Akimi laughed.

"Yeah I remember now. You always used to make fun of my eyes after we would spar saying that my tiny pupils and no scrlea made it look like I was squinting" Naruto chuckled.

"And you would say that I was just upset because I couldn't beat you although I think you may have been right a few times... And I will beat you one day" she replied with a chuckle looking back fondly at how they used to interact.

(**FLASHBACK**)

"Hurry up, we need to meet up with the clients before anyone from Kumo finds them" Naruto lectured to a hunched over Akimi who was panting in exhaustion.

"Can't we stop for awhile, I'm exhausted" she whined.

Naruto stopped in mid step. "No we can't stop, if we know where the clients are hiding then there is a good chance that Kumo will know by now as well. I thought you were stronger than this, but then again I guess it's not really surprising considering I beat you every time we spar" he said.

"I'm not weak, I'll show you!" Akimi said and quickly finding a second wind powered past the blond. "Well are you coming or not squinty eyes?" she called back.

'_Ah I don't know why I even bother to go along with her, maybe if I just let her win something other than a race she will leave me alone? Then again I have a feeling she will just gloat and be harder to control than ever before_' Naruto thought before following after his substitute teammate.

They ran on for a few more hours before arriving at a tiny village, that was little more than a road side stall and a few houses. "Well, I guess when you are looking for a place to hide, someplace like this would be perfect, ample supplies and inconspicuous enough to avoid attention" Naruto said.

"That, or this was where they had hoped to live. Its quite nice, even if it is small" Akimi said.

"Yeah I guess so, either way they are in this village somewhere, and we need to find them quickly. We don't know when a team from Kumo will arrive" Naruto said the last part with a distinct amount of venom in his voice making his hatred for Kumo evident.

"Easy there squinty if you peak your chakra levels just because you think about Kumo ninja your going to give away our position" Akimi said.

Naruto took a moment to respond then shook his head. "Your right, sorry about that. It's just hard not to blame them for the death of the only family I knew before Jiraiya sensei that all" Naruto admitted sadly.

"Yeah I get it, but not everyone from Kumo are monsters look at Niisan, he was an elite jounin and you might not trust him much yet but he is a good person, he abandoned his village to save me. Someone who would throw their career and home away for family can't be a bad person" Akimi said.

"I will try to remember that" Naruto said.

They walked through the village until they came to a rather well kept farm Naruto knocked twice on the door and just as he was about to knock a third time it opened and he was met with a swinging blade of a katana.

Naruto jumped back and readied a jutsu but just before he fired he saw who had attacked him. A young man in his mid twenties and a woman around the same age. They were both dressed in civilian clothes and looked scared for their lives. "Looks like we found the clients" Naruto said standing up.

"You can put your blade away we wont hurt you" Akimi said with a smile.

"Who are you kids? Why are you here?" the man said still gripping his blade for safety.

"We are here to escort you out of the Land of Lightning and to safety in a neighboring country we saw your mission posted in the bounty hunters office and wanted to take it" Naruto said, it was not exactly true but the blond decided against telling the two civilians that they were members from a mercenary ninja organization.

"Well we are glad for the assistance and I know ninja have strong powers but aren't you two a little young for this kind of thing?" the man said.

"Hey don't judge us because we are young, I will have you know we are more than enough to deal with whatever second string teams Kumo sends after you" Akimi yelled angrily.

Naruto was similarly annoyed but refrained from yelling at least for the time being. "Cool it Akimi, they do have a point, it's the reason why I am paired with Itachi and you Akaru for missions. However, our age will work in our favor, it's like Itachi sensei tells me, that I am even more dangerous because I am so young. Because of our age people tend to underestimate us which will work to our advantage in a fight" Naruto said to the raging young kunoichi. "I can assure you we have both been trained since we were very young by some of the strongest ninja alive. I assure you we will get you both to safety" Naruto said. '_Man I miss doing this stuff with Itachi, I hate having to be the responsible one!_'.

"It's not like anyone else is going to show up, taking on this mission means going up against one of the five great ninja villages, most mercenaries would see that and immediately label it a suicide mission" Akimi said as if to emphasis Naruto's point that they were capable shinobi despite there young age.

"She's right" the man said hanging his head. "And I couldn't afford to hire ninja from another village, all I could do was put what reward I could and send it to a bounty office in the land of fire so nobody from Kumo would see it. We accept your help kids, I'm Kirsuke Saki and this is my fiance Shana" the man said with a small respectful bow.

Naruto bowed in response. "Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto Uzumaki and this is".

"Akimi Hayaku" Akimi finished for him enthusiastically shaking the hands of civilians.

Naruto shook his head at the antics of his comrade. "Look we need to get moving, the longer we stay here the more time Kumo have to find this place. And as we will have to move at civilian speeds it could take a few days to get out of the Land of Lightning" he said.

"Very well, let me just go grab our things" Kirsuke said and walked inside the house.

"Uh how much are you taking, because if we are forced to fight or run during this trip too much luggage will be a problem" Naruto said.

"It's only one bag each, we don't have all that many possessions that we wish to keep. And Kirsuke has already sold this farm we were leaving tomorrow whether help had come or not" Shana explained.

A minute later Kirsuke returned with two bags that could be strapped to the backs of himself and Shana. They were just about to step out of the door when three kunai landed at their feet.

Spinning around Naruto and Akimi saw three Kumo chunin standing in a row. "Where do you think you are going. Give up the woman and nobody has to get hurt" the center chunin said.

"Forget it, we're not letting you take her" Naruto said slipping into a stance ready for a fight. Akimi copied him.

The three ninja all burst out laughing as if what Naruto had said was the funniest thing in the world. "That's classic kid, what could a pipsqueak like you do against three ninja like us" the center ninja chuckled not even looking at Naruto. When he finally turned back however. "Hey where did he go?".

"Behind you" Naruto said. Shocking all thee of the chunin who didn't even see him move and spun around kunai drawn. Naruto simply smiled. "I think you're forgetting about someone" he added and the chunin on the right was brought down with a kunai to each shoulder and another that was swiped arcoss the back of both knees disabling him completely.

"What the fuck! That's it you're both going to pay for that" the head chunin said and threw a kunai at Naruto who easily batted it away.

"What a pathetic throw. You know I really hate Kumo ninja, so it's always nice to be able to test out my new jutsu on them. And Jiraiya sensei just taught me a great one. "Bansho Ten'in" Naruto said pointing at the other ninja leaving the one who had done all the talking alone for now. The other ninja flew forward and Naruto began gathering chakra into the palm of his other hand. "Here goes nothing... Rasengan!" Naruto yelled slamming the ball of chakra into the chunin.

The remaining chunin took a step back, '_Oh kami, what a powerful jutsu. What is this kid_' he thought. An answer would not come however as a kunai coated in Fuuton chakra passed right through his heart.

Naruto showed no signs of remorse for killing either Kumo ninja and the two clients were shocked at the ease in which these two kids had taken out three chunin from one of the top ninja villages.

Akimi went to collect Naruto's kunai as he walked over to the last of the living ninja. "There should be four ninja in a group, I take it you were sent as a test, that means you must have a leader hiding somewhere waiting for you to return with Shana, tell me where he is" Naruto said.

"Fuck you kid, I'm not telling you anything" the survivor said.

"I see, well in that case" Naruto created another rasengan and began grinding it into the open wound on one of the ninja's shoulders.

The civilians were completely shocked that an eleven year old boy would do something like that. "That's horrible, how can he do something like that?" Shana said covering her eyes.

"Squinty over there is a completely different person when it comes to dealing with Kumo ninja. I don't know the full story but apparently it was Kumo ninja that killed his family. Normally he is a kind person even if he is difficult to get along with at times" Akimi said.

"Yes he certainly didn't seem to be a heartless killer" Kirsuke said.

"He's a ninja it is his job to kill, just like it is mine" Akimi reminded them.

"You are both rather mature for your age, don't you want to live a normal life and play with your friends?" Shana asked.

"Huh" Akimi sighed, "I don't really have any friends, well I used to but I was forced to flee from Kumo because they saw me as nothing but a tool to make the village stronger by putting me in a breeding program for my Kekkei Genkai. Now the only friend I really have is my brother" She admitted.

"What about Naruto?" Shana asked.

"He's a jerk, always acting so high and mighty just because he is stronger than me, well I would be that strong too if I was trained by Itachi Uchiha and Jiraiya-sama from the age of eight" She said angrily.

Shana giggled at Akimi's reaction. "Sounds to me that you like him" she chuckled.

Akimi went red. "Like anyone would ever like squinty eyes over there, he looks creepy! Besides all he thinks about is himself and becoming stronger" she said angrily.

"Okay okay I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt like that" Shana apologized.

Meanwhile Naruto was loosing his patients with the injured chunin. "Tell me where your fourth team member is!" Naruto yelled.

The man was barely conscious but had a smile on his face. "Fuck you!" he said.

"Ah that's it!" Naruto yelled in anger and grabbed the chunin's face in one hand ready to slam it into the ground but seemed to stop. His whole body went rigid and stiff. '_What the hell is this! It's like when I was trapped in Itachi sensei's Tsukuyomi_' Naruto thought. Then his body acted on instinct "Human Path!" he said and lifted his hand from the ninja's face.

There was a huge burst of information and Naruto had a hard time processing it all, there were memories from what they had for dinner last night, to how to perform certain jutsu. Then finally the memory he was looking for appeared, that of a jounin telling his squad to capture a young woman and he would be watching their progress from... "The tree line" Naruto opened his eyes and looked directly towards where he now knew the last ninja hid.

The others couldn't believe what they had just saw, Naruto had ripped the soul out of a living breathing human. "Wh- What was that?" Kirsuke asked in horror.

Akimi shook her head slowly. "I don't know, I've never seen that before in my life" she admitted.

Naruto took off in a blur and after a couple of seconds reappeared right after another man with long straight light brown hair flew out of the trees. Naruto landed behind him slamming his fist into the ground where the jounin was moments ago a crater formed. The jounin let out an audible sigh as he dusted himself off and glared over at the young blond. "Not bad kid, I must say I'm impressed, tell me what was that technique you used just now on my student? I have never before seen someone who is able to forcefully remove someones soul. I bet A-sama would love to meet you" the jounin said.

"I don't know, I guess you would call it the 'Human Path: Soul Removal jutsu' but that was the first time I have used it" Naruto said.

The jounin raised an eyebrow. "You never used that jutsu before? Then why use it on my student? Why was he so special?" the jounin asked.

"I had a need and my eyes gave me the answer. There was really nothing special about him other than the fact he refused to give me the answers I needed" Naruto said calmly.

"I see, that's all I needed to know, you are an interesting kid, and your comrade over there will earn me great praise in Kumo. Returning the girl with swift release, I will get that promotion to elite jounin for sure. And if I deliver you to the Raikage I bet I will get a counsel seat"the jounin said.

Naruto grit his teeth as clenched his fists. "How did you know about Akimi?" Naruto snarled.

"Oh simple really, I always carry a bingo book around with me, and after her show of speed it became obvious. But it's you that intrigues me more, those eyes of yours do not look normal to me, and they are not the Sharingan, nor are they the Byakugan. So tell me, what is it?" the jounin said calmly.

Naruto smiled, it was not the kind of smile you would expect from an eleven year old boy, there was no mischief or fun about this smile, no for lack of a better word this smile was terrifying. "My eyes are the Rinnegan" he said.

"Impossible, that's nothing but a myth" the jounin said.

"Well then, you are just going to have to find out the hard way... Raiton: Five point Paralysis jutsu!" Naruto said with only a single hand seal catching the jounin off guard as the lightning shot out of the ground shocking him in five spots leaving him unable to move as Naruto approached. "Sorry but I can't let you live if you know about Akimi and are onto my Rinnegan... Human Path Soul Removal!" Naruto said and ripped the jounin's soul from his body just like the chunin before him.

Akimi stood watching in awe at how effectively Naruto had taken him down. '_I truly am no match for __him, He is just too strong that was a jounin and he defeated him in an instant... Wait he got serious when the jounin gloated about finding out who I am. Naruto did that for me? Man what an idiot_' she thought, but for the first time when she was thinking about Naruto there was no maliciousness, he didn't even seem to frighten the young girl as much anymore despite how terrifying his new ability was.

Naruto had a solemn look on his face when he returned back to the group. "We have to go, it's dangerous to stay here" he said darkly.

"Huh why didn't you just defeat the Kumo ninja sent after us?" Kirsuke asked.

"That jounin sent a message to Kumo before I located his hiding position. They know that there are two ninja with you and not only that they also know that Akimi is here, she is a top priority capture target for Kumo. They will be sending more ninja as back up and powerful ones at that, we need to get moving, the longer we waste the more time Kumo will have to come for us. I don't want to leave you guys alone with Kumo after you but I will not let them touch my friend I will protect her no matter what, even if that means leaving you behind" Naruto admitted.

"Then let's get moving then... come on Kirsuke he has a point we are still safer with them than without. And even if they are the main targets now they will no doubt track us down for information on them" Shana said.

The Man agreed and the four took off Naruto agreed to carry the bags allowing the four to move at a slightly faster speed although it was still that of civilians.

(**END FLASHBACK**)

Akimi stared out over the village of Kiri with a warm smile on her face. "That was when I began to warm up to you, I remember back to all the arguments that we had, you always were smiling no matter what I said, at the time it made me angry, but now that I think about it you always accepted me for who I was, even when you said I was weak, it served to make me push myself harder. You were helping me and I was a fool that didn't recognize it" Akimi sighed.

Naruto smiled and sat down his legs over the edge of the tall tower. "I didn't mind, I knew you must have had it tough, besides I wanted to be your friend. I had never had one before after all. I was...".

"You were lonely, you may have had Itachi and Jiraiya-sama, but you had no friends, I felt the same way but it took what Shana said that day when she asked me about my friends to realize that I was lonely too. Then when you declared that it was more important to you that I was safe rather than the mission completed successfully I was happy. You no longer seemed to be a show off jerk who I couldn't defeat. I saw you as a friend. But it wasn't until later that I that I realized that I liked you as more than a friend" Akimi admitted as she sat down beside Naruto and leaned her head against his shoulder.

**End Chapter! **

**Well I took a bashing for that last chapter lol. I knew it would happen, still I found this pairing worked better for my story. I am truly sorry for all those people who wanted it to be Naruto/Fuu but I didn't really like the way I was developing her character. She was the sweet girl and it sorta reminded me too much of Hinata. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, I want Naruto to end up with Hinata in the cannon) Still possible for her to be added later but the whole sweet and innocent thing didn't seem like it would work as the first pairing and someone more aggressive and like Kushina would work better. **

**Anyway hope you liked the chapter even if it is a flashback, the next will be a flashback as well but should get back to the main story after that, hope you're not all disappointed in the flashbacks Just thought it might give some of the depth to why Akimi likes Naruto so much.**


	39. Ambush

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 39: Ambush**

Naruto and Akimi sat together overlooking Kiri her head rested on his shoulder enjoying the way his shoulders would ever so slightly rise and fall with his breaths. They didn't need to say anything, just being in each others presence was enough for them at that moment. Eventually Naruto spoke. "Just thinking back to that first mission, we were foolish, our in experience really cost us. Had I known what we would have faced I would have head north for the Land of Stars until the head died down. But no we wanted to get back to the land of fire so we tired to sneak past Kumo and get to the Land of Iron. It was so stupid" Naruto sighed.

"Yes but in the end I'm glad we went that way. Because if it wasn't for what happened I might never have fallen for you" Akimi said not lifting her head off of his shoulder.

(**FLASHBACK**)

Four people stood at a crossroads, two shinobi and two civilians. "The way I see it we have two choices. The Land of Star's and the Land of Iron" Naruto said.

"Well, the Land of Stars is closer, and Kumo stands between us and the Land of Iron, we should go north" Shana said.

Naruto took out a map and sat down looking over the roads and terrains that they would have to cross to make it to either of their goals "Maybe, the problem is, the Land of Stars is isolated, if Kumo think that is where we will head then we will have to hide there for what could be months before they call off the search. The Land of Iron is a Samurai nation and they do not let Ninja operate openly within their borders. Also it is the perfect gateway to the rest of the elemental nations. From the Land of Iron we can reach the Land of Fire and you two will not have to worry about Kumo ninja finding you. In the Land of Stars although it may appear safer it is very possible that Kumo ninja will enter the country in search of us" he said.

"So what to you suggest we do then?" Kirsuke asked.

"Well there are a few different paths that we can take, however each one of them will have ninja watching it. So we are going to have to go cross country and stay off the roads. They wont expect that when we have civilians traveling with us. And not only that we are going to be taking this rout through the mountains, it is the quickest way that would be physically possible for civilians to pull off and should anything prove to difficult I will help you out" Naruto said.

Kirsuke and Shana seemed apprehensive something that Akimi saw. "Don't worry about a thing, Naruto can manipulate gravity so he could in essence make you weightless allowing you to easily cope with anything we come across" she said with a smile.

"Well couldn't you just make us weightless and carry us along one of the ninja trails?" Kirsuke asked.

"I can't keep up my manipulation for that long and we are a days run from the border at top speed, if I were to to that and we were found by Kumo ninja I wouldn't have enough strength to fight" Naruto said.

Kirsuke looked down in embarrassment. "Uh I'm sorry it was a foolish request" he said.

"That's fine, I can understand why it seems like a good idea, but trust me if we do get discovered we will need to have both Akimi and myself at our best if we want to get out of this safely. Now we better get moving. The way I see it, we have about half a day before the letter that the jounin sent reaches Kumo. So we can stay on the road until dusk then we are going to leave the roads. It's also not safe for us to stay in any villages so we will need to camp out" Naruto said.

"Uh we don't have a tent" Shana admitted.

"Ah well I guess we don't really have a choice, you can have mine and I will share with Akimi" Naruto said.

"You're going to share with who! I don't think so there is no way I'm sleeping in the same tent as you!" Akimi said, while she had warmed to Naruto somewhat she thought that was a bit much to ask.

"I don't see the problem. Only one of us will be able to sleep at any one time anyway. The other will have to keep watch, we can't expect them to do it after all" Naruto said.

"Ah fine, but if I catch you peeking on me your dead got it!" Akimi huffed.

"Who do you think I am some kind of pervert!" Naruto yelled.

"Look who your sensei is! There is no way I can trust anyone trained by someone like Jiraiya-sama not to be" Akimi replied.

Naruto paused he had no response to that, it was a decent point after all. "I'm not like Jiraiya sensei! I would say I'm more like Itachi sensei" Naruto replied using his level headed teacher as an example to try and defend his honor.

"Oh and like he isn't a pervert, nobody can be that calm all the time. I bet he has draws full of dirty magazines and those books Jiraiya-sama writes!" Akimi said.

"Hey Itachi sensei isn't like that" Naruto replied.

"Uh does it really matter? You said that we need to keep moving but all this bickering is just wasting time" Shana said.

Naruto and Akimi stopped there argument in mid flight and both looked ashamed at themselves. "We're sorry, you are absolutely right. We can continue this later" Naruto said and sent a playful glare towards Akimi.

She returned it but didn't add anything and the group took off heading south towards the border to the Land of Iron.

Hours crept on and the sun was beginning to set when Naruto's group finally left the road. And it was another two hours before they decided to set up camp in a well sheltered area. Trees blocked out the view making it impossible to see the campsite from a distance.

After starting a very small fire just large enough to boil some water Naruto made everyone some instant ramen before putting it out. "We can't afford a fire, anything that could give away our position would be bad. If the Raikage is serious about capturing Akimi we won't be dealing with chunin anymore. It is more likely that we will encounter Anbu and Hunter ninja, I have covered our tracks as best that I could but it's only a matter of time before we are found" Naruto admitted.

"And how long would you say it will be until we make it to the border?" Kirsuke asked.

"Hard to say, with any luck two maybe three days. That is if everything goes smoothly, it could be more" the blond said taking a seat and eating quietly.

"How long are we going to stay here? I know we need to rest, but using the cover of night would be the best time to move" Akimi asked once they had finished their meal.

Naruto hummed in contemplation. "I think we should move out in the early morning. We all need at least some rest, and remember we have civilians with us, it's not possible for them to keep going for days on end" Naruto said.

"Well in that case I think we should get to bed now, I'm exhausted from all the running we did today" Shana said before she and Kirsuke went to their tent.

"So do you want me to take the first watch?" Naruto asked.

"No it's fine, I'm not tired anyway" Akimi replied.

Naruto nodded and stood up. "Alright wake me in three hours for the change over" Naruto said and entered the other tent.

The night was uneventful and several hours before the sun rose the group began to move again. The terrain was rough as they ventured through the mountainous regions of the Land of Lightning. On several occasions Naruto would have to go on ahead by running up a cliff side or jumping between sides of valleys and use a Bansho Ten'in to retrieve Shana and Kirsuke. It made there progress slow but by the end of the second day of travel they were almost out of the worst part of the terrain.

That night Akimi once again took the first shift however Naruto awoke early. "Hey, anything out of the ordinary show up?" he asked taking a seat beside the swift release kunoichi.

"No its been dead quiet. I gotta say you picked a good path for us to take. Not a single close call" she said.

"Yeah, that has been troubling me. There has been no sign of other chakra signatures. There has been nothing at all, I would have expected them to at least be searching the area but our movement hasn't been impeded at all" Naruto said.

"Well maybe we have just been super lucky and the Raikage decided not to chase after us" Akimi said.

"Somehow I doubt it, even if Kirsuke and Shana don't interest them anymore they will come after us if for no other reason than killing the group of ninja. In any case it should be over by tomorrow night. It's all down hill from here and the terrain opens up a lot" Naruto replied.

"You're over thinking things. Hell they could be searching for us in up north" Akimi said.

"Maybe, still I can't shake the feeling that we won't have an easy run of things between now and the border... If we run into anything major I want you to get out of there as fast as you can" Naruto said.

Akimi was annoyed but touched by Naruto's remark. "I can protect myself you know, I'm not some weak girl" she said placing her hands on her hips to clearly show her annoyance.

"I know, you're strong enough to take care of yourself...If I take them on they will try and kill me. But these guys don't want to kill you, they want to capture you and you will end up becoming nothing but a tool for some rich family in Kumo to gain a Kekkei Genkai. If I didn't think you were strong enough I wouldn't have gone on this mission with you. I train with you so I know how strong you really" Naruto said solemnly, then a small smile played across his face. "It's a good thing you are strong, I wouldn't want a weak rival after all. Although just because I think you are strong doesn't mean you will be able to defeat me" he smirked.

Akimi was frozen, she had spent so long thinking that Naruto didn't even consider her a competent kunoichi that she was stunned. '_He doesn't just consider me strong, he see's me as a rival. I have been such an idiot I thought he was a show off but in truth he cares about my safety more than his own. He really is a good friend'_ she thought. Then she registered what Naruto had said at the end about her not being able to beat him and scowled. "Just you watch, I'll beat you one day" she yelled. Slowly however her scowl turned into a weak smile. "Thank you" she whispered dropping her eyes to the ground.

"Huh what for?" Naruto asked.

"For caring. You said you wanted me to run if things got out of hand. You wanted to protect me and keep me safe from Kumo rather than ask that I stay and fight with you. But... I can't do that, I will not let you fight my battles for me. If we do run into Kumo ninja tomorrow then we will face them together. There is no way that I'm letting you sacrifice yourself to save me!" she said with a tone of finality.

Naruto opened his mouth to argue but was cut of before he could say anything. "Nothing you can say will change my mind about this. If we have to fight, then we will do it as a team!".

Naruto's stunned expression turned into a smile. "Alright, deal!" he said.

Akimi stood up and dusted herself off "Glad we could come to an agreement, now I think you will find that your shift is starting so I'm going to get some sleep" she said and walked off towards the tent. She paused as she arrived at the entrance to look back at where Naruto was sitting in a tree facing the other way. '_He was really willing to let himself take on Kumo alone just to protect me_' she thought with a blush that she didn't even realize was there.

(**FLASHBACK END**)

"I think that was the moment I started to fall for you. Even if I didn't realize it at the time" Akimi said.

Naruto sighed and fell back where he was sitting so he was staring out into the sky. "Huh, I didn't really think much of it? I just wanted to keep you safe. We only had known each other for about six months at the time, but you were my first real friend and I wouldn't have been able to life with myself if something happened to you" he admitted.

"You're still an idiot I see" Akimi said hitting him lightly on the shoulder she joined him in lying down and looking out into the sky. "You can't just go be a hero and expect a young girl to think nothing of it. What girl doesn't want someone strong that would put their life on the line for her safety?" Akimi said.

"Uh, I don't know... I don't know that many young girls, actually I don't know any" Naruto admitted scratching his head in contemplation.

Akimi giggled at the sight, "It was that final day, that made me realize that I liked you. Actually to be more accurate, you made me like you".

(**FLASHBACK**)

It was midday and the small group of ninja and civilians were almost to the border. They came over a ridge and saw a small town.

"Huh that's strange, I didn't think there was a town on this rout" Naruto said.

"It's small and there doesn't seem to be many people that live there, maybe it's just not big enough to get on the map?" Akimi suggested.

"Well it is small so you're probably right. Still we should go around. We don't want anyone to see us after all" Naruto said.

"What! Oh come on that would add at least an hour to our trip. And this is only a small village. Cutting through can't be a bad thing" Akimi said.

Naruto thought about it, on the one hand he knew that entering a town when ninja might be after you was not the best idea, ninja have eyes everywhere, Jiraiya's spy network taught him that much. However Akimi was right, if they moved around the perimeter of the village it would add hours to their journey.'Damn it's a risk either way, on one hand we could be spotted in town and they call Kumo to them. On the other hand if we avoid the town Kumo have more time to catch up to us!' Naruto thought while weighing up his options. "I think going through the town would be the best option. It is small and there is less of a chance that Kumo will have spy's in a place like this... But we will need to keep our chakra signatures suppressed just in case and put the hoods up on our cloaks" Naruto said calmly and after covering his head slowly made his way toward the village. Akimi did the same and followed close behind, followed by Kirsuke and Shana.

The town was quiet, when they entered not a single person could be seen. And Naruto was on edge. "Something is not right here, I can sense a town full of people but there is nobody here" he said looking up and down the streets. He quickly channeled some chakra into his eyes and froze. All of the walls of the village were covered in chakra. "It's a genjutsu!" he gasped and as if reacting to his shock the genjutsu faded and they were left standing in a shoddily built town that was built with Doton jutsu, it was already starting to crumble away.

The group heard a clapping from several fake streets away and a white haired ninja in a black Anbu mask with a red symbol for Kumo stood in front of them. "I gotta say I'm impressed. The last people to figure out my genjutsu were a team from Konoha with an Uchiha. The reports are obviously correct, you are at jounin level" the Kumo Anbu said.

"Oh please, you didn't even make it hard for them to figure out, you left the village empty" a second voice called out, a tall slender kunoichi appeared atop one of the fake buildings with a blue mask and a large yellow lightning bolt crossing the middle.

"It's not like he had all that much time, it is a complicated trap to set up after all" a third voice called out. Followed closely by another. "True, but the kid looks like he's only about ten years old, so for him to be able to recognize a genjutsu like this is still impressive" the two new arivals landed in the road with the black masked Kumo ninja. They each had yellow masks with blue symbols for Kumo on them.

Naruto looked around searching for any more chakra signatures and found a several more. "Are the rest of your group going to come out and play? You have two more teams hiding mostly chunin but I would say there are three jounin out there judging by their chakra levels" he said doing his best to remain calm.

"Would you look at that, he's a sensor, and a good one at that. It's a good thing I aided a chakra sensory genjutsu otherwise he would have known it was a trap all along" the lightning masked Anbu said.

Naruto clenched his fist slightly. '_They're not worried at all. Although I guess I can't blame them. We are outnumbered twelve to two if you include the other two teams that are still hiding, and strong or not we are just a couple of kids to them_' Naruto thought. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto yelled before blowing out a massive blast of fire that went soaring towards the three Anbu standing together but they all managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid the blast.

"Woah, kid's got some serious skill. A Katon jutsu that powerful with no hand seals" one of the yellow masked Anbu said.

"Hm let's test him then shall we?" the black mask said and after giving a signal five chunin landed in the road. "Kill them" he ordered and all five chunin charged forward.

"Alright let's go Akimi!" Naruto yelled and the two shinobi went to meet them half way while the four Anbu sat and watched.

Naruto had taken three and Akimi two, and these were far stronger than those they had encountered two days ago when they first met Kirsuke and Shana. That said Naruto was not fazed by them but still let it seem as though he was so he could get in a warm up.

Akimi on the other hand was having a harder time. While she too was stronger than the chunin they had good teamwork and blocked most of her moves.

Naruto ducked under a swing of hand with kunai ready to make them pay. "Hey you ready to finish these guys Akimi" Naruto asked his tone conversational.

"Yeah, I'm just about warmed up" she replied and with a burst she started channeling more and more Swift release chakra into her body moving faster and faster.

Naruto smirked as he watched the two chunin desperately try and keep up with the speedy kunoichi. "Sorry to break it to you guys, but if you think a couple of chunin are any match for us you are wrong!" Naruto said as the three chunin he was fighting all charged from separate directions. "Shinra Tensei".

A massive wave of gravity shot the ninja back and all four Anbu had wide eyes despite not showing it. '_That's an interesting power the kid has, it's a shame he is most likely too strong to keep restrained, if that power is from a Kekkei Genkai he would be even more useful than the girl_' the black masked Anbu thought.

The three chunin gingerly picked themselves up, they had not escaped the jutsu unharmed and were all bleeding. "You should have really stayed down" Naruto sighed and after forming a seal for Fuuton blades of wind extended from each arm.

"We're not going to loose to some little kid, I'm gonna kill you!" one of the chunin yelled as he wiped some blood from his eye.

'Foolish, a civilian could tell they are no match for that boy' the kunoichi Anbu sighed internally and resigned herself to what happened next.

Naruto's arm shot right through the chest of the chunin that yelled. Pulling it out the other chunin could only watch as Naruto removed his arm and the first target dropped to the ground. The blonds face remained emotionless as he then turned and took at the others. "I don't normally do this for Kumo ninja but I'm giving you one last chance because you're only chunin... run now, or die" Naruto said.

The chunin were frozen, they now knew they couldn't beat the blond jinchuuriki. On the other hand there were sever punishments for disobeying an order and abandoning a mission.

"Hm it seems as though you can't decide. I guess I will make it easier for you then. I will count to five, once I get to five you either attack me, or run, if you do neither you will die. Now... One!" the two remaining ninja facing Naruto seemed to look at each other for an answer. "Two" their knees began to tremble still torn, either way they looked at this situation their life was forfeit. "Three".

"This is far more entertaining than I thought. We might actually have to get involved at some point" the kunoichi Anbu said slightly amused.

By the time Naruto got to four Akimi had just finished off the first of her two chunin and was pressuring the final one who found it near impossible to keep up with Akimi's speed. "Five!" Naruto yelled and created a Rasengan. The sight of the jutsu did it, the two chunin ran as fast as they could. "Well what do you know, they are smarter than they look" Naruto said scratching his head.

"Really you think so?" one of the yellow masked Anbu said.

"Well they get to live, so yeah" Naruto said. But he spoke to soon as two bolts of lightning shot out of the sky and through the chest of either chunin.

"Trash like that doesn't deserve to live" the black masked Anbu said.

Naruto was shocked he hadn't expected their own comrades to kill them. "What gave you the right to do that, you knew they had no chance at defeating me. And I allowed them the choice to run" he said with a snarl.

"What gave me the right? I guess you don't know much about Kumo Anbu do you, our ranks are determined by the color of our mask. The yellow mask is a squad member. Then there is the blue mask indicating a squad captain. Next there is red of the sub commander's and finally black, the rank of an Anbu commander like myself. I only answer to the Raikage or the village counsel, so killing those two deserters was my duty" he said.

Naruto clenched his fist as three jounin landed in front of him at the same moment Akimi drove a kunai into the last chunin she had been facing. "looks like it's round two, I do hope you can survive for the main course" the Anbu kunoichi said.

Naruto remained as calm as he could. This situation was worse than he had anticipated. '_This isn't good, an Anbu commander, that is the equivalent to Itachi sensei's rank when he left Konoha. I don't know if I will be able to win this, I need to get the others out of here safely or else I won't be able to fight at full strength_' "Summoning Jutsu!" a large bird appeared under Naruto but he immediately hopped off. "Kirsuke, Shana, I want you to get on this bird it will carry you over the border" Naruto said.

A tic mark appeared over Akimi' head. "Why didn't you just do that from the beginning?" she yelled.

"We had a long way to go and would have been seen for one. And secondly I don't know if it would have handled carrying all four of us that far, it was too big of a risk" Naruto said.

Shana and Kirsuke did as they were told and hopped on the birds back. "You should go as well" the blond said.

But Akimi refused to move. "No I told you, we are fighting together" she said.

Naruto smiled and nodded slowly. "Yes that's true... then just do me a favor will you?" he said.

"What?" she asked.

'_If he is as strong as Itachi sensei I won't be able to win this, all I can do is buy them enough time to escape_' "Live a good life... I'm sorry" he said and before she could even move he shunshined behind the Speedy kunoichi and knocked her out. The large bird swept down and Naruto placed the kunoichi on its back with the others. "Look after her until she wakes up" Naruto said and the civilians nodded.

"Thank you for your help" Shana said as the bird took off into the sky.

The Anbu who had been watching the events unfold then moved. "You didn't think we would let our target escape did you" one of the squad members asked tossing a kunai at the retreating summons.

Naruto acted quickly creating a wall of condensed gravity to block the attack. "And you didn't think you would be able to capture her without going through me did you" Naruto replied his calm demeanor replaced with a scowl. "I won't let you lay a hand on her!" Naruto declared.

"Hm, looks like we will have to speed this up, that summons looks pretty fast after all, everyone... Kill him" the black masked Anbu said.

The other members of Anbu jumped forward to join the three jounin in charging at Naruto. '_As long as the commander stays out of this I have a fighting chance, but I cant hold anything back_' "Summoning Jutsu!" once again Naruto summoned a large animal, this time a huge bore with long curved tusks.

The bore shook his head to the side and collected the closest jounin sending him through a few buildings. The others got away unharmed however. "What the hell, two different summoned creatures? How is that possible?" one of the jounin said. The Anbu didn't answer or even say anything, they were pondering the exact same question.

Naruto saw their hesitation and used it to his advantage. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!" he yelled before shooting out a large wave of condensed air.

"Doton: Town Wall Jutsu!" the kunoichi yelled and slamming her hands onto the ground she was just able to cover the five still standing ninja.

What they all didn't expect was for Naruto to follow up his attack from a different angle. "Suiton: Water Gun!" Naruto yelled expelling a large stream of water crashing into the closest jounin sending him crashing into the thick wall the kunoichi had just created.

'_This kid is too much, he forced a Anbu captain to use a jutsu to defend against an attack, then he used her own jutsu to his advantage for a followup. He might actually be a worthy opponent, shame I can't risk this mission being a failure to take him on one v one while he is at full strength_' the black masked Anbu thought as Naruto ducked under a hail of kunai sent at him from the two yellow masked Anbu.

"You need to do better than that! Raiton: Lightning Dragon!" Naruto yelled in response and a large dragon made of electricity shot forward and the two Anbu ninja were forced to jump out of the way.

The numbers game was working against Naruto and it was of little surprise that the blond was avoiding a taijutsu match with any of them at all cost. Getting involved in a taijutsu match would be as good as giving the others an open target to aim for. 'I need to thin out their numbers, so I will take out the weaker ninja first' Naruto thought and dropped behind a building and suppressed his chakra signature to hide himself.

"Where did he go?" the kunoichi asked as she landed where she had seen Naruto retreating but found nothing.

"You're a sensor type you tell me" the black masked ninja said. '_This kid keeps doing the impossible. Multiple summons, doesn't need hand seals and now he can completely hide his chakra from someone as skilled in searching for it as a captain of the Hunter Ninja squads_' he added in thought.

Naruto had been hiding using Jiraiya's famous chameleon jutsu that he invented to peak on women. 'Alright now to take out the jounin and two squad member Anbu, this technique wont work if they are sensor ninja no matter how good I am at suppressing my chakra' the blond thought and slowly made his way to where the jounin was searching for the blond. 'Gotcha!' "Doton: Earth Spears" Naruto whispered and without even giving away his position for more than a split second three sharp spikes of rock shot out of the ground and impaled the Kumo jounin.

"He's over there!" one of the Yellow masked Anbu yelled triumphantly, but his joy was soon replaced with shock as he felt a searing pain in his chest and looked down to see a patch of red appearing that spread from one side of his chest to the other. "When?" he asked weakly as he fell to his knees.

"That was an S ranked Fuuton assassination jutsu. This kid is good, we might need help commander" the kunoichi said.

The man in the black Anbu mask was just about to speak when the last yellow masked Anbu collapsed with two kunai in the chest and one in the head. "So much for Kumo's elite, if that's all you got I may as well flatten the village and wipe it off the map" Naruto sneered.

"You may have defeated the light weights but now the fight really begins" the black masked Anbu said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

'Shadow Clone!' Naruto thought and quickly spun to block a punch.

'_Look at that, even his reflexes are up to scratch and his strength is on par with my own, it shouldn't be physically possible.. this damn kid is continuing to amaze me_' the black masked ninja thought before silently signaling the blue masked kunoichi who kicked Naruto in the ribs sending him flying through a couple of buildings. "I have to commend you kid, you saved your little friend, by now they would have made it to the border with the speed of that summons of yours it wasn't far after all, we are practically there already" he said before landing at the edge of the rubble where Naruto was picking himself up. "It's a shame you have to die Katon: Incineration!"

the range was so close Naruto had no time to think about the best possible counter and as such he used his go to jutsu. "Shinra Tensei!" the jutsu was repelled and so was the black masked Anbu.

"That jutsu again, it's really something else, it's not a shock wave of chakra and it's certainly not a Fuuton, otherwise you would have been incinerated" the Anbu commander said.

Naruto didn't respond choosing to keep his guard up. And it was good that he did, because moments later the blue masked captain appeared behind Naruto kunai drawn and the had to move quickly to grab her wrist and toss her away.

"Katon: Fire Dragon!" Naruto only had a split second to dodge out of the way of the commanders attack and let out a sigh in relief when he did.

This time it was the kunoichi who sent a fire jutsu at Naruto that was avoided. '_These guys sure do like their Katon jutsu. I would have thought they would be favoring Raiton seeing as they are from Kumo_' Naruto thought as he once again rolled out of the way.

Before too long rain clouds started forming over head. "It's almost time to end this, but you have been an interesting opponent to say the least" the Anbu commander said.

"If you think I'm out of this yet, you are badly mistaken. This isn't over, not by a long shot!" Naruto replied.

The two remaining Anbu both raised their hands into the air and lightening began to mass above each of their heads. "It's over, now witness one of Kumo's most prized jutsu!... Raiton: Raijin's Roar!" the commander yelled.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akimi sat bolt upright and frantically began looking around. "Where's Naruto?" she asked. Once she realized Naruto wasn't with them on the low flying bird.

The two civilians exchanged glances but said nothing. "Where is he? This is one of his summons" then everything came back to the young kunoichi. Them being faces with six highly skilled ninja, and him knocking her out before placing her on his summons. "That idiot" she said her voice trembling slightly.

"It's okay dear, he did it to protect us and I'm sure he has no regrets. He's a good one, you should snap him up as quickly as possible once he comes back" Shana said with a motherly smile causing Akimi the blush. Then they heard a thunderous crack. Quickly turning to look in the direction it had come from there was an ominous yellow glow in the air and then a second later the large bird disappeared beneath them.

Akimi acted quickly grabbing both civilians and making sure they remained unharmed before landing in the snow below them. But her heart had seemed to stop, she was moving and doing her duty as a ninja but the second the summoned animal disappeared beneath her she knew that something had happened to Naruto. '_It hurts!_' she thought grabbing at her chest as a tear ran down her cheek while the ominous glow in the distance began to fade away '_Why does it hurt_'.

(**Land of Lightning**)

The blast of the jutsu has sent shock waves all over the country. And the massive ball of Raiton chakra still dug deeper and deeper into the earth. "Nobody could have survived that, let's go the mission was a failure, the girl got away" the commander said.

"But surely we could catch up, she is traveling with civilians and now the summons will have been dismissed" the captain replied.

"It would mean heading into the Land of Iron and if the Samurai found us we would be in a lot of trouble" the man said.

"I understand. How long will this jutsu last for?" the captain asked looking at the large ball of Raiton chakra that had only gotten slightly stronger.

"It's hard to say, it will last until all the chakra is eaten up, and considering how much we used it could take days" he answered.

Then they both noticed something that shouldn't have happened. The jutsu shrunk as though a massive chunk of the chakra had been removed. At first both Anbu officers thought that they were just seeing things but then it happened again, and again the jutsu becoming smaller and smaller. Until finally it cleared revealing an almost completely unscathed Naruto. Although his shirt was ripped and torn and he had several cut's all over his body. "Phew that was a close one" he sighed but he also felt rejuvenated. As though he had just slept for several hours.

The other two were quite the opposite. They were exhausted, the jutsu they had used was supposed to be a one move kill that never failed. It was their sure thing against a tough opponent.

To make matters worse for the tired Anbu Naruto knew just how tired they both were. "Well I must say for someone who held the equivalent rank as Itachi sensei you are a disappointment" he admitted. "My that wasn't much more difficult than one of my sparing sessions with Jiraiya sensei" he lied, but the purpose proved effective as he saw both Anbu stare at him horror etched on their faces.

'_Our strongest jutsu... and it had barely any effect at all!, what the fuck is this kid_' the kunoichi thought as Naruto began charging two rasengan, one in each hand.

They both lost the will to fight on, and even if they tried they had no chakra left to keep up at all. "Rasengan!" Naruto yelled driving the small rotating spheres through both of the still standing shinobi.

(**Several Hours Later**)

Akimi looked in the direction of the fake village. The dull ache in her chest had not gone it was like she was missing a part of herself and she was only now coming to terms with what that meant. 'How, could he have wormed his way into my heart so deeply that the thought of him gone is unbearable' she sobbed internally. Then her thoughts went back to all he had done for her since they met. He had helped her so much, she had become strong because of him, he always protected her when she needed it but let her fight for herself at the same time. "Damn it that's typical... My heat's gone and given itself away, and to a dead person, man of all the times to fall in love... I just want to see his face again" she said. Her voice was quiet but audible and almost pleading.

"See who's face" came a familiar voice.

Her eyes popped open to see Naruto standing before her. His shirt was torn and he had cuts that looked as though they had mostly healed but he was alive and safe. Her heart lept and she felt like tackling him in a hug, she couldn't do it however. "Idiot!... You fucking Idiot, you promised we would fight together!" she yelled hitting him in the face.

"Ow!" Naruto complained rubbing his jaw before completely forgetting all about his question.

(**END FLASHBACK**)

"And that was that. You made me fall for you by being a damn hero. It's all your fault! I was supposed to marry a kind yet well off man who would prevent me from having to be a kunoichi... but no I get stuck with you" she said in mock annoyance.

"Well it feels nice" Naruto said.

"What does?" she asked.

"To know that you love me" Naruto answered before pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist before placing a kiss on her cheek. "I promise you, that I will keep you safe... No matter what, it's my promise of a lifetime" he said.

Akimi smiled and spun around in his arms so she was facing him. "Then I promise that I will keep you safe too. I don't want to think that you have died again. If you do that to me I will kill you myself!" she warned before Naruto claimed her lips with his own and she melted. Her tough exterior was gone and for this short moment she allowed herself to just be a young woman in love.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry for the later update. I've been really busy and I can't see it calming down until the new year. But I will do my best to keep the updates coming quickly. **


	40. Farewell Kiri

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 40: Farewell Kiri**

"Should we head back to the dance now?" Naruto asked.

"Do we have to, can't we just stay here for awhile longer" Akimi replied.

The two shinobi were lying on a roof overlooking the Hidden Mist village, they were wrapped so closely together that most of the young kunoichi's weight was on the blond, not that he cared in the slightest, in fact he was enjoying her warmth against the cool night air.

Naruto sighed and looked up into the sky. "But don't you want to go back and dance? You spent most of the night just watching" he said before turning his face down slightly to look at the speedy kunoichi.

"Well the person I wanted to dance with was preoccupied" she said with fake venom. "And now I don't need to dance with you, because we are here together and that's what I really wanted" she added, resting her head over his heart so she could feel it beating.

"Your plan was to dance with me to get me to come up to this high building?" Naruto said playing dumb.

"You know what I mean, I'm not explaining it" she huffed giving the blond a dirty look to which he just laughed it off.

"Fine, we can stay here for a little longer. But, won't the others get worried and come look for us?" Naruto asked.

"Oh well, that's their problem. Besides why would they be worried about you, we both know that you can handle yourself" Akimi answered.

(**Unknown Location**)

Ten figures stood on the fingers of a large statue of a man with a pained expression on it's face and a cloth covering its eyes below them stood another man wearing an orange mask, looked up at the figures but they showed no interest in him at all.

"Any sightings of the jinchuuriki?" the figure of a man with purple rippling eyes said.

"_**Yes, Pein-sama**_. _There have been several sightings of the Ichibi and Nanabi within the Land of Fire_. _**Although they are unconfirmed and we are positive that they are not staying within Konoha**_" A tall plant like man with two different voices answered.

"What have you been told Zetsu!" the man called Pein replied.

"_The Ichibi jinchuuriki has often been seen taking care of bandit problems and involved in the capture or deaths of various missing ninja in the area of the Land of Fire and surrounding countries_. _**He is also accompanied by a female member of the now all but extinct Yuki clan,**_ _formally from the Land of Water_. _**The Nanabi Jinchuuriki has been seen far less often and never outside of the Land of Fire.**_ _However she if often seen with Zabuza Momoichi who we should consider in any attempt to capture her_" Zetsu answered.

"Zabuza huh? Maybe we should go take a trip to the Land of Fire, I wouldn't mind seeing Momoichi again" Kisame said giving a very shark like grin.

"The Nanabi is not our target, we are assigned to capture the Kyuubi and Hachibi, or have you forgotten that Kisame?" Hiruko said a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

"We have been looking for the Kyuubi for three years! He probably died when he was taken from Konoha as a kid" Kisame said.

"Tobi doesn't think Kyuubi child is dead... Tobi thinks he will be alive and strong, he must be to have stayed hidden for so long. In any case Tobi doesn't want to have to fight him" the man at the base of the statue with an orange mask that spiraled out from it's one open eye hole said.

"Shut up Tobi! Hey Pein-sama where did you find this idiot anyway?" a man with a long blond hair tied into a ponytail said.

"Where I recruited Tobi from is none of your concern Deidara. Tobi is here as back up should one of you die in attempting to capture the jinchuuriki. And in this event I believe he is correct, the Kyuubi would have returned by now had it's container died" Pein said.

The man named Deidara huffed in annoyance. But the child like Hiruko just nodded "Where would you like me to begin my search again?" he asked.

"There have been a few reports of an unknown ninja with no village affiliation ending the endless winter of the newly renamed Land of Spring, investigate that area, they may have clues" Pein ordered.

"Yes Pein-sama" Hiruko said with a small stiff bow.

"Now what of the other jinchuuriki?" Pein asked.

"Hachibi and Nibi are well protected, but we have a plan to draw Nibi out, but it will cost us a good decent amount of money" a man with bright green eyes and a Taki headband said.

"Trust you to think of money, I'm just annoyed I can't offer any of these jinchuuriki to Jashin-sama, they would be a great offering!" a tall silver haired man with a large three bladed scythe said.

"Knowing old man Oonoki the Yonbi and Gobi are out in the open somewhere in the Land of Earth, he never trusted the jinchuuriki" Deidara said.

"There have been very few sightings of the Rokubi but we believe he isn't in the Land of Water at the moment. And the Sanbi is yet to materialize, although it should not be long now considering it was only the three tails and it's power is minute compared to the higher Bijuu" a short hunchbacked man said with a deep gravely voice.

"Well then, it looks like it is time to make our move. You each have your targets, it is time to collect them" Pein said before fading away.

(**Land of Water**)

Hours past and Naruto and Akimi still just lay together talking reminiscing about their past together and joking. Naruto was glad that she hadn't changed despite her confession of love, and he could still joke around with the kunoichi wrapped in his arms.

Meanwhile back at the party the continued absence of the pair had not gone unnoticed. And Fuu who had decided when she saw the blond leave to chase after her rival was now worried. '_They should be back by now, I know Naruto is a great sensor so even if she left the village he should have found her_' she thought. Then a horrible thought came to the green haired jinchuuriki '_What if she confessed and they've run off somewhere private so they could do perverted things together_' she thought getting red from both anger and the simple thought of Naruto doing something like that.

Racing off she soon found Itachi and Jiraiya who were standing by the entrance as if they too were waiting for Naruto's return. Itachi felt Fuu approach and turned.

"Itachi, Jiraiya-sama do you know where Naruto and Akimi are I uh... need to talk to them" she said, it wasn't really a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either and a simple raised eyebrow showed that she hadn't fooled the Uchiha.

"Nah I have no idea where the Gaki's are, sorry. But I'm not overly worried, if they were in trouble we would have felt it by now" Jiraiya said casually.

"Then why are you both out here?" Fuu asked.

Itachi coughed and lowered his head. "Uh I think Jiraiya-sama is looking for a possible research opportunity".

Fuu who had heard enough stories about Jiraiya from Akimi knew what that meant. "And why are you here?" She said knowing Itachi was not one to join in on Jiraiya's favorite past time.

"I'm waiting for Naruto-kun to return, although I doubt he will, it's almost midnight so he might just return to the hotel" Itachi said.

"But what about Akimi, she wouldn't just run back to the hotel room, you both saw her leave!" Fuu said.

"Hm now that you mention it, maybe we should go look for them" Jiraiya said with a small grin that told Itachi that Jiraiya was now thinking along the same lines as the green haired jinchuuriki.

"I find it hard to believe that they would be doing anything out of the ordinary, my guess would be that they are talking" Itachi said.

"Say's you, I'm gonna go find them. Summoning Jutsu" Jiraiya said still smiling.

After the smoke cleared a large yellow toad sat there "Hello... do you have any snacks?" he said.

"What the hell! Why did I get you!" Jiraiya said with a pained expression.

Itachi watched on in amusement. "I take it you too have met before" he said.

"You could say that, this is Gamabunta's younger son Gamatatsu... and he is, useless, unless you have enough candy and party food. At least with Gamabunta he will occasionally work without paying him sake" Jiraiya sighed with a sweat drop.

During this Gamatatsu just sat there with a dopey smile on his face. "Um can I have some snacks now?" he asked eventually.

Jiraiya sighed. "If you go find Naruto and come tell me where he is you can have some... When you get back" he said.

"You want me to go find Naruto? Why doesn't he just summon me if he needs me?" Gamatatsu asked.

Jiraiya let out a frustrated sigh. "He doesn't need you, I need to find him!".

"Then shouldn't you look for him?" the large toad asked.

"That's what I want you to do for me!" Jiraiya said struggling to contain his frustration.

"Oh okay, I'll be back soon" Gamatatsu said finally understanding what Jiraiya was saying.

Once the large yellow toad was gone jumping across the village looking for Naruto and Akimi, a question came to Fuu. "Uh Jiraiya-sama I didn't think Naruto could summon the toads because of his ability to summon any animal" she asked.

"I thought so as well, and in truth he doesn't really need the toad summoning contract. But it turns out what Naruto is summoning isn't exactly the creatures. You see all of his summons contain the black rods that he can create. It seems that all Naruto is summoning is the chakra rods that are implanted into the animals. So he was allowed to sign the Toad summoning contract and train at Myobokuzan by the elders" Jiraiya said proudly.

"We believe that is why all of Naruto's summons have the Rinnegan. It's my belief that should he implant enough of the chakra rods into a person they would fall under his control just like the summons but he did not like the idea of controlling another person so we have not yet tested the theory" Itachi added slightly disappointed to not be able to give a definitive answer.

"Oh" was all Fuu could say. '_There is still so much I don't know about him, it's bad enough almost everything I know already I learned from Akimi... Damn her she knows so much more about him than I do, they've been together for so long, how am I supposed to compete. And the worst thing about it is... I can't hate her, I want too, I want to hate her so badly but no matter how much we fight she is friendly and kind. Even now when she is probably alone with Naruto stealing him away I still can't hate her_' she thought her fist clenched at her side in frustration.

On the roof of the tall tower Naruto sat up forcing the young lady who had almost fallen asleep on his chest to do the same. "Hey what was that for!" she complained.

"There is something coming in this direction, it's not human but it's chakra signature is definitely familiar" Naruto said.

"So was that any reason to move, I was so comfortable" Akimi pouted.

"It's a toad summons, looks like Jiraiya is looking for us, so unless you want to star in the next Icha Icha I think it was a good idea" Naruto said.

Akimi huffed in annoyance but she couldn't help but agree with Naruto that should Jiraiya find them like that they would most likely become a source for the perverted hermits inspiration. "Fine, but you will pay for not at least warning me first!" she threatened.

Naruto smiled "Oh really and how do you intend to do that?" he said.

"I'm going to kick your ass that's how. I want a rematch from the other day, this time I will win!" she said.

Naruto chuckled. "I'm sure you will try" he said and gave her a quick kiss before standing up and walking to the opposite side of the building to watch the large yellow toad jump in their direction. '_Oh no not him... of all the toads in Myobokuzan why did it have to be him_' the blond thought once Gamatatsu landed next to him.

"Hi boss, do you have any snacks?" Gamatatsu said with a friendly wave.

"No sorry I don't have any snacks Gamatatsu... Why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"Jiraiya-sama promised me snacks if I found you and then returned to tell him where you were" the toad said happily.

"If you were going to get snacks from Jiraiya sensei why did you ask me?" Naruto said.

"Well those snacks would have been from Jiraiya-sama not you, you always have nicer snacks than Jiraiya-sama and I want those snacks" Gamatatsu said happily.

"Naruto who is this?" Akimi asked with a giggle.

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger. "This is Gamatatsu one of the sons of the boss toad... and he uh... likes snacks" Naruto sighed.

"Yes I can tell, he just used the word snacks three times in the same sentence" she giggled.

"Hello pretty lady, do you have any snacks?" Gamatatsu said turning his attention to Akimi once he decided that Naruto did indeed have no snacks hidden on him.

"Aw I'm sorry Gamatatsu I don't have any snacks maybe you should return to Jiraiya and get them" she said.

"Okay... bye boss make sure you have some snacks next time you summon me" the yellow toad said before bounding off back towards Jiraiya.

"But I didn't summon him this time" Naruto said with a sweat drop.

"I like him... He called me pretty" Akimi said.

"You don't know him... He is the most frustrating summoned creature I have ever met, it makes me glad that I can summon mindless zombies if I need to" Naruto sighed.

"Well I think he was nice" Akimi said.

"Anyway, which ever way you look at it our alone time is up for now, shall we head back?" Naruto said.

"Yeah I guess so, the dance will be almost over now and we are heading home tomorrow so I guess we will have to wait until we get back home before we get some more time to ourselves" Akimi sighed.

Naruto smiled. "I'm sure you will survive, you were able to last the four and half years it took for me to realize that you felt the way you do about me, I'm sure a few days traveling with everyone else can't be that difficult".

"Or maybe now that I finally have you I don't want to let you go. I'm a selfish person after all, I want you all to myself" she said.

Naruto laughed. "Either way you will have to wait, come on lets head back" Naruto said and jumped from the building.

Akimi smirked and jumped after him and soon caught up. "I bet I get back there first!" she yelled before taking off.

"Hey no fair that's cheating!" Naruto yelled at the red blur before kicking off at top speed himself.

Gamatatsu arrived back at the hall landing next to Jiraiya. "So did you find him?" the Toad sage asked.

"Uh huh, he was with a pretty lady, she was very nice but she didn't have any snacks" the toad said slightly upset.

Jiraiya nodded "Well?".

"Well what?" Gamatatsu asked.

"Where are they?" Jiraiya replied, his voice was raised in exasperation but not to the point of yelling.

"They were on top of a tall tower... can I have my snacks now?" the toad asked.

"Where was the tower?" Jiraiya asked.

"Um... I forget" Gamatatsu replied with a dopey smile.

Jiraiya face palmed. '_This is what happens when you ask Gamatatsu to do something, useless, he's completely useless_' he sighed. "Here just take your snacks and go" and taking out some food he had collected from the desert table inside tossed the food into the toads mouth.

"These were good snacks... okay see ya later Jiraiya-sama" Gamatatsu yelled and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Okay so knowing that idiot Naruto and Akimi are in the same direction that Gamatatsu arrived from" Jiraiya said. _'But I also lost the chance to catch them doing anything when he spoke to them, I should have told him to stay out of sight, but that's easier said than done with someone like Naruto_'.

As if to prove his point a second later Akimi landed and raised both hands in victory. Moments later Naruto landed. "No fair, you had a head start!" he said.

"Too bad, you lost" she said.

"Well I guess it's not that surprising, you are the fastest person I know" Naruto said.

"What's that, a complement from the great Naruto Namikaze, I'm honored" she joked.

"Oh shut it, you know you're faster than me, but that still doesn't mean you can defeat me in a match" Naruto smirked.

"Just a matter of time Naruto-kun, then I will have you" she said.

Jiraiya smiled getting the double meaning to what she had just said. Itachi too had caught on but his face remained neutral. Fuu had not realized she was talking about more than a match but she did pick up on something else. '_She called him Naruto-kun, she has never done that before... something must have happened. I've lost, and I didn't even put up a good fight_' she thought sadly.

"Yo Gamatatsu said you were looking for me?" Naruto said as he turned to Jiraiya deciding to ignore what Akimi had just said.

"Oh it was nothing I was just checking to make sure you weren't in trouble" Jiraiya said.

"Well, it was probably for the best, it's getting late and we're leaving in the morning. So it wouldn't do to stay out all night" Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded then a lecherous smile appeared on his face. "So what were you two doing? You were gone for hours!" he said.

"Well we were not doing what ever it is you are thinking of you pervert we were just talking about some of our old missions together" Naruto said choosing not to include the fact that they had kissed multiple times. He wasn't ashamed or even embarrassed in the slightest but at the same time he didn't want Jiraiya to know otherwise they would never have the toad sage trying to spy on them every time they were alone.

"So I guess you are still a Gaki then... oh where have I gone wrong in my training. You have excelled in everything I have taught you but still failed to become a man" Jiraiya wailed wiping away a fake tear.

Naruto was blushing. "Damn pervert! I will not just run off and sleep with just anyone! When I do it will be with someone I care for! And you will be the last person I tell" Naruto yelled.

Only Itachi caught the split second sideways glance he sent to Akimi. '_Looks like he might have already made up his mind, even if they only talked I can safely say she at least told him how she feels. I wonder how Fuu will react if they start dating assuming they openly admit to it_' he thought. Normally the stoic Uchiha was above these sorts of things but when it involved his surrogate brother he couldn't help but be interested.

After that Naruto left and the others followed closely behind. Fuu desperately wanted to know what if anything happened between Naruto and her rival but decided that it could wait, at least until she could get the speedy kunoichi alone.

Naruto awoke late the next morning with a smile on his face the memory of the previous night still fresh in his memory. Then he saw the bedside clock. "Oh shit it's late, almost ten thirty, the escort to the boat leaves in half an hour" Naruto thought out loud before jumping out of bed and quickly getting dressed pleased that he had decided to forgo wearing shirts until he finished his latest training or at least found one that wouldn't be so easily destroyed by backfiring jutsu.

After he was dressed he quickly made his way downstairs and found the others sitting down eating breakfast. "Why didn't you guys wake me?" he asked clearly irritated.

"Well I thought you would want to sleep in" Jiraiya said casually. If I slept in any longer I could have missed the carriages to the boat, I would have had to run there myself!" Naruto said.

"We wouldn't of let that happen" Jiraiya replied but the tone of his voice told a different story.

"I don't see what the problem is, you are fast enough to make it we wouldn't let the boat leave without you" Akimi laughed.

"Uncool guys" Naruto said before sitting down and grabbing a quick feed.

Once more Naruto and the members of the Yoinokuchi all stood at the gates of Kiri. There were several carriages waiting behind them. Mei had come to see the group off. "I do hope we don't go another three years between visits" she said shaking Jiraiya's hand.

"I'm sure we will find some reason to return before then" the toad sage said.

"I do hope so" she said then she came to Naruto. "I enjoyed the dance last night, but I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble at the end" she said giving a small glance at Akimi although not in a threatening way.

"Ah well, I'm usually getting into trouble, it was nothing we couldn't resolve" Naruto replied with a smile.

"Well that's good" Mei replied and leaned in to kiss Naruto's cheek this time deciding against the lips. "The offer still stands, you can become a Kiri ninja if you want, I can make you a very happy man" she whispered.

Naruto couldn't help but blush although he recovered his composure quickly. "I'm sure you can, but for now I think I will see where my life takes me" Naruto replied.

"I understand, but until I say otherwise the offer is on the table" Mei said. She then bowed and said a friendly farewell to the others and left saying she still had paperwork to do.

Naruto jumped in the closest carriage and despite Akimi and Fuu trying to take the spare seats they were beaten by Itachi and Jiraiya and forced to sit elsewhere.

As the carriages moved away from the village Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "So what did the Mizukage ask you?" he said with a knowing grin.

"She wanted me to become a full time Kiri ninja" Naruto said.

"And you turned her down I take it?" Jiraiya replied.

"Obviously or else I wouldn't be here" Naruto said.

"In any event, your training is now complete, now we can focus on the task at hand. Retrieving the seven legendary tools of the Rikudou Sennin from Kumo" Itachi said.

"Yeah, it's going to be a tough one we will need to plan this out carefully" Jiraiya said.

"Well the way I see it, we just find out where they are and take them. And should anyone get in our way... take them out" Naruto said.

"I have a feeling that it will not be quite as easy as that" Itachi replied.

"Ah come on the three of us could do it, together there is nothing we wouldn't be able to accomplish" Naruto said confidently.

"Well you gotta admire his self belief but I still think we should make a plan" Jiraiya chuckled.

**End Chapter!**

**Bridging chapter, not all too much happened but things should become interesting again soon. I know this was a pretty laid back Arc but it was really just to reintroduce the characters. **


	41. Hunting Kyuubi

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 41: Hunting Kyuubi.**

Several days had passed since Naruto had returned from Kiri and during that time he had spent most of it either relaxing or going over notes and jutsu scrolls.

There was an undeniable sense of frustration within the group. Mostly because they had been cooped up inside for the last few days waiting for orders from Jiraiya or Itachi.

"I don't get it, why are we simply waiting around doing nothing?" Zabuza moaned on the fifth day since their return from Kiri.

"I'm sure Jiraiya-sama has his reasons, I expect that we are waiting for something" Akaru said.

"Well I thought we had plans in the Land of Lightning, isn't this just a waste of time?" Zabuza replied.

Itachi had entered the room just in time to catch the end of what Zabuza was saying. "We are waiting for news on the Akatsuki. They are hunting jinchuuriki and we have a rather large supply of them, rushing off without precaution would be rather dangerous" he said.

Garra looked up, his interest in the conversation now peeked by the mention of the group hunting the jinchuuriki. "Have you discovered anything yet?" he asked Itachi.

"Not yet, but Jiraiya has people looking into it. If there is no sign of movement by tomorrow we are going to move towards a the hideout in the Land of Lightning and begin planing how to steal the seven tools of the Rikudou Sennin" Itachi said.

Gaara nodded and turned his attention back to his lunch. "I see, I will be glad when they have been dealt with. It will allow us to work in peace" he said before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Meanwhile downstairs in the bedroom area Fuu, Akimi and Haku were having a similar conversation. "I hope we get some work soon, its been nice relaxing and all but we haven't even been able to go out in case Jiraiya-sama finally gives us orders" Haku said.

"I don't mind so much, but we hardly see Naruto or Jiraiya-sama at all, apart from dinner times. They have just been cooped up in their rooms or in the training area. I wonder what they are doing?" Fuu said.

"Who knows but if they are training then I want to go train as well, I don't want Naruto to get any further away from me" Akimi said.

Haku chuckled. "With how much he has improved since he left I really can't see you defeating him... maybe you should set your sights a little lower first, like Gaara, you have not been able to defeat him in quite some time" she said.

"No I'm not interested in defeating Garra. Besides you would be upset if I kicked your boyfriends ass" Akimi said.

Haku blushed heavily "We're not, l-like th-that, we are just g-g-good friends" she spluttered.

"Yeah friends who do everything together... and I mean everything!" Akimi said making the innuendo completely obvious.

Fuu couldn't help but give a light giggle and Haku the normally cold as ice kunoichi looked as though she was about to catch fire due to her heavy blush.

Upstairs in a large underground training area Jiraiya and Naruto had were standing together, a small amount of blood was coming from the Toad Sages mouth but he was smiling. "Good match Gaki, and it looks like our exit strategy will work perfectly" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, with any luck we won't need to use it, but as long as we know it will work we should be able to get the job done easily enough" Naruto said.

"So you think we can pull this off? We're going up against one of the five big villages, this won't be as easy as taking out a bunch of unprepared missing ninja or even ninja from smaller hidden villages" Jiraiya said.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "We can do this, I have no doubt in my mind about that! All we need is the proper distraction and to find out where the items are kept, it shouldn't be too difficult" he said a hint of determination in his voice that showed just how serious he was.

"Then I guess we better get to work then" Jiraiya said and after wiping the blood away from his mouth the pair set off downstairs.

(Land of Spring)

Two ninja in black cloaks with red clouds walked through once snow covered fields towards a village that was not to far in the distance.

"Do you really think that we will find anything out in a backward country like this one?" Kisame asked.

"I don't know, but this is the only lead that we have. Someone in this village will know after all the Daimyo was installed by the so called hero" Hiruko said.

"So basically we're just going to walk in and demand they tell us everything they know?" Kisame asked.

"In essence yes, I do not want any more delay's it has been three years since we had a decent lead" Hiruko replied.

Kisame smiled his very shark like smile. "And what if they refuse to tell us anything?" he said.

"Then we make them, I'm tired of staying in the shadows just to please Pein-sama. They will tell us what we want to know or they will find out why the Akatsuki are to be feared" Hiruko said.

Kisame's smile grew making him look even more like the monster he was known as in Kiri. "Ah it's about time. I haven't had any fun in awhile... I'm sorta hoping they refuse to tell us anything" he said a hint of blood thirst in his voice.

"We won't kill anyone unless it is necessary" Hiruko said flatly and continued walking.

They continued on in silence until they made it to the gates of the village where they were stopped by two armed guards. "Hold it, what is your purpose in coming to this village" one of the guards said.

"We are looking for a friend of ours" Hiruko said expressionlessly.

"I see and you are sure they are here?" the guard asked.

"Not at all, we are looking for him and we heard rumors that he was here just a few months ago and we are hoping someone knows where he is now" Hiruko added.

The guards still didn't seem to trust the two Akatsuki ninja, mostly due to the intimidating form of Kisame holding Samehada "Hm well what is the name of the person you are looking for?" the apparent leader of the pair of guards asked.

"I believe it was Naruto Uzumaki" Hiruko said.

"Well I'm sorry but there are no Uzumaki in this village. And the only Naruto we seen left months ago and his name was Namikaze not Uzumaki" the guard said.

Kisame's eyes widened but Hiruko remained as calm as ever. "Where did he go!" the shorter member ordered.

"Uh we don't know, he left with his sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin. Not even Kazahana-sama knows where they are now. They said something about not wanting people to be able to track them" the guard admitted.

"I see, so he isn't here... That is to be expected, Kisame let's go" Hiruko said flatly.

"Huh why? They could be lying! Don't you want to search the village at all?" Kisame asked as he followed after his small partner clearly upset he didn't get to destroy anything.

"They were not lying, what they told us makes a lot of sense. Uzumaki was a name given to him as a child, and if he is indeed related to the Yondaime Hokage it's not a big surprise that my old friend Jiraiya is involved somewhere. It also explains why he has been so difficult to find. If there is anyone at all who would know about what the Akatsuki are trying to do it would be Jiraiya" Hiruko explained not looking back at Kisame who was still clearly up set at the complete lack of destruction caused by their short visit.

Kisame fumed for awhile longer but eventually calmed down. "So now what do do we do then? Jiraiya is not someone that will be easily defeated. If the Kyuubi is with him then it will be much harder than we anticipated. He is not someone either of us can challenge without help" he said.

"We will have to cope, the boy can't have Jiraiya with him at all times. But I think Pein-sama should be informed of this development. He may even have some leads to follow," Hiruko said.

(**Meanwhile**)

In the Yoinokuchi hideout Jiraiya had the group sitting around a table with a map of the Land of Lightning and a smaller map of Kumo in the center.

"Good you're all here. I'm sorry you have all been stuck here while we finished planning the extraction of the Rikudou Sennin's tools. But everything is prepared now" the toad sage said happily.

"You know I'm all for a good fight, but this mission sounds like suicide" Zabuza said.

"Hardly, we have it planned by the time they discover the objects missing we will be long gone" Naruto said.

"What about the guards, the locations they are hidden are well protected and at the first sign of trouble the Raikage and jinchuuriki show up, along with the Elite jounin" Akaru said, knowing first hand the emergency protocols of Kumo having once been an elite jounin under the previous Raikage.

"Itachi sensei and I will be dealing with that, we are going to cause a bit of a scene in the center of the village. We will do our best to keep civilians out of the area so casualties should be at a minimum" Naruto answered.

"That's fine, but the objects aren't exactly easy to get too they are all kept in different locations if the two of you are going to stall the Raikage and the other elite ninja then we will be one man short" Akaru explained.

"True, I will be going after two of the targets. And to locate them Itachi and Naruto will go in early and scout the area. Although I do not think it will be that much of a problem to locate them" Jiraiya said.

"Why is that?" Gaara asked.

"That's an easy question. Kumo have become arrogant lately, they think nothing can touch them. As such they have been showing the seven tools of the sage off to the public in order to generate extra funds for their military. They are making our job easy" Jiraiya explained with a chuckle.

"Hm that will make them easier to take but what about an escape, it won't take long for reinforcements so arrive once they find out what is actually going on" Gaara said.

"Don't worry Gaara, I have that covered" Naruto said before creating eight short black chakra rods that fit perfectly into a kunai pouch. "With these I will be able to summon everyone back to a safe location outside of the village once they locate and steal their objective, or if they are in trouble. All you need to do is stab yourself with the chakra rod and I will be able to lock onto your positions and summon you too me" he explained.

"But you will be fighting the Raikage, are you sure that's safe?" Fuu asked.

"I'll use a clone of course. I will pump it full of enough chakra to get the job done easily" Naruto said.

"Well then what are we waiting for! It will feel great to take Kumo down a peg. I'm in for sure!" Akimi said loudly earning a laugh from Naruto and Jiraiya.

"This is still a very risky mission... But I'm not going to let my little sister go without me" Akaru said.

One by one the others all agreed to help Naruto and Jiraiya, and it wasn't long before they were all racing away to collect their things so that they could leave the following morning.

Naruto was currently packing a large supply of kunai when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in" he called out. The door opened to reveal Akimi who quickly shut the door behind her. "Hey, come over here I have something for you" Naruto said once he saw who it was.

The kunoichi slowly walked over to Naruto who had a large flat box in his hands. "What's in there?" she asked curiously.

"I won these while we were in Kiri, they are dueling kunai, extra long for use in kenjutsu. I thought they would be something you would find useful a decent close range compliment to your style. I was going to give them to you earlier but I haven't had the chance" he said opening the box to reveal the two dueling kunai each with the symbol for the Land of water on their handle.

"Wow thanks, they look really nice, but I think most boyfriends buy jewelry or flowers for their girlfriends" she said.

"But what's the use of that, this way I will always be useful when ever you are in danger. Besides most girlfriends don't jump at the chance to take on a village full of highly trained ninja" Naruto joked.

"Well I guess it's a good thing neither of us are what you would call normal people" Akimi chuckled before leaning in giving him a quick kiss then a smirk appeared on her face. "You do realize that you just called me your girlfriend... that makes us an official couple. We never talked about it while we were in Kiri."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "I guess you are right, I can live with you being my girlfriend, that is if you don't kill me during a spar" he chuckled.

"Oh we can't have that... It took me five years to get you, I can't have you dying on me... and that's why I want you to rethink this mission in Kumo... It's too dangerous" she replied very seriously.

"But you were the first person to agree to it, why do you want us to pull out of it now?" Naruto asked.

"I agreed to go along because there is no way I'm letting you go without me... but you are talking about fighting the Raikage as well as any other ninja that you can drag to your position with only Itachi as back up... I know you are strong but so are the Kage's. I'm worried that you will be hurt" Akimi admitted.

Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "I will be fine... let me show you something, follow me" he said and grabbing her hand led her out of the room and up to the training ground.

"What are we doing here?" Akimi asked.

"I'm giving you a demonstration as to how I know this mission will work, and why I can promise you that nothing will happen to me" Naruto explained then created a clone that ran to the other side of the hall. "Attack me" he said calmly before folding his arms behind his back.

Akimi shrugged, she trusted Naruto and was never one to turn down an open invitation to attack. Charging forward at close to her top speed she went to punch the blond in the face but a split second before she made contact he disappeared in a puff of smoke and appeared at the other side of the indoor training area.

"You see, even with someone as fast as you are I can summon myself away using a clone along with with my Animal Path. And if you stab yourself with that chakra rod I gave each of you earlier I will be able to summon you as well. Although it may take longer as we wont share ranges of vision. So I won't be able to see what type of danger you may be in, although you will be my top priority as soon as you need to be recalled" Naruto said.

"It's certainly impressive, but their has to be some kind of restriction" Akimi said.

"There is, although not for me. I can be summoned to anywhere that my clone is but for everyone else there is a radius of about thirty five miles which will easily cover Kumo, it used to be only ten but I have been training to improve the range" Naruto assured Akimi.

Akimi smirked now able to see why Naruto was so confident that they would successfully steal from Kumo and escape without a trace. "You know, you are too powerful for your own good, it's quite annoying, how am I supposed to compete as your equal?" she said with a fake pout.

Naruto laughed. "You just need to get stronger, or maybe you are just weak" Naruto joked.

A tic mark appeared on the young kunoichis head. "That's it I'm kicking your ass!" she yelled knowing Naruto was joking as she attacked halfheartedly.

Naruto did nothing but block her attacks as they each had matching smirks on their faces. "You will need to do better than that" he said sliding out of the way of a punch before grabbing her wrist. "Do I need to tie my arms behind my back?" he whispered into her ear before whipping her around so that he was hugging her from behind. "You didn't really think that would hit me did you" he added quietly, his breath causing Akimi to squirm although not enough to be considered a valid attempt to break free.

"I'll make you pay" she replied although any harshness she attempted to put into the statement was prevented when Naruto kissed the back of her neck before gently nibbling on her earlobe and she couldn't help but let out a small moan of pleasure. '_Damn it, where did he learn how to do that_' she thought when she realized that she had become putty in his arms.

'_Wow that actually worked, I didn't think those books of Jiraiya's would have anything that would actually work on women_' Naruto thought. He had secretly began reading one of Jiraiya's books, mostly to find out about how his parents met, but he also thought it might actually have some pointers on how to go about pleasing a woman which he hadn't even thought about until he kissed the young kunoichi in his arms for the first time.

Quickly Naruto released Akimi and jumped back causing the latter to fall unceremoniously on the ground. "Hey what the hell, you can't just drop me, we were in the middle of something!" she yelled her annoyance at the blond returning although for a completely different reason.

The moment she finished yelling however she noticed that Naruto wasn't paying attention. He was looking at the door which was closed. She was just about to start yelling again when the door opened and in walked Gaara. "Hey Gaara, we were just finishing off a little spar, you can have the room now" Naruto said with a smile.

"Ah I see, thank you. Jiraiya-sama had a suggestion for a new way that I could use my sand in battle and I was just coming up here to start developing a new jutsu" Gaara said.

"Ah cool, what are you trying to do?" Naruto asked.

"Basically I want to spread my sand over a large area and use it to create clones all over the battlefield made of sand that way no matter how fast someone is I will always be in range" Gaara explained.

Naruto raised his eyebrows if appreciation. "If you can get that down effectively that would become quite the jutsu... I bet Jiraiya would know lots of ways to help you get it down quicker, but I doubt he would tell you. He always make's me figure things out for myself, says that you will become stronger if you struggle and figure things out for yourself rather than have them gifted to you" he said.

"Yes he said something similar when I asked how he would go about performing such a task. It pains me to say that I agree with his logic, by not helping me in this task it will help build the chakra control I need to use it effectively once I get the basics down" the former Suna jinchuuriki explained.

"Well we should probably leave and let you get to work then" Akimi said.

"Yeah she's right, good luck with your training Gaara" Naruto said before he left the room followed closely by the dark haired kunoichi.

"Well, I better get back to collecting my things I will need in Kumo" Naruto said casually as he walked back towards his room.

"What, that's all you can say after what you just did to me?" Akimi demanded in a huff.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, we were sparing and you lost" Naruto replied before a smirk crossed his face. "And I didn't even have to throw a punch" he added before leaving the still flustered kunoichi by entering his bedroom.

(Unknown Location)

the spectral figures of Kisame, Hiruko and Pein along with a dark blue haired kunoichi stood on several fingers of the large statue.

It was Pein who spoke first. "So tell me, what did you find in the Land of Spring?"

"The Kyuubi jinchuuriki was their a few months ago but has moved on" Kisame said.

"And that is all the information you have discovered?" the woman asked condescendingly.

"Did we say that? No we found out who he is traveling with. It's someone that you I know very well, the Toad Sage Jiraiya" Hiruko said.

"This is rather troubling news, Jiraiya is not someone who is to be approached without caution. Nevertheless if need be I will take care of the Kyuubi child and dispose of Jiraiya myself" Pein said.

The woman standing beside Pein sent him a glance that seemed to be filled with worry and was about to say something when Kisame cut her off. "So where should we start searching? I mean who would know where he hides out!"

Pein closed his eyes in thought. "There are several people who might know something of Jiraiya's whereabouts, his former team members Orochimaru and Tsunade. The only other place would be the Land of Water, Jiraiya played a part in ending the civil war that tore up the country" Pein said.

"Hm Orochimaru huh, sounds like that could be some fun, what about it Hiruko, you want to pay the snake a visit?" Kisame said.

"Hm, he would be more likely to keep tabs on Jiraiya than Tsunade and she is the Hokage, we can't simply walk into Konoha again. However it may take some time tracking him down" Hiruko said.

"It's the best lead we have, and I wouldn't mind taking that traitorous bastard out once and for all!" Kisame said with his very shark like grin.

"Yes, I agree, it's definitely the best chance we have at finding the Kyuubi's current location" Hiruko sighed.

"Well then, you are in luck... Sasori is supposed to meet up with a spy he has planted within Orochimaru's men in around ten days. At Tenchi Bridge within Grass Country, you can have the spy lead you to Orochimaru, whether you kill him or not is of little consequence to me" Pein said.

"Very well, we will inform you of how our mission goes" Hiruko said then the pair faded from view.

Once the other had left the woman turned to Pein "Were you serious? Would you really kill Jiraiya sensei?" she asked.

"Jiraiya sensei will have a choice, he no longer works for Konoha therefore he could become a valuable ally for us. He will have to choose between the Kyuubi child and us. If he chooses wrong then he will be dealt with the same as any other who opposes us" Pein said calmly.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry it's taking longer than usual to upload, I'm really busy, lots of people are looking for bands to play at end of year functions at the moment so I have not had as much time to write. Curse of being a part time musician once the Xmas and New Years period is over the update speed should return to normal.**


	42. Infiltration

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 42: Infiltration**

In a small valley within the mountainous regions of the Land of Lightning a group of eight ninja all in long white robes were moving towards a small flat cliff side that despite looking like any ordinary part of the terrain opened up to reveal a hideout only just big enough for the group. It was designed like a small shared apartment with a living area that had a small kitchen as well as six largish bedrooms, meaning several people would have to share. Or at least they would have if two of the members were not leaving very shortly to continue their journey towards Kumo.

"Well it's not anywhere near as big as our main base, but I guess it will do for a few days until we are ready for the attack" Jiraiya said as he looked around the noticeably smaller living area that six of the eight ninja would have to share.

Naruto chuckled. "Well just be ready, I'll send you a message with a toad when we find the items locations, and place to set up our distraction."

Jiraiya nodded. "Alright, bust make sure you get the Raikage and Both jinchuuriki to you if they are in the village that is. If any of run into them it would be rather problematic. Especially if we run into the Hachibi host, he has full control of his Bijuu and I have heard they are rather friendly with each other" the Toad Sage lectured.

I do not believe that will be a problem Jiraiya-sama. I have full confidence that Naruto and I can complete this task with very few difficulties" Itachi said.

"Geez why do you always have to be so formal Itachi sensei" Naruto sighed in exasperation at how Itachi would always be so formal.

"Because it is important to keep your mind on the mission at hand, a formal approach makes sure I stay focused on what is at hand" Itachi said.

"Ah geez here we go again, I am focused, and I'm not all stiff like you are" Naruto said.

"You are hardly focused" Itachi said flatly.

"I'm focused I know exactly what my mission is, and I wont forget it!" Naruto said defensively.

"I see" Itachi said and quickly slapped the blond in the back of the head. "It seems you are not all that focused or I wouldn't have been able to do that" he smirked.

The other members of the group all laughed at Naruto who was flustered and red from embarrassment. "How was I supposed to know you were going to hit me, that's totally unfair! I could have stopped you if I wanted too!" he spluttered while Itachi seemed to be completely uninterested in the young blond.

"Alright as amusing as this this, you two had better get going, the longer we stay in the Land of Lightning the more likely it is that we will be discovered here. There is not as good of a defensive barrier here as in the main hideout, it is possible that a scouting party could sense our chakra with so many of us here, so we will need to keep it suppressed" Jiraiya said.

"Alright, let's go Itachi sensei" Naruto said while he was still grumbling about the stoic Uchiha slapping him moments earlier an audible monologue that continued until the pair had left the others in the underground base.

"So what do you think the best way to get into Kumo would be?" Naruto asked once he had finally given up on his brooding.

"I think we will use the front gate... it's been awhile since I have used my genjutsu on someone other than you or Jiraiya-sama" Itachi replied.

Naruto nodded his head in acceptance, agreeing that it was probably the safest bet. "Guess it will be easier that way, I just hope they don't have a genjutsu type ninja on guard duty or we might have some problems" he said voicing his agreement.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Are you doubting my abilities? I would have thought you of all people would be well aware that my ocular genjutsu are second to none I am sure I will be able to handle the guards" he said. It was not arrogance that made him say it, it was confidence, Naruto was not the only one who had improved from their training sessions after all.

Naruto shuddered thinking about the last time he had been trapped in one of Itachi's more powerful genjutsu... They were really something special his normal genjutsu had almost made it to the same level as his Tsukuyomi although he was of course unable to control time and the world completely, they were still formidable to both detect and escape from. "Not at all, guess I should have remembered who I was talking to. We shouldn't have any problems" Naruto said hoping that his sensei wouldn't use this as a reason to demonstrate any of the jutsu on him.

Itachi smiled slightly, the frantic tone of Naruto's voice gave what he was thinking about away. "Well as long as you are confident that we will succeed I guess I don't need to try out a few as a warm up" he said enjoying the look of relief on the young jinchuuriki's face. He knew it wasn't that Naruto couldn't break out of them. He was one of the few people that could, but it was because of this that Itachi always made the genjutsu extra disturbing just for him to make it more difficult to escape from.

"It will be a couple of hours if we continue at this speed... Shall we take it up a notch?" Naruto asked after awhile.

Itachi thought about it for a moment. They were going at a decent speed already one that most ninja would consider fast, but he also knew they could go much faster if they wanted although it would cause some minor exhaustion. Eventually though he agreed and simply nodded his head and kicked off at a rate that made the previous speed look like a snails pace. Naruto smiled and followed after his sensei.

(**Somewhere in the Land of Grass**)

Two ninja in long black cloaks with red clouds were walking through a small forested area. "Sasori-sama, what are we doing here! shouldn't we be in the Land of Fire looking for the Ichibi? This is well out of our way" the tall blond Akatsuki member asked the tone of his voice clearly indicating that he was rather bored.

"I need to be here, I have a contact within Orochimaru's ninja that I plan to meet with... although knowing that snake he will have found out he is a spy and will follow... which is just perfect for me!" the shorter Akatsuki member who seemed to be wider than he was tall said.

"Ah I get it... You know that Orochimaru would have found him out by now so you are using this to draw him out so you can kill him. Nice thinking Sasori-sama" the tall blond said with an appreciative smirk.

They both stopped however when they felt two more large chakra signatures approaching them. "Ah what the hell do these two want" Deidara spat with a small amount of venom.

"I do not know, but they better not be here to waste our time, I am not in the mood for time wasters" Sasori grumbled darkly.

A dark chuckle erupted from the treeline in front of them and out stepped two more Akatsuki members. "Now is that anyway to treat a comrade... although I guess I can't really talk considering how many of my own I have killed over the years" Kisame said giving a very shark like grin.

"What do you two want?" Deidara asked. It was not often more than one Akatsuki cell was in any one place.

"We are here to question Orochimaru on the whereabouts of Jiraiya. We are going to exchange his life for the information we need" Hiruko said.

"Fuck off, we are going to kill him for betraying us!" Sasori said angrily.

"He can lead us to the Kyuubi... we need him alive, as unfortunate as that may be. I'm sure you will have other chances to kill the snake" Hiruko said.

"Well we should at least get the ring from him. It will make sealing the Bijuu much faster" Kisame interjected, earning approving nods from the other members.

"I guess with the four of us it will not be all that difficult to deal with Orochimaru. He will also be easier to deal with if he genuinely fears for his life" Sasori said begrudgingly.

"So when do you meet up with this so called spy?" Kisame asked curiously wondering just how long this unorthodox four man Akatsuki cell would be together.

"The end of this week. But I want to get there a few days early so we can scout the area, we don't want him fleeing on us so it's best if we get the area covered" Sasori said.

"I agree, we don't need any more screw ups where my old friend is concerned" Hiruko said.

An uneasy silence fell over the four ninja and after a few moments Sasori simply turned and began walking in the direction of Tenchi bridge. The others following behind but the silence remained until it slowly became comfortable.

(**Outside** **Kumo Main Gate**)

Naruto and Itachi were walking through thick cloud cover as they ran up the steep paths that led to the village that was hidden high in the mountain tops of the Land of Lightning. Naruto was just about to complain about how long it was taking to get to Kumo when they burst through the clouds and came to a peak of the mountainous region that looked down upon Kumo.

"Well it's smaller than Konoha and Kiri" Naruto said as he examined the village from the peak.

"Yes there are far less civilians that live in Kumo due to the high altitude. But their military force is comparable in size and only second in strength to Konoha's. This will not be an easy operation but I think we can cope" Itachi said.

They descended a small way down to the gate of the village where a few people were entering the village to deliver mission requests as well as a few of business men and travelers. Naruto and Itachi had their hoods raised so they couldn't be identified from afar and got into line with the other people entering the village.

It didn't take long for the tow Yoinokuchi ninja to make their way to the gate where a tall dark skinned ninja with pure white hair was ushering people into the village after checking their passports to make sure they were not spy's from rival villages.

Itachi handed his passport over to the ninja who's eyes widened upon seeing the name. He quickly looked up ready to call the other guards for assistance but the moment he looked into the face of the stoic Uchiha the urgency and shock that was so evident on the guards face completely vanished replaced with a look of utter boredom and detachment that only came from receiving gate guard duty.

Naruto couldn't help but shake his head as the guard stamped both of their passports without a second glance and ushered them both to enter Kumo. Once they were far enough away from the gate Naruto turned to Itachi. "So how long will that genjutsu last?" the blond asked.

"For as long as we are in or around Kumo. As far as he is concerned he just let in two traveling salesmen. But once the genjutsu drops he will know that I was here" Itachi said.

"So where should we start our search?.. They shouldn't be hard to find considering what we were told about them showing them off to the public" Naruto asked.

"Maybe we should split up and search, although to be on the safe side I think you should use an unbreakable Henge to in case they recognize those eyes of yours. The Shodai Raikage was obsessed with the Rikudou sennin so if there was ever a chance that someone would recognize the Rinnegan it would be here" Itachi said.

Naruto groaned, he didn't like hiding the fact that he had the Rinnegan, it was a source of great pride for Naruto but he had to agree with Itachi's reasoning and he didn't want the mission to fail just because he was too proud to use Tsunade's undetectable and unbreakable Henge. "Yeah alright, I'll henge into a local I guess" he sighed and slowly his eyes changed to dark brown along with his skin tone and his hair turned pure white. He looked very similar to the guard who had let him into the village and a large portion of the population of Kumo. although his face still held the same shape as his own. "What do you think?"

"I think you look like a very tanned younger version of Jiraiya-sama. Although it is a suitable disguise. We will meet back here once we locate all of the items, you search the southern half of the village and I will take the north... let's go" Itachi said and without even waiting for Naruto to respond disappeared.

Fortunately for the pair the items were not difficult to find and two were even located close to each other within a large shrine in the center of the village. Kokinjo (Golden Canopy Rope), and the Benihisago (Crimson Gourd were kept close together). The Banana Palm Fan, Bashosen was kept in a shrine that held unique weapons used by legendary ninja, Naruto was surprised to see a three pronged kunai that had once been his fathers in a cabinet although from the looks of it the seals had burned themselves off or had been removed as as to prevent anyone from attempting to steal the jutsu. By far the most difficult to obtain was going to be the Amber purifying pot. It was used my Kumo to seal a Bijuu away before they had an appropriate host and due to it's importance was surrounded by high levels of security. The Shakujo (Monk Staff) was in a shrine that was dedicated to the Rikudou Sennin himself. There were several objects that were said to have been owned by the sage at one point. Naruto thought most of the stuff was simply speculation however as he had felt an attraction to the legendary tools but the other stuff in the shine he had felt nothing.

Itachi had found the other two. The Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) was held outside of the main Armory which would prove to be almost as difficult to obtain as the Amber Purifying Pot. The final member was ironically placed in a shrine for Ginkaku and Kinkaku, the brothers who had stolen five of seven tools with them only being retrieved after their death's. They were the first people to be able to successfully wield more than one of the tools and when they came to steal the tools they only left the Amber Purifying Pot and the item that sat in their shrine, due to the higher levels of security. And the Six Tomoe Necklace, the reason because there is no sign of what the necklace does but it drains the wearers chakra as rapidly as the others.

After returning to the meeting point Naruto and Itachi exchanged the information on what they had found. It seemed rather straight forward but they both knew their job wasn't over yet.

Itachi was the first to speak. "We need to come back at night time and check what the security is like... if we attempt the heist in the day too many innocents will be hurt. We will need to get all the information we can on guard movements and what other defenses they have in place" he said going over the plan for the next few days.

Naruto nodded in understanding. He didn't want any of his friends to be taking any unnecessary risks if he could help it so the more information they were able to gather the safer the others would be once the mission began. "So I guess this means we are going to spend the next few nights observing the protection they have put in place" he said.

"Hm no we will do it tonight then double check everything tomorrow so we can attack the day after... we will use clones to watch over them all at the same time. I will take three and you can take four. You have more chakra than I do" Itachi said.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. We should get to marking the location of the targets on the map of Kumo" Naruto said.

(Elsewhere)

Two Ninja who both considered themselves as immortals had just crossed the border into the Land of Lightning.

"We are taking too long, why do you have to go after every single high paying bounty that you can think of huh! We had the money we need to bribe the members of Kumo's council ages ago, we are supposed to be looking for jinchuuriki not searching for retired ninja!" the tall silver haired Akatsuki member said.

"Money makes the world go round, the more money we collect the easier our job will be. So shut up before I kill you, Hidan" the man with bright green eyes and a Taki forehead protector said.

"Yeah like you could although it's not like you haven't tried. I swear Kakuzu, if you decapitate me seven or eight more times I'm going to have to retaliate" Hidan said.

"Just shut up Hidan!, of all my past partners that I have killed you are the most infuriating" Kakuzu replied.

"Fuck you! You're just saying that because you know that you can't kill me... let's just get to the Ambush zone already so we can send the mission request along with the bribe for them to send the Nibi jinchuuriki to us... I mean for fuck's sake we are supposed to be hunting jinchuuriki and we seem to hunt everything except our targets. To me that just say's we are bad at our job if it was up to me we would have had the bitch captured long ago" Hidan said dragging his three bladed scythe along the a cliff face as if to emphasize his point.

Hidan was just about to start complaining again when he felt a blade go through his chest and into his heat. "I told you to Shut up!" Kakuzu growled taking his hand away leaving the kunai lodged into Hidan's heart.

"Ow, that fucking Hurt!" Hidan yelled as he yanked the blade out from his chest, the cut bled for a second before sealing up as if nothing had happened at all.

Kakuzu growled in response and continued walking paying no attention to Hidan who was yelling at him for trying to kill him again.

That night in Kumo Naruto and Itachi split up once more with the help of their clones they began watching the area's that held the tools that they wanted. As Naruto had predicted the Amber Purifying Pot was easily best protected with a squad of Anbu with a commander and Captain there at all times. The others on his watch were protected mostly just by chunin and every so often a jounin would check on the others.

Itachi was watching the Seven Star Sword, the Six Tomoe Necklace and the Monk staff Shakujo. While they were not protected with anything higher than the standard squads the Seven Star Sword would prove to be a difficult to capture due to it's proximity to the Anbu Armory.

"So what did you find out?" Itachi asked.

"Seems pretty straight forward. I guess they don't really think they can be stolen due to the immense amount of chakra it takes to wield them. The only seals that I could see that protected them were alarm seals that would alert Kumo's troops" Naruto replied.

Itachi nodded. "I saw the same seal, it makes sense considering that the average ninja cannot hold even a single one the tools for more than a minute without suffering from chakra exhaustion. You need at least elite jounin level reserves to use even a single one making them nothing more than an effective way to drain your chakra to almost zero" he said.

"True but for jinchuuriki and the in our group we shouldn't have a problem with that. Besides all they need to do is go in grab the items then stab themselves with the fragment of chakra rod they are given and my clone will summon them out" Naruto said confidently.

"I agree, but I do not think they were expecting someone with your particular skill set to be targeting them" Itachi said with a slight smile.

Naruto smiled back thankful for the small compliment. "Well all the better for us then...Let's go find a good place that we can set up our distraction" Naruto said as he walked off towards the center of the village.

The city square was all but abandoned, just like they had hoped. The only people there were two chunin that were passing through whilst on their patrol. "Man this place has way more guards than Kiri and Konoha have, what's the deal?" Naruto whispered from where the two ninja were hiding.

"Kumo are far more militaristic than the other countries, even Iwa have been fairly lax due to this being a time of relative peace. Kumo on the other hand have continued to build their military and go to extreme measures to increase their own strength. Such as kidnapping ninja with Kekkei Genkai from other nations. They were desperate to get their hands on the Hyuuga's Byakugan before the new Raikage came into power" Itachi explained then a small smile graced his face. "This is however good for us because late at night civilians are not allowed to move around the village freely and are restricted to certain area's... perfect for us" he added.

Naruto nodded in understanding. "So that means that this would be a perfect spot for us to launch our attack then?" he asked.

"Yes, this is a perfect spot, it's close to the Kage tower, meaning that the Raikage will be able to see the attack from his office" Itachi said.

The two Yoinokuchi ninja seemed to fade back into the shadows and disappeared sneaking back to their hotel rooms. They followed the same process the next night to make sure there were no changes in the guards or difficulties that they might face and once they were satisfied they met up again in a well hidden area near the town square.

"I'll send a message to Jiraiya sensei, giving him the information and time of the attack" Naruto said.

"Tomorrow at nine thirty... that's when the defenses are weakest due to the change in shift" Itachi reminded his young team member.

"I know, don't worry. It's all in here" Naruto said showing a scroll that had everything that they had discovered stored inside. "Summoning Jutsu" Naruto said and when the smoke cleared a large dark orange toad.

"Heya Boss, what'cha need?" the toad said in a friendly manner.

"Hey Kichi, I need you to take something to Jiraiya sensei. Can you do that for me?" Naruto asked.

"Sure thing, I'm just glad to have been summoned for once, you always use your own summons and dad is quite annoyed" Gamakichi replied.

Naruto scratched the back of his head not sure how to respond to that. "But I didn't think Gamabunta liked being summoned anyway?" Naruto said eventually.

"Well that's true... But he doesn't like to think he isn't needed" Gamakichi stated.

Both Naruto and Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "Wow I didn't think he was self conscious like that... tell him I will summon him next time I need a large summon" Naruto said before handing over the scroll to the toad who swallowed it for storage. "So take that to Jiraiya for me, I will try and summon you so we can hang out next time" Naruto said.

"Sounds cool... Seeya Boss!" Gamakichi said and gave Naruto a high five before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Well now that's taken care of, we should probably get some rest. We are going to need all the strength we can get when we take on the Raikage" Itachi said.

Naruto agreed and the pair left quietly to spend some time relaxing before they needed to meet up with the other members of there group.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay action next chapter I promise. Also I hope you don't mind me showing the interactions of the Akatsuki. I thought it would be a good idea to use them as a reference point to whereabouts the story is along the Shippuden time line. Main focus next chapter will be on Naruto and Itachi vs A and the two jinchuuriki but I will have small fights with the others probably slightly more for the more difficult targets which I think I will give to Gaara and either Zabuza or Akaru. Haven't decided on that yet. **

**Also sorry if there are more grammar mistakes in this chapter. I have been on the road with a band filling in for there keyboardist and today was the first chance I have had to write all week so I wanted to get a chapter done quick. **


	43. The Snakes Forced Cooperation

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 43: The Snakes Forced Cooperation**

Jiraiya was sitting at a table in his room going through the notes he had taken as inspiration for his next novel, at several points he would stop and give a perverted giggle, needless to say these incidences quickly found there way into the pile that he would almost definitely use in his next masterpiece.

Suddenly there was a large puff of smoke and in the center of his room sat a large orange toad wearing a dark blue vest. "Yo Jiraiya-sama!" the toad said.

"Oh hey Gamakichi I take it Naruto sent you with the information we need?" the Toad Sage asked curiously.

Gamakichi nodded slowly before opening his mouth and using his long tongue withdrew the scroll that Naruto had given him. "This what you looking for?" the large toad replied.

Jiraiya reached out and took the scroll which was surprisingly dry despite being inside of a human sized toad for an extended period of time. Unrolling it he quickly glanced over the contents of the scroll. "Yeah this is what we needed, thanks Gamakichi you can go now" he said while tossing the large Toad a cupcake that he had on his desk just in case the toad Naruto sent was Gamakichi's snack obsessed brother.

"Thanks for the feed Jiraiya-sama, catch'ya later" Gamakichi said and with a friendly wave disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Toad Sage then reluctantly put is 'research' away and started carefully going through the notes that had been gathered by Naruto and Itachi. '_Seems pretty straight forward other than the Amber Purifying Pot I can't see us having much of a problem in getting the items. And there is even two that are close together which will make my job easier_' he thought.

Rolling up the scroll he stood up and left his room to gather the others for a briefing. It didn't take long to gather everybody, the smaller hideout and the fact that they were in a potentially hostile country made the six remaining shinobi all stay within the larger living area.

"Good news, we received the information and everything is good to go" Jiraiya said cheerfully as he entered the room.

"It's about time, I'm seriously getting sick of being shut inside" Zabuza grumbled.

"It was to be expected that they would take a few days to make sure that an attack would be at all possible" Gaara said wisely.

Jiraiya nodded in agreement before unfolding the scroll in his hand on the center table so that everyone could get a good look. "It's a fairly straight forward snatch and run. We enter pick up our target then use the chakra rods to be summoned along with the tool to safety" he explained.

The group nodded as they went through the list of locations and protections placed on the items that they desired. "So who gets what... item?" Akaru asked once he finished reading.

"Good question, Itachi has recommended Gaara take the Amber Purifying Pot, as he is the next strongest after Naruto, Itachi and Myself" Jiraiya said to which there were some disagreeing murmers from Zabuza who didn't like to admit he wasn't stronger than someone half his age. And also Akimi who thought she could defeat Gaara despite trying and failing on many occasions. "Don't worry you two will have your hands full as well" Jiriaya chuckled after seeing their reactions. "Zabuza you will be taking the Seven Star Sword, you are perfect for this task because it is highly possible that many of the first teams to respond to the attack will be in the area and you will be able to use your Hidden Mist jutsu to either take them out or sneak by" he continued.

Zabuza's expression changed from annoyed to eager. Despite calming down over the last few years with the Yoinokuchi, he still loved a good fight. And this promised to be just that. "Sound's like I am going to get to have some fun... good thing too, a bunch of chunin and maybe the odd jounin isn't interesting enough for me" he said with a smile that seemed appropriate for his Demon of the Mist title.

"Well that's fine for you, but hat about the rest of us? We get stuck with the reject bin" Akimi said.

"I am sure that it won't be all that easy. And you will need to keep all the chakra that you can, for anyone other than Gaara, Naruto and Fuu using the tools would be impossible. Many ninja can't even life them without experiencing chakra exhaustion. Even with Senjutsu it wouldn't be smart for me to use more than one of the tools" Jiraiya explained.

"It will be fine, Kumo chunin and jounin are not to be underestimated. And Gaara and Zabuza are best suited for the tasks they were given" Fuu said.

After that they divided up the remaining tasks with Jiraiya taking on the two tools that were placed closest together. Once that was finished they all left to their rooms and began to prepare for the shortish journey from the hideout to Kumo.

(Tenchi Bridge)

A lone man stood in the center of a large wooden bridge that spread over a deep gully. The man himself was not that tall and had long light gray hair that he wore in a loose ponytail that ran down his back. He wore circular glasses and a dark purple shirt and pants.

The man looked around nervously as though he was waiting for something. What he was waiting for was a man, at least it looked like a man. Hunched over and almost as round as he was tall a single cloaked figure stalked out from the tree line and approached.

"Ah Sasori-sama it is good to see you" the man said.

"Cram it Kabuto... Were you followed?" Sasori asked grumpily.

"Of course not, but I can't be gone long, Orochimaru doesn't let his subordinates out for long, especially not me, I'm far to useful in helping with his experiments" Kabuto said.

"Then where is Orochimaru now?" Sasori asked.

"Back at the base I presume" Kabuto said his voice strictly business like.

"He's lying!" came a new silky voice from the underside of the bridge.

"Huh who's there! Sasori-sama, you said you would be coming alone!" Kabuto said.

"And I believe your orders were to not be followed, but I guess that is what you did seeing as you were not followed but led Orochimaru here so you could kill Sasori... Looks like you lost your spy some time ago eh Sasori" the voice said again before the form of Hiruko casually walked up from the underside of the bridge.

Kabuto was sweating, unsure as to how this newcomer knew such a thing. "I.. I don't know what you are talking about" Kabuto said remaining as calm as possible.

"Oh there is no point in lying anymore Kabuto, you won't be able to trick Hiruko... he was never much of a ninja, but it was never possible to lie to him, he always knew somehow" the silky voice of Orochimaru called out from the other side of the bridge. "Well isn't this a friendly reunion, my old friend and the inspiration for my work from Konoha, and my old Akatsuki partner together... I guess Pein figured you work well with people from Konoha huh!" he said in a very snake like hiss.

"Tell me, old friend, how is it going trying to duplicate my bloodline transfer? Surely you would have completed it by now" Hiruko said in an almost taunting manner.

"I have no interest in that form of bloodline duplication, I am going after immortality, something that you never even thought of attempting. Although I guess what is the use of being immortal when you were so very weak, that's why you became a scientist and did all those experiments on the chimera bloodline jutsu... You wanted a bloodline so that you could be a ninja like myself, Tsunade and even that idiot Jiraiya. But I do have to thank you for one thing, all of your hidden labs around Konoha were just the thing I needed when I began my own experiments" Orochimaru said.

Kabuto saw that he had an opening and leaped back over to where Orochimaru was staying to remove himself from harms way. "Orochimaru-sama, it is too dangerous to attempt to take on two members of the Akatsuki, and should we kill both of them the others will be hunting you even more vigorously, I suggest we fall back for now" the snakes subordinate suggested.

I don't think so, yeah" came a new voice this time rising up from a tree behind Orochimaru and Kabuto was Deidara on a large clay bird. And on the ground Kisame made his appearance known as well. "Why if it isn't snake face, how's it going!" the shark like man said with a toothy grin.

"My this is unprecedented, four members of the Akatsuki here together in the same place, and only here to kill me? I feel slightly honored" Orochimaru sneered. He was calm on the outside but inside he knew this was not a battle that he could win.

Deidara was the first to answer. "Well, at first we came to kill you, yeah! But we got new orders that we would allow you to live, at least for today on two conditions" the Iwa bomber called out.

"Really, and what is it that you want from me?" Orochimaru asked with an arched eyebrow.

It was Hiruko that answered this time. "We need information on the whereabouts of Jiraiya and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Also your Akatsuki ring, we want it back."

Orochimaru seemed to process this information, on the one hand he knew that giving the Akatsuki the ring would help them seal the Bijuu. But he also knew that if the Akatsuki went after Naruto and Jiraiya then there was a very decent chance that they would be down quite a few members. "Hm I guess I have no choice" he said begrudgingly. "I don't know all that much, but I have been keeping some tabs on my old teammate and his new associates. I think the Akatsuki will be interested in knowing that it is not just the Kyuubi that follows that old fool around. With him are also the Ichibi and Nanabi jinchuuriki" Orochimaru said enjoying the looks of shock on the less emotionally stable members of the Akatsuki group, namely Deidara and Kisame.

"This both complicates things and makes them easier. My target is the Kyuubi, Deidara's is the Ichibi and Kakuzu is going after the Nanabi. With the three pairs of us we can deal with Jiraiya and the Bijuu" Hiruko said.

"Ah yes, but they are not alone. With them are for or five ninja that are at the very least elite jounin in level, including Zabuza Momoichi, and Itachi Uchiha" Orochimaru said.

Kisame let out a low whistle. "The kid who took out the entire Uchiha Clan! That's some serious firepower they have with them" the shark said in appreciation of the group that Jiraiya had put together.

Orochimaru chuckled and gave his lips a small lick. "Indeed, which is why I have been doing my best to keep an eye on them, they have some rather unique bloodlines that I wouldn't mind getting my hands on. Although I have to admit it is too dangerous to simply attack to steal what I want" '_Although I'm not foolish enough to take on the Kyuubi child, his level of skill and power would be more than a match for Pein himself... not that I am going to tell them that_' he thought with a smirk.

"This is useful information, but where is their hideout!" Hiruko demanded.

Orochimaru scowled at this. "unfortunately I do not know, all I do know is that they mostly operate in the land of fire and have some leeway with Konoha about how they operate some jobs that are either too difficult or troublesome that are sent to Konoha are often sent to them. I believe Kiri has a similar deal in place with them" he said.

"I see, well then, if we can just get our ring back then you are free to go" Hiruko said.

"How do we know you will simply let us leave once we give it to you?" Kabuto said.

"You don't but considering we could just kill you now and take it anyway, I don't think that you have much of a choice but to trust us" Hiruko said calmly.

Orochimaru grit his teeth, for the shortest of moments he thought of summoning Manda so that he could escape but decided against it as he might not even get the chance to finish his hand seals while he was facing off against four S ranked Missing Ninja. So he begrudgingly removed his ring and placed it in his palm. "Clear me a path and I will drop it on the ground" he said indicating that he wanted Kisame and Deidara to move out of the way.

They accepted easily enough and moved to the side of the bridge where Sasori and Hiruko stood. "Now give us the ring, don't try to run" Sasori said.

"Very well, take it!" Orochimaru said tossing the ring over to the group where Kisame grabbed it easily. "Final word of warning, don't underestimate the Kyuubi brat, he is not one to be taken lightly. But I'm sure you will find that out for yourselves" Orochimaru said and he began backing away from the four Akatsuki ninja, Kabuto following close behind.

Finally the snake was out of sight and he wasted little time fleeing the area heading back to his base. Once he was gone Deidara voiced his disapproval. "I can't believe we are just letting him get away like that, we should have killed him, he needs to pay for betraying us!"

"I don't know why you are so obsessed with killing him, if he didn't leave you wouldn't even be a member of the Akatsuki,or if you were you would be partnered with Kakuzu and would have been killed by now" Kisame said with a shark like grin.

"Eh I'm not afraid of that damn zombie, I just want to prove I am stronger than the members of the Sannin, I was only a kid during the war, but I really wanted to be the one that took them down" Deidara said.

"Maybe you are upset because Iwa lost, although that was because of Minato Namikaze, not the Sannin" Hiruko said expressionlessly.

"Well I guess I lucked out and the Kyuubi got to him first, yeah. Still doesn't mean I can't take on the Sannin and Orochimaru is the perfect place to start, yeah" Deidara explained.

"You really think you are good enough to take out those three, you're pushing your luck with Orochimaru, but don't forget that Jiraiya is considered the strongest, and Tsunade has a jutsu that makes it almost impossible for her to die in battle. You will need to be far stronger if you want to be able to defeat them in a fight to the death" Hiruko said.

"Ah what do you know, it's just like that fucking snake said, you were a scientist, you only held the rank of chunin in Konoha before you left" Deidara taunted.

"And now I'm considerably stronger than you are, you would do well to remember that, after all all the clay you have is useless against someone with my level of Raiton manipulation. You should know your place... come Kisame, we are leaving" Hiruko said and stalked off.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming. So where are we heading to now?" the shark like man asked curiously as they left the bridge.

"We need to pass this information on to Pein-sama. He would be interested to know the kind of company the Kyuubi jinchuuriki keeps" Hiruko said before the pair descended into silence.

(Outside Kumo)

Naruto and Itachi had left Kumo to meet up with the other members of the Yoinokuchi. Arriving at the meeting point Naruto and Itachi were not waiting long before the other members arrived. After quickly going through the plan they divided the items up with Haku used as back up. "I don't get it, there are enough of us to get all off the items, why am I being used as support? Not that I really mind" Haku said.

"It's not like we think you are not strong enough to take one of them yourself, it's just we need someone that is able to back up the others in case something out of the ordinary happens" Itachi said.

"I agree, if something happens we will need you as support to help us out. Actually I think you should stay fairly close to me, one of my old teammates is a very gifted sensor, as soon as I stop hiding my chakra signature he will be able to find right away" Akaru said.

"Hm, that's a good idea, Haku you're going to stay close to Akaru. If his old team show up you are to go after the Banana Palm Fan while he distracts them" Jiraiya said.

"Very well that is an acceptable condition. I will stay back from the fighting in any event just in case I am needed elsewhere" Haku said.

"Alright now that that's settled with, does everyone know where they need to be?" Jiraiya asked.

There was a nod of the head by the people in the group and they all decided to make there way back into the village and wait for night to fall.

They spent the rest of the day relaxing Jiraiya and Zabuza who were both well known in Kiri used henge's to prevent from being recognized when ever they were in area's with ninja but soon gave up and returned to Naruto's hotel room while the others went to inspect their targets.

(**That Night, Raikage's office**)

A tall blond woman with her hair wrapped in a long tight ponytail was standing in front of a desk. Behind it sat a heavily tanned older man with white hair that was slicked back and a small goatee. He didn't wear a shirt and that showed off his massive muscle bound body, in fact the kunoichi had little doubt that his biceps would be bigger than her head when he flexed.

Behind him stood another tall dark skinned man. On his right shoulder, he has a tattoo of the kanji for "Iron", with another tattoo of a bull horn on his left cheek. He wore oval shaped sunglasses that were dark enough to completely hide his eyes and his forehead protector was on a white ribbon that matched the color of his hair, he also wore a white vest and scarf along with matching arm and shin guards.

"A-sama if I may ask why have I been summoned?" the kunoichi asked in a respectful manner.

The man sitting behind the desk nodded and took out a folder. "We have a solo mission for you, it's nothing too difficult, just some punk mercenaries giving a town a hard time, they requested help from only one ninja so that it wouldn't look like they hired a team, and upon discussion with the elders and the counsel you were chosen, Yugito" A said.

"I see, so it's just a bunch of mercenaries? What about ninja, are there any ninja among there numbers? I will need to know so I can prepare myself" Yugito said.

"Yo! Some thing don't smell right, allowing Yugito to go with no back up just ain't bright!" the man with the glasses said.

"I agree she should have some back up Bee, but several of the counsel members were adamant, they saw this as a perfect opportunity to show off the strength of Kumo, and I agree, a mission like this should be no problem for someone like Yugito" A said.

"Very well, I accept the mission. I'll leave immediately, all of my things are already packed" she said and with a bow she turned to leave, the three of them were completely unaware that at that same moment not too far away two hooded figures in white robes were entering the town square as a shadow clone scaled the walls of the village.

Yugito had just opened the door to allow the two guards back inside when a huge explosion rocked the village. "What the fuck!" she yelled completely spooked turning to the window where a massive cloud of dust was rising up.

"Shee!, can you tell me what caused that?" the Raikage yelled standing from behind his desk.

Shee was a young man with short blond hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and a white flack jacket that only had one arm strap. "I will check it out now A-sama" he said before closing his eyes and performing a hand seal. A couple of seconds later his eyes opened from shock. "There are two of them, both have incredible chakra reserves, but the younger ones dwarf even Bee-sama's it's like nothing I have ever felt before the only thing that it reminds me of is a Bijuu" he said.

"Then that's all I need to know! Bee, Yugito, follow me, we are going to make these two pay for what they have done!" A said before bursting through the wall.

Bee got into the mood quickly and broke another hole for himself as he jumped out following his brother with a "Wheee!" yell in both in anticipation for a fight and eager to see who it was who actually had a chakra signature that was more powerful than his own.

Yugito was the last to leave and she shook her head at the antics of the two muscle clad brothers. "Looks like you will have to rebuild again, I feel sorry for Mabui-chan, I don't know why she agreed to be the Raikage's assistant, all she ever does is clean up after him" she sighed before taking off after the other two.

All that remained in the office was Shee and his partner a tanned ninja with a white hair that covered his left eye, he wore the standard Kumo jounin uniform much like Shee. "Well, look's like they have gone, should we follow them?" the man asked.

"No, Darui. We should stay here and keep anyone who comes informed of what's happening. I'll keep an eye on proceedings with my sensory skills" Shee answered, and quickly went to work reactivating his sensory jutsu. "They are almost there, and … … No way!"

"Huh what is it?" Darui asked getting ready to run out to help his Kage if they were in trouble.

"It's... our old team mate Akaru! He's inside Kumo, his chakra signature just came out of nowhere, but why would he risk coming back here!" Shee said in confusion.

"I don't know, what should we do?" Darui asked his hands in his pockets like he really didn't care about the return of the third member of his team.

"One of us need's to go confront him... he seems to be making his way towards... The Banana Palm Fan!" Shee said.

Darui sighed and made his way to the door. "I'll go, you just keep an eye on A-sama, although I don't think he will have all that much trouble" he said lazily before closing the door behind him.

(**Former Town Square**)

The dust had finally cleared to reveal a massive crater right where the center of the village once stood. Floating in the air above the crater and slowly descending was Naruto, who seemed almost embarrassed at the damage he had caused.

"Well, at least you would have gotten the Raikage's attention, but that was a much lager blast than I had expected" the voice of Itachi called out from atop of a large building at the edge of the circle of destruction.

"Yeah I guess I went a little overboard huh," Naruto chuckled sheepishly rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"There here" Itachi said quickly and Naruto nodding having also felt the approaching chakra signatures.

Naruto moved to stand beside Itachi just as the Raikage and both jinchuuriki landed together at the opposite side of the crater. "Well that make's things easier, they all showed up together" Naruto whispered to Itachi.

Itachi was about to respond when he was cut off. "Who do you think you are attacking Kumo,you must have a death wish to be so foolish!" A yelled.

"I don't, but that would be assuming you and those two jinchuuriki have the ability to kill us" Naruto said deciding that he would stall for a little bit.

"The short guy is funny yo, too bad he has got to go!" Bee rapped.

"Bee shut up with your rapping, do you want them to think we are idiots!" Yugito yelled.

"It doesn't matter what they think, we are the Hachibi and Nibi, jinchuuriki there luck must be really poor, because there about to hear the Hachibi roar!" Bee rapped in reply.

"He's right, strong or not they will pay for destroying part of this village!" A added.

Yugito still didn't seem quite sure, there was something off about the two ninja standing opposite her, but at the same time she knew how strong Bee and A were. "Alright then... Well we won't get anywhere just talking! Katon: Mouse Hairball!" she yelled while finishing up her jutsu. A large horde of mice made of flamed all shot forward towards Naruto and Itachi.

Itachi jumped back but Naruto stood his ground and watched as the multitude of flaming mice descended upon him. The three Kumo ninja saw that Naruto was surrounded and each had a confident smirk on their faces. However it was short lived as the moment the flaming mouse touched Naruto, rather than exploding in a massive blast it was simply absorbed into his body. "Pathetic, I hope you can do better than that" Naruto said hoping to goad the three Kumo ninja into making a mistake, a skill Itachi taught him, although it did have the downside of making him seem arrogant.

"Impossible! He absorbed the attack, does that mean all ninjutsu are useless against him?" Yugito asked frozen in shock at the fact one of her strongest attacks was just absorbed into Naruto without troubling him at all.

"Who are you!" A demanded loudly. Naruto didn't answer and just stood there as Itachi returned to stand beside him. "You cowards, at least show me your faces, I want to know who it is that I am about to kill.

Naruto and Itachi looked at each other and shrugged. "Very well" they both said and raised there hoods to show there faces Naruto's Rinnegan slightly illuminated from the chakra Naruto was channeling into it to observe the chakra flow of the three ninja to help predict any attack's

"Whoa, the kid's eyes glow, that's one freaky show" Bee rapped.

'**Bee that kid is dangerous, A one on one fight is not on, you will need both your brother and the Nibi to take him out**' the Hachibi said urgently.

'_What's up Hach, he's just some punk kid not even a good catch_' Bee replied in thought.

'**That is not an ordinary kid, I remember those eyes, even if I can't remember seeing them before... the kid possesses the Rinnegan, the Dojutsu of the Rikudou Sennin**' Hachibi said.

"Rinnegan!" Bee exclaimed out loud shocking both A and Yugito who was in the middle of an inner monologue with Nibi at the same time but Nibi did not have the same amount of knowledge as the Hachibi.

"What are you talking about Bee?" A said.

"Hachibi said this kid's eyes are the Rinnegan!" Bee said, once again shocking both A and Yugito although this time it was because Bee didn't rap for once.

'**That's not all Bee, I also sense Kyuubi's chakra coming from the same child. It's kept at bay so I would say that the child does not have anywhere near as good control of his Bijuu as you and Yugito do. But that doesn't mean he can't use it if he needs too**' Hachibi said.

"Oh I see, the kid's also the container of Mr Nine, fighting a fellow jinchuuriki is going to be such a pain" Bee said loudly.

"Does this kid have any other secrets? It's going to be a shame to kill such a child. With the Rinnegan should he ever get control of his Bijuu he would be the perfect host. In any event, we are to kill him but don't damage those eyes of his!" A ordered. He then sparked to life with Raiton chakra dancing around him like a jinchuuriki chakra cloak. "Let's go!" he Yelled and shot forward at Naruto but the blond was able to just narrowly avoid the attack. "Impressive you were able to avoid my Raiton armor at fifty percent. Not bad kid" A said slightly impressed at Naruto's speed.

'Shit that was close, he's even faster than Akimi-chan I'm going to have to watch myself against him and if that was only half of his top speed I might even need to use one of my trump cards against him' Naruto thought as he created several clones and sent them to stand atop several tall buildings that surrounded the crater. "Alright old man Raikage, show me what you got!" Naruto said.

"Wait Naruto-kun, let me take him, I'm more suited to deal with a taijutsu type like him. You just take care of those two" Itachi said expressionlessly.

"You sure Itachi sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, but remember to be careful the Raikage's brother has full control over the Hachibi's power and Yugito Nii is close to that achievement herself" Itachi said before activating his sharingan and jumping in between Naruto and A. "Your fight's with me now... Amaterasu."

**End Chapter!**

**I know I promised some action, but I never planned on adding the scene at Tenchi Bridge until after this, but I also thought that I needed something to break up the scenes so it didn't jump hours ahead just like that too many times. I hope you all enjoyed it anyway. **

**Anyway next chapter should be just about all fighting so yeah. Naruto Vs Bee and Yugito, Itachi Vs A, Gaara Vs Anbu squad, Akaru Vs Darui plus the others taking the tools. Any request's for what you ant to see in the fights I will consider them. **


	44. Battlefield Kumo Pt 1

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 4****4 Battlefield Kumo Pt 1**

Black flames shot forward from the stoic Uchiha's eyes crashing toward the Raikage who used his superior speed to avoid the blaze which seemed to continue to burn on the edge of the crater despitenot having anything to fuel the fire.

"You, I know those eyes, your an Uchiha! And here I thought you were all dead" A said angrily as he glared at Itachi who stood staring at A stoically despite the small amount of blood escaping from the eye that had used Amaterasu.

"There are a few of us left, I couldn't go and kill myself after all" Itachi said calmly.

"Ah of course, Itachi Uchiha, missing ninja of Konoha. We will get a nice price for your head... But tell me, who is your friend with the Rinnegan, surely not another missing ninja?" A asked.

"Not exactly, although he is from Konoha" Itachi said calmly.

"How could Konoha let a child with those eyes escape them, they really have gone down hill" A said smugly.

"Perhaps, but it's never a good idea to think one village is superior to another it leads to their downfall, just like my clan" Itachi said.

"Is that why you massacred them? Because they thought they were superior, well I must say you are a unique one, Itachi Uchiha" A said.

"That's right, the Uchiha clan were arrogant, they believed they were untouchable and superior to the other clans of Konoha. I punished them for that reason" Itachi replied.

A nodded. "Enough of this... prepare to die Uchiha!" A roared and shot forward at a blistering speed slamming his arm right through Itachi however rather than collapsing Itachi continued to gaze at the Raikage with mild interest on his face before dissolving into a black liquid that spread over a large area before he reformed in several areas around the shocked Raikage. 'What jutsu is this, it doesn't feel like a genjutsu' he thought.

How wrong he was. In fact, A hadn't even moved since he dodged the Amaterasu, and he stood almost immobilized. "I hope he has a lot of experience in breaking genjutsu, otherwise he won't last long against Itachi sensei" Naruto said with a mild look of interest as the Raikage seemed to be in the middle of a fierce battle withing his head.

"I would worry about yourself before A-sama" Yugito said. She then flung two kunai at Naruto in a single swift movement.

Naruto quickly drew a chakra rod from thin air and parried the two kunai. But was almost cleaned up by Bee who was already using two tails of Hachibi's chakra. Only the extra points of view provided by the clones on the buildings kept him safe. "Look's like you're a fast one as well" Naruto said as he turned to Bee.

Yugito saw that Naruto had turned his attention away from her and shot forward as fast as she could without using her Bijuu to attack Naruto's blind side.

Naruto however ducked under the Nibi host's attack before spinning around and planted his fist into her stomach sending her flying back crashing through the wall of a building. Naruto wasn't foolish enough to think that she had been defeated so easily but guessed that she would be out for long enough for him to test out Killer Bee.

'_That's impossible, to be able to counter Yugito's attack like that it doesn't seem probable_' Bee rapped in thought.

'**Bee can you stop with the rapping for a couple of minutes, I told you that fighting against this guy is not a smart move one on one, you need to go help Yugito**' Hachibi said.

'_No problem'o, I'll just give this guy a taste of my speed and we will beat him down, blam'o_' Bee rapped in reply before shooting off towards where Yugito had crashed through a building.

Naruto saw what Bee was trying to do and easily intercepted him. Naruto ducked under a lariat that bee attempted to strike him with and grabbed his leg to toss him away. He only went about a meter however, the moment Naruto tossed him several octopus tentacles shot out from his body and dug into the ground. "Well that's something you don't see everyday" Naruto mused as be shot forward and the pair engaged in a fast paced taijutsu match.

(**With Gaara**)

The former Suna jinchuuriki stalked towards his target, his sand helped him avoid any ninja who were rapidly flocking toward the center of the village where Naruto and Itachi were currently keeping the key Kumo ninja busy.

After a short while he reached his destination, the Anbu team he had been told about were on guard and looked as though they were ready for anything. Gaara's sand began to circulate around him as he stalked forward into the view of the guards.

The Anbu commander seemed confused by Gaara's sudden appearance. "What the hell, who's that?"

Gaara's face remained calm as he moved to stand in front of the Anbu team. "I'm here for the Amber Purifying Pot, I recommend you get out of my way I have no desire to harm any of you" Gaara said expressionlessly.

"Huh, yeah right kid, if you think you are going to take something that is a symbol of Kumo then you are dreaming. There is no way we are letting you take it, as long as we are able to fight then there is no way you are getting the Amber Purifying Pot!" a yellow masked Anbu said, determination evident in his voice.

Gaara just stood still as his sand continued to swirl around him. "Very well" he said calmly. The moment he finished speaking his sand shot forward and formed a large fist that struck the yellow masked Anbu in the chest knocking him out and sending him flying away.

The other Anbu ninja saw this and quickly jumped away, launching a hail of kunai at Gaara from every angle.

Gaara however stood his ground and as the kunai approached his sand acted on it's own accord to block the blades with ease shocking the Anbu ninja that remained conscious.

Suddenly the Anbu commander shot forward performing hand seals. "Katon: Flame Hound" he yelled before spewing out a large stream of flames that took the form of a massive dog that towered over Gaara.

For the first time since arriving Gaara moved, jumping up onto a building to get to eye height of the flaming spectral hound. The dog shot forward and Gaara responded by sending a torrent of his sand toward the creature. Flame fought the sand but slowly Gaara's sand overpowered the formidable jutsu.

The jounin commander stood wide eyed as he watched the display of power from the former Suna jinchuuriki. '_Impossible_' he thought unable to contain the awe he felt from seeing Gaara's power.

Thinking that Gaara was open another yellow masked Anbu shot forward from behind him kunai in hand. He was about an inch away from driving the blade into the back of Gaara's spine when his arm was stopped by sand that was quickly spreading up his arm. Panicking the Anbu ninja attempted to jump back but the sand seemed to hold him in place as it continued to spread up his arm until it was completely covered.

Gaara slowly raised his arm to his side, and as if in slow motion clenched his fist. The moment his hand closed the Anbu with his arm contained in sand let out a sickening scream and blood shot everywhere before the vice like sand finally gave way allowing the man to jump back.

The Anbu staggered as he inspected the damage done, his arm was lost the bones felt like they had been ground to dust and the muscles all torn, it wasn't likely that he would be able to fight again for some time. Slowly the pain became too much and he passed out. The two remaining Anbu were both having the same thought at the current time... '_We are so screwed_'.

(**Meanwhile with Akaru**)

The former Kumo elite jounin had just taken out the last of the guards stationed at his target and was now moving forward to enter the room holding the tool he had been assigned to steal when he felt movement behind him.

"What are you doing here Akaru? I never thought you would be foolish enough to return to Kumo when we are ordered to kill you on sight" the heavily tanned white haired Darui said lazily.

Akaru chuckled and turned to face the Kumo jounin. "Is that anyway to greet an old friend and teammate?" he asked his hand subtly heading for a kunai in his rear pouch.

"We are no longer teammates. And as much as it pains me to do so, killing you is my job" Darui sighed repentantly and drew a sword from his back that unfolded into a large cleaver.

Akaru immediately drew a kunai in each hand and they immediately started to glow from Raiton chakra being channeled into them. "Well I guess it's time we found out which one of us really is the better ninja then" he said quickly sliding into a defensive stance.

Darui sighed. '_Man this is such a bother, but A-sama would punish me if I didn't do my job_,' he thought before charging forward ready to strike with his large cleaver.

Akaru moved to defend the strike but just before their blades met a thick wall of ice shot up between them. "Sorry I'm late Akaru, it was rather difficult to maneuver around the ninja who are running to the center of the village" Haku called out from atop a large building.

"What the! More of you, what are you guys planning anyway?" Darui asked.

"Spoilers" Akaru answered with a smile.

"Spoilers? What are you talking about!" the Kumo jounin replied, his face still giving off the unmistakable air of laziness that could only be bested by a certain clan in Konoha.

"Well if I told you what we were doing, then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it" Akaru answered Darui before turning his attention to Haku. "Haku, you move on towards the target, I'll take care of things here" Akaru said.

Haku nodded knowing that was the agreement that they had come to with the others and jumped off without a word. Once she had made it to the tool she stopped. 'I need to wait for the first alarm to go off from Jiraiya-sama before taking it. Otherwise he might face troubles in getting to his second target' she thought.

Back with Akaru and Darui, once Haku was out of range the large ice wall that had been put up dissolved and Darui was once again free to charge with his large clever sword at Akaru.

The unmistakable sound of metal on metal rang out through the area as Akaru blocked the swing of the massive blade with both of his kunai. Akaru having the extra mobility due to not carrying a cleaver sword, pivoted on one leg to deliver a powerful kick to the side of Darui's chest. Darui however saw the attack coming and deftly vaulted backwards before bringing his blade down in an arching motion as he once again shot forward.

Akaru parried the strike with one kunai and went to land a blow with the other but his arm was kicked away by Darui who was still moving forward and eventually landed a knee into the face of Akaru sending him tumbling back.

The former Kumo jounin tumbled along the ground but managed to roll back into a standing base, although he was now bleeding from the side of his mouth. Rubbing away the blood and spitting out the excess Akaru once again moved into a defensive stance.

"Making me do all the attacking is a real bother, it's not like you at all" Darui mused as he rested the large clever over his right shoulder.

Akaru was in deep thought as he stared intently at his old teammate. '_He has gotten a lot better. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I heard he was the Raikage's right hand man now. But I have to hold him here until all the tools have been taken. Darui would be one of the worst people for anyone to run into... __come on Jiraiya, we need that alarm to go off_' he thought.

Darui removed the blade from his shoulder and stuck it into the ground beside him "I guess you really don't want to attack me... well then" Darui quickly ran through a few hand seals and Akaru's eyes went as wide as they could knowing what was coming. "Ranton: Laser Circus!" thin beams of light shot out from the palms of Darui's hands and flew towards the former Kumo ninja.

Reacting in time due to familiarity with the jutsu Akaru hopped back so as to avoid the blasts that continued to hail down forcing Akaru to keep on the move. He ducked in behind a building to get a small breather, but Darui followed behind him still firing his laser like attacks.

Akaru ran up the wall to avoid the attack and back flipped over to the roof of the opposite building just in time to hear a loud siren go off indicating that the first of the tools had been stolen by Jiraiya. 'It's about time. Now I can go on the offensive' he thought and began running through several hand seals. "Secret Kumo Jutsu: Raiton: Black Habrok!" he yelled and black lightning shot out from his arm and formed a Hawk that took flight and began to swoop down at Darui deftly avoiding the beams of light shot towards it.

Darui saw that he wasn't going to hit the bird with his laser attack and was forced to end his jutsu and jump out of the way, just before the bid hit the ground however it pulled up and once again shot towards Darui. 'Looks like he has gotten better, oh man this if going to be a complete pain in the ass to deal with' he sighed internally as he began to lead the black lightning bird away.

(**Meanwhile**)

The moment the alarm sounded A stirred, the extra stimulation seemed to rouse something. Suddenly everything about the world he was in seemed just slightly off. Not by much just subtly. For example the color of Bee's Yokai cloak as he fought against the blond boy was darker and so was Yugito's. '_This is a multi-layered genjutsu, no wonder I couldn't see it earlier. Ah I should have seen this coming from an Uchiha!_' The Raikage raged inside his head.

Suddenly outside of the genjutsu the Raikage's chakra flared violently and the jutsu broke. Causing Itachi to raise an eyebrow. Sure he didn't use Tsukuyomi but he had made the jutsu he was trapped in very believable. "Clever brat, but that won't work on me again, now it's time to feel the force of my lariat!" A said loudly then quickly reengaged his lightning armor.

Itachi remained calm as A took off in a blur and only widened his eyes as A slammed his fist into the stomach of Itachi. But he didn't go down instead it seemed that Itachi began to swell until he exploded in a ball of flames.

As the smoke cleared A remained standing, although his robes were torn and he had a deep cut on his forehead just above his right eye causing the the right eye, the blood ran down his cheek painting the side of his face red. '_An exploding clone! This kid is really getting on my nerves now_' A thought angrily.

"So that Raiton cloak of yours works as a shield as well, I had not expected that, it's an impressive jutsu, you send the lightning around your body to shield from external damage as well as making your strikes extra dangerous. You also channel the lightning around the synapses of your body to generate incredible speed. It's fortunate for me that I know two ninja that use similar techniques" Itachi called out from where ever he was hiding.

A was getting frustrated and Itachi was using his calm and collected attitude to get into the Raikage's head. He was just about to blow his top in a rage trying to locate the stoic Uchiha when help arrived in the form of Shee. "A-sama, I believe Itachi Uchiha is inside a building to the east... that one!" the blond Kumo jounin yelled arriving at the edge of the battlefield along with a group of Kumo ninja.

A took off and blasted right through the wall of the building, a move that Itachi had not expected the Raikage to make regardless of how aggravated he was. On the plus side while they were inside A's speed was restricted somewhat.

A found Itachi just as the stoic Uchiha finished a set of hand seals. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu" Outside the gathering crowd all gasped out loud as flames erupted from inside the building their Kage had just charged into moments ago.

Itachi felt the building shake and knew it was time to run. Jumping out of the building he had just enough time time turn around before the building came down.

Normally Itachi would have thought the fight over after such an attack, but he knew better than to underestimate the Raikage. And for good reason, no sooner had the building begone to fall than a light blur shot out and crash into Itachi causing rubble to fly everywhere obscuring even Naruto's extensive multiple perspective view of the the Uchiha.

A knew something was wrong. He didn't feel his arm tear through flesh, instead what he his was solid, stronger than steel. And once the dust cleared he along with everyone else watching their Kage's fight was stunned. Itachi was standing in the middle of a large spectral figure of a skeleton.

"What the hell is this!" A said not even trying to hide his shock.

"This is my Susanoo, a secret technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan that requires both eyes" Itachi explained as he picked himself up off the ground. Slowly armor began to from on the spectral figure followed by a shield and finally a sword.

Meanwhile at the other side of the massive crater, Naruto was ducking under a large octopus like tentacle that was attacking from his blind side. Despite the advantage of the extra bodily appendages that Bee would use, Naruto was very much on top in terms of taijutsu. His strength and speed matched Bee's easily and the extra fields of vision allowed for the blond to see any attacks the Hachibi jinchuuriki had planned at all times.

'_The kunoichi has been absent for a really long time, surely I didn't do that much damage with a simple kick?_' Naruto thought as he rolled to the side of a octopus tentacle that narrowly missed him before changing course to wrap around the blonds leg. "Fuck!" Naruto cursed upon seeing that he had been caught.

"Nowhere to run! Now we are going to have some fun" Bee rapped as the tentacle began to drag Naruto towards the large jinchuuriki.

"Oh man I hate having to do this, it feels so weird... Asura Path" Naruto moaned and his leg seemed to detach from where Bee had him trapped revealing a long strip of what looked like explosive projectiles.

"What the fuck? Is this kid some kind of robot or did I just run out of luck?" Bee asked Hachibi in rap form.

Hachibi didn't know how to answer the question as he was not too sure himself. He had never seen a human become part metal before. But the eight tailed Bijuu was shocked even more when rockets seemed to shoot out from the blonds leg and fly towards Bee.

The large Kumo jinchuuriki didn't need telling that the projectiles were dangerous and quickly released his hold on the blonds leg and jumped away the rockets following closely behind. Eventually Naruto's leg retracted and the limb returned to it's natural form.

"Well I'm glad that's over, I can't get used to the sensation of parts of my body turning robotic, it's just weird no matter how many times I use Asura Path" Naruto sighed.

Suddenly he saw something move behind him and quickly rolled out of the way in time to avoid several kunai tossed at his back, a small red flame burning at the tip of each blade. "How... he had his back turned and there wasn't enough chakra in that attack for even the most gifted of sensor's to pick up! On top of that,it was one of my best assassination jutsu. I don't understand how he is able to know every attack before it becomes dangerous" Yugito panted from behind Naruto who slowly turned to face her.

Yugito was in bad shape, she had taken more damage in that first attack than Naruto had anticipated, her shirt was torn in several places and now resembled more a rag that just barely covered her chest, the normally tight ponytail had been ripped open so now her long blond hair fell freely behind her, by the looks of it she had a broken leg and several broken ribs judging by the way she was holding her side while leaning against the rubble of the building she had been sent through.

Naruto had never wanted to hurt either of the jinchuuriki, knowing the hardships they must have gone through in their lives, he had only planned to distract them until all seven alarms had gone off and so far only that of Jiraiya's first, had been stolen due to the fact that nobody had been summoned to go join his original clone just outside the village so far.

It was Hachibi that finally figured out Naruto's secret. '**Bee look at those clones, he created them back before we started fighting but he hasn't done anything with them, all they are doing is looking out over the battlefield**' the Bijuu informed his host.

'_so?_' Bee asked in reply to Hachibi's revelation.

'**So that must be how he is able to see every attack that is coming for him regardless of where they come from. He must share a connected vision with the clones... you need to take them out, so far this boy is only toying with you, he hasn't used a single drop of Kyuubi's chakra nor has he used any jutsu, other than the weird one that made him part metal and the one to absorb Yugito's attack. I know you are holding back as well, but the longer this fight goes the more it plays into his hands... it's time to get serious, and you should start by getting rid of those clones**' Hachibi lectured.

"Alright, I feel ya Hachibi, just leave it to me, the Almighty Killer Bee! Weeeeeeee!" Bee rapped loudly before he regressed into a cocoon of thick chakra.

Naruto felt the massive power increase and turned his attention away from Yugito who also began channeling her Bijuu's chakra healing her injuries. "Looks like they are getting serious. Guess I will have to as well," Naruto said to himself before sitting down cross legged several of his clones followed his lead but others still stood watch. '_I probably don't need to use this, but it's a good opportunity to try it out in a real battle, I mean this is the exact type of situation that the toads thought I might get myself into after all_' Naruto thought and began focusing on the world around him ignoring the building chakra signatures of the Hachibi and Nibi jinchuuriki.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry for the cliff hanger, I wanted to end it half way so I could get some feedback on how you think the fights are progressing... it's really challenging to write four or more different fights in the same chapter and keep them all interesting... so I decided to stop at this point so that I could get what ever criticism people might have about the fights now so I can attempt to fix it next chapter. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and Merry Xmas! hopefully I will be able to get the next chapter out before the New Years, but I have to go visit family and all that so if I'm not able to I hope you understand. Anyway till next time peace out!**


	45. Battlefield Kumo Pt 2

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 45**** Battlefield Kumo Pt 2**

Naruto sat motionless as the cocoon containing the Hachibi jinchuuriki collapsed revealing a large Ox like creature with seven octopus chakra tentacles swaying behind him. On the other side of the clearance Yugito stood with a single tailed first stage Bijuu cloak.

Naruto remained still, legs crossed as he focused on his own chakra. Suddenly, Yugito and Bee charged hoping to take advantage of Naruto's relaxed state. A split second before they struck however Naruto extended both arms and caught the fists of both jinchuuriki with ease before opening his eyes.

Naruto's face had changed somewhat. There were dark oval markings around his eyes and the eyes themselves were no longer purple, his Rinnegan had changed color to now be closer to gold.

"What the hell is this!, is he using the Kyuubi's chakra? It doesn't feel like any Bijuu chakra I've ever felt before, it's far too calm" Yugito asked.

"I don't know, but it certainly ain't just for show" Bee rapped as he jumped back after failing to overpower the younger blond.

'**Bee I told you to go after his clones first, and I can tell you now that what ever he is doing that isn't Kyuubi's power**' Hachibi informed Bee in thought.

'_I heard, but he was wide open yo! If I got that hit in it would have been the end of his show_' Bee rapped in response.

'**Don't you get it, as long as those clones are watching over him he is never going to be open for an attack! You need to get rid of them before even thinking about fighting him**' Hachibi lectured.

"Alright, I get it! Yugito we need to kill the clones, if we don't our chances are worse than shit" Bee said out loud.

"Oh so you figured it out, I figured you would. Too bad with Sage Mode my perception of danger has increased so I no longer need them, but it might be fun to watch, you know see how long the clones can last against you guys" Naruto said with a relaxed chuckle, then as if acting on a command they split up two clones each against the Kumo jinchuuriki while Naruto sat still to keep his sage mode chakra from leaving him.

(**Elsewhere**)

A thick mist rolled in around the Anbu armory, everything was covered and the visibility was incredibly poor.

"Man, I can't see a thing, can you guys?" A chunin on guard said loudly.

"Nah, this mist is just way to thick, it's almost unnatural" another called out.

Little did they know the mist was indeed unnatural, gliding soundlessly through the mist listening to the heart beats of the guards. Unlike several of the other members of the Yoinokuchi Zabuza had no problems in killing anyone who got in the way of his target, and this group of guard were doing just that.

An eery silence fell, not even the sound of the guards talking could be heard, that was until a scream split the air like the crash of thunder.

"What was that?" one of the guards asked in complete shock.

"I think it came from over there?" another called out.

"You know that doesn't really help at all, we cant see more than a foot in front of our faces because of this damn mist" the final guard replied.

A demonic chuckle reverberated around the guards as he pumped out some near overwhelming killer intent. "Oh what do we have here, three terrified little chunin and here I had hoped for a challenge" the disembodied voice of Zabuza laughed out.

"Who's there?" one of the guards asked trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

Once again Zabuza broke out into a fit of disembodied demonic laughter. "Who I am is not important, what is important is what I am going to do to you if you don't leave this place and hand over the Seven Star Sword, I already killed one group of guards, don't make me take out the rest of you" he said enjoying the familiar feeling of terror his victims would exude before he killed them with his massive cleaver.

One of the guards overcame the pressure of Zabuza's killing intent and found his back bone. "I'm not afraid of you, who ever you are you have to deal with the same lack of vision as us, and we still out number you!" he yelled loudly.

"Oh my you are a brave one. But I am afraid that this mist doesn't bother me at all... Allow me to prove my point" Zabuza replied.

'_What does he mean?_' the chunin guard asked himself but the answer came less than a second later as a deep cut appeared on his cheek as a massive blade came out of the mist and hit him with such precision that left the guard with little doubt that he was only alive now because the attacker allowed him to live. '_He was telling the truth, he can find us... and he doesn't even make a sound, if we stay here we will die!_'

"Believe me now?" Zabuza said threateningly. The guard stammered a bit but was not able to get out a coherent word. Zabuza chuckled and hoisted his blade onto his shoulder while getting ready to deliver the killer blow should it be needed. "Last chance, run or die!" Zabuza threatened.

The remaining guards were frightened but they refused to abandon their duty as ninja. Zabuza sighed and took off. The eery silence around the area only broken by the screams of the guards as Zabuza took their lives.

(**With Itachi**)

Another siren rang out over Kumo that caused the Raikage to freeze. Itachi who had helped scout the area knew where it had come from. '_Looks like Zabuza has completed his mission... Two down five to go, I just hope it doesn't take too long, maintaining Susanoo for such a long time will almost certainly cause me to require the eye transplant_' the stoic Uchiha thought.

"That was from the Anbu armory, what are you after? Jutsu, weapons? Either way it's clear that this was just a diversion, but you won't escape with your lives!" A roared and charged Itachi again who easily blocked the strike with his large shield.

Itachi didn't answer the question instead deciding to use his blade to strike at the Raikage who narrowly escaped.

A, not being one to back away pushed more chakra into his lightning armor and with incredible speed got around behind Itachi and slammed his fist into the back of the Susanoo, however the protection it granted the Uchiha was more than enough to withstand the attack now that the jutsu had fully formed.

Itachi spun around faster than A had expected and the large shield collected A and sent him flying away to the other side of the crater where Killer Bee and Yugito had their hands full dealing with Naruto's clones.

"You look like you are having some trouble dealing with Itachi sensei, old man Raikage" Naruto chuckled from where he was sitting maintaining his sage mode while watching his clones frustrate the two jinchuuriki.

"Damn kid!" A roared before pushing off to charge at Naruto.

'_Oh shit!_' Naruto thought but managed to quickly duck under the strike, or so he thought. His long hair that had been tied back in a ponytail like his masters flipped up as he slipped under the attack and it was cut off by A's lightning armor like a hot knife through butter. "Oh man, my hair!" Naruto sighed.

A on the other hand was staring at Naruto's new look. Now short and spiky, at the back it went down to around his shoulders. The front the hair that was now released from its bindings fell to the side of his face framing it making him look just like his father. "It's you... but it cant be! You're dead!" A said loudly.

Naruto who had not seen his new look and how closely he now resembled his father was confused. "Uh, am I missing something?" Naruto asked hoping for some clarification.

"Yondaime Hokage!" A said between clenched teeth. Then he came to his senses. '_No not possible, besides this boy is too young. Not to mention the fact that he has the Rinnegan_' he thought. Then he remembered what Bee said about the young blond being a jinchuuriki. "Ah I get it now... your his son, to think that there is still a living Namikaze. Tell me your name Namikaze brat" A said.

Naruto was impressed that the Raikage had figured it out. "It's Naruto" he said.

"Well Naruto, I'm sure this will be a worthy way to die" A said and was just about to attack Naruto when Itachi landed between them.

"Your fight is with me, or have you forgotten already?" Itachi said expressionlessly as his large spectral blade shot forward causing A to jump away.

"How's it going Itachi? Naruto asked clearly concerned knowing how taxing the Mangekyo Sharingan was on his sensei's body.

"I'm fine, but I doubt my eyes will be of much use when we are finished here" Itachi admitted, knowing the longer the match went on the more his eyesight would deteriorate.

"Well it's a good thing we have a pair waiting for you" Naruto said with a small smirk.

Itachi smiled in reply. "Yes that is certainly a good thing" he said before taking off after the Raikage.

(**Meanwhile**)

Fuu had arrived at her target. Three chunin and a jounin stood on guard in front of the large shrine. The sound of the alarms had put the team on edge and Fuu knew just how to take advantage of that sort of situation.

The Kumo ninja on guard were all standing out the front seemingly prepared for anything when there was a loud clicking sound that sounded like hundreds of beetles. The guards looked at each other trying to find out what was going on when they all fell to the ground fast asleep.

"Well that was too easy, I bet the others aren't going to have such an easy time" Fuu said to herself as she walked out from the shadows inspecting the downed Kumo ninja before grabbing her target.

The second the alarm went off the ninja passed out on the ground awoke. "What the fuck happened" one of them said as he made it to his feet.

"The Alarm!" another said before spinning around to see Fuu standing there with a small smile on her face.

"Sorry, but I have to run, bye!" Fuu said once she realized that her genjutsu had dropped the moment she had picked up her item.

"Oh you're not going anywhere!" one of the chunin said quickly drawing a kunai.

Fuu quickly shoved her hand into her own kunai pouch but rather than draw a kunai she produced a small chakra receiver rod. Both Fuu and the chunin acted at the same time, he threw his kunai and she stabbed herself in the leg shocking the others. The kunai was just about to strike when Fuu suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Fuu arrived at a level area atop a small mountain overlooking Kumo. Looking around she saw Naruto's clone and Zabuza both smiling. Zabuza was holding onto the Seven Star Sword admiring the craftsmanship in the blade. "Great work Fuu, you were the second one done" Naruto said happily. Then his eyes widened and began running through hand seals again and summoned Haku.

"It's about time Haku, I was beginning to think I would have to come down there to help you out" Zabuza said with a smile when he saw his adoptive daughter was safe.

"I take it that Akaru is having some trouble if you had to take his target for him?" Naruto's clone asked.

"So who do you think will be next?" Fuu asked out of curiosity.

"Uh it's hard to tell, Gaara and Jiraiya had the toughest task, but they also had a head start on you guys" Naruto said.

"My money's on Gaara, a bunch of Anbu aren't going to slow that kid down" Zabuza added.

(**Meanwhile**)

the remaining three ninja who were going after their targets were almost finished. Gaara was being frustrated by the remaining two Kumo Anbu that were left and Jiraiya had just arrived at his second target. At that same time Akimi had just knocked the first of the guards unconscious with a chop to the back of the neck.

At the same time Akaru and Darui were matching each other blow for blow. "I expected more from you Darui, you were always sensei's favorite I had expected you to have improved far more than this" Akaru said as they clashed blades.

"I never saw myself as Sandaime-sama's favorite. You were the one who always forced Shee and I to work harder. He just spent more time with me because he knew that I was lazy" Darui admitted before firing a thin blast of laser like chakra at the former Kumo ninja.

Akaru dodged the blast while performing several hand seals of his own before sending two bolts of lightning at Darui who used his large clever to block the attack.

Akaru was about to perform another Raiton jutsu when several kunai shot at him from various angles. He was able to block and dodge most of them, however he still received some deep cuts. Akaru brought up his kunai just in time to deflect a swipe or a thin katana. And kicked off before a second chunin could attack with their own blade.

"Looks like this is no longer a private party" Akaru panted. Blood had started to escape from the various cuts on his body so that his Yoinokuchi cloak as very slowly being painted red. '_This isn't good, I just hope the others have almost finished, because at the very least Darui will be strong enough to at least prevent anyone but Jiraiya-sama from taking their tool, and I won't be able to stay here much longer now that he has back up,_" he thought bitterly

Darui had an almost sad look on his face at the arrival of the other Kumo ninja. "I didn't require your assistance, however it is appreciated" he said halfheartedly.

A jounin landed on a nearby building behind Darui. "Well it appears there are multiple intruders inside Kumo, latest reports show that they are going after the Seven Tools of the great sage. Four of them have already been stolen we were on the way to protect the Amber Purifying Pot when we ran into you fighting, sempai" the jounin informed the group.

"So that's what your after is it Akaru... maybe we should keep this one alive, if the others get away he will be able to lead us to them" Darui said slightly less lazily than normal.

"That would be a wise idea Darui sempai. I request that we do it together" the jounin suggested.

"Very well, I'm sorry to say this, but it's the end of the line for you Akaru" Darui said.

"Well it looks like I have no choice anymore... it's been fun Darui, but I gotta run now. The odds are not looking good for me anymore" Akaru said before taking the chakra rod out of his pouch. "We should do this again sometime, preferably when you don't have a squadron backing you up" he added before digging the chakra rod into his arm.

Darui's eyes widened at the weird comments his old teammate said then widened further when he stabbed himself. "What did that accomplish?" he asked not expecting an answer. However he received an answer moments later when the Kumo missing ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke. '_Looks like he had an escape plan all along... But that means the other tools are probably in danger!_' he thought hen he realized that if they were indeed there for the tools of the Rikudou Sennin then they must have an exit strategy.

(**Elsewhere**)

Akimi had just knocked out the last of the guards and had picked up her target item when three ninja arrived at the entrance to the shrine. "Hey isn't that the run away from our graduating class?" A kunoichi with red hair and yellow eyes not to unlike Akimi's own asked.

"Hey yeah, wow her chest is almost as big as Samui teicho's" a tanned chunin with snow white hair added.

"Will you two shut up!" A second kunoichi said. She had short blond hair and a very generous bust.

Akimi recognized them immediately, they were three shinobi that she had gone to the academy with. "Samui, Omoi, and Karui, never thought I would run into you three. It's been over five years, glad to see you still remember me" she said.

"What are you doing here Akimi?.. Actually you don't need to answer that you still have a capture alive order on your head, so talking would be pointless" Samui said.

"Ouch that's harsh, well if your so set on capturing me then I guess I should probably run then" Akimi said in mock hurt quickly taking out her chakra rod and stabbed it into her leg.

Almost immediately the Swift release kunoichi disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving team Samui completely shocked.

"She got away that easily!" Karui yelled in frustration.

"And she took the Monk Staff, Shakujo. Now she has one of the tools of the Rikudou Sennin, who knows what will happen it now... Maybe she will become super strong and use that staff to take over the world, and we could have stopped her so she makes us her personal slaves while she burns Kumo to the ground" Omoi mused.

"Shut up Omoi! She isn't acting alone. That's the fifth alarm that has gone off since the attack started" Samui said authoritatively.

(**With Naruto**)

Naruto watched in interest as Bee defeated his second clone with a large octopus tentacle. Yugito was still struggling against the last of Naruto's clones. Bee who saw this quickly went over to help the Nibi jinchuuriki.

The clone ducked under the first strike but was soon overwhelmed by the pair and was taken out by a glancing blow to the side by Yugito.

"Well that was fun, but it looks like I had better get serious now" Naruto said as he removed his weighted cloak so he was now standing with long black pants and no shirt on showing off his well toned chest. "Sage Art: Fuuton Almighty breakthrough!" Naruto yelled before performing the seal for wind.

The strength of the wind Naruto sent forward was ripping the ground up as it shot towards both jinchuuriki.

"Woah that's new" Bee said impressed by the power of Naruto's sage chakra powered jutsu.

"I've got this" Yugito said stepping forward quickly running through hand seals. "Katon: Flame Cannon" she yelled before shooting out a large ball of fire at the approaching Fuuton Jutsu.

The two jutsu clashed together and for a split second it looked as though Yugito's Katon jutsu would over power Naruto's. However the added sage chakra more than made up for the elemental disadvantage and fought back. The jutsu was still weakened enough so that it no longer caused the two jinchuuriki any difficulties in standing up against the force of the wind.

"Kid's definitely strong, there is no way that's wrong. But we have to win, to lose here would be a sin" Bee rapped loudly.

"Is he always rapping like that?" Naruto asked Yugito with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Yugito reluctantly nodded. "Yes, I don't even know if he remembers how to talk properly" Yugito sighed.

"I see" Naruto chuckled.

Bee shot forward and extended a tentacle towards Naruto who rolled out of the way, bee however used his tentacle to slam into the ground to propel Bee forward at a faster speed towards Naruto who couldn't escape this time.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said knowing that he couldn't escape the attack this time.

Bee flew back away from Naruto and landed in a heap well behind Yugito.

Naruto shot forward seeing Bee stand up and delivered a knee to the Hachibi jinchuuriki's back.

Yugito stood in shock as Bee was sent flying again. '_He's so fast, I could barely follow his movements. His clones weren't that fast, is it because of his weighted cloak?_' she thought completely shocked by Naruto's strength and speed.

Bee was only saved by his chakra cloak but the power of the attack was still strong enough for him to feel the incredible power behind the strike. The rinnegans ability to give it's wielder super strength along with the added bonus gifted by sage mode gave his punches strength that Tsunade would be jealous of.

Yugito saw that Naruto was getting ready to attack Killer Bee again so she charged forward sending a clawed hand at Naruto who quickly spun in time to see it coming. "Preta Path!" Naruto said loudly and the moment the clawed hand struck it began to dissolve into Naruto's body along with the rest of her chakra cloak.

"Impossible... you just absorbed Nibi's chakra that should kill you!" Yugito said in disbelief.

Naruto's body seemed to surge with the added power, his body felt completely fresh and rejuvenated. "Well this is new, I've never tried absorbing a bijuu's chakra into me before" Naruto said, paying Yugito little attention as she once again activated her chakra cloak.

Bee by this time had picked himself up and was shaking the hit Naruto had delivered off. "What a hit if it wasn't for you Hach-yo I would have been in some serious shit" Bee rapped as he shot forward to land next to Yugito. "What's with you little miss two?" he asked as he inspected her still slightly shocked face.

"H-h-he can absorb our Bijuu's chakra into himself. It doesn't even faze him" the shocked kunoichi stammered.

Naruto not wanting to let the two jinchuuriki regroup shot forward ready to strike at Bee again but this time the large tail blocked the strike however the force of the hit still sent Bee gliding across the ground a small ways. He then spun into a kick into the side of Yugito's ribs which was blocked just in time to save her.

"Damn the only way we stand a chance against this guy is if we transform completely, but we can't do that in the middle of Kumo, there would be nothing left of the village" Yugito panted lightly massaging the arm she used to block Naruto's kick.

Naruto pressed forward throwing another punch at Bee. The Hachibi jinchuuriki slid to the side in an attempt to dodge the attack and deliver his own counter, however his attempt was only partly successful. He dodged the attack but soon he felt a massive force strike the side of his face sending him flying as if he had just taken the hit full on and the large jinchuuriki was sent flying like a rag doll.

In mid flight Bee recovered and readjusted in mid air, using his tails as an anchor in the ground he pulled himself back and charged back at Naruto who took a light hit to the side of the ribs when he failed to get out of the way in time.

'_Kami he just wont stay down will he_' Naruto mused as he began blocking strike after strike from both jinchuuriki using his heightened senses to anticipate the next blow and attempt to counter. '_They make a __pretty damn good team, I don't know many ninja who would be able to hold out for long against them both_' Naruto admitted as he ducked under another strike from Yugito and attempted a leg sweep which she hurdled. Before Naruto could follow up his leg sweep on Yugito he was forced to jump away himself when a large tentacle shot forward at Naruto from his side.

Another siren rang out over the village and Naruto saw Jiraiya arrive through the eyes of his clone. The only one remaining was Gaara who was still being frustrated by the Anbu. Also another team of ninja had shown up to help but they were soon taken care of by Gaara's sand.

'_Six down, come on Gaara it can't be that difficult all of the ninja are here!_' Naruto thought as he looked around the edge of the large area that was once the center of the village to see hundreds of ninja all watching as there top ninja fought against the two intruders.

While Naruto was well on top against the jinchuuriki, Itachi was seemingly in a stalemate with the Raikage. A couldn't breakthrough his Susanoo's armor and at the same time Itachi didn't have the speed to catch the person well known as the fastest man alive. There strikes were like a deadly dance where if one of them made a wrong move they would die.

A would run in and slam his fist into Itachi's Susanoo, only for it to withstand the strike and attempt to strike him with the Shield or Sword of Totsuka. It was a match up to see which one could sustain there jutsu for longer. Unlike most Uchiha, Itachi had healthy reserves, gained from fighting and training Naruto from a young age, you needed to have a high lever of stamina if you wanted to keep up with a young hyperactive jinchuuriki after all.

However Itachi was now painfully aware that his reserves and eyes were approaching there breaking point. He knew this was a possibility from the moment he was forced to use Susanoo but the closer it came the more he knew he needed that last siren to sound so he could escape with at least some eyesight remaining.

Suddenly Itachi's Susanoo slumped over and the armor casing along with his shield and and sword disappeared. 'Looks like I'm just about finished' the stoic Uchiha thought.

Naruto caught this out of the side of his eye and knew as well that Itachi couldn't fight on much longer. "Alright you two, time to end this, we have played long enough" Naruto said before wordlessly using a Shinra Tensei to send both jinchuuriki flying back.

Naruto raised his right hand above his head, then began to channel a large amount of chakra into the palm of his hand until a massive Rasengan formed.

"Whoa look at that momma, it looks like a big blue Bijudamma" Bee rapped admiring the giant spinning ball in Naruto's palm.

The younger blond then extended his other hand so it was stretched out towards Yugito. "Sorry about this, it's nothing personal after all fellow jinchuuriki should look out for each other, but I need to go help Itachi sensei... Bansho Ten'in!" Yugito shot forward drawn by an insurmountable gravitational force and could only widen her eyes as Naruto lowered his other hand and the large spinning ball of chakra began to break though her chakra cloak. "Oodama Rasengan!" Naruto said loudly with a small hint of regret in his voice.

Yugito flew back already unconscious from the strength of the jutsu. Naruto had made sure to cancel the attack before any lasting damage could be done.

Bee went and grabbed Yugito before she landed to make sure she was alright. '**He stopped the jutsu before it could kill her, she's only knocked out**' Hachibi said after quickly assessing the unconscious kunoichi.

'Maybe he's not so bad, he obviously doesn't wont to kill either of us' Bee replied.

'Well he is a jinchuuriki, he can understand the sufferings jinchuuriki have to go through, I think he understands that and feels bad about fighting us. It's clear from the sirens that have been going off that he isn't attacking Kumo for fun, they are after something' Hachibi said.

Bee nodded his head and stood up dropping his chakra cloak. "I give kid, you're good. You spared Yugito when not many would... you win" he said.

Naruto stopped in mid step, he hadn't expected the Hachibi jinchuuriki to admit defeat and mush less to surrender like that. "What you're just going to give up?" he asked completely confused.

"I have no will to fight another jinchuuriki, we should be friends weeeeeeeeeeee!" Killer Bee rapped in reply.

"Huh, you know, I'm not the biggest fan of Kumo ninja, but you're not so bad, Bee. I would be glad to consider you a friend. But won't the Raikage be mad you stopped fighting me?" Naruto said.

"I'll live, besides you spared Yugito so not fighting is my gift to give" Bee rapped.

"Huh oh well, then allow me to give you a warning... There is a group of S class missing ninja called the Akatsuki, they are hunting the jinchuuriki. They want to extract the Bijuu and use them for there own goals. As for what they want them for I couldn't say, but I can tell you that it can't be anything good. I tell you to make sure you don't go on any solo missions without sufficient back up... be careful" Naruto said.

"Good to know, I'll give my bro the info" Bee rapped back.

At that moment Itachi's Susane began to flicker before it finally faded away. "Looks like it's time for us to go" Naruto said. Taking off in the opposite direction so that he could intercept A before he struck at Itachi who seemed to be very disorientated at that point in time. "Sorry I can't let you kill my sensei" Naruto said as he knocked the Raikage off course with a powerful Fuuton jutsu.

Naruto then dropped next to Itachi and formed a chakra rod out of thin air before stabbing the Uchiha in the arm. "Sorry sensei, but you can't fight anymore" Naruto said calmly.

Itachi knew he was right and he didn't complain when Naruto left the chakra rod in his arm for him to be summoned outside of the village.

Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke which greatly frustrated the Raikage. "What the hell was that... Shee find that Uchiha at once, he couldn't have gotten very far!" A called out to the side of the crater where the other ninja were watching the proceedings, too afraid to get in between either of the fights.

"I don't think you will be able to find him. But you're welcome to try" Naruto said seriously staring down the Raikage.

A few seconds passed with A and Naruto staring at each other. Then there was movement at the side of the clearing when Darui landed next to the Raikage. "Darui, what are you doing, can't you see that I am in the middle of something?" A said loudly.

"I know A-sama, but I have information on what the intruders are after" Darui replied.

"Really, and what is it that possessed them to attack Kumo?" A asked.

The Raikage didn't really care what they wanted in Kumo he was more focused on making them pay. That was replaced with shock and anger moments later. "It's the Legendary Tools of the great sage. So far they have taken six and we haven't heard from any of the teams that were sent to the Amber Purifying Pot as back up to the guards posted there" Darui informed A.

"So that's what this was about all along, you and that Uchiha were nothing but a distraction... although I can see why the Tools of the Rikudou Sennin would appeal to someone with the same mutated eyes" A said seething under the surface.

A was just about to charge at Naruto when the final alarm rang out over Kumo. "And that's all seven. Looks like it's time for us to leave" Naruto said and turned to face Bee. "It's been fun Bee, wouldn't mind doing it again some time" he added then with a wave he disappeared.

"Kid's got style" Bee said happily.

(**Outside Kumo**)

the members of the Yoinokuchi stood with the seven tools held by each of there respective ninja who stole them. The largest by far was the Amber Purifying Pot which was held up by Gaara's sand.

"We should start moving, they wont waste time in trying to find us" Jiraiya said seriously.

"He's right, that old man Raikage was pissed when he found out what we had stolen" Naruto chuckled and turned to Itachi. "Are you going to be alright to run on your own Itachi sensei?" Naruto asked.

Itachi nodded. "My eyesight is almost completely gone, but I can still sense where I am going and see basic shapes... I should be fine to continue on my own" he said.

"Alright then, let's move out... Naruto stay with Itachi in case he needs help at any point, when we get back to the Land of Fire were going to need to perform the Eye transplant" Jiraiya said and without any further words the group took off back towards the hideout in the Land of Lightning.

**End Chapter!**

**That was a hard one to write. So many things going on it was hard to make everything fit... I had wanted to do a fight Between Akimi and Samui which was a request made but I couldn't really find time to make it work... if I stretched the attack on Kumo out over another chapter I could have done it. But it's hard to keep multiple fight scenes going at the same time. **

**Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter next couple will most likely be about Itachi getting his new eyes and Kumo looking for Naruto and Itachi.**

**I'll update again a few days after New Years, until then hope you all have a good New Years Eve.**


	46. The Fallout From Kumo

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 4****6: The Fallout from Kumo**

Kumogakure, the Village hidden in the Clouds was in an uproar. All over the village ninja patrolled looking for any sign of the ninja who infiltrated their village and stole some of their most valuable possessions.

While the ninja searched for any trace of the Yoinokuchi, the Raikage was in his office with his advisers along with the other ninja who encountered the invading robbers. "Is there still no sign of them?" A fumed as he impatiently waited for news.

"None as of yet, but by this time they could be at the other side of the Land of lightning, and we are still waiting for Mifune's response to letting our hunter and tracking ninja enter the country" Shee said with a bow.

"Well what do we know about them, surely we could come up with some sort of clue as to where they would be hiding"

"Well, I faced off against Akaru Hayaku, former Kumo elite jounin. But he had back up... I didn't see her face but she used Ice Releases" Darui sighed.

"Hyoton? The only people we have on record of using that are the Yuki clan from Kiri, but they are all but extinct" Yugito said. The Nibi jinchuuriki was alive but she was still injured from her fight with Naruto. Although if you asked her she would say her pride was hurt more than anything else.

"Well I heard that the inhabitants of the Land of Spring use to be able to be use Ice Release but I think that they needed to have the ice there already and couldn't create there own" the Raikage's Assistant added.

"Well this one certainly created ice out of thin air so it would have to be a Yuki" Darui informed the group.

"Hm so we have a former Kumo ninja and a runaway from the bloodline purges... What about the others?" A asked.

"The reports from the Anbu squad members that survived said that the thief that stole the the Amber Purifying Pot, was a teenage boy with a thin build, dark red hair and green eyes" Shee said reading out from a scroll.

"Anything else? Sure we have an appearance, but what about his skills, anything that can tell us where he came from" an elder asked.

"Uh yes, it says that he used sand. His main form of offense and defense was to manipulate sand that he carried around in a gourd on his back... there is only one missing ninja in all the bingo books that matches his profile... Gaara Subaku, son of the Yondaime Kazekage and jinchuuriki of the ichibi" Shee said.

"Anyone else see anything?" A asked.

"Yes Raikage-sama, my team saw Akaru Hayaku's sister Akimi steal one of the tools before she disappeared like the others" Samui said with a respectful bow.

"There are no reports from the other teams, they are either dead or were knocked unconscious without witnessing there attackers. One team were nowhere to be found the only living things we found in the area were four toads that were released into the wild" Shee continued.

"So we have ninja from three villages. And the son of a former Kage... their villages should be informed of this immediately" A said.

"We should also demand action be taken against this group of ninja... they stole valuable artifacts from Kumo" Yugito suggested.

"Out of the question, we do that and the other villages will see it as a sign of weakness, we will inform the other villages that the ninja that attacked us are now wanted criminals in the Land of Lightning but we will not let them know of the crimes they committed in Kumo" one of the elders said authoritatively.

"Now what about the two that acted as the distraction, Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze, what should we do about them, do we go to Konoha and demand their help in locating the pair?" the other elder asked.

"They didn't hurt anyone and that Naruto's cool, to want to hunt him down you must be a fool" Bee spoke up for the first time.

"Bee shut up! It's because of you that Itachi Uchiha was able to escape unharmed!" A yelled.

"He left miss two alive 'n kick'in it's a trade that left Kumo win'in" Bee replied only to be hit on the head by A.

"Bee quit your stupid rapping! Now those two will have to be dealt with, and we will need Konoha's cooperation. However, if that boy is really the son of the Yondaime and we are not willing to give a detailed account of why they attacked and didn't kill anyone then having Konoha help will be difficult to accomplish" A said.

"And what if they refuse to help us? Tracking down the son of a Kage could be grounds for war, and Konoha ninja or not that boy will not want to see Konoha in danger" Yugito said.

"Then we will have to look to other places to help us locate them until the only safe place for him to run too will be Konoha... I think Iwa would like to know that the child of Minato Namikaze is running around the elemental nations with no village supporting him" one of the elders said with a smirk.

A seemed torn, he wanted to find the brat who made a fool out of him, but giving the information to Iwa seemed a little extreme, sure the old man Tsuchikage being a level headed even if stubborn ruler may not hold anything against the boy, but he knew that the vast majority of Iwa ninja would. Any word of the Rinnegan would make Oonoki very interested in finding Naruto. "We will try Konoha, if they prove to be unhelpful then we will discuss our next move then" A said finally.

(**Meanwhile**)

At the end of a secluded valley in the Land of Lightning, the members of the Yoinokuchi sat within there hideout waiting for the ninja activity from Kumo to die down so they could freely move again.

They had thought about moving on to the border of the Land of Iron to escape Kumo's patrols, but Itachi was weak and his eyesight was nearly gone. Add to that Akaru's injuries and the chances of them making it to the border without incident were slim.

Naruto and Jiraiya now stood around a large table that held the seven tools that they had stolen. Both ninja inspecting them thoroughly. "Well, they are not exactly the weapons I would choose in a fight, even if they are insanely powerful" Naruto admitted picking up the Canopy Rope and Banana Palm Fan.

Jiraiya chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, they are strong but lack style, I will give you that. But don't forget this was never about stealing them to use, with the chakra they draw I'm sure even you cannot use them in a drawn out battle" he said.

"Actually I can't feel any draw on my chakra at all, maybe it has something to do with the fact I have so much chakra it doesn't register from only two of the tools?" Naruto suggested.

"Maybe" Jiraiya admitted. "Or maybe it's because of the Rinnegan, you possess the same power that created these objects, and they are responding to that. Like the the chakra rods that you make, only you have the power to use these items effectively?" the Toad Sage Suggested.

"In any case, I don't really want to be weighed down with all of these, although the Six Tomoe Necklace might not be so bad" Naruto admitted sliding the object over his head and letting the tomoe rest against his bare chest.

"So the only object that you are all that interested in, is the one that we have no idea what it does?" Jiraiya asked with a sweat drop.

"Well, we stole them so that we could look into how they were made, so that I could make something for myself. These aren't mine, they are the Rikudou Sennin's, using them all would be like saying that I think I am at the same level, I want to make my own items, but this necklace I will keep with me to honor the Sage of Six Paths... besides, just because Kumo couldn't figure out what it did doesn't mean that I wont, I mean it could be that it only works for people with the Rinnegan, like you said" Naruto explained.

"Hm, so making your own weapon based on the creation of the legendary tools of the Rikudou Sennin, well at least you don't do things half arsed, we better get to work I'm sure there are some clues as to how they were created somewhere" Jiraiya sighed.

"I think we should wait until we get Itachi fixed up, he will be a useful in finding out what needs to be done" Naruto suggested.

"Yeah your right, let's seal the rest of this stuff up until we need it" Jiraiya said and took out a large scroll much like the one he kept on his back and began drawing up a seal matrix.

"Alright I'm going to check on how Akaru is healing, I may know some medical jutsu but it isn't as fast as if we had a proper medic. Still I guess it can't be helped" Naruto sighed.

(**Elsewhere**)

Two ninja sat in wait for the Arrival of there target jinchuuriki, however they were quickly becoming frustrated with the fact that she had yet to show and was now almost two days late.

"Damn this, I could have collected several bounties in the time that this damn jinchuuriki has taken" Kakuzu moaned loudly.

"Well if I don't sacrifice someone to Jashin-sama soon, I'm going to flip, this is so boring" Hidan fumed.

"Shut up Hidan, something must be wrong, we are only a half day's travel from Kumo, and the jinchuuriki still hasn't shown up. This trap wont work now, which means that we bribed them for nothing! We should leave in case those counselors we bribed are planing any more treachery" Kakuzu grumbled.

"Man Pein-sama is not going to like this" Hidan sighed.

"We always predicted Kumo would be the biggest stumbling block with the Hachibi being the Raikage's brother, however this is proving to be far more troublesome than even I predicted. Now we need to think of a new way to get the Nibi out of Kumo without skilled help. But before we do start anything like that, lets check in on the village, maybe there are some clues as to why our target didn't show" Kakuzu ordered.

Hidan Huffed and hurled his large three point scythe over his shoulder. "Well can I at least sacrifice someone to Jashin-sama on our way there?" he whined.

"If we come across any ninja... feel free, I'm in no mood to mess around with staying out of sight, now that our target has escaped us for now" Kakuzu replied as he walked away from the ambush sight they had planed for the Nibi jinchuuriki.

Hidan seemed satisfied with his grumpy companions response and followed happily behind.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout, **_**Land of Lightning**_)

Naruto was sitting in the main living area with most of the other members. Itachi was meditating in a corner with a blindfold on, he wanted to see if he could still fight if the eye transplant didn't work or if he would be forced in the end to take his brothers eyes. Itachi had not quite given up hope for Sasuke, but knew that he was considered a missing ninja and a traitor to Konoha so Itachi was not hopeful that he would be able to rebuild the Uchiha clan. And the more Itachi thought about that prospect the less he seemed to care about it. The Uchiha were arrogant and prided there clan above that of Konoha. Granted that there were some contradictions, his best friend Shisui Uchiha loved Konoha just as much as he did. Then there was Obito, the boy who gave Kakashi his eye, the copy ninja had told him about how Obito valued teamwork above all else and it was because of him that Kakashi valued it so heavily. Those were the people he wanted Sasuke to be like, but in the end he turned out more like his father, willing to abandon anyone should it lead to more power to himself or the Uchiha clan. That was why Itachi was praised above all other Uchiha in the clan, his fathers boasting put him in a spotlight that he never wanted.

The sound of laughing from the table where Naruto, Akimi, Gaara, and Haku sat stirred him from his thoughts. "Geez to think someone who has hated Kumo ninja most of his life would plan out an attack on the village, and then not kill anyone, I think your getting soft!" the voice of Akimi echoed out through the room.

"Well, it's not like I was fighting a couple of chunin, I had to fight against two jinchuuriki, they have been through just as much as I have in there life, I know what it must have been like for them growing up. That's why I couldn't kill them, I may hate Kumo and what they have done, but jinchuuriki should stick together like family, isn't that right Gaara" Naruto said.

A small smirk grew on the former Suna ninja's face. "Well that really depends, from what you told me the Hachibi jinchuuriki was a bit of an idiot, having him as a brother would give us a bad name" Gaara replied.

"Aw he wasn't so bad, he was really strong almost as fast as Akimi and the way he can use his Bijuu, it was like nothing I have ever seen before, I thought Fuu had good control with being able to maintain five tails of chakra, Bee was able to transform into the Mini Bijuu state that I can't control and use it without the Hachibi affecting him at all" Naruto said.

"So he has no ill effects from using the Hachibi's chakra?" Haku asked in wonder. "Gaara, you have enough trouble controlling your single tail" she teased.

"Well, lets just say Shukaku is not an easy person to get along with, he would rather see me dead than even lift a finger to help" Gaara replied.

"Yeah I can sort of understand, Kyuubi respects power so I am allowed to use a small amount of it's chakra, but I am constantly having to force his consciousness back so that I can stay in control" Naruto said.

"I wonder how Fuu does it so easily then?" Akimi asked in wonder.

"She said she went through some harsh training as a child but I never really asked about it... Hey where is she now anyway?" Naruto replied.

"She went to be early, after all she was up late last night as an emergency lookout" Haku replied.

"Oh that's right, she woke me up when she finally came to bed, she rolls around a lot. I can't wait till we get back to the land of fire where we have our separate bedrooms, nothing against Fuu,but she moves around a lot when she is sleeping, and sharing a bed is difficult" Akimi said.

"Well maybe you should just cuddle up against her to stop her from moving around so much" Naruto joked.

Akimi blushed at the thought of cuddling up against the mint green haired jinchuuriki. Then slowly the green haired jinchuuriki morphed into the now short haired blond sitting across from her and she blushed even heavier. When they first had to divide up the rooms Akaru and Itachi were given the room with separate single beds because they were too weak to argue by that time. However they still needed another pair to agree to share. Akimi said she would share hoping that Naruto would be who she was sharing with. Unfortunately as soon as Jiraiya asked who would be sharing there room, Naruto became incredibly interested with one of the tools that they had stolen. In the end Fuu became her temporary roommate. "I'll pass on that one I think" she said eventually when she realized that everyone was staring at her. She kept just enough venom in her voice to convince the others that she was red because she was angry rather than blushing.

"You know, she probably has the right idea, we are going to move on tomorrow, so getting some sleep now might be for the best, it could be a couple of days before we get back to the Land of Fire" Naruto admitted.

"Yeah you're probably right, especially if we don't get a chance to rest before we get back to the Land of Fire" Gaara replied.

They quickly dispersed leaving Itachi alone as he continued to try and assess his surroundings without his eyes. He was having a fair amount of success, his ninja training had taught him to rely on more than just his eyes and that was making the task that much easier. He heard the doors shut from the other room as though it was right next to him. '_This is an interesting training system, if I can learn to fight without my eyes that would make them that much more powerful when I have them. Added to someone with great sensory capabilities and it could be almost as effective as the multiple fields of vision that Naruto uses_' Itachi mused. If his fight with the Raikage had taught him anything, it was that despite being a strong ninja in his own right there was always room to improve. He knew his speed while faster than most was nothing compared to Naruto, Akimi, and the Raikage. And being able to track there movements was about as useful as asking Kakashi for training on the day the latest Icha Icha came out. Itachi began pondering new ways to improve upon this training rather than simply attempting to see without his eyes and decided that it was time for bed himself.

Later that night, Naruto had just about fallen asleep when there was a light knocking on his door. Rolling out of bed half asleep, the young blond opened the door. "Yes?" he asked slightly annoyed not taking in who it was standing at the door.

"Um... I was wondering... could I um... stay with you tonight?" a feminine voice replied timidly.

Naruto now snapped to attention and saw that it was Akimi at her door with a very embarrassed look on her face, wearing a dark red nightgown that showed quite a lot of cleavage. The blond couldn't believe it, not because she had asked to stay with him, he was already aware of how she felt about him. He was shocked because she had stuttered and paused, very unlike the Akimi he knew. Although he did find it rather cute, not to mention amusing. "Why? Is Fuu really that difficult to sleep next to?" he asked a slight grin betraying how amusing the blond found the situation.

Akimi shook her head. "Uh no not really, but I would prefer to sleep with you" she said this time there was no stuttering, she was her normal commanding self.

Naruto was speechless, he had planed to tease her a little more before granting her request, but all that seemed to come out was "Sure" as he invited her into his room. Naruto had thought about there time together on the roof, and the more that he thought about it the more he began to realize just how important Akimi was to him. For a long time she had feelings for him and hadn't said anything. And he had only recently come to terms with them himself. Her confession brought them all out and they seemed to rush to the surface.

"Hey you in there?" Akimi asked waving a hand in front of Naruto's face snapping him from his train of thought.

"Huh oh sorry about that, I was sorta lost in thought" Naruto admitted sheepishly.

Akimi grinned a wicked grin and leaned into whisper in the blonds ear. "Is that it? Or were you distracted by what I'm wearing, do you like what you see?" she purred in his ear.

"Oh I definitely like what I see... your absolutely beautiful, how could I not be distracted" Naruto replied not phased on bit by Akimi's teasing.

Although he was broken from his calm when she brought her lips to his and quickly slipped her tounge into his mouth.

Just like they they always acted this became another of there little games of dominance. Naruto quickly overcame his shock and returned the kiss and began slowly fighting Akimi's tongue back so that he could gain access to her mouth.

They both continued to try and out do the other, Naruto pulled Akimi in closer and she wrapped her arms around his neck and began running her hands through his golden locks. Then Naruto went for the game changer and slowly moved his hand up to cup her left breast, which caused Akimi to let out an involuntary moan.

Seconds later though it was over, they pulled away from the kiss to get some air and the gravity of where they were returned to both of them, neither went in for a second kiss and both seemed quite embarrassed at what had just happened. "Uh we should stop" Naruto said absolutely hating himself. "The walls here are rather thin and we have a long couple of days run back to the main hideout" he said but his eyes were filled with lust as he stared into Akimi's eyes that were equally as lust filled.

"Yeah, you're right, we can pick this up later. Preferably when Jiraiya-sama is out on a mission" she finished with a small giggle.

"Yeah, if that damn pervert found out we would never have any time alone" Naruto laughed. "Come on we better get some sleep" he said as he slid into bed and held up the sheets for the busty kunoichi to join him.

She happily slid herself up next to him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Goodnight, Akimi-chan" he whispered before giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. '_I could get use to this, she's so warm and soft_' he thought as he once more fought back the urge to take her then and there and slowly began to fall asleep again.

Akimi had a very contempt smile on her face as she lay in Naruto's arms feeling his heart beat right next to her own. Her own pulse was still racing from what they nearly did and she could tell his was as well. It felt good knowing that she could make him react that way. And she wanted to experience that again. But right now she was enjoying something that was while less exciting almost as enjoyable. '_This is where I belong. It might not be so bad if the others do find out, then I might be able to move into his room with him and sleep with him every night_' her face went lightly pink as those last thoughts ran through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

Naruto awoke early the next morning and Akimi returned to her own room so as to avoid the suspicions of the self proclaimed super pervert, along with the other members of the Yoinokuchi.

Once the others had awoken they had a quick breakfast and left at top speed, making sure to stay away from frequently used Kumo ninja paths and trade lines. Akaru was almost back to full health and Itachi was able to keep up however Naruto stayed next to him in case he needed help despite his protests that he could still see shapes quite easily and that he would be fine.

Meanwhile in Kumo a team of ninja sent out with messages for Suna, Kiri, and Konoha asking for there cooperation in finding Naruto and the others. The Raikage sat in his office watching the team leave with a determined look on his face. '_This isn't over, Itachi Uchiha, Naruto Namikaze! We will meet again and next time, you won't escape from me!_'

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry it was kinda a filler, I was away with some friends for New Years and only just got home today so might take a few chapters to get back into the swing of it. Anyway it was a filler, but I think it was an important one, show how the attack had affected Kumo and the Akatsuki. **

**Side note, sorry if you were expecting a lemon in the scene between Naruto and Akimi, there will be a few, but not just yet. I'm trying to pick a good moment for the first one but I can't decide on anything. I don't want it to just happen but at the same time not overly cliché. In any case suggestions are always welcome if anyone has any ideas. **


	47. The Akatsuki's Plans

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 4****7: The Akatsuki's Plans **

"Well would you look at that, the place looks like Deidara's masterpiece" Hidan whistled.

"This might be the reason that the Nibi jinchuuriki didn't arrive what ever tore through this place put them in a state of emergency and were forced to cancel the mission" Kakuzu said grumpily.

The two Akatsuki ninja both sat atop a high mountain peak that looked down upon Kumo, the damage caused by Naruto's attack not fixed and construction was just now underway. They had been extra careful in their approach and they didn't even attempt to spy on the village until they could use the afternoon sun to blind any guards from being able to see them. Hidan thought the idea was pointless, but someone who considered himself immortal was rarely troubled by such things as safety.

"Trying to take the Nibi, Jinchuuriki now would be impossible, they have tightened up there security ten fold. We should inform the others about this, Kisame's target will also be more difficult to capture because of this" Kakuzu sighed.

"Why don't we just waltz in and take them? It's not like I can be killed" Hidan said arrogantly.

"Hidan shut up! If you say something so foolish again I will kill you. Immortal is different from invincible, you may not be able to die, but you can still be harmed. You walk into Kumo and try to capture either jinchuuriki they will cut you up into tiny pieces and separate your body parts for all eternity. Now let's get the fuck out of here and go report in to the others, they will be expecting us soon" Kakuzu said darkly.

"Well, despite what you say, Pein-sama might do worse to me if I tell him we failed in capturing the jinchuuriki... I mean so far we only have the four tails captured. If we tell him that we failed he is going to be pissed" Hidan replied.

"Heh I didn't think you were afraid of anything. But the thought of Pein being angry and you wet your pants, you're pathetic" Kakuzu grumbled. The former Taki ninja then stood up and began walking away leaving the damaged Kumo behind.

Hidan followed behind, sending every insult under the sun at Kakuzu until the Jashinist had several kunai lodged into his chest. All this succeeded in doing however, was annoying Hidan as his swearing increased much to the frustration of Kakuzu.

They walked on until they were a good distance away from Kumo and took a seat in a small rocky outcropping sheltered on all sides by steep hills. "This place will do, it's time to tell the others about why our mission was a failure" Kakuzu grumbled.

"Yeah let's just get this over with" Hidan huffed in reply.

(**Unknown Location**)

eight spectral figures stood on the hands of a giant statue. Each one wore a black cloak with red clouds and wore a Hetai-ite with a slash across the sign for there village indicating that they were missing ninja.

"Where the fuck are they, we have been waiting for ages" Deidara whined, no longer able to stand the silence.

"Hm maybe capturing the Nibi was too much for them" Kisame said with a small smile.

"I find that hard to believe, the Zombie brothers wouldn't lose to someone like that. Even if she is considered one of the strongest shinobi in Kumo they will be too much for the Nibi jinchuuriki" Sasori added.

"Do not underestimate the jinchuuriki, they are all to be considered dangerous" Pein interjected.

It was at that moment the figures of Hidan and Kakuzu arrived on the two remaining fingers of the statues hands. "Hey what's the deal? Why are you guys so late... And where is the jinchuuriki?" Deidara asked once they realized that they had appeared empty handed.

"She didn't show up, we believe the Nibi was kept inside the village because there was an attack on Kumo" Kakuzu explained.

"An attack on Kumo? Who would be so stupid as to attack Kumo directly, only Pein-sama could accomplish such a task" Konan said.

"How the fuck should we know, all we saw was the center of Kumo was nothing but a crater" Hidan said defensively.

"This is a set back, no doubt about that. We will have to deal with Kumo later. Now rather than dwell on the lost opportunity, what news was there from our old friend Orochimaru?" Pein asked.

"We know that the Kyuubi lives somewhere within the Land of Fire" Hiruko said.

"This is good news, especially considering that the Ichibi and Nanabi have been spotted within the borders of the same country" Pein replied.

"That's not all however. The Kyuubi travels with an entourage of at least two other S ranked ninja and two jounin. Including Jiraiya the Toad Sage, Itachi Uchiha, Akaru Hayaku and Zabuza Momoichi" Hiruko said.

"That could be problematic, The toad sage is not someone that can be tackled alone and neither is Itachi Uchiha" Pein said thoughtfully.

"_There is some good news_, _**Zabuza Momoichi has been seen in the company of the Nanabi jinchuuriki,**_ _and the Ichibi has been seen with a person reported to travel with a kunoichi who is Zabuza's Adopted daughter_. _**It is possible that they act in the same way that we do as a mercenary force and are not together at all times**_" Zetsu said.

"That's is something to note. In any case three jinchuuriki outside of there cities walls is not something we can ignore. Kakuzu, you are to go with Hidan after the Nanabi. Sasori and Deidara are to go after the Ichibi. And Hiruko and Kisame attempt to capture the Kyuubi, however if either Itachi Uchiha or Jiraiya are with them, wait for back up" Pein ordered.

There was a chorus of "Yes, Pein-sama" from the six Akatsuki members.

Pein then turned to the strangely quiet, masked Tobi. "We retrieved our ring from Orochimaru, you are now to be considered a full member of the Akatsuki... now I want you and Zetsu to track down the Gobi" he said.

Tobi jumped for joy once he received his ring. "Hooray Tobi is finally a full member of the Akatsuki, don't worry, Tobi will do a good job and capture the Gobi for you" he said happily.

"Ah I can't believe you are actually letting him join, he is a complete child" Deidara complained.

"Nonsense, Tobi is a good boy. Now you all have your assignments, so get to work" Pein said and then faded from sight along with Konan.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout, **_**Land of Fire**_)

It took the team of ninja close to four days to return home. But they did stop for one night on the ay back when Jiraiya said that they all deserved a reward for there hard work and they stayed at a spa. Although everyone knew why they really had stopped there. It had been a week since Jiraiya had done any 'Research' and because of this the three kunoichi of the group had avoided the hot spring baths like they were a plague preferring to shower in there own rooms.

Despite the fact that they had stopped for a rest on there way home they were all incredibly tired and it was of little surprise that they had an early night. Well everyone other than Naruto, Itachi, and Jiraiya, who were currently inspecting several of the tools each in the large indoor training area.

Naruto's clear favorite had been the Monk Staff, Shakujo. It turned out that the ability of the monk staff was to enhance the power of elemental jutsu making all of Naruto's attacks far more powerful. As opposed to the Banana palm fan, which would channel any of the five basic elements at the mere thought, as he could already do that himself.

Itachi was enthralled by the Crimson Gourd, the ability to seal someone away because of there own speech patterns was right up his alley. However not knowing how to undo the sealing kept the three ninja from messing around with the object.

"So any ideas on how they are made?" Jiraiya asked Naruto as he was continuing to mess around with the Monk Staff.

"Ah not really, but they all feel the same as my chakra rods. Almost like they are made out of the same material, even though they aren't" Naruto admitted.

"Perhaps it's relative, those chakra rods are like the building blocks for creating the other items?" Itachi suggested.

"Maybe he's right, we have no idea what those chakra rods are made from, it could be that they have the ability to transform into something else" Jiraiya suggested.

"Yeah, it's worth a try... however, I don't think I'm up to it tonight, using that much Yin/Yang release really wipes me out" Naruto said.

"Yeah, and we should probably focus on Itachi's eyes before we go messing around with this anyway, still I'm looking forward to seeing what you can come up with, maybe something a little more conventional than these and maybe with some more style as well" Jiraiya said.

"In any case, we should all get some sleep, however I would like to know how and when you plan to perform the eye transplant" Itachi said.

"Well, I think we should have Tsunade-Hime perform the eye transplant, Naruto and I will go to Konoha with you, there is an old cave outside the village that is shielded from any sensor. That will be the perfect place for the operation to take place.

"I see, well I would like to have the situation resolved as soon as possible. This limited eyesight is an inconvenience to say the least" Itachi replied.

"Well then, we better go as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow, although I would like a day or so to go through some notes. We can tell the others that they are free to go do what ever missions they can find until we come back there is no telling how long it will take for the eyes to heal enough so they will be useable" Jiraiya said.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Plus it will be good to see Tsunade-Baachan again" Naruto added happily.

"Very well I can wait another day, I will use it to train my body to fight more efficiently without my eyes" Itachi replied.

"Sounds interesting what are you trying to do?" Jiraiya asked.

"Extend the range of my other senses and chakra so that my sensory abilities are vastly superior, enough so that eyesight becomes an advantage not a necessity" Itachi explained.

"Sounds sort of like Sage Mode, when we use Senjutsu it's almost like a sixth sense, we can feel the world move around us granting superior perception when fighting" Jiraiya said.

"It's far from perfect though, I prefer to use multiple lines of sight to cover my blind spots" Naruto said.

"Well not everyone can do that" Jiraiya replied.

"Not everyone can master Senjutsu either... I mean you still haven't" Naruto replied.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, ya little shit" Jiraiya grumbled in mock irritation.

Naruto chuckled at his sensei's attitude and simply waved it off. "Anyway, I'm heading to bed, still tired from our trip" Naruto said happily as he took himself off to his room.

The following day went without incident with all the members of the Yoinokuchi relaxing after there exertions in the Land of Lightning.

"So now that we are all rested I guess we should all get back to taking on missions then" Zabuza said as they all ate dinner that night.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. The bounty offices are probably wondering where we have been" Akaru said.

"Well in that case, from tomorrow everyone will be splitting back up into there pairs of two. Naruto, Itachi and Myself however will be heading to Konoha to complete his eye transplant with the help of Tsunade-Hime" Jiraiya informed the group.

"Isn't it a little risky to be taking Itachi to Konoha? I mean he is a missing ninja there, and being unable to see makes it a very dangerous place for Itachi" Gaara said.

"There is a place well outside the village that only those close to the Hokage know about, and inside that cave there is a fully functional medical room. Whats more it is completely shielded from most chakra signatures escaping, although I doubt it would hold back a Bijuu's chakra signature. Anyway that will be a perfect place to perform the transplant" Jiraiya said.

"Truth is, Tsunade-Baachan gave me all the jutsu and medical notes on procedures to complete the transplant myself, but I think it would be safer this way" Naruto added.

"Well, it will be good to get out and do some paying missions again, not that our little trip to Kumo wasn't fun" Zabuza said.

(**Meanwhile**)

A team from Kumo was arriving at the main gate of Konoha. "So do you think they will help us?" Karui asked.

"Who knows, maybe they will be angry that we consider those two enemies of Kumo and start a war keeping us as hostages. And when the war is all over only we remain. Forced to rebuild Kumo as Konoha's slaves. And then we rebel once we were strong enough, overthrow them and then they become our slaves" Omoi replied.

"Shut up Omoi, that won't happen. The Hokage Tsunade Senju, is highly respected around the elemental nations even in Kumo. She wouldn't start a war over something like this, we are just here to look for information on Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze. And ask for there assistance in locating them. If they say no then we will look elsewhere, we are not to cause any trouble while we are here" Samui said as they approached the gate.

"Alright, doesn't seem like anything to be worried about, but why didn't Bee sensei come with us?" Karui asked.

"Turns out A-sama looked into the warning that Naruto gave to Bee and it was true, there is a group that are hunting jinchuuriki. Because of that Bee sensei and Yugito Taichou are not allowed to leave the Kumo protected area's of the Land of Lightning" Samui replied.

Izumo and Kotetsu were unsurprisingly on guard duty when the three Kumo ninja arrived. "What is your business in Konoha, Kumo ninja?" Izumo asked. Kumo ninja vary rarely came into Konoha territory and they were not really trusted by the Konoha ninja. The kidnapping from the Hyuuga clan all those years ago still left a very strained relationship between the two villages.

"We are here to deliver a message to the Hokage, and to ask for Konoha's cooperation in tracking down Missing Ninja Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze" Samui said respectively.

Izumo and Kotetsu looked stunned but then started laughing. "There is no Namikaze left, Yondaime-sama was the last one, and as for trying to locate Itachi Uchiha, you guys must have a death wish, he killed his entire clan in cold blood in under two hours. But we will take your message to the Hokage, if you're allowed into Konoha will be up to her" Kotetsu replied and waited while Izumo disappeared in a swirl of leaves. "What makes you think that there was another Namikaze alive anyway?" he asked eventually.

"Raikage-sama was positive, apparently he looked incredibly like the Yondaime hokage. And both he and Itachi identified him as Naruto Namikaze" Samui replied.

"Well it would really be something if there was another Namikaze. Although if he works with someone like Itachi Uchiha I find it hard to believe. He would be considered royalty in Konoha so why would he want to mess around with a mass murderer like Itachi?" Kotetsu said.

"Maybe,because he was mistreated in Konoha... And I always said that the Yondaime wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero" the voice of the Sandaime said sadly.

Kotetsu spun around quickly and bowed too stunned by the arrival of the old Sarutobi to fully register what had just been said. He then managed to bow even deeper when Tsunade arrived next to her old sensei.

"So what did the little idiot do this time that has Kumo all up in arms?" Tsunade asked in a businesslike yet slightly humored tone.

"We are not allowed to go into the details but Kumo has been attacked by at least five ninja two of which came from Konoha, Naruto Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha. We request any information you might have on there whereabouts as well as any files on fighting records and abilities" Samui said.

"Heh good luck, I have already told you there won't be any information here on a Naruto Namikaze" Kotetsu said.

"Well, nothing more than a birth certificate, however I think the person you are referring to is Naruto Uzumaki, as they are one in the same" Hiruzen said.

Kotetsu's mouth hit the floor at the same time that Izumo arrived back at the gate, unable to keep up with the speed of the the two Kage. "You're telling me that the Kyuubi brat, the one that the civilian council have been complaining about for years is actually the son of the Yondaime Hokage?" Kotetsu said in shock causing Izumo to do a double take.

"That is correct, as for you three, you may enter, we will discuss the matter of Naruto tomorrow, the last thing I want is to wake up with a headache when I haven't even been drinking. You can stay in the diplomatic hotel, but you will be guarded at all times by two chunin. And will be brought to my office for a meeting after we give the genin there missions for the day" Tsunade said.

"Thank you Hokage-sama" Samui said with a respectful bow.

"Now you two, I realize that Naruto has now taken up his fathers name once again, however, I feel that it would be unwise to openly spread that around openly, you will also find that there are quite a few people in the village who know of this already. So do try to keep it quiet" Hiruzen said to the two gate guards.

They nodded in acceptance, but knew that it was a tall ask for them. Sitting at the gate for ten hours a day gave them very little to do other than talk about things that they had heard and the topic of Naruto and Itachi would probably get them through multiple shifts.

Tsunade summoned two Anbu who she told to accompany team Samui to their hotel and left as quickly as she had appeared.

(**Somewhere in the Land of Earth**)

A dark spiral appeared out of thin air and slowly the body of Tobi appeared. '_Zetsu will take awhile, I may as well get comfortable._'

He was correct. The plant like ninja from the Land of Grass took almost thirty minutes to arrive. Growing out of the ground, Zetsu began to search around for Tobi and in the end of forced to release some sensory spores to locate his team member high up in a tree taking a nap. "_I have arrived Tobi_" Zetsu said loudly.

"Oh Zetsu, it's about time" Tobi said. His usual childishness completely gone. What remained was a very serious ninja that seemed to command respect from the plant like creature that was Zetsu.

"_**I do not have the ability to just appear where ever I feel like**_, _like you do_. _**In fact I think I made rather good time**_" Zetsu replied.

Tobi waved off Zetsu's reply. "What ever, let's just start searching for the Gobi" he said.

"_Do you think the others will succeed in capturing the three Bijuu in the Land of Fire?_" Zetsu asked.

"It's hard to tell, last time I saw the Kyuubi brat he had just taken out the Sanbi, but he needed his Bijuu's help. However that was three years ago, and a lot can change. I have my doubts that Hiruko and Kisame will succeed. The Kyuubi may require Pein to take down" Tobi said

"_**Do you think Pein-sama would really leave to go chase after a Bijuu himself?**_" Zetsu replied.

"Of course he would, if I tell him too. And with any luck the Kyuubi brat will weaken him enough so that he will be easy to finish off and I will get my hands on one of his eyes. Although it could be possible that the boy has stronger ocular powers. Either way I can't allow either of those two to live. They could put an end to my moons eye plan, but as long as I convince Pein that he is creating a grand weapon to end all war through fear he will continue to work for me as my puppet" Tobi said gleefully.

"_**But once he realizes what you are doing he will certainly try and stop you**_. _He will not like the idea of being a mindless zombie for the rest of his life_" Zetsu said.

"Which is precisely why he has to die. And I need to take his eye to sync with the Gedo Mezo. As long as he is alive he is a risk. After all those with superior ocular powers have the slim possibility of escaping the Infinite Tsukuyomi. And that blasted Rinnegan will probably see right through it. I tell you these Uzumaki are almost more trouble than they are worth" Tobi chuckled darkly.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so next chapter Itachi will be given his new eyes, but you might not see him use them right away. He needs to heal up after all. But the action will pick up again either next chapter or the one after. Was slightly shorter than other chapters but I hope you're not too upset, I'm trying to get back into writing a chapter every day or two now that the Xmas period is over so I hope People are not disappointed. Was thinking of maybe adding a couple of chapters of fluff between Naruto and Akimi, after the next arc as some filler, maybe a proper date or something like that. Not following the cannon has made the story very different meaning most of my good ideas for filler Arcs have turned into important areas of the story. I'm starting to think I may have ignored some character development by moving forward too fast. **

**Suggestions for one maybe two new abilities for Itachi's new eyes are welcome. I have a basic idea of what I want to do, but if someone has a good idea I would love to hear it. **


	48. Kumo's Request

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 4****8 Kumo's Request**

"Come on Jiraiya sensei where is this cave you were talking about? we have been searching for hours" Naruto whined as he wandered around the outskirts of Konoha with Itachi and Jiraiya.

The Toad Sage slapped Naruto upside the head. "Shut it Gaki, I never actually went to the cave we are looking for, it was only ever used three times in the entire history of Konoha" Jiraiya replied.

"Well when you made this place seem like such a great hiding place, I didn't think that was because you had no idea where it actually was" Naruto replied.

"I know It's around here somewhere" Jiraiya replied defensively.

Naruto folded his arms clearly not impressed with Jiraiya's excuse. "You said that half an hour ago" he scoffed.

"Well I was wrong then, but now I think I know where it is" Jiraiya said.

Naruto withheld his retort and just followed Jiraiya as they came to a small valley at the side of a river. After moving along the river bank a small while it opened up and there was a small opening in the side of the cliff side. "Here we are, see gaki, I told you I could find it" Jiraiya said smugly.

"Well it would have been better if it didn't take you two hours to find it" Naruto replied.

"Well sensei only mentioned it to me once, and that was a long time ago. It is not as though I memorized the directions" Jiraiya said.

They entered the cave and came into a large area with several rooms branching off. It was not quite as big as one of the Yoinokuchi hideouts but it was still large enough for the three of them to be comfortable.

Itachi scanned the area trying to take in everything that he could with his poor eyes. "This place is incredible, I was an Anbu captain and I never heard anything about this place" he said in awe.

"No you wouldn't, the only people who have knowledge of this are the Hokage's. As far as I'm aware it was only ever used twice" Jiraiya explained.

"So was it a sort of hide away for the Hokage's family in case of an emergency?" Naruto asked.

"Ah not exactly. This was used to transfer the Kyuubi from the Shodai's wife into the young girl chosen to be the next carrier of the Kyuubi. Your mother" Jiraiya explained.

"I see" Naruto said now finding the place far more interesting.

"The Shodai built this place, some of the rooms are even lined with his Mokuton wood to seal in the chakra signatures. If they ever needed to do work on a jinchuuriki's seal they were supposed to come here that way any potential bursts of Bijuu chakra are suppressed to prevent the people in the village from thinking that the Kyuubi had escaped" Jiraiya lectured.

"Makes sense, and by keeping it a secret, even from the Anbu captains, it's unlikely other villages will discover this place" Itachi added.

"So basically this is where we will be staying for your operation, now I guess all that's left is to bring Tsunade-Baachan here" Naruto said merrily.

"Well why don't you go tell her, I'll stay here with Itachi and check this place out some more" Jiraiya said.

"Oh alright, may as well drop in on Shikamaru and the others while I'm there" Naruto said before returning to the door and taking off in the direction of Konoha.

(Meanwhile)

In the very village Naruto was heading toward a very annoyed Tsunade was listening to a long list of property that Naruto had destroyed in Kumo. '_Little shit, I am going to have to give Kumo something, but there is no way I'm letting them send their ninja here to look for him_' she thought angrily.

"As you can see the list of damages is extensive, and an attack on a major village is considered an act of war" Samui said.

"Yes that would be the case, however, Naruto is not a Konoha ninja. And Itachi is considered a criminal in Konoha as well" Tsunade reminded them.

"This is true, that is why we are asking for any information you might have on the pair, as well as your permission to have teams enter the Land of Fire to search for them" Samui said.

"Well I do have some information on Naruto and Itachi, however passing information onto other villages has to be cleared by the village council during times of peace. And Naruto has not committed any crimes in Konoha so allowing foreign ninja to search for him will be difficult to arrange. If you would like, there is a meeting about to start, you can come and make your case to them if you wish" Tsunade suggested. '_Perfect, this way I sound as though I'm trying to be helpful, but there is no way that Koharu and Homura will allow Kumo to try and kill Naruto, not a week goes by where they don't ask me to send out search parties to bring Naruto back to Konoha_' she thought calculatingly.

"Very well, thank you for you cooperation so far Tsunade-sama" Samui said.

Samui and Tsunade left the Hokage's office together and the busty Kumo kunoichi silenced both Omoi and Karui who had waited outside wanting to know how the meeting went. "I have to go meet with the Konoha village council, go wait back at the hotel room"

The two blonds walked on in silence for a bit more until Tsunade decided to ask a question that was eating at her. "What does the Raikage have planned for Naruto and Itachi?" she asked offhandedly. She wasn't really worried, having fought Naruto herself she knew that it would take a lot more than a few groups of hunter ninja to trouble either Naruto or Itachi.

"I do not know Hokage-sama, but I know that he wants Naruto Namikaze captured alive" Samui replied.

"Can't be done" Tsunade said.

"What do you mean?" Samui asked shocked by Tsunade's matter of fact tone.

"I'm saying that, the only way you will catch Naruto is if he wants to be caught. He left Kumo standing and didn't kill a single person while he was there, so it stands to reason that he was holding back quite a lot. Yet at the same time, was able to defeat both of Kumo's jinchuuriki. And you want to send teams after them. The only thing you will accomplish from this task is sending teams to there death" Tsunade said seriously.

Samui was speechless, but the more she thought about what Tsunade was saying the more it made sense, sending a four man squad up against someone like Naruto or Itachi would only cause Kumo ninja to be killed, something that they both tried to avoid during the time they spent playing the diversion for the other ninja to steal the tools of the Rikudou Sennin. '_Bee said it was pointless to go after them, but it seems that the blood has rushed to A-sama's head. When he calms down he may realize that we may have to let this one go, at least for now._' she thought. "I have to agree with you, but I still must follow the orders of the Raikage" she said after the realization set in.

"I understand, it's the job of a shinobi to follow the orders of there Kage after all" Tsunade said.

"Tell me, how did Konoha let the son of one of the strongest ninja ever to live, leave the village?" Samui asked, wanting to know more about the young blond who was more than a match for her sensei.

"Well, he was not treated well in Konoha as a child. And one night he was beaten up and kidnapped from the village while the Anbu that was usually watching him was distracted" Tsunade said.

"How could something like that happen to the son of the Yondaime Hokage? He was a legend, even in Kumo" Samui said shocked.

"Well like I told you before, Naruto Namikaze or to be more accurate Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze didn't exist, all knowledge of his parentage was kept secret, even from Naruto. He was given his mothers last name, Uzumaki, the people of Konoha saw him as nothing but trouble and a bad omen or even as the reincarnation of his burden. Are you aware of what Naruto is?" Samui nodded so Tsunade continued with her story. "So they ignored him treated him badly and just pretended that he didn't even exist. He was lonely and despite the fact that he once had the same blue eyes and yellow hair that his father had, nobody wanted to see what was right in front of there eyes, so they didn't even try" she finished.

Samui took in what Tsunade said, it sounded a lot like the stories she was told about how Killer Bee had been treated and to a lesser extent Yugito. Then something else Tsunade said came to her. "Wait he wasn't born with the Rinnegan? You said he used to have blue eyes, but they are metallic purple with no whites and rings in them now" Samui said.

"My you are well informed, although Kumo always did have a fascination with the Rikudou Sennin, so I guess when someone with the legendary Dojutsu of the sage shows up the Raikage would surely recognize it. But yes, Naruto didn't awaken the Rinnegan until after he left Konoha. He doesn't talk about what happened, but for a long time he blamed Kumo, any Kumo ninja he came across he would kill" Tsunade said.

"Huh but he purposefully lessened the power of a jutsu that would of killed one of Kumo's elite ninja during there attack on the village, that doesn't make sense, why would he do something like that if he hates Kumo ninja?" Samui asked.

"Like I said, he was like that for awhile the memory of what happened to him at the hands of the Kumo ninja made him angry, but eventually he overcame that" Tsunade said.

"You know a lot about him, considering that he isn't one of your ninja" Samui said.

"Well, I wouldn't be Hokage now if it wasn't for that little shit" Tsunade chuckled in reply. "I came to bet some money on him to win in the chunin exams, and in the end I get pulled out of retirement and end up as the Godaime Hokage" she finished with a small smile.

"So you knew him before you became Hokage then?" Samui asked still digging for more information.

"Sure I did, he was trained by Jiraiya my old teammate, so it's fair to say we ran into each other fairly often" '_More like when ever that old pervert was stuck for inspiration for his books_' she finished in an after thought.

"I had heard that the Toad Sannin retired years ago" Samui said.

"Of course he did, he retired so he could train Naruto away from Konoha and they wouldn't know about it" Tsunade replied. '_This is working perfectly, information that seems important, but isn't. I know Jiraiya well enough to know he wouldn't leave anything that would get himself implicated in an attack on Kumo lying around. And all the while deflecting any chance of Kumo being able to put any responsibility on Konoha_' she thought.

Rounding a corner the pair of busty blonds came to a large set of double doors. "Well here we are, come on in, it should of started about five minutes ago" Tsunade said before pushing open the doors.

The room was in the shape of a semi circle with a long desk at the front that sat the Hokage and the Elders. Now that Hiruzen had retired he took up the role of chief adviser as well as being an elder of the village. He would also fill in for Tsunade when ever she couldn't make it to one or more of her meetings. The rest of the room was divided into three sections a large area for the clans and two smaller sections. One for a civilian input and the other for high ranking shinobi. This final section had multiple empty seats, due to ninja requirements and the fact that Kakashi Hatake would never show up to a council meeting unless his life depended on it and even then he would be several hours late.

"Ah Tsunade-Hime, it is good that you have decided to join us today" Danzo said calmly, but his uncovered eye was focused solely on the Kumo kunoichi that was standing at the door.

"May I ask why there is a Kunoichi from Kumo here?" Hiashi Hyuuga asked with a very small amount of venom.

"She has come with a request from the Raikage, and as it involves access to some files in our database and this isn't a time of war we need to vote on the whether we accept or not" Tsunade informed the room.

"What could Kumo possibly want in our databases? If they are after jutsu then we will decline immediately" Danzo said.

Tsunade motioned for Samui to enter the room and speak. "I came to deliver a letter saying that Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze are now considered criminals in the Land of Lightning" Samui was about to continue when the predictable roar erupted from several sections of the room predominately the civilian sector.

"There is no other Namikaze, the Yondaime had no living family" one jounin said.

"Why are we even bothering to listen to this, who cares what Kumo does to Itachi Uchiha and someone going around claiming to be a Namikaze, why didn't Hokage-sama just throw you out" another added.

Those were the more eligible things that were heard from around the room. In fact out of everyone in the room only the head of the Nara clan Shikaku and the people sitting at the front desk seemed to take what was said with any weight.

"Silence!" Hiruzen bellowed causing instant silence. "she is speaking the truth, there is a living Namikaze, in fact it is the Son of Minato Namikze" he finished.

Whispers spread around the room. And finally a kunoichi with long purple hair spoke up. "Why were we not informed that the Yondaime had a child" she asked.

"It was for his own safety, however looking back I can see that it may not have been in his best interests after all to give him the last name of his mother" Hiruzen said.

"Who was the mother?" a civilian asked.

"Kushina Uzumaki" Tsunade said.

Eyes widened around the room much to the amusement of Tsunade. Hiruzen had been hoping to avoid this, he knew that he would take a lot of the abuse from sections of the village for not telling them that Minato had a son. Slowly whispers built up again, the words 'Kyuubi, and Demon Brat were heard more than any other.

Finally Danzo decided to put an end to the discussion. "And I take it, Kumo want's permission to look over the records of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha, those are the files you wish to look at are they not?" he said loudly bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Yes, but there is more" Samui said keeping her calm expertly under the gaze of close to one hundred highly skilled ninja and around twenty five civilians.

"And what else does Kumo want from us?" Homura said.

"We wish to have clearance to send several hunter ninja team's into the Land of Fire to search for the criminals" Samui said.

The rabble broke out again, but it was quickly silenced by Tsunade. "Enough, we will vote on the requests, and as this is a shinobi matter the civilian council do not get a vote, now Danzo would you please start off the voting" she said.

"I vote that information be supplied, but allowing Kumo ninja to freely wander within our territory is not to be allowed" Danzo said. '_This could work out perfectly for Konoha. Kumo will be bound to lose a great deal of men fighting against those two. Itachi Uchiha is not one to be taken out easily. And if I play this right I could get a hold of not only the Kyuubi but a set of powerful new eyes for my collection_' he thought while keeping his face an emotionless mask.

"I also agree however as Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is not a criminal in the Land of Fire we do not give his file" Koharu said.

This became a popular vote. With not one person willing to allow Kumo to search the Land of Fire.

"Very well, due to counsel vote, you will be allowed to look over the files and fighting records of the Missing Ninja Itachi Uchiha, however as Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is not considered a criminal his records will not be given" Tsunade said. '_That went even better than I had hoped. The revelation that Naruto was Minato's son made it impossible for them to sell him out to Kumo_' she thought whilst suppressing a victorious smirk.

"Well it's always good to here that I'm not a criminal" came a voice that seemed to echo around the room from no one point.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked looking around to find the blond.

"Well, I came to see you, but you weren't in your office so I followed your chakra signature here" Naruto replied before letting his chameleon jutsu drop to reveal that he was reclining in a seat reserved for Jiraiya, his legs crossed resting on his desk. "I gotta say Baa-chan, I would of expected you to recognize Jiraiya sensei's camouflage jutsu. Although I guess I was kinda cheating by completely hiding my chakra signature" Naruto said offhandedly.

"This is a private meeting of the Konoha council, you have no right to be here" Danzo said indignantly, he was more surprised than anyone at Naruto's sudden arrival, mostly due to the fact that even with his sharingan he hadn't noticed the boy.

"Well I guess I didn't know, the doors were open so I just figured I would come take a seat and see what all the fuss was about" Naruto replied.

During this exchange Samui was left in awe at how calm Naruto could be despite the fact that he was being stared down by everyone in the room, a vast majority of them angered by the young blonds show of stealth and skill. '_He's not concerned for his own safety at all, even with all the killer Intent rolling off some of these ninja he's not intimidated at all_' she thought.

Tsunade just shook her head as she looked at some of the reactions the people had, there was mostly a mixture of awe and anger but the anger was mostly directed at themselves for failing to see or sense the chakra signature of the young jinchuuriki. "Naruto go wait in my office I will meet you there in five minutes. Now everyone else is Dismissed... Owl, I want to you escort Samui here to the library and allow her to go through the notes on Itachi Uchiha!" she ordered before marching out the door.

"Guess that's it's time for me to leave too" Naruto mused loudly before puffing into smoke indicating that he was a shadow clone.

'_That child could become a serious threat, he was able to infiltrate the main council chamber without anyone able to sense his arrival just so he could have some fun, at least he seems somewhat fond of Konoha so he doesn't pose any immediate danger_' Danzo thought as he watched the other members of the council leaving in deep discussion over everything that transpired.

Tsunade burst into her office and immediately grabbed a chair tossing it at Naruto who sat happily in the windowsill. "Hey what was that for?" Naruto asked defensively after ducking the flying chair.

"Why did you have to do something like that, the whole council will be in uproar for weeks about increasing their security over that little stunt of yours. Do you know how boring that is going to be!" she yelled.

Naruto seemed unfazed by Tsunade's legendary temper and hummed. "Ah very? It will be very boring right, that's why you're angry" Naruto said as if answering a question on some game show.

Tsunade sighed and took a seat behind her desk. "I hope you're happy with yourself" she scoffed.

"not really" Naruto admitted.

"Huh are you apologizing?" Tsunade asked in shock.

"No, I'm just not happy that I had to use a door to sneak into the meeting, that place really needs some windows" Naruto joked.

Tsunade's body seemed to slump until she hit her head on the table in frustration. "Why are you here, not that it isn't good to see you" she said her words slightly muffled from having her face in contact with wood.

"Oh right, I need your help with Itachi's eye transplant" Naruto said becoming serious.

"Huh already?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, he needed the Mangekyo Sharingan a lot when he was fighting the Raikage, that is one fast man" Naruto admitted.

"I see, but I can't follow you off to kami knows where in the Land of Fire, just to perform a surgery" Tsunade reasoned.

"That's fine, Jiraiya sensei took us to a cave that is about ten minutes outside of Konoha, the one designed for the resealing of Bijuu" Naruto said.

"Hm then I guess I can help, although I can't just drop this days paperwork to rush off and perform the surgery, it will have to wait until tonight" Tsunade said.

"Yeah I guess we can do that. So what's been going on around here?" Naruto asked.

"It's been pretty quiet really, we have some teams going to Suna to compete in the Chunin exams later this month, other than that it's just been the same old Konoha" Tsunade mused. "Now tell me, why did you guys really attack Kumo" she said folding her arms.

"Oh you know this and that" Naruto said before opening the top of his cloak to show off the six tomoe necklace.

Tsunade's eyes widened in realization once they fell on the item around his neck. "How many of them did you take?" she she asked.

"All seven, we started work on discovering how they were made but only have theories so far" Naruto sighed.

"Was that really necessary, to take all of them is going to make you guys a major target for Kumo they won't rest until they get those items back" Tsunade said.

"Think of it as payment for past crimes, besides each one is slightly different with a different ability, if there is a separate creation process for each individual tool we will need to study them all to find out" Naruto said.

"And what have you found out about the necklace? Nobody has ever been able to figure out what it did" Tsunade said.

"No idea, yet. But I'll figure it out, I bet the reason nobody has been able to find out it's purpose is because it has something to do with the Rinnegan" Naruto guessed.

"Hm that is a decent theory" Tsunade admitted.

"Anyway, I'm going to go see if can't find any troub... I mean fun that I can get into" Naruto chuckled.

'_Oh this is a headache waiting to happen_' Tsunade thought as she grabbed a bottle of sake.

Naruto jumped out of the window and down into the streets of Konoha. "Now let's see if I can't find a familiar chakra signature... Kakashi is over at the memorial stone, no real surprises there... Oh this looks promising, Shikamaru and his team are running through some training exercises.

Over in training ground ten Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and even Asuma were running through drills on capturing and either interrogating or finishing off an opponent. Most of the time it would involve Shikamaru capturing Asuma after a well thought out plan then having Ino or Choji take advantage of their sensei's lack of movement to complete the task.

"Good job guys, your teamwork is definitely top class. That will do for today, let's go grab something to eat" Asuma said.

"Alright Barbeque it is!" Choji said triumphantly.

"Why do you always get to pick where we eat?" Ino complained.

"Because it would be too troublesome to argue with him" Shikamaru sighed with his head up in the air watching the clouds.

"Looks like you haven't changed at all shikamaru" Naruto said as he landed at the edge of the clearing.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked suspiciously.

"What can't a guy drop in on some old friends?" Naruto replied.

"Hey Naruto, hows it been" Shikamaru said with a friendly if not lazy wave.

"Can't complain, did you just finish off your training session?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah they did, we were just about to go get something to eat if you would like to join us?" Asuma spoke up.

"Oh that's alright, I just dropped in to say hi and ask how their training was going" Naruto replied.

Asuma smiled, he knew it was Naruto who had made Shikamaru take being a ninja seriously and would remember to thank him one day.

"Trainings been good, even if it is troublesome, still our teamwork is improving all the time" Shikamaru said with a small smile as he sent his shadow along the edge of the training ground before it connected with Naruto holding him still.

"Heh not bad Shikamaru" Naruto admitted. "But you're going to have to do better than that" he replied he was about to change to his Preta path to absorb the chakra when he noticed that it was already happening. '_What the hell?' _he thought then quickly turned his attention to the six tomoe necklace around his neck and noticed that one of the tomoe were glowing red._ 'So that's it, it will allow me to activate my paths just by thinking about it. And it also seems that it makes there abilities far more powerful as well!_'

"I should have known that you would have a way out. You're way too troublesome to be caught so easily" Shikamaru sighed.

"Yeah, but it was a good plan, that shadow stretched on for a long way, all around the training field" Naruto said clearly impressed.

"I used the shadows of the trees to extend my range" Shikamaru replied.

"Still that's a really useful technique, if my body didn't absorb chakra it would have been tough for me to escape" Naruto said, happy that his friend had improved so much. "I'll walk with you guys to the restaurant, I want to find out how everyone else has been doing" he added and the group walked out towards the village.

"Well, there's not much to tell, everyone has become chunin. And Neji has even been promoted to jounin" Shikamaru said.

"That's only because you want to wait for Choji and Ino to be ready so you can all take the trials together" Asuma said, pride in the young genius evident.

"That's awesome, lots of people never make it to being a jounin, I guess Neji really is a genius" Naruto said.

"Sai, from team eight joined a special branch of Anbu or something because we haven't seen him in about three years when he removed himself from the team" Ino said.

"Then who took his place in team eight? Naruto asked.

"Oh Hinata joined them after Sasuke-kun left and Forehead got taken on as Tsunade-sama's first apprentice" Ino answered.

Naruto leaned into Shikamaru. "She still calls him Sasuke-kun?" he whispered in a small amount of disbelief.

"Yeah, I don't think she holds anywhere near as much affection for him anymore, but she still calls him that" the lazy Nara sighed.

"So then, what does Kakashi do without a team?" Naruto said.

"Hm he fills in here and there, most dangerous missions that might need an extra hand or filling in for other jounin. He has kept himself busy" Asuma answered.

They arrived at the restaurant and Naruto waved farewell to the four Konoha ninja and decided to go relax on top of his fathers head until Tsunade finished her work for the day.

(**Elsewhere**)

Samui had just finished copying down all the notes on Itachi and returned to the hotel to find Karui and Omoi sitting on a bed playing cards. "So how did it go?" Karui asked.

"Well it could have gone better, we were given the information on Itachi Uchiha, but Naruto was off limits because they don't consider him a criminal in the Land of Fire. Which I guess is understandable, I mean why make an enemy out of someone so powerful" Samui sighed as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. "The problem is, he is in Konoha at the moment, he is somehow able to just waltz in without anybody noticing, even the Hokage had no idea, he just appeared in the middle of the Konoha council like it was nothing more than a game to see how many people he could hide from" she sighed.

"Well on the plus side we know where he is. Maybe if we can get Suna and Kiri to cooperate Konoha will have to waver as allow us to view his file and search for him" Omoi suggested.

"Wow, that was probably the only believable what if scenario I have ever heard from you" Karui said completely stunned by how reasonable that sounded.

"We will stay here for another day, so I can go through some of this stuff I copied to filter out anything that isn't relevant then we will return to Kumo. I hope the teams sent to Kiri and Suna have some luck" Samui sighed.

(**That Night**)

"I'm surprised that you remembered this place Jiraiya" Tsunade said as she entered the cave to find Jiraiya and Itachi eating some dinner.

"You should know that the great Toad Sage never forgets" Jiraiya replied triumphantly.

"Is that why it took us over two hours to find the damn place?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"Well I still found it didn't I" the Gama Sennin replied defensively.

"Look let's just get this over with, did you bring the eyes?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah" Naruto said and withdrew a jar with two blue eyes floating in a preserving liquid. "Here you go" he called as he handed the jar over to the Hokage.

"So Itachi are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, lets get this over with" the stoic Uchiha replied and stood up from his seat leaving his unfinished meal and followed Naruto and Tsunade into a separate room with a red cross over the door indicating that it was the medical facility.

**End Chapter!**

**Well there we go, sorry for the council meeting, it's a little stereotypical, but I tried to keep the bashing out of it and not make them seem like a bunch of complete ignorant fools. In any event this Arc will start to pick up some speed next chapter.**


	49. The Fire Temple

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 4****9: The Fire Temple**

The operation to implant Itachi's new eyes took several hours but went without incident. Itachi was now sitting in a dark room with wrapping around his eyes preventing him from any sight at all.

"So how long will he have to wear those bindings?" Jiriaya asked when Naruto, Tsunade and Itachi exited the room.

Tsunade shook her head. "I cant be certain, it will be a few days at least, and I will need to keep him under observation. Naruto can assist the healing but I don't want you removing the bandages until I say so" Tsunade lectured.

"Yeah I get it, no peeking" Naruto sighed.

"Good, I'll be back tomorrow to check up on Itachi condition, now stay out of trouble until then" Tsunade said before leaving.

Naruto relaxed and took a seat in an old couch. "Well looks like we are staying here for a few days then" he sighed.

Jiraiya was more interested in Itachi's condition. "So, how do the new eyes feel?" he asked his curiousness evident, after all how many opportunities does someone get to research a eye transplant. The only one's he knew about were Ao, from Kiri and Kakashi's and both of those were done in the field.

Itachi took a seat next to Naruto, his access to his other senses heightened enough to move around the room without too much trouble, thanks to his training. "Everything seems to be fine, I'm a little tired from the experience though" the stoic Uchiha replied.

"Yeah that will pass" Naruto said lazily.

"So what did you do with Itachi's eyes?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, Baa-chan wanted to take them, as she had never had a chance to inspect the physiology of the Mangekyo sharingan. But once she is done with them they will be returned. Giving them to Konoha would raise too many suspicions" Naruto said.

"Not to mention that Danzo would do almost anything to get his hands on my eyes" Itachi added.

"Yeah there is something seriously off about him, I broke into the council room and his weird bandaged arm felt completely different from the rest of him, almost like a separate person all together" Naruto said darkly.

"He always was a snake, I would do my best to stay away from him, both of you. He will not like the idea of letting you both run around, it wouldn't surprise me if he is already thinking of a way to capture you both. And once he finds out Itachi has a new pair of eyes I'm sure he will be even more eager to do something against you" Jiraiya informed the pair.

"That old fool, let him try what he wants, I'm not afraid of him" Naruto replied offhandedly.

"Danzo is not someone to be taken lightly Naruto-kun. His old Root Anbu still operate in the shadows, even a fool can lead to your downfall after all" Itachi lectured.

"He's right Danzo may not look like much, but he don't let his appearance fool you, he is a competent shinobi in every sense of the word. And what you said about the way his supposedly useless arm makes me think that he is not as crippled as many think" Jiraiya added to emphasize Itachi's point.

"I understand, I won't go looking for trouble with him" the blond sighed.

"Good as long as you don't antagonize him" Jiraiya said.

"So what do we do for the next few days?" Naruto queried.

"Well we are stuck here anyway, I may as well get in some research" Jiraiya said.

"Why am I not surprised" Naruto commented dryly.

(Elsewhere)

Two shinobi in white cloaks were slowly making there way up a tall mountain path, their cloaks were hiding their faces but it was obvious that from the body shape of the shorter one that she was female.

"Nii-san, where are we going? What would a bounty office be doing way out here anyway" Akimi whined.

"We're not going to a bounty office. We're going to see an old friend of Jiraiya-sama's" Akaru replied.

Akimi folded her arms in front of her ample chest and huffed. "Not that he doesn't sound fascinating, but why are we going there. I'm sure any friend of Jiraiya-sama can take care of themselves, I mean that would have to, Itachi and Naruto have both been forced to flee from angry women that Jiraiya had been peeking on before" She said,

"Well you see, Chiriku is strong, one of the strongest ninja in the Land of Fire. But he never leaves the fire temple" Akaru explained.

"Hm,why not, I was told those monks can handle themselves, but why is some old shinobi watching them anyway?" the kunoichi asked.

"He's not that old, he retired after leaving the twelve guardians and became a monk" Akaru said.

"Twelve Guardians? You mean the elite team of ninja appointed to protect the Fire Daimyo right?" Akimi said, her interest had grown greatly when she found out that the ninja they were going to visit was that strong. '_Maybe he could teach me something to finally get a victory over Naruto-kun!_' she thought in hope.

"That's right, of all the guardians in the last generation only one of them returned to Konoha. That was the the son of the Sandaime Hokage, Asuma. He is highly ranked in the bingo books for his efficiency in close range fighting aided by wind manipulation" Akaru explained as they continued walking.

"And what element is Chiriku? If it's Raiton or Fuuton, I hope he can teach me something" the kunoichi said eagerly.

Akaru shook his head at just how eager his young sister could be. '_Sometimes I wish she was more like Haku, calm and collected. But I guess when your best friend is someone like Naruto you cant help but turn out like she has_' he thought as a smile crossed his face. "Well, you haven't even learned half of the Raiton jutsu I have given you over the years, maybe you should learn what you have now before pestering others for a lesson" he said knowing that it wouldn't make a difference to her wanting a something.

"Well, most of those scrolls you gave me were for black lightning, and I can't use that yet, I need to learn how to completely shut off my Fuuton chakra so I can compress my Raiton enough" Akimi mumbled. The fact that there was a large variety of powerful Raiton jutsu that she couldn't use had been rather more than a small bother to the speedy kunoichi for quite awhile.

"Don't feel too bad, not many ninja can compress there chakra to that amount anyway, Shee failed, of all of my sensei's pupils during his life, only Darui and Myself learned to use black lightning effectively" Akaru said as he saw that Akimi was slightly disheartened by the fact that she couldn't control the denser chakra properly.

Akimi nodded and lowered her head to the ground before kicking a small rock off the edge of the road and down to the bottom of the mountain that was far below. "I would get it if I could just perfect my Fuuton Manipulation" she sighed.

Akaru placed a hand on his chin and hummed. "Well I'm not the person to talk to about that, Naruto would probably be the best to help with that, but I cant be sure, he doesn't really have to try for that kind of stuff, so his knowledge might be limited" he mused out loud.

Akimi though saw this as not only a chance to get her elemental manipulation at a better level, but also to spend some more alone time with Naruto. The last time they had actually been alone together was in the Land of Lightning when she asked to sleep in his bed. "Yeah I think I might ask Naruto" she said trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice, and was very careful not to call him with the kun suffix.

Akaru smiled, his sister was far to easy to read, not that he disapproved in any way. Naruto was strong enough to protect her far better than he could, which was not an easy thing to accomplish for a sixteen year old. And not only that, he had a kind heart, although sometimes very slightly arrogant, more so when he is trying to irritate an opponent. "Heh looks like we are almost there, at end of this road is the Fire Temple" he said as he noticed they were getting closer to the top of the mountain.

"You still didn't tell me why were were coming here" Akimi said.

Akaru nodded as he realized that he never fully explained what they were doing high up on one of the tallest points in the Land of Fire. "Oh right, well a few months ago, just before Naruto came back with Jiraiya-sama, there was a very generous bounty put on the head of Chiriku, around thirty million ryo!"

Akimi cut her brother off at that point. "What! Were not coming up here to try and claim a bounty on one of jiraiya-sama's friends are we!" she asked incredulously.

"Not at all! Anyway as I was saying, This bounty was placed in one of the underground black markets, lots of ninja have their names on the hit list, even I do" Akaru explained.

"Then what's the big deal, I mean your not overly worried about the fact that you are wanted by bounty hunters" Akimi said.

"Well that's true, but my bounty is about five hundred thousand, not even one million ryo. Also I am a missing ninja so the bounty was probably set by Kumo. Chiriku on the other hand, is a well thought of monk, who does not hold allegiances to any but the Land of Fire. That alone makes it something that should be taken seriously. And a bounty the size of the one on his head is bound to attract some rather powerful ninja looking to collect" Akaru said.

"So we are going to stay there and watch out for the guy? I'm all for protecting him,but a bounty like that doesn't just go away" Akimi replied, making it perfectly clear that she didn't want to spend an extend period of time at the temple.

"I was thinking of warning Chiriku, then staying for a few days to ask some of the monks if they knew of anyone who would want Chiriku dead so badly that they are willing to pay that much money for it. Then if we pick up a lead, we go hunting for the man and make him drip the bounty. But if it comes up clan we will probably just have to return to the hideout" Akaru said.

"Well I was hoping for some money from this little excursion, but I don't mind so much if it's something like this" the kunoichi sighed.

They walked on for around another ten minutes before the came to a large complex with high wooden walls and a large gate. Akaru and Akimi made their way over to a pair of monks that were standing by the gates.

"Good day, welcome to the Fire Temple, may I inquire as to the nature of your visit?" the monk asked politely, with a small bow.

Akaru returned the bow, and Akimi followed suit soon after. "We are here to see the grand monk Chiriku, we have some news to deliver to him" Akaru said.

The monk nodded his head and signaled for Akaru and Akimi to follow him into a large stone courtyard where several monks were going about there nightly chores "Chiriku is just finishing his nightly training session, you came at a very lucky time, he is only usually available for a few hours a day" the monk said as they arrived at the twin doors of the main temple.

The doors opened upon a bald man who was sitting cross legged. With his eyes closed. Akimi was starting to think that he had fairly thick eyebrows but that thought pulled up the immage of two even thicker eyebrows that she had seen in Konoha and after that they seemed perfectly normal. The man wore a long tan robe with a black sash that went from his left shoulder down to the hip on his right side.

"Chiriku-sama, there are two shinobi here to see you" the monk said.

"Wait you know we are shinobi and you don't even want us to remove our weapons, what if we are here to kill him?" Akimi asked in wonder.

"It will not matter, even if you do intend to kill Chiriku-sama. He is a master in all the arts that are taught here in the fire temple, if you are here to kill him, then you have only come to your deaths" the monk said.

"Then it is a good thing I sense no hostility in any of them" Chiriku said, settling the argument before it could even start. "Now then, please tell me why you have come seeking me" the former guardian said in a friendly manner.

Taken off guard at how direct yet inviting the man was Akaru began to explain about the price on his head and started asking if he knew of anyone that would want him dead, the monk however had no idea about anyone who would want him dead other than some people he may have defeated when he was a member of the guardians. And absolutely nobody that he could think of would ever be able to pay such an exuberant fee for the hit.

"Thank you for the warning, I will make sure to keep the gates to the temple closed for the foreseeable future to any who could be seen as a threat" Chiriku said.

"Don't mention is, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind us staying around for a few days, so we can ask some of the other monks some questions, maybe one of them knows something" Akaru said.

"Not at all, I will show you to the guest barracks myself. It's on my way home after all" Chiriku said calmly before standing up and beckoning for the two Yoinokuchi ninja to follow.

They left the large hall and once outside moved to the back of the building. Once there is opened up into what looked like a small village, there were houses that were shared between groups of monks but there were also a small number of families that lived in the compound, mostly farmers who help supply the monks in exchange for a place to live.

"I never would have imagined this place would be so big" Akimi said in amazement.

"The temple needs to be large enough to house those who live here, as well as having areas for training. It is designed for the benefit of the Land of Fire" Chiriku said with a small smile.

They continued walking through the temple complex, there were no real roads it was all grass with trees scattered indiscriminately around the area between the houses that stood in random areas. Akimi couldn't help but think that it would be a nice place to live. It was clearly a peaceful place to live.

They came to a large building, larger than most of the houses but still far smaller than the main area of the temple. Two trees on each side of the entrance created a large arch that seemed to lead the line of sight through to the doorway.

Chiriku came to a stop at this point and turned to face the two Yoinokuchi shinobi. "This is where guests stay, and I will leave you here for now, I hope you enjoy your stay" Chiriku said with a smile.

Akaru couldn't understand why the monk trusted them both so much and it was almost unnerving. Eventually he had to say something, to ask why this man who was known as a feared ninja worthy of protecting the Fire Daimyo would trust them so readily. "I need to ask, why are you so trusting of us? For all you know we could be the very people who want you dead" Akaru asked.

"Well, I'm sure that if Jiraiya-sama wanted me dead then he would do it himself. Or at least send that charming apprentice of his" Chiriku said.

"Wait you know that we are allies of theirs?" Akaru asked in shock.

"Well you not only wear the same cloak, but, also the Hetai-ite of Jiraiya's little mercenary group.

Akaru was highly impressed. His forehead protector was hidden inside his cloak, but Akimi's was on her forehead, despite being well hidden Chiriku had taken in the kenji for Yoinokuchi and placed it to Jiraiya. "Impressive, I didn't think you were paying all that much attention" Akaru said.

"It is in the nature of shinobi to be secretive, I have returned to my role as a monk after I left the services of the Fire Lord. But I did not forget my life as a ninja. My dear friend Asuma taught me a lot about chakra, which enabled me to master all of the techniques that have been taught here in the last hundred years. Which is why I do not fear the bounty hunters that come after me, I believe I can hold my own against any attackers, although Jiraiya's apprentice proved to be too much for me when I tested his strength" the monk said.

"So Jiraiya-sama brought Naruto here to train?" Akimi asked hoping to find out what the monk had taught to the young blond jinchuuriki.

"Yes he came here to train, Jiraiya wanted someone to help with his taijutsu, as well as a peaceful place for him to study a most peculiar jutsu. He was able to create objects out of thin air. At first it was only black rods. But eventually he was able to create a pair of eyes. The other monks were highly impressed. After all it's not everyday that a descendent of the great sage appears" Chiriku said.

Chiriku said a final goodnight and left the Kumo siblings. "He's a weird guy, but at least he's nice" Akimi said.

Akaru chuckled at his sisters rather blunt assessment of the monk. "I think you are right there" he said with a laugh before immediately turning serious. "Still, I have been told that when he is fighting, he is one of the strongest taijutsu users in the world" he said a small hint of admiration in his voice.

"Well I'll need to get a lesson from him then" Akimi said eagerly.

"Well, if we can't find anything out over the next couple of days we can stay a little longer so you can ask him for some training if you want. But until then we will need to split up so that we can talk to everyone" Akaru said.

"And how are we supposed to do that exactly. I mean all the monks have shaved heads and wear the same outfit. I don't want to look like an idiot asking the same person the same questions" Akimi said thinking about how embarrassing that would be.

"We will just have to cope, now come on, lets go find our rooms" Akaru said cheerily.

(**The Next Day**)

It was an overly hot day in the Land of Fire, and in Konoha children were spending lots of time in water to keep cool. As well as the women bathing at a waterfall that Jiraiya loved to do his research.

In the training ground where Jiraiya was 'researching' for his books Naruto removed his large robe to help him escape the heat. "Man it's hot today" he sighed before his robe hit the ground with a loud thud causing the earth around the area to shake lightly.

"Hey keep it down, I'm busy here!" "Jiraiya yelled a small amount of annoyance in his voice.

"So does that mean you want me to go train somewhere else?" Naruto asked.

"What and let you go off and destroy something... I don't think so. You can train here, at least that way you wont be able to train any of your more destructive jutsu" Jiraiya replied.

"Aw man, I wasn't going to destroy anything... expensive" the blond said the last part as a whisper but knew that any grand show of powerful jutsu or strength would attract unwanted attention. Not that he really cared who came to watch his training, Jiraiya's warning about Danzo was still nagging at the back of his head.

Deciding to make it a light training session the blond began with testing out the Six Tomoe Necklace. His first task was seeing how it effected the gravity manipulation around his own body and began levitating with his legs crossed. 'I knew there was some reason I chose to keep this necklace on me. My gravity manipulation seems so effortless. Like I'm not using any chakra at all for the same level of my gravity manipulation' the blond thought as he closed his eyes and focused on levitating higher and higher.

Naruto reopened his eyes and found that he was sitting in mid air so high up that he could see all of Konoha as well as most of the surrounding areas. '_Amazing, I have never been able to get this high up before_' the blond thought before slowly increasing the gravity around himself so he could float safely back down to the ground.

"Impressive, but not exactly subtle" Jiraiya said when Naruto landed. Despite the Toad Sage sounding interested in Naruto's training he still hadn't looked away from his peaking spot high in a tree overlooking the river.

"Oh sorry, I didn't expect to get that high, most of the people will just think it was a large bird or something, we are pretty far from the village here after all" Naruto said.

"Maybe, but it wouldn't surprise me if we get some visitors soon, and if that happens I will have to stop my research" Jiraiya said in annoyance.

"Oh no, now what will people do for there smut" Naruto said in a sarcastic tone.

"You make it sound like a bad thing" a new voice called out.

Naruto spun around to find Kakashi land at the far side of the training ground. "Tsunade-sama told me you were going to be around for a couple of days, and when I saw someone apparently sitting cross legged in thin air I figured it would have been you" the Copy Ninja added as he walked over to shake Naruto's hand.

"How have you been Kakashi?" Naruto asked as he shook the former Anbu captains hand.

"Not bad, I here you guys are giving Kumo quite the headache. Although, Sarutobi-sama and Tsunade-sama are getting a bit of one now. The village is in an uproar about allowing the son Minato sensei to run around without the protection of the village. Looks like you have gone from public enemy to wounded bird that needs protecting" Kakashi said with an eye smile at the end.

Naruto sighed and fell on his back using gravity manipulation to hold him just off the ground a second before he hit, then gradually released it so he was resting on the soft grass. "Sounds tough, although I don't know what's worse, the fact that they think I am helpless, or the fact that they are only saying that out of guilt for the way they used to think about me" the blond said.

"Well it's no use complaining about it, people are scared of what they don't understand. And considering just how few people know sealing techniques or anything about jinchuuriki for that matter it's no real surprise that they didn't understand" Kakashi said.

"So Kakashi has any news from the Akatsuki come through here? They have been surprisingly quiet, I would of thought that news of jinchuuriki being stolen would have made it out by now but so far we haven't heard a thing. Only place I haven't tried is Iwa, although they were never very fond of their jinchuuriki in the first place. And with how secretive the Tsuchikage is I wouldn't be surprised if they don't make a fuss about loosing either of their jinchuuriki" Jiraiya said.

"Kakashi shook his head, I've been on the look out for reports, but nothing has come up, sorry jiraiya-sama" Kakashi replied.

"That's fine, no news is good news, it would be more troubling if you had reports of the jinchuuriki being taken" Jiraiya said content with the copy ninja's answer.

The three ninja talked for a while longer about the happenings in Konoha as well as what Naruto acomplised during his three year training trip with the Toad Sage. Eventually however Naruto had to leave to help Itachi's eyes recover, a simple diagnosis jutsu and tissue repair jutsu was required every couple of hours so the blond left Kakashi and Jiraiya, returning to the cave where Itachi lay in bed recovering.

(**Fire Temple**)

It had been a long and thoroughly unproductive day for Akimi and Akaru. They had asked over half of the people living at the temple if they had any idea who would want Chiriku dead, but every time they came up with the same response. "Chiriku is a peace loving man who none would wish dead"

They had just given up for the day and were heading to the main temple building to talk to Chiriku and inform them that they had still not found anything in the way of discovering who wanted him dead. They were just about to open the large double doors to the temple hall when a large explosion forced them to turn to the gate which had been blown off it's hinges. Dust obscured the vision of the man responsible but it slowly cleared enough to reveal the silhouette of two tall ninja. One of them was carrying a large three bladed scythe "Well well well, look what we have here, a bunch of monks. I bet Jashin-sama would love to have you all as sacrifices, but we aren't here for that" Hidan said as the smoke cleared enough to reveal Hidan and Kakuzu standing at the entrance a few monks lay dead at their feat.

Akaru and Akimi both had the same thought when they saw the black cloaks covered in the red clouds. '_Akatsuki!_'

**End Chapter!**

**Thank god the Cannon is back, I was going into some serious withdrawals lol. Still it would be good if it would move slightly faster, not that I am complaining or anything but with all the crap Naruto has gone through so far and all the people he has defeated, I'm starting to think the only way Sasuke will be able to kill Naruto is if he is so exhausted he won't be able to fight at full strength... so basically the same way Sasuke has won every fight so far, with the exception of Danzo.**

**Anyway back on topic hope you liked the chapter. Next chapter will be the first confrontation with the Akatsuki. Should be up by Monday night, maybe sooner depending on how free I am during the weekend. **


	50. The Immortal Zombie Brothers

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 50****: The Immortal Zombie Brothers**

Akimi and Akaru both stood wide eyed at the sight of two members of the akatsuki. They both knew that the group was looking for the jinchuuriki. And also that it was comprised of S rank missing ninja.

"This isn't good" Akaru said in a hushed tone.

"These are the people hunting Naruto, Gaara and Fuu?" Akimi whispered to her brother as if looking for clarification of who it was that stood across the far side of the courtyard.

Akaru nodded his head dumbly. "Yeah, we have to be very careful here, there are two of them and a fight with any member of the Akatsuki is a fight to the death. At least we have numbers on our side, the monks are skilled with chakra despite not using it in a conventional manner.

Hidan and Kakuzu walked forward, Hidan had his chest pushed out like he owned the place while he looked over the gathering crowd of monks doing his best to be as intimidating as possible.

Despite how large and intimidating Hidan was attempting to make himself, it was Kakuzu who spoke first. "We are looking for a monk!" he bellowed sounding as though the fact that he had just walked over the dead bodies of several of the fire temple monks already.

A tall monk stepped forward. "We are normally open to take in travelers, but your utter disregard for human life is intolerable. There is no monk here that will see you, now leave this place at once!" he bellowed showing that he was in no way intimidated by the two Akatsuki members.

"I guess we should do what the man says, eh Kakuzu" Hidan said before starting to laugh. The monks in the area were confused by Hidan's antics. However seconds latter they were both outraged and shocked. Hidan took out a small long blade and slit the throat of the monk who had confronted them. "Nobody asked you fool. You're not even worthy of sacrificing to Jashin-sama. Now where is...Uh who are we looking for again?" Hidan said turning to Kakuzu for clarification.

"You are a complete idiot Hidan... We are looking for the Monk Chiriku, I would suggest you hand him over" Kakuzu said darkly.

Moving as one all the monks moved to get in between the two Akatsuki ninja and the temple hall where Chiriku was finishing his meditation. "Looks like they're not going to give him up so easily. Guess I will get to sacrifice more than one monk to jashin-sama after all" Hidan said with a smile.

Hidan removed the three bladed scythe from his shoulder and began to slowly walk forward. Akimi leaned in, "What are we going to do? I know these monks are supposed to be tough, but they're up against the Akatsuki, we're not just going to let those bastards kill them all are we" She said urgently in a hushed tone.

Akaru was about to reply when the doors to the hall opened and out walked Chiriku who no longer looked like the kind monk, but a trained killer who had been angered. "What is going on here, you kill my people without remorse... oh I see, the Akatsuki. I'm not a jinchuuriki and there is nobody here that is!" Chiriku said aggressively.

"I don't care about the jinchuuriki right now. At the moment I am interested in regaining some lost funds. We just had a rather expensive trip to the Land of Lightning. The bounty on your head is going to pay for our losses" Kakuzu replied not threatened in the slightest by the monk.

"You are a fool, I am Chiriku of the fire temple, and I won't loose to the likes of you!" the monk said powerfully and stepped forward. The other monks cleared out of the way as Chiriku made his way down the stairs. His monks robe began flapping behind him as a large breeze seemed to pick up.

Akimi was about to rush forward and stand with him but her brother grabbed her shoulder to stop her from rushing off recklessly. "Nii-san! Why are you stopping me from helping him!" she asked incredulously.

"Not yet, the Akatsuki are not known to fight fair, they also don't care that Chiriku has all of his monks here with him. We will wait and only get involved if it is necessary" Akaru said calmly.

Akaru was glad he and his sister had their hoods up because he was positive that she was giving him a rather dirty eye for suggesting that they don't help the monk unless it was necessary.

"What you're going to take us both on by yourself, don't you want your little monk friends to help you?" Hidan asked, almost taunting Chiriku as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs.

"The fire temple monks serve the Land of Fire and do not fight for anyone else, myself included. You have business with me, then I will handle it, leave the others alone" Chiriku said before slipping into a fighting stance. He made his body as thin as it could become standing almost side on to the Akatsuki ninja, his hands were up in an almost prayer like position.

Hidan and Kakuzu gave each other a questioning glance before they both charged forward. Hidans large scythe tore up the ground behind him. Chiriku looked on unworried. "Welcoming approach, Thousand Arm Murder" Chiriku whispered to himself.

Around the monk a large spectral figure seemed to grow and arms shot forward connecting with the Akatsuki members. Thousands of hits all in a split second, Akimi and Akaru couldn't believe their eyes. Not at the fact that Chiriku had such a powerful jutsu, more the fact that the two Akatsuki members would rush in so recklessly.

"It's over, those punches target all of the vital areas of the body causing instant death when fighting against small numbers" Chiriku sighed as the spectral figure vanished from behind the monk.

Hidan had other ideas however as he picked himself up off the ground. "Ow that fucking hurt!" he complained although he appeared perfectly healthy without even a scratch on him. Even his robe seemed to be unscathed apart from some small patches of dust.

"Hidan, would you shut up, or I swear I will kill you!" Kakuzu said as he too pushed himself up from the ground.

Chiriku and the other monks could not believe their eyes. The Thousand Arm Murder was considered a jutsu to use against an army to disable them by striking at the vital areas, and against one or two opponents it was an instant kill. But now not one but two people had not only survived the attack, but had come out of it relativity unscathed.

After stretching out again Hidan and Kakuzu once again charged in, and once again Chiriku sent them flying, but the same result, his attacks had no affect on either of the Akatsuki members.

"How is this possible! Those strikes were so precise, there is no way they should be able to stand" Akaru gasped.

"They don't even seem concerned for their own health, something isn't right here" Akimi said in equal shock, although she was more impressed with Chiriku, he had yet to move from the base of the stairs.

Kakuzu slowly returned to his feet not at all happy at the way things had been progressing so far. "This is getting us nowhere, I will not allow myself to be pushed around by some damn monk Hidan this is pointless, were doing this my way now" He said grumpily.

"Get fucked this is my kill, if we do it your way you are going to claim that you had to do all the work, I can kill this guy by myself!" Hidan said upon seeing that his comrade was now becoming serious.

"Shut up Hidan, your way of doing things will make this take forever, we are supposed to be hunting jinchuuriki" Kakuzu replied.

"Fuck you creep, it was your idea to collect the bounty on this guy in the first place!" Hidan roared.

"This is irrelevant, we need to get this done quickly" Kakuzu said not paying his angry angry counterpart any attention.

Hidan was about to retort again when a large spectral fist much larger than the ones that hit during the Thousand Arm murder sent Hidan soaring into a wall before following through crushing the foul mouthed Akatsuki ninja. "I will not tolerate that kind of language here" Chiriku said clearly angered.

"Ah fuck you, I'm going to enjoy sacrificing you to Jashin-sama" Hidan yelled from behind the spectral arm.

"He may be a fool, but he's a tough fool" Akaru said surprised that despite the battering that Hidan had taken, he was still fighting. 'What is his secret, any normal person would have been killed several times over by now, and they don't even seem to be worried, and if Chiriku keeps using his chakra so freely it is definitely going to wear him out.

Kakuzu sighed and removed his Akatsuki robe. Revealing his bear torso. There was a large gasp from the surrounding monks. The former Taki ninja's body had a closer resemblance to a child's doll than a humans. Oh he was anatomically correct, but by the looks of him he was sown together with various parts of other people. The sight sickened Akimi but Akaru was looking at something else all together, his eyes were drawn to several masks that appeared at various parts of his body.

"Hidan, it's time to get serious! No more messing around" Kakuzu said before flashing through several hand seals. "Katon: Intelligent Hard Work" he said before spewing out a small ball of flames that shot toward Chiriku. The ball of fire didn't make it to the monk before it struck the ground and the small ball of flames turned into a massive fire storm charging toward the temple.

Chiriku had to act quickly to save the temple as well as the lives of himself and several of the monks who were closer to the fight than perhaps they should have been. "Regretful Deterrence, Chakra Shield" the monk stated calmly and a large barrier of yellow chakra rose up to block the blast. No sooner had the flames died down than Chiriku had to jump out of the way of the blades from Hidan's scythe. "Heh looks like he can move after all" the Jashinist joked.

Chiriku landed before kicking off again this time straight at Hidan, a powerful fist landing in the face of the Akatsuki ninja. The monk wasn't done there however as he then rocketed over to Kakuzu, spinning into a kick.

Kakuzu was ready however and a split second before he hit the green eyed, money obsessed ninja ducked. However his arms disconnected from his body, attached by black rope like cords. His arms that had disconnected from his torso grabbed the body of the monk slamming him into the ground whilst still holding him down.

Kakuzu got up and walked over to the monk who was looking at the former Taki ninja with a hint of disgust. "I know that look well. Tell me, are you afraid?" Kakuzu said as he slowly approached Chiriku.

Chiriku didn't break eye contact as he watched Kakuzu approach. "No, I am not afraid of you nor am I afraid to die"

"That is good. If you're prepared then there will not be any sorrow" the former Taki ninja replied.

That was when Hidan made himself known again. Walking over to join Kakuzu who stared down at the monk. "Well, it's time for you to pay up your end of the deal, we had to attack these monks so now I get to sacrifice him to Jashin-sama" he said extending the spear like blade from inside his Akatsuki robe.

"Very well, just do it quickly, I'm sick of you and your pathetic excuse for a religion" Kakuzu said in frustration.

"You blasphemous bastard, just you wait, one day you will feel the wrath of Jashin!" Hidan yelled as he knelt down next to the monk who was not even struggling against his bindings anymore. He watched as the blade slowly approached his cheek however when he was only an inch away from cutting Chiriku the blade shot back.

Chiriku's eyes widened as he saw along pair of dueling kunai dug into the chest of Hidan being held by Akimi who then proceeded to spin into a roundhouse kick sending Hidan crashing to the ground with no sign of life..

Kakuzu himself was attacked by Akaru who had attempted to cut the bindings holding his arms to free the contained monk, but was too fast for the former Kumo jounin. "I'm afraid we cant let you kill him" Akaru said determination evident on his face as his yellow eyes bore into Kakuzu's green.

"Akaru Hayaku, bounty price, five hundred thousand Ryo dead, five million for an alive capture. It's too bad I rarely keep my bounties alive, five million Ryo would have been a nice little bonus for this little trip.

"You seem pretty confident for someone who is out numbered three on one" Akaru said.

"I count it differently... Hidan stop playing around and get up already" Kakuzu replied flatly.

"Shut your face, getting stabbed in the heart isn't exactly a fun experience you know" a reply came from the seemingly dead Akatsuki ninja.

The eyes of Chiriku and the two Akatsuki ninja bulged when Hidan stood up. There was a small tear in Hidan's robe from where Akimi's knife tore as it plunged into the foul mouthed ninja's heart, but the flesh underneath was unscathed. "Impossible, I felt my blade rip through his flesh, how is there no damage at all" the kunoichi said in utter horror.

"Oh please, if Hidan could be killed that easily, I would have done it myself by now" Kakuzu grumbled menacingly.

"That's right my pretty little miss, I'm Immortal, you can't kill me" Hidan laughed.

'_Immortal? How is that possible_' ran through the minds of Akaru and Akimi, Chiriku kept his head clear not willing to listen the words of an adversary so readily. "Nobody is truly immortal, there will be a way to take your life and we will find it" the Monk said as if to reassure his two allies that victory was still possible.

"He's right, we still out number them three to two, we can win this" Akaru said.

"Hm then perhaps I should change the odds then" Kakuzu said smugly. Slowly the back of the former Taki ninja seemed to morph and the four masks on his back slowly removed themselves forming creatures made of what appeared to be the same black cords holding the ninja's body together. "It appears that now it is six against three, I hope you were not relying on the numbers game" he taunted.

There was a rather abrasive look on the face of Akaru now, he was certainly prepared to die here fighting, but he would rather die a thousand times over than see his sister killed, oh he knew that she could hold her own. In fact he was sure that she could defeat him in a all out fight. But he also knew that she had no jutsu powerful enough to stop the so called immortal Hidan, the only thing that Akaru thought might word was removing the head. "I'll take the silver haired one with the bad mouth" he said.

"I believe I will be best suited to deal with the masked creatures" Chiriku added.

"Alright, that leaves me with tall dark and creepy" Akimi said.

"I have no desire to fight you, foolish girl, I only want to fight those with large bounties on their head" Kakuzu said.

Akimi's response was to shoot forward at blistering speed attempting to connect her knee to the center of the face of the former Taki ninja.

Kakuzu wasn't expecting the young kunoichi to move with such speed, but he had over a hundred years of experience and he had learned long ago to expect the unexpected. He turned his body to the side just in time to miss Akimi's knee. However he didn't calculate her flexibility and was caught on the side of the head by her trailing leg as she swiveled to readjust for missing her first strike.

Kakuzu flew away landing in a near the entrance to the temple compound they had destroyed minutes earlier.

Akimi seemed satisfied, she saw the way his neck had bent after she hit him and knew the only way that would happen was if it had been broken.

How sadly mistaken she was. Kakuzu stood up, his hood discarded from the impact of the kick allowing his long dark hair to flow freely behind him. However it looked like he had no head to speak of at all, instead black cords shot out and went behind to his shoulder. Slowly they began to retract and brought his head and neck back with it placing it firmly back on his shoulders unharmed.

"So we have a fast one, you would have made such a pretty little bounty in a few years, such a shame you had to get in the way of me collecting the monk" Kakuzu said calmly as he assessed the dark haired kunoichi. "A taijutsu type who relies on speed, Impressive speed at that. Much higher than your average jounin. It would appear that I have to compensate" he said before his body began to change again. It almost seemed to shrink and then from his shoulders two large winglike limbs shot out.

"What the fuck are you?" Akimi asked in disgust at what she was seeing.

While this was going on Chiriku had his hands full fending off the four masked creatures that were bombarding him with a variety of elemental jutsu as well as collaborations between then. The courtyard was in ruin and only the extreme efforts of Chiriku were keeping the main hall safe. The other monks had cleared out when it appeared that Chiriku had been done for.

Meanwhile Akaru and Hidan were sizing each other up. Hidan with his scythe in one hand, and the retractable spear in the other. Akaru had two kunai but each one was glowing with Raiton chakra. "You think you can kill me with a couple of kunai! Didn't that pretty little pretty little friend of yours already try that?" Hidan taunted.

"Maybe, then again maybe not" Akaru replied.

They both charged at the same time blades clashing in the center. The former Kumo ninja attempted to overpower Hidan but their strength was close with the Akatsuki ninja having a small advantage due to being taller than Akaru. Deciding that power wasn't going to work Akaru swiveled into a leg sweep at lightning speed. Hidan may not have been the fastest member of the Akatsuki but he had been expecting this move and easily jumped the kick and used that time to bring his scythe down toward the torso of the former Kumo jounin who quickly rolled out of the way just in time and Hidan found nothing but the stone floor of the temple courtyard.

Akimi was on her toes, the two new appendages grown by Kakuzu had made him far faster, he was using them to propel himself toward the young kunoichi or away from her attacks. Making her supersonic attack unreliable as she could only attack with it in a straight line. And when matched in close combat her extra speed was canceled out by Kakuzu's experience.

Kakuzu had initially underestimated the young kunoichi due to her age and the fact she did not look to be powerful. His mistake had been rectified after her initial attack. She was still far faster than he was but he had fought plenty of fast ninja in his day so he knew how to counter them effectively. Forced them into extreme close range where they can't effectively build up any speed and then they are forced to fight at your pace it was then only a matter of waiting for an inexperienced ninja to make a slip up and it would be all over. That said Akimi's flexibility was proving to be almost as annoying as her speed and she fought like she had been used to people implying this tactic against her as she stopped going for strong powerful hits and went looking to get in quick jabs in the vital areas. It was lucky for Kakuzu that due to his rather unique physiology those vital spots were not so vital on him.

Akimi saw that she was going nowhere fast and decided to up the ante. She kicked into a high back flipp where she landed on the wall above the broken gate, her hands then immediately went to her belt buckle and withdrew two thin kunai like blades that had chains attached to them. The swift release kunoichi then began channeling some Raiton chakra through the blades.

Akimi tossed one toward Kakuzu the speed of the blade greatly enhanced by the Raiton chakra as well as it's ability to tear through almost anything it comes in contact with. Kakuzu thought he managed to get out of the way but the throw was only made to force the green eyed ninja to propel himself to another location. Then before he could do more than stop Kakuzu came face to face with Akimi. He narrowly avoided what would have normally been a fatal strike but took a deep cut on his cheek in the process. Akimi then tugged on the chain that had attached to where Kakuzu had previously been and it pulled her away effectively avoiding the Akatsuki ninjas counter attack.

"Damn, looks like I missed, but at least I know that you can bleed now" She said as she saw blood seep out of the wound on the side of Kakuzu's face.

Meanwhile Chiriku had not been able to find a way to disable the masked creatures. His only option had been to use the Thousand Arm Murder technique to stop them from their relentless assault, if he tried to focus on a technique powerful enough to destroy one of the creatures or at least cripple them

another would come to the aid almost like they were operating as one being.

Akaru was having a rather difficult time of things. Hidan's Kenjutsu with his Scythe and spear were unquestionably first class. Only luck and superior speed kept him unscathed up to this point. Misdirection was Akaru's best weapon, the thing about immortals is they become arrogant and lazy, Hidan didn't mind being cut to pieces, sure it hurt for a few seconds but it gave him a psychological edge over his opponents as they watched the wounds heal right before their eyes.

"You can't avoid me for ever, come one give me some blood, Jashin-sama hungers for it. Just a drop will do" Hidan said the frustration from not yet being able to land a strike evident but knew it was only a matter of time before his target would slip up and he would get the blood he so desired.

The Yoinokuchi ninja rolled out of the way of another large swing of Hidan's scythe only to have him follow up with an attempted stab with his spear. Akaru blocked the spear with one of his kunai before delivering a vicious slash with the other. He had been trying to remove the head but Hidan managed to lean back enough so that he only received a deep cut going diagonally across his face, the lightning from the Raiton chakra causing skin to blister and crack.

"Ahhh!" Hidan screamed in pain as he took a couple of steps back and grabbed his face while it started to heal. It was by far one of the worst injuries that Hidan had experienced in a long time, he no longer cared about sacrificing Akaru to his god, all he wanted was to kill the former Kumo ninja as soon as possible.

Akaru saw the opening he needed, it took several seconds for him to heal and quickly sped around to get behind Hidan. "Game over!... Raiton: Connected Kunai Current" he said as he held a kunai on either side of Hidan's head.

A thin stream of lightning shot between the two kunai and Hidan had just taken notice of what was going on when Akaru yanked the kunai back removing the head of the Jashinist as easily as a hot knife going through soft butter.

Hidan's head hit the ground with a thud but the body stood for a few moments before swaying and landing in a heap about three yards from his head. Akaru checked the body but there was no signs of life. "So much for being immortal" Akaru sighed before turning to see how his sister and Chiriku were coping. "Hey guy's I'm done here!" he said happily.

Akimi turned as her brother called out to signal her success a large smile plastered on his face at overcoming someone considered to be a S rank ninja. Suddenly Akaru's smile seemed to falter and his eyes widened. Akimi was wondering what was wrong then a deep red patch of blood appeared and slowly began to spread. Time seemed to stand still, the only thing that was moving was the red covering Akaru's Yoinokuchi robe and the headless body slowly stand behind him.

Akaru had been pierced right through, he was only still alive because the spear had missed his heart. He turned his head slowly eyes wide to see the headless body of Hidan stand. "How?" he said his voice was hushed from the intense pain that was coursing though his body.

"What are you a fucking idiot, do you honestly think this is the first time that I have had my head removed?" Hidan scoffed. "Kakuzu decapitates me at least once a week" he added to add insult to injury, both physical and emotional.

Akimi couldn't take her eyes away as the headless body removed a large thin blade from Akaru's side. And walked over to gather its head. Kakuzu was willing to let her watch, it wasn't his style to attack someone when there back is turned, especially not someone he didn't consider to be worth any money.

Akimi was shocked still but was finally snapped into action as her brothers knees gave out causing him kneel his back was still straight as physically possible with the muscles all tight from the pain but he couldn't sustain being vertical any longer his strength was leaving him and fast and he collapsed face first into the ground. This sight broke Akimi from her stunned state "Nii-san!" she yelled uncontrollable fear and sadness in her voice.

**End Chapter!**

**There we go a whole chapter of fighting. Hope it wasn't too repetitive, if so feel free to criticize, I'm a big boy so I can handle it lol.**

**You might think that Hidan and Kakuzu got off easily, but Naruto and Shikamaru wouldn't have defeated them if they hadn't already known there abilities... Well maybe Naruto would have won.**


	51. Graceful Partings

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****1: Graceful Partings**

Akimi had never moved so fast in her entire life, the Swift release chakra danced around her lighting her up like a large firefly over a clear lake. Her target was the man laying face down on the cold stone. She was there in the blink of an eye, yellow sparks of chakra danced around her, and her hair danced wildly tears already falling from her face as she stood over the body of her brother.

All fighting had stopped as she bent to pick up the man who had cared for her the entirety of her life. Racing over to place him on the steps of the temple hall safely out of harms way before turning to glare at the man responsible. A tall man with silver hair holding a large three bladed scythe and a small spear like blade that still had Akaru's blood painting it red.

She was about to take off again to attack the man who stole her only family from her when a calm and soothing voice spoke. "Don't do it, take your brother and run, leave this place quickly I will hold them off" it was Chiriku who spoke.

"But, They, Killed, Him! How can I just run and let them get away!" she said anger and sorrow coating every word, and still sparking from how much swift release chakra she was channeling.

"He is not dead just yet, you still have time, you can say your farewells, his death does not have to be in the edge of a battlefield, take him away from here to somewhere peaceful" Chiriku said.

The chakra sparking around Akimi died down significantly although there was still a random spark of energy that would shoot out from her body. "But what about you, if you fight them alone you will die!" she said slightly calmer.

"My dear girl, do you really think we can still win? If you stay it will accomplish nothing more than adding another life taken needlessly. I am not afraid of death and although I would prefer to be buried among my people I can call it an even trade if I can save the life of an innocent" the monk said.

Akimi was in two minds looking in at her brothers broken body and the monk who stood between her and the Akatsuki ninja. Her mind was made up for her when Akaru moved his head and looked back at her. "Please leave this place... run, if you die here my giving my life becomes meaningless" he said weakly.

"Alright, you better make sure to kick their asses, for my brother. And I want some lessons the next time I come here" she said attempting to joke at the end but that just hurt her more, because she knew that this would be the last time she saw the man offering to give his life so she could get to safety and say her last words to Akaru.

Chiriku couldn't help but smile even if it was very small. "I would be honored to teach you, now go" he said.

Akimi picked up her brother again and moved to the back where some monks were directing her to a secondary exit to the complex.

"Hey look at that, she's running away" Hidan laughed.

"I couldn't care less about the girl, what I do care is her taking a five hundred thousand Ryo bounty away, I can't allow that!" Kakuzu grumbled.

"I won't allow it, I'm not afraid of death. But I will fight you to my last breath to help her get away, she saved my life so now I'm returning the favor" Chiriku replied his voice now void of emotion and in a fighting stance.

"Well good luck stopping us, Hidan go after the girl and get me the body of Akaru Hayaku!" Kakuzu ordered.

"Fuck you, you're not my boss, you do it! I want sacrifice this guy to Jashin-sama! Because so far today I have killed two people and neither of them was sacrificed I'm not letting this one get away as well" Hidan said.

"Gah fine, just don't take to long" Kakuzu said angrily.

I thought I told you, that I wouldn't let either of you go after them, Spiritual Containment Barrier!" Chiriku said and before either Akatsuki members could move a large dome appeared trapping both ninja as well as well as all four of Kakuzu's masks.

"This is a powerful containment barrier, it must be very taking on his chakra" Kakuzu said clearly impressed by the jutsu but knew it wouldn't be all that long before he would be free.

"That's true, by estimate of how much chakra I have left I would say that I can hold this barrier for about half an hour give or take a few minutes. But it will be long enough for the girl to be far away from here with Akaru's body" Chiriku informed the pair.

"A well thought out strategy, I can see why you were one of the twelve guardians although when it is free you will have no chakra left to defend yourself" Kakuzu said.

"I am considered a Taijutsu master, I do not need chakra for that, but in essence you are right. But I have already made peace with the fact today is my final day" Chiriku retorted.

"Well it's fairly obvious that this guy is a fool, we are going to have to wait until this barrier drops, we may as well get comfy" Hidan sighed.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akimi was running all out, '_I can save him, He's not dead yet. If I can get to Konoha Naruto-kun and Tsunade-sama are there. He can survive this_' she thought as she leaped from tree to tree not caring about how much chakra she was pushing out. The only thing that mattered to her was her older brother slumped over her shoulder just barely clinging on to life.

Akaru picked up on what his sister was doing and he knew if she continued it could kill her as well from chakra exhaustion. "Akimi stop" he ordered weakly.

Akimi didn't comply and just pushed on ever faster. "I have to get you to Tsunade-sama, she can save you, if I keep going at this speed we can make it" Akimi said.

Akaru closed his eyes the pain of his wound was becoming a dull ache and numbness was slowly overcoming him, he was on the way out. "It is a day and a half to get to Konoha from here, even with your speeds, you must stop this" He replied.

Akimi jumped though another couple of trees before the truth of Akaru's words came to her, she was amazed that he was alive even now, how could she hope for him to last that long. She slowed down and eventually came to a stop when the trees separated into a clearing around a small lake, the dense dark forest surrounding the quiet and still lake. The world seemed to be peaceful and if at any other point in time Akimi would have found the place beautiful, however all she could do was place Akaru against a tree in a sitting position and collapse to her knees as tears began to flow freely down her angelic face.

Akaru could see his sister was not ready to speak yet still dealing with the denial that he was not long for this world. "In better days I've been known to listen to find out why you are crying, but I think I might know this time" He said softly before coughing up a small amount of blood.

Akimi looked up her eyes bloodshot but forced herself to stop crying for the sake of Akaru. "You were always there for me, even when I didn't want you to be" she said holding back the tears.

Akaru chuckled lightly. "You know I was trying to map out how I wanted my life to end, I guess it's never gonna happen now, and I suppose those thoughts are condescending though. I have been given the chance to die in battle against a great opponent, I would consider that a noble death, but in my mind I was much older and I had a bunch of annoying young blonds pestering me asking for their uncle to help with Raiton manipulation" he laughed, the laugh soon turned into a cough and more blood fell on his Yoinokuchi robes that were already soaked red.

Akimi had to laugh, "And I'm sure you would of given them some near impossible task and told them not to come back until they completed it"

Akaru smiled at his sister. "Our parents would be so proud of you. You became so strong, far stronger than me, my role as your protector is over you don't need me anymore" he said calmly.

The kunoichi's eyes widened. "That's not true, I could never not need you in my life Nii-san" she said a tear beginning to roll out the side of her eye despite fighting to hold it back.

"You have to, I know you will do well without me around, I'm leaving you with Naruto if he cant keep you safe then nobody can, just try not to become a mother too soon alright? I know you stayed in his room after we were in Kumo after all" he said a smile gracing his face.

Akimi blushed despite her current state of distress. "We didn't do anything, well other than kissing" she admitted seeing no reason to lie anymore.

"He's a good kid and will become a great man, and I believe Jiraiya is right, Naruto is the destined child that will bring about unity in this world. But you both need to grow up a bit, can't have our future savior competing with his girlfriend over every little thing" he said weakly the last of his strength quickly fading away.

Akimi chuckled and it was short and very small but a smile graced her lips. "I'll do my best, but no promises about him" she half laughed, half sobbed.

"That's what I wanted to see" Akaru said in an almost inaudible tone.

"What?" Akimi asked with slight urgency knowing that Akaru was fading now.

"That smile. The smile that made me abandon Kumo. The smile I would do anything to protect, a job that I am passing on to Naruto" he whispered and with the last of his strength brought a hand up to his sisters face wiping the lone tear that had escaped her eyes away with his thumb before his hand fell limp at his side, and the last spark of life in his eye was extinguished.

(**Fire Temple**)

Hidan and Kakuzu sat cross legged as they waited for the large barrier to fall, there irritation at the current situation was evident from their faces and the far less subtle fact that every couple of seconds Hidan would through a small rock at the barrier to see if it was weakening.

"This is so fucking annoying, how much longer is this going to fucking take!" Hidan yelled after yet another rock bounced off the barrier. "Pein-sama told us to hunt the Nanabi and what happens? We go running all around the Land of Fire looking for your stupid bounties, we haven't heard one whiff about any jinchuuriki, and now we are trapped in a giant bubble, thank you a fucking lot, I wouldn't complain so much if you had let me massacre a bunch of heretics, but no were supposed to keep a low profile. Well what the fuck do you call attacking one of the key locations of the Land of Fire" He raged.

"Shut up and sit down Hidan, there is nothing for us to do but wait, you said so yourself" Kakuzu said.

Time ticked on and Hidan's mood hadn't improved. He just busied himself cleaning his retractile spear, making sure to clean it of Akaru's blood. By this time Chiriku was sweating heavily, and it was clear that he was nearly drained of chakra to the point of having to drop his jutsu. 'Just another minute' he thought at the start of each passing minute knowing that the more he pushed the less likely it would be that the two Akatsuki ninja went after Akimi.

Finally though he was forced to drop the jutsu, his body exhausted from the effort, he knew that if he wanted to put up any sort of challenge for them he should have ended his barrier jutsu about five minutes earlier, but the monk decided that time guaranteed is better than a gamble on lasting five minutes without jutsu in a fight against either of the Akatsuki ninja. He already knew for a fact that Kakuzu was highly skilled in taijutsu as well as being fast. And put together with Hidan and the masked creatures that had retreated to their original positions on Kakuzu's back.

Chiriku stood up on weak legs barely able to stand from chakra exhaustion. "Looks like we won't have much trouble dealing with him anymore" Hidan said to Kakuzu as he watched Chiriku stand on weak legs.

"Well, he did as he said he would, it would be impossible to track and catch the girl anymore, nor would it be worthwhile, the bounty on Akaru Hayaku is not worth the trouble" Kakuzu replied.

"Well I guess I will take care of this, I don't need your help dealing with this monk now" Hidan said.

Hidan charged forward with his scythe in an attempt to impale Chiriku. The monk however as able to duck under the scythe but was not able to avoid the spear in Hidan's other hand completely and he felt the cold burn of the blade as it sliced open his cheek.

Hidan looked at his blade with glee. "It's time, now let's savor the utmost suffering together!" he said eagerly as his body began to change. His skin went jet black with sections of white making hims look more like a skeleton and strange seals spread around the ground around him.

"A seal! What is this!" Chiriku asked.

"This is your end" Hidan said as he allowed a drop of Chiriku's blood to fall onto his tongue. "When another persons agony at the final moment of death seeps into my body the pain is transcended and becomes the purest ecstasy!" he added before bringing his retractable spear up to his chest and plunging it into his heart causing the Jashinist's eyes to widen and head to jerk up into the sky.

Chiriku's eyes also widened as he felt his heart falter. '_At least this was a fitting end_' he thought before his body went limp and he collapsed.

"Oh yes. That's the stuff" Hidan sighed as he withdrew the blade from his chest. "Well, he's all yours now Kakuzu" he said walking over to kick the deceased monk to Kakuzu who picked him up and placed his body over a shoulder.

"Let's go, the rest of these monks have no value" Kakuzu said and turned to the exit of the temple not waiting for Hidan to reply.

(Outside Konoha)

Naruto had just finished applying some medical jutsu to Itachi's bandaged eyes. He knew Jiraiya would still be either talking to Kakashi or be back peeking on the ladies bathing in the river. "That should do it until Tsunade-Baachan can inspect them tonight."

"Thank you Naruto-kun, this whole experience has helped me gain some perspective on how much the Uchiha prized and valued the sharingan, if you take it away we were nothing, the sharingan was more of a curse than a gift. I'm starting to wonder if I want the clan to be revived at all" Itachi said.

"But that was your plan? To have Sasuke kill you and restore the Uchiha clans honor?" the blond asked.

"Yes it was. But the plan was made difficult the moment he ran to Orochimaru, the curse seal placed on his neck may have influenced his decision to go, but he did not have the will to avoid using it. He betrayed Konoha, his friends and the memory of his family. I'm beginning to question if he can be saved at all" Itachi sighed.

"Well it's up to you, personally I found Sasuke to be an arrogant teme, everything that you said was at the core of the Uchiha clans problems I saw in him. Not that he can't change, but giving away your life in an off chance that he becomes a good man is just insane. Maybe I am a little bias because I don't want you to die." Naruto said, then a small played across his face. "Although if you did die, I could just bring you back" he chuckled.

"And how many times have you done that?" Itachi asked.

"Just once, it was when I unlocked the last of my paths, we arrived late to save a family from a group of bandits, I couldn't help myself I had to do something, The Naraka Path, Summoning King of Hell jutsu. Of course if I wanted to save you I would have to get to you within a few hours, before the soul finds its way on to the afterlife." Naruto sighed.

"Interesting, Jiraiya told me the story once but he made it sound like it was a type of medical jutsu" Itachi said calmly.

"Yeah it does look like it in a way, and all the wounds of the target are healed" Naruto explained.

The pair talked for awhile longer about Itachi's plans with Sasuke and what they hoped to do in the future. Eventually Naruto left Itachi in the dark for his eyes to heal. '_Hm it's getting pretty late, I think I'll go grab something to eat from Konoha, the ramen place there is better than any ramen I have ever had_' the young blond thought.

Naruto kept out of sight as he entered the village jumping across rooftops, his hood was pulled up preventing any people below seeing his face. He finally landed on the ground in front of Ichiraku Ramen. "Miso Ramen please" Naruto said to the old man as he raised his hood.

"Coming right up" he said not taking his eyes from his cooking noodles.

"Hey dad, look who it is!" Ayame said as she entered the front of the store. Teuchi turned and his eyes shot straight for the spiky haired blond.

"Oh my it's Naruto, you have this village in quite an uproar at the moment" Teuchi said.

Naruto chuckled and folded his arms behind his head in embarrassment. "Yeah Kakashi told me about that, what's going on anyway?" she asked sheepishly.

"Well news travels fast, and the Hokage releasing the names of your parents has given the people something to talk about. And now the village has been bombarding the Hokage's office with complaints that they should have been told that you were the son of the Yondaime, and for Tsunade-sama to send out groups to force you back into the village where you're safe" Teuchi explained.

"Hm safe and this village don't really go hand in hand were I am concerned" Naruto scoffed.

"Can't say I blame you there, if I went through what you did I wouldn't be pessimistic about trusting Konoha again" Ayame said kindly.

"I agree, Sandaime-sama really tore though the small group that went to the Hokage tower to demand an explination as to why your identity was kept secret. And rightly so, he told the village when you were a baby that your father wanted you to be seen as a hero, and did they respect those wishes? Not at all! It's the people of this town that should be ashamed of themselves for treating a child like they did, not the Hokage and the elders" Teuchi added as he placed Naruto's meal down in front of the blond.

"Thanks guys, it's good to know some people understand. I don't blame Jiji for keeping my parentage secret, it was the smart move, Konoha was already weakened from Kyuubi's attack, letting the people know that my father not only had a son but he became the Kyuubi jinchuuriki would have painted a rather large bulls eye on my back for the other villages" Naruto said before eagerly digging into his ramen.

Naruto finished his meal and paid Ayame. "I'm gonna go see Jiji, I probably should apologize, this is mostly my fault that the village knows who my father is" Naruto said and after saying a fond farewell to Teuchi and his daughter, pulled his cloak back on and jumped up onto a nearby rooftop.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not having a good day, there were lots of complaints that had come to him and the other elders about Naruto's continued absence from the village. "This is such a pain in the ass, so many people demanding a public apology and an explanation. I am starting to think I may have been better off if Orochimaru had just killed me back when Suna invaded three years ago" he sighed talking to himself.

At least he thought he was. "That's not a very nice thing to say after I went through all the trouble to save you then Jiji" Naruto said from where he sat in the window behind the old Sarutobi.

"Naruto-kun!, geez you are just like Jiraiya, can't use a door to save your life" the former Hokage said in surprise.

"Well, who do you think raised me, but I haven't taken on all of his habits so don't be expecting any perverted books from me" Naruto said, he said this but he was really starting to enjoy reading his sensei's books, not that he would ever admit it.

"That's a shame, I am so eagerly awaiting Jiraiya's next book" Hiruzen said offhandedly. "Well you better come in, last thing I need is a bunch of people seeing you sitting there, you really stired up a hornets nest when you attacked Kumo" he added a slight hint of frustration in his voice but still clearly holding affection for the young blond.

"Yeah sorry about that, I didn't think that the Raikage would switch on to who I was so easily" Naruto admitted sheepishly as he hopped into the room from the windowsill.

"Well you do look remarkably like your father, especially with your hair the way it is now, if you still had your old blue eyes you would look just like him, you could have been identical twins. The Raikage A always considered Minato to b his only rival, the only person who could not only match him but best him in terms of speed and reflexes, I'm sure when he first saw you he would have thought that the Yondaime had come back as a teenager just to challenge him again, that's probably why Kumo are so eager to capture you alive... What possessed you to go there anyway, for any normal ninja it would have been a suicide mission" the former Hokage lectured.

"There were some items in Kumo that I desired" Naruto said plainly. He then opened the top of his cloak to show off the six tomoe necklace sitting proudly around his neck.

To most people it would have looked like a rather odd piece of jewelery but not to 'The Professor' he knew what he was looking at the moment his eyes caught sight of it. "The Sage's tools! How many did you take?" he asked in awe.

"All of them, I'm hoping to figure out how to make my own, preferably something a little more user friendly, I'm going to try a sword first I think" Naruto explained.

"All of them! No wonder Kumo were willing to come here and ask for the information regarding you and Itachi. You have to be weary from now on, just like here in Konoha there are unseen forces at work that will have an agenda, the Raikage may want you alive, but it wouldn't surprise me if the elders and others in the village holding power attempt to have you killed" Hiruzen warned, subtly referencing the dangers that Danzo could be.

"Yeah I know, I'll be careful don't worry Jiji" Naruto assured the old man.

"I'm not worried about you Naruto-kun, I'm worried about the idiots that go after you" Hiruzen chuckled.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh which was joined by the former Hokage the laughter finally died down and was replaced by a comfortable silence which Naruto eventually broke. "I'm sorry I caused these problems for you." he sighed.

"You have done nothing wrong, well except for destroy a decent section of Kumo, and some would even argue against that being wrong. The problems now are of my own making, had I told the people who you were as a child they would have treated you with kindness and respect, you would be a ninja of Konoha rather than a freelance mercenary" Hiruzen sighed.

"Oh please, sure they would have treated me well, so well in fact that I would have turned into an arrogant teme because everyone would be telling me how great I am, I mean just look at what happened to Sasuke. My life may not have been perfect, but it was still my own and I wouldn't change it for the life of anyone else. I'm not going to go wishing on some distant star to change the past. Too many people spend their lives praying to Kami to help them get by and in the end all they end up accomplishing is forgetting to put effort in to try and improve their situation themselves, you can't live expecting everything to fall for you, if it did it would be boring" Naruto said.

Hiruzen smiled warmly. "That is a very mature outlook, you have really grown a lot" he said proudly.

"Well I had some good teachers and role models" Naruto said.

Hiruzen was about to reply when there was a loud knock on the door. "Yes?" he asked loudly inquiring as to who it was that was bothering him in the middle of his chat with Naruto.

The door opened and in walked Danzo who immediately noticed Naruto leaning against a wall. His eyes narrowed inspecting the blond before turning back to the old Sarutobi. "The civilian council are still awaiting your response to their letters of concern" Danzo said.

Naruto knew immediately what he was talking about but didn't say anything he was more interested in the mans arm that was in his sling. '_It doesn't feel like him at all,it's almost like he has several diferent types of chakra one for his exposed body and another for his arm and covered eye... it almost feels like, Kakashi's sharingan but it's different somehow_' he thought. Naruto activated his ability to see chakra and his eyes darted straight to Danzo's arm. Even Naruto who was trained extensively by Itachi to keep his calm in all situations couldn't believe what he was seeing. The arm itself was foreign the chakra flowing inside it was different almost more condensed. Then there was the real shocker, scattered all up the arm were small drains that whilst covered had no effect at all and were virtually undetectable were still clear to the blond who could see the very basic chakra flow around his body. '_There Dojutsu! They have to be! What kind of twisted sickness is this?_' Naruto thought. He then felt a strange pull on Danzo's chakra and looked up. His covered eye also contained a Dojutsu and what's more he was trying to use it on the blond at that very moment. Naruto could feel Danzo trying to gain access to his mind via his bandaged eye. But Naruto could escape Itachi's Tsukuyomi, this genjutsu whilst clearly powerful was no match for Naruto's own ocular powers and he fought the jutsu back.

'_So even Shisui Uchiha's eye pales in comparison to the power of the Rinnegan, this boy cannot be controlled, that much is painfully obvious now. But he is far too powerful to attempt an attack on without loosing all of my men and with Itachi Uchiha and that fool Jiraiya with him it would be impossible. To make matters worse, now the ninja population and civilians know that Naruto is the Yondaimes son I can't get rid of him or the village would never see me as the Hokage. The only way that he will be useful to Konoha is if it is his choice, it looks like I am forced to side with Hiruzen and Tsunade on this case, attempting to force him back to Konoha could cause resentment. As an ally he is more useful than Suna would ever be_' Danzo thought whilst not taking his uncovered eye away from Hiruzen who had still not replied to the supposedly crippled mans request.

"Tell the civilians that the son of Minato Namikaze will not be forced to return to Konoha, such an act would only serve to sever the ties we have with Naruto. And remind them that he was trained by Jiraiya like his father before him and can handle himself!" Hiruzen said finally and gave Danzo a written statement to give to the civilians and jounin council.

"Yes I received a similar statement of intent from Tsunade-Hime, and after much thought I believe that this is the correct decision" Danzo said and then with a small bow to Hiruzen and a surprisingly respectful nod to Naruto left the room.

Hiruzen was for once left speechless, Danzo Shimura had just agreed to something that he would have thought would be grounds for Danzo to call for Tsunade to be removed as Hokage, just so he could force Naruto back to Konoha. For Danzo to willingly allow not only the Kyuubi jinchuuriki to roam freely but also to agree to not even attempting to retrieve Naruto was nothing short of a miracle.

"Hey Jiji, sorry but I have to go. I need to go find Jiraiya sensei and ask him something" Naruto said thinking about what he saw on Danzo's arm and not wanting to confront Hiruzen about it, at least not yet anyway.

"That's fine Naruto-kun, Tsunade-Hime left me some of her paperwork I really should do" Hiruzen sighed, and after a small farewell Naruto was gone, out the same window that he had entered off to see Jiraiya hoping for some answers.

**End Chapter!**


	52. Unwelcome News

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****2: Unwelcome News**

Naruto leaped from building to building, the memory of what he saw burned into his mind. He was not exactly sure what it was that he had seen but he knew it was not something that was natural. Danzo's arm, the one he kept in a sling at all times was not his at all, the chakra flow was all wrong, not to mention far too dense to be his own. Then there were the small points along his arm that were draining his chakra, just like his covered eye. 'There sharingan, I'm almost positive, I bet he had his peoples go harvest the eyes before anyone even raised the alarm. But who could do something like that... the only person who performs experiments that sick and twisted is Orochimaru! Unless there is some other twisted person out there that has been experimenting on the sharingan" the blond thought as he hopped over the main village walls and took off in the direction of the cave they were staying in, moonlight illuminating the path as he ran.

When Naruto entered the cave he was surprised to find that Tsunade was already there, healing Itachi who lay across a large table. "Oh Naruto, how nice of you to join us, come help me with this would you!" she half asked half ordered.

Naruto knew better than to make Tsunade angry and readily went over to assist the Hokage in healing Itachi's eyes. "Is Jiraiya sensei back yet? I need to to talk to him about Danzo" Naruto said.

"Really, and why the hell would you want to talk about that war mongering old fool for?" Tsunade asked, intrigue showing on her face.

Naruto cursed under his breath, he had wanted to keep Tsunade, and Hiruzen out of the loop until he had some solid evidence that it was Danzo that implanted that arm as well as the Dojutsu. "Oh it's nothing really, it just felt like his chakra was a little off when he was talking to Jiji" Naruto half lied.

Itachi who was lying on the table frowned slightly, knowing that Naruto had already expressed those concerns, he did not press the issue however. 'It's not like Naruto to lie to Tsunade-sama I wonder what this is really about' he thought.

Tsunade who had her back to the Uchiha hummed "Little off how?" she pressed.

Naruto cursed inside, he was hoping Tsunade would drop the issue. "Well, his crippled arm has a different type of chakra flowing through it, almost like its the arm of someone else" Naruto said.

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly "The arm of someone else, as in not just a transplant?" Tsunade questioned.

Naruto sighed deciding to tell her everything. "Yes, and that's not all, up his arm there were multiple areas that chakra was being drained, just like Kakashi's sharingan eyes. I believe he has a whole arm filled with sharingan, but I have no way to prove it, also the only person I can think of that could perform such a disgusting experiment is Orochimaru" Naruto said.

"But what would be the purpose of having so many sharingan?" Tsunade asked.

Itachi then had an idea. "Izanagi, the most powerful jutsu known that is placed on the user rather than an opponent" he said.

"And why is that important for him to have multiple eyes?" Tsunade asked.

"Because the act of using Izanagi causes instant blindness in an eye, causing it to close and never reopen. But that's not all, the Uchiha cannot do this jutsu at all, it requires a mixture of Uchiha DNA as well as that of the Senju clan" Itachi explained.

"That must be why his arm felt so weird, it contains Senju DNA!" Naruto said in shock.

"That bastard... I will have his head!" Tsunade raged.

"It won't be that easy, we have to prove what he has done, also it's not illegal to preform experiments on yourself unless you are harming others, it's Konoha law" Itachi said.

Tsunade was still fuming, not only the eyes of the dead Uchiha clan but also the DNA of her family. Naruto saw her face contorted in frustration and anger. "I know how you feel, but there is one way we can get him for this. If we can prove that he has been working with Orochimaru then he is guilty of not only Aiding a major threat to Konoha but if my suspicions are correct treason as well. That's why I wanted to find Jiraiya, if anyone will know where that scaly bastard is it will be him" Naruto reasoned.

Tsunade nodded. "I don't want to leave this alone, but it seems that I must for now" she sighed trying to forget her anger at the Root commander. "Well let's hurry up and get Itachi healed so you can get out of here and look for Orochimaru" she added.

Naruto wasted little time in joining Tsunade at the table and applying healing chakra to Itachi's eyes. "They are healing at a rather fast rate, I would say it only going to take a day or two before we can remove these bandages" Tsunade said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah but did you notice something else, they seem to be changing to adapt to Itachi's DNA" he said.

"Actually you were just focusing the jutsu on his eyes. It's not just the eyes that have changed since the implant, his whole DNA structure has changed. I can't be certain but I believe it will mean that Itachi's children should he have any will also have this new dojutsu. And because the eyes have taken Itachi's DNA in as well I can only assume he will still have most of if not all the abilities he once had along with the added skills of his new eyes" Tsunade said.

Itachi who had kept quiet up to this point so the two medics could work faster couldn't help but ask a question that quickly popped into his head after finding out this new piece of information. "So does that mean I am no longer an Uchiha?"

Tsunade frowned. "Well yes and no. your parentage hasn't changed has it, you will always be an Uchiha in that sense. But now its more like an evolution of the Uchiha clan. However your DNA will be slightly changed from other Uchiha creating a new sharingan. Although you could always change your name and start a new clan altogether" she informed Itachi as she gave his eyes one final go over with her medical jutsu.

"Hm that is something to think about. A proper fresh start for the Uchiha clan is something that I always wanted, but I had hoped that Sasuke would be the one to accomplish that task." Itachi hummed as he lay still until Naruto finished his healing jutsu.

"Well, Sasuke doesn't have much hope of reviving the Uchiha clan in Konoha, betrayal is enough to get anyone killed. He would have to do something spectacular to stop that from happening" Tsunade said while helping the Uchiha into a seated position.

"That's true, it will certainly be hard for him to redeem himself" Itachi sighed, lowering his head to the floor.

"Anyway, I should get back to the Hokage tower, the clone I left there is starting to run low of chakra. And Shizune will hide my Sake if I take too long" Tsunade sighed.

"Alright Baa-chan, will you be back tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I'll need to check on Itachi's condition after all" She said a small tic mark appearing from the fact Naruto continued to call her old, but she had gotten over that long ago.

Jiraiya strolled back to the cave around fifteen minutes after Tsunade had left. He was taken by surprise when the first thing Naruto asked was the location of Orochimaru. "Why the hell would you want to know something like that!" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto went on and told his sensei the complete story of what happened in Hiruzen's office including the part where Danzo attempted to use some jutsu on him but failed. "And I want to find Orochimaru because he will know the truth about Danzo's arm" Naruto explained.

"Hm finding him will be tough, he moves all the time, like us he has hideouts in almost every major country but most of the main ones he has hidden in smaller countries where the threat of discovery is much smaller" Jiraiya explained.

"So you're saying we should just forget this? Let Danzo get away with stealing the eyes of the Uchiha clan ninja who died and the DNA from a Senju?" Naruto said in frustration.

"I didn't say that, I said it would be difficult to find him. Give me some time, I'll track the snake down" Jiraiya said confidently.

"Tell me about this Jutsu he used on you Naruto-kun" Itachi asked.

"Hm it was sort of hard to explain, it was like he was trying to get into my head. Simple enough to suppress for me, although I can only imagine what the jutsu's full potential would be" the blond said.

"It figures. The ability to control his opponents was an ability of Shisui Uchiha. I was supposed to kill him before the rest of my clan so that he couldn't get in the way. It was also the hardest thing I had ever had to do in my life. However when I found Shusui he was already injured and was missing an eye. It looks like Danzo got to him before I could" Itachi explained.

"That could explain why the elders are often so willing to follow Danzo in his requests" Jiraiya said sagely.

"Then why doesn't he just use the technique on Jiji and Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"That would be foolish, if he was caught they would execute him. And the technique was never perfect, he could influence there decisions but for people as strong willed as Sarutobi-sama and Tsunade-sama it may not have had the same effect" Itachi said.

"But he's not the only Uchiha that has had the ability to control people. Madara could control the Kyuubi with his eyes" Jiraiya said.

"That is different, the Uchiha clan has always had the ability to suppress uncontrolled bijuu with our sharingan. In fact within reason I should be able to control the Kyuubi somewhat should it break free" Itachi explained.

"Well that's not going to happen, there is no way that I am letting him out anytime soon" Naruto chuckled.

The three ninja sat and talked for awhile longer until they each retired to rooms they had transformed into makeshift bedrooms for the duration of their stay in Konoha.

The sun was just starting to rise above Konoha when Akimi arrived at the front gates. She knew Naruto wouldn't be in the village itself, not while Itachi was with him so she ignored the gate and began searching the area for any signs of his chakra signature. Unfortunately it was nowhere to be found. '_Damn it Naruto where are you... I need you_' she thought in desperation. She had run all night after sealing the body of Akaru into a scroll her tears had dried up while she ran but she still felt empty and alone.

Then an idea hit her. If Naruto was in the area she could use the chakra rod he had given her. She had initially thought to use this the moment Akaru had passed but she quickly remembered that the jutsu had a maximum range and she was way outside of it at that point in time.

Grabbing the chakra rod out of her pouch she stabbed it into the palm of her hand wincing slightly from the pain.

Naruto sat Bolt upright. He had been fast asleep when he felt another chakra source enter his perception and it was a familiar one. 'Why is she here?' he thought once the shock of her chakra appearing settled down. "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto said in a hushed tone.

A puff of smoke and Akimi appeared in front of Naruto looking incredibly ragged. She blinked twice a little disorientated from the summoning but quickly came to her senses. Rather than speak she launched herself at Naruto burying her face into his exposed chest as the tears that she thought had dried up quickly reappeared.

Naruto was shocked and a little scared. "Akimi-chan whats wrong?" he asked affectionately as he started stroking her hair to help calm the now distraught kunoichi.

She continued to wale into the blonds chest holding him as close as she could. "They... killed... Akaru" she managed to get out between short periods of uncontrolled crying.

"Who did!" Naruto asked, now shock was replaced with anger yet at the same time relief that Akimi was alright.

"The Akatsuki" she sobbed as she started to get some control back. The relief at finding Naruto had brought back all the feelings of loss she had felt at her brothers death.

Naruto hugged her closer "where were they?" he asked, he knew it was not exactly the best thing to say he would have preferred to comfort the kunoichi with far kinder words than that, however the Akatsuki's movements were a serious issue.

Akimi gave a sniff and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "The Fire Temple, there were two of them" she said.

"How long ago did Akaru die? I'm sorry to ask but I need to know" Naruto asked as sympathetically as he could.

"Yesterday afternoon just before the sun had completely set" Akimi admitted trying her best not to break down again.

Naruto lowered his head in defeat. "Then too much time has passed. If I was to bring him back now it would kill me, I'm sorry Akimi-chan I'm so very, very sorry" he said kissing the top of her head as a sign of affection.

"It's alright, but promise me we will make them pay for what they did" Akimi said resting her ear against Naruto's chest so she could hear his heart beating.

"Revenge is not the answer, no matter how much I want to find the bastards and rip them apart for hurting my friends and making you cry, killing for revenge is not the way to do things. That said we will stop them from ever doing something like this to anyone else, that is a promise and make them answer for their crimes while we are at it" Naruto said.

"Gah why must you be so difficult... but I guess I can accept your proposal" she said half laughing and half crying.

Naruto was proud of her for trying to lighten the mood but didn't say anything, he didn't want to make it any worse after all. In the end he just moved to lay back down pulling Akimi with him. They both lay in silence until the sound of Akimi's breathing slowed as she fell asleep using his chest as her pillow. '_Sleep well Akimi-chan I promise you that the people who killed Akaru will pay for their crimes_' he thought slowly stroking her hair before pulling up the covers and falling back asleep himself.

(**Several Hours Later**)

Naruto awoke to some deep coughing. "You look like you have been busy, next time put a sock on the door would you" Jiraiya said jokingly as Naruto began to stir.

The blond was confused for a second but soon remembered that Akimi was still sleeping with half her body draped across his. "It's not what it looks like! So get out, you perverted sensei" Naruto said.

"Why is she here anyway?" Jiraiya asked not moving.

"Akaru is dead" Naruto said flatly whilst looking down at the sleeping kunoichi. "She came here to tell me" he added before looking back at Jiraiya.

The Toad Sage nodded somberly. "Can't you save him like those civilians that were killed during our training?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto shook his head. "He's been dead too long, the souls will have been taken on, the amount of energy needed to get a soul back now would kill me" Naruto said sadly.

Jiraiya lowered his head in acceptance, "It's the life of a ninja, for most to die in battle is the greatest honor of them all. If I had to picture my end, it would be giving my life to save the lives of many. Just like the Hokage's so far. A death fitting their stature... Did she say how he died?" he said.

"The Akatsuki" Naruto replied a hint of anger in his voice.

"Is that so? And inside of the Land of Fire no less, this is troubling" Jiraiya sighed.

"The Fire Temple actually... and I'm going after them, they could be hunting Gaara or Fuu, there is no way I'm going to let them capture my friends!" Naruto said.

"I see, well Itachi will be healed by tomorrow night so we should head out together then" Jiraiya suggested.

"No, I'm not giving them that much time to find the others. I'll leave today with Akimi-chan when Itachi is cleared to take the bandages off you two should split up and go find the others" Naruto said.

"They fight in pairs Naruto, going alone is going to be dangerous" Jiraiya said. He didn't want Naruto to go, but he wasn't going to stop the blond when he saw how determined he was.

"I know, but this is what you trained me for, trust me. I'll go tell Baa-chan that I'm leaving so she will know why I'm not around tonight" Naruto said.

"Very well, I was coming in to see if you wanted to spar but it seems that would be counter productive now" Jiraiya sighed. "I'll leave you two alone, don't forget the anti pregnancy jutsu" he said before exiting the room.

Naruto was so flustered that he could only splutter back as Jiraiya shut the door behind him. "So when are we leaving?" Akimi said still resting on his chest.

Naruto quckly looked down at the kunoichi who was staring up at him "You were awake?" he asked.

Akimi nodded. "I awoke about where you said that we would be going after the two that killed Akaru today" she replied.

"Well I was going to ask if you wanted to come, if you're not up for it I understand" Naruto assured her.

"No there is no way that I am letting you go after them alone, beside you will need my help" She said feeling a lot more like her old self with Naruto around.

"Well I'll let you rest some more, then we will go tell Tsunade-Baachan that I'm leaving and she won't have me to do half the work while healing Itachi's eyes tonight. We can head for the fire temple right away after that" Naruto said.

"I don't need anymore rest, I feel fine!" Akimi complained.

But Naruto shook his head. "You're not, you ran all night to get here, you need some more rest. Sleep for a few more hours" Naruto said calmly.

Akimi reluctantly accepted and returned her head to Naruto's chest allowing the rhythmic beating of his heart to carry her back to sleep.

(**Unknown Location**)

In front of the large Gedo Mezo statue the body of a shinobi levitated above the ground connected to the statue by a large thread of chakra that surrounded his body and was slowly shrinking as it made its way into the Gedo statues mouth.

"Well would you look at that, Tobi was actually able to do something, and here I was thinking that he's completely useless" Deidara said with a laugh.

"Tobi had fun capturing the Gobi, it was strong but no match for Tobi" the masked ninja replied in his childlike fashion.

"What ever, I'm surprised that you and Zetsu could catch a cold let alone a Bijuu" Deidara said.

"You say that Deidara, but have you captured your target? I do not see the Ichibi's eye opened yet" Pein said.

"Eh no I haven't Pein-sama, but I believe we are getting close. I never realized just how big the Land of Fire really was" Deidara said.

"Just see that you locate him soon. Now what of the other two teams sent to the Land of Fire... Kakuzu, how is the search for the Nanabi?" Pein asked.

"What search, all he has done is drag us after bounties to regain the money he lost to Kumo" Hidan laughed.

"Is this true?" Pein asked.

"Indeed it is, but what better way to search than to collect money at the same time. As of yet I have no leads were the Nanabi is hiding other than a few unreliable whispers from various bounty offices that said they saw a green haired kunoichi traveling with a tall man carrying a large cleaver" Kakuzu replied.

"Very well, keep searching the money you collect is important to our cause after all" Pein said. Then he turned to Hiruko and Kisame. "And what of the hunt for the Kyuubi?" he asked.

"Nothing as of yet, sightings of Naruto Uzumaki seem to be rare. We have met people who have seen him or hired him for a job but all they could tell us was that he finished his task with ease, took his payment and then left" Hiruko said.

"Some of the tasks seemed fairly tough as well, I'm looking forward to fighting him" Kisame said with his shark like smile.

"Very well, if they are in the Land of Fire make sure you capture them as quickly as possible, but first we must complete the sealing of the Gobi" Pein said calmly.

(Land of Fire)

By the time Akimi awoke again it was almost the middle of the day. "Are you ready to go?" Naruto asked as she slowly stirred feeling a lot more refreshed than she was when she awoke earlier on.

Akimi this time didn't want to move, she was happy where she was and tried to feign sleep. Eventually however she relented and moaning slightly sat up. "Yeah, we better get ready to go" she sighed standing up and taking out a scroll that contained a change of clothes.

Not feeling in the mood to attempt to tease Naruto she asked where the bathroom was so she could change coming out minutes later in a new pair of tight black pants and a white sleeveless top. A clean Yoinokuchi robe hung over her shoulder. As Naruto had stopped wearing shirts as he continuously destroyed them during his elemental manipulation training he quickly pulled on a pair of black Anbu pants with an orange belt before pulling on his weighted robe. "Come on let's go see Baa-chan" the blond said with a smile and the pair left the room.

"Ah so you are both up" Itachi said as he heard Naruto and Akimi enter the room. "I here you're leaving to try and find the Akatsuki, are you sure that is wise? I know you are strong enough to handle yourself just fine, but if you just waited for Jiraiya-sama and myself they would not have a chance against us" Itachi said.

"So Jiraiya sensei told you about Akaru. I know what you are saying, but right now three of our strongest fighters are sitting around while the Akatsuki are in the Land of Fire looking for jinchuuriki. In the day it will take for your eyes to heal there is no telling how the Akatsuki will move, they could even locate Gaara or Fuu, I can't let that happen, if I go now after the two Akatsuki members that killed Akaru that leave you and Jiraiya sensei free to track down the others" Naruto explained.

"Very well. Your logic is sound, I was worried that you were running off for revenge, but it seems that you are thinking about this the right way. Good luck and be safe" Itachi said his face a mask giving away less than his bandaged eyes.

They left the cave and quickly slipped into Konoha undetected. Quickly making there way to the Hokage tower they arrived at Tsunade's office to find her going through some paper work. "Oh good you're not busy" Naruto said as he hopped through her window, Akimi following a few seconds later but looked far more apprehensive about the idea of barging into a Kage's office unannounced.

"Gaki!, what do you want, I have to complete all the paperwork that came in while I was helping you last night" she said hoping to make Naruto feel guilty for all the work she had to do.

No such luck however as Naruto scoffed at the impressive pile of forms sitting on her desk. "They're probably just mission reports that you should have done days ago" Naruto said, for the most part hitting the nail on the head.

Tsunade sent Naruto an annoyed glare, "What's this about gaki, and it better be good!" she said in a commanding tone.

"Geez relax a little will ya Baa-chan. I'm here to tell you that I won't be around to help with the medical jutsu tonight, I have to leave Konoha to look for someone" Naruto said not wanting to mention the Akatsuki.

"Does this have something to do with the attack on the Fire Temple" Tsunade said knowingly.

Naruto's eyes widened ever so slightly. "How did you know?" he asked.

Tsunade took out a folder and opened it. "We just got news, the Akatsuki attacked the Fire Temple to collect a bounty on the Monk and former member of the twelve guardians, Chiriku. It also says that another ninja was killed there, a man by the name of Akaru Hayaku" Tsunade said then turned to Akimi an affectionate motherly like look crossing her face. "I'm so sorry Akimi-chan" she said.

"It's alright, I'm feeling a little better now. This is the life he chose, and even though it's tough to accept he has gone" Akimi said she was trying to remain calm but there was still a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"Well if you are going after the Akatsuki, then I want to send a team along with you" Tsunade said.

"What... no way in hell! They would just slow us down" Naruto said defiantly.

"I can assure you that they won't" she said before yelling out to Shizune to "Send them in!" The doors opened and in walked Kakashi, Asuma and a man with curly hair wearing a Anbu mask to cover his face.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked in surprise.

"Kakashi I want you to meet your two new teammates for this mission. I was going to send Sakura along as a medic but I am confident that Naruto has enough experience to cover that role" Tsunade said.

"Wait a minute Baa-chan, I don't think this is such a good idea, I mean yeah these guys are strong, but in a smaller group we can slip by places far easier, I don't want them to know that we we're after them, They'll run" Naruto said.

"He has a point Tsunade-sama" the masked ninja said respectfully.

"It will be easier to locate them in a large group. Ideally I would send a tracking team, but there are not many available at the moment. And even then, this is the Akatsuki we are talking about, they were able to kill the Monk Chiriku a very skilled ninja. This is a team that I am positive can not only find those responsible for the attack on a key landmark of the Land of Fire, but also bring them to justice. Do you accept?" She asked.

"Yes Tsunade-sama" Kakashi said with a curt nod followed almost immediately by the masked Anbu.

"Take your mask off Owl, you will go by the name Yamato for this mission" Tsunade said.

The Anbu did as she instructed and placed his mask on the table. "Very well Tsunade-sama" Yamato said with another bow.

Asuma had remained silent during this exchange. "Chiriku was one of my best friends, and a better man you couldn't find. You bet I'm in, let's teach the Akatsuki what happens when you mess with the Land of Fire" he said proudly.

"Well Naruto? Will you work with Konoha, just this once?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto looked at the three ninja standing before him 'Well they are all clearly strong, Baa-chan wouldn't have picked them to hunt S ranked missing ninja if they weren't and having them as backup will definitely keep Akimi-chan safer' "Alright I'm in, but don't go treating me like some green genin or a prince that needs to be protected or I'm off" Naruto said relaying his fears to the group.

"Don't worry Naruto, we wouldn't dream of it" Kakashi said with his trademark eye smile.

**End Chapter!**

**So makeshift Yoinokuchi/Konoha team. A little excessive for what was probably one of the weakest Akatuski teams but I will try and work it so it becomes believable.**

**Okay a note that I probably should have put in two chapters ago. I am aware that Hidan couldn't move his body when his head was cut off in the cannon, that was clear when Kakuzu had to sew it back on. But this is not the cannon. I gave Hidan a new ability because otherwise a fight with Naruto or even someone like Zabuza or Gaara would be over in about three seconds. Sorry if you disliked the change in any case. **


	53. Konoha and the Yoinokuchi

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****3: Konoha And The Yoinokuchi**

Naruto and the other shinobi stood in the Hokage's office. "Your mission is to find and eliminate the ninja responsible for attacking the Fire Temple. You're to leave at once, we have no time to waste, so Kakashi if you don't show up on time I will demote you to genin serving under, Ebisu" Tsunade ordered.

Kakashi shuddered at the thought, Ebisu was a highly skilled trainer, but his skills in combat were questionable, as such he never took on any interesting missions. "I will arrive on time Tsunade-sama" he said.

"Good, now with that said, as you will be working with Naruto and Akimi who are not Konoha ninja and you all hold the same rank within this village there will be no team leader, I expect you can all handle that?" the Hokage asked. The shinobi standing around the office murmured in agreement. "Good now you're all dismissed, and good luck" she added.

"Well, how about we meet at the eastern gate in half an hour?" Asuma suggested.

"That's fine with me" Naruto said and the others quickly agreed.

Naruto and Akimi left the office via the same window that they had entered while the others left using the more conventional means of the door. "It's going to be interesting to see just what the kid can do" Asuma said as the three Konoha shinobi walked out of the Hokage tower.

"Well, I saw him fight on even ground against the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage when Orochimaru summoned them to face Sarutobi-sama three years ago, even if they were holding back as much as possible it was incredibly impressive for one so young" Yamato said.

"Well, it is to be expected that he is strong, just look at who his sensei is, eight years of tutelage under someone like Jiraiya-sama and you're bound to be an impressive shinobi. Then there is the fact that he has the Rinnegan, eyes that hold more secrets than I am sure Naruto even knows" Kakashi said a hint of respect and admiration in his voice.

The three split up going to collect their things for what could be a long trip, with nobody knowing just how long it would take to locate Kakuzu and Hidan.

"We shouldn't have agreed to this, they will slow us down" Akimi said while she and Naruto awaited the arrival of the Konoha ninja at the gate. She was sitting in a nearby tree looking down on Naruto who rested in the shade to escape the heat of the day.

"Maybe in terms of running speed, but you couldn't ask for much better back up than Kakashi and Asuma, and I am sure that the Anbu captain will not be dead weight. Besides the more help we have with tracking them the less time it will take" Naruto said calmly, raising his head to look at the kunoichi.

"I guess so, but sitting around doing nothing while those bastards are out there makes me sick" she said angrily before dropping from the tree branch and taking a seat next to the blond.

"I know how you feel, I felt the same after my adoptive family were killed. Well I did after I got over the shock. But Jiraiya sensei taught me that the best thing I can do for the people I have lost is to live a long and happy life, so there sacrifice wasn't for nothing. It was hard but I eventually got over my hatred from Kumo ninja, although they are still not my favorite people" Naruto said ending with a small laugh.

"Well I can't see myself ever forgiving the Akatsuki for what they have done" Akimi said.

"I'm not going to ask you to either. What they have done, and what they are trying to do is unforgivable. It would take something monumental to allow me to forgive them for all the pain that they have caused" Naruto replied.

Asuma was the first to arrive a backpack filled with supplies. "You guys ready?" he asked when he saw the only things Naruto seemed to have on him were his robes.

Naruto nodded in reply. "I have everything sealed away inside this cloak. And I don't really need to carry a tent anyway" Naruto said.

"Really why?" Asuma asked.

Naruto simply held out his hand and a performed the seal for Doton with one hand. From the ground a small house appeared made from stone, it even had crystal windows. "Stone House Jutsu, large enough to house a small family" Naruto said smugly.

"Impressive, that isn't a jutsu that came from Konoha that's for sure" Asuma said.

"Indeed, it would be a good one to learn, isn't that right Tenzo?" Kakashi said as he made his presence known along with that of Yamato who was now whispering in Kakashi's ear about not using his real name during the mission.

"It's useful enough, I stole the scroll from some Iwa ninja when I was traveling with Jiraiya sensei. It's good because despite being a Doton, and Katon type, Jiraiya sensei didn't have all that many jutsu that he could teach me for earth manipulation, although the ones he did were great" Naruto explained before performing the seal for Doton again and causing the house to sink back into the ground.

"Well look at that Yamato, between the pair of you, you could create anyone's dream home" Asuma chuckled.

Kakashi joined in but Naruto and Akimi were puzzled by what Asuma had meant by that. Shaking off the confusion Naruto stood up and offered Akimi a hand for her to pull herself up from the ground as well. "No sense in wasting anymore time here, we need to get to the Fire Temple, as soon as we can. If we are looking for the trail of the Akatsuki that would be the best place to start" Naruto said.

"Agreed, no time to waste here it will take around a day to reach the fire temple anyway" Kakashi said.

(**Elsewhere**)

Jiraiya had also left the village although he hadn't planned on going far. His destination was a small village a couple of hours run from Konoha. This village was a favorite spot for the old Toad Sage, and not just because it had a mixed bathing spa, this village contained one of his most trusted spy's and informants.

The village was built into the side of a mountain with only half exposed to the outside. Jiraiya avoided the main entrance so as to not be seen entering and quickly made his way to one of of the more seedy and dark pubs in the village.

The Rusty Kunai, was one of the first buildings put up in the construction of the town, a large building with three floors, a sign on the door claimed that inside you could find anything that you desired. Jiraiya could attest to that, as he opened the door into a very dimly lit room. The patrons all seemed to blend into their seats, doing the best they could to become invisible at the sight of Jiraiya stalking through the door. Several scantly clad women however were quickly approaching the Toad Sage, they knew he was somewhat a regular and always gave very generous tips to those that served him.

"Can I help get you a drink sir?" One of the waitresses asked in a rather seductive tone.

Jiraiya grinned perversely but quickly shook his head. "Sorry, not today, I'm looking for your boss, is he in?" he said a small hint of remorse in his voice.

The waitress looked a little downcast but nodded her head. "Yes he is upstairs in his office, shall I get him for you?" she asked.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary. We are old friends so it will not be that much of a surprise, me dropping in like this" Jiraiya replied and slowly made his way to the corner where an old spiraling staircase was built into the wall.

Jiraiya came to the third floor which opened up into a separate bar although this was far more luxurious , the room was well lit and it screamed class. "You have been busy Saito" Jiraiya said loudly as he entered the room.

"Should have known I couldn't hide from you Jiraiya" came a males voice from behind the bar. Standing up revealed a man around the same age as Jiraiya who was balding slightly, he wore a casual black suit with matching pants and a gray button up shirt. "What do you want this time?" he said taking out a small saucer and filling it with Sake.

Jiraiya took a seat at the bar and Saito placed the drink in front of the Toad Sage. "Information" Jiraiya replied.

"Well that's no big surprise, you rarely come here just to see me" the bartender joked.

"Orochimaru, I need his current location and the people he usually travels with" Jiraiya replied seriously.

Saito's eyes widened. "I thought you had given up on chasing him around after you picked up the Yondaime Hokage's son?" he said apprehensive of giving out the information.

"I did, but something has come up and I need to find Orochimaru. Only he has the answers we need" Jiraiya replied.

Saito sighed and poured another saucer of Sake, this time for himself. "Orochimaru has become very paranoid lately, never staying in the same hideout for more than a week. Knowing where he is going to be is impossible. What I can tell you is that he only ever travels with Sasuke Uchiha and Kabuto Yakushi regularly, sometimes they are joined by one or two others but it is never a permanent arrangement" he said taking a sip from the saucer.

Jiraiya nodded. "And what about the locations of those bases?" the Toad Sage asked.

"Uncertain, he has multiple hideouts but there are only four main hideouts that are superbly hidden, there is one in Grass country but that is all that I know" Saito admitted.

Jiraiya nodded and took a sip of his sake. "Well I guess while I am here I should ask you about the Akatsuki" he said.

"I knew that was coming, leaving most of your spy's to report in to me is a pain you know. So far the Akatsuki have only been able to capture the Yonbi, but they have stepped up their efforts in recent weeks. A team was sent to the Land of Lightning but an attack on Kumo prevented the Akatsuki from encountering the Nibi jinchuuriki. Since then they have turned there attention on the Land of Fire, I assume you have heard of the attack on the Fire Temple by now" Saito said.

Jiraiya nodded sternly. "How many?" he asked.

"Six, three teams of two. Reports of your little group were not going to stay quiet forever. Two members of the akatuski are after each one of the homeless jinchuuriki in the Land of Fire. Reports are a little vague on who they have sent but there has been a reported sighting of the Monster of Kiri Kisame Hoshigaki being seen in the eastern areas near the ports" Saito said.

"I see, thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure to get some back up to the teams in the field as soon as I can" Jiraiya said and finishing the rest of his drink in one gulp stood up and turned to leave.

"Oh but I have more" Saito said with a smug smile on his face. "A rumor has reached my well tuned ears of the location of the leader of the Akatsuki" he added.

"Really?" Jiraiya said turning slowly face the bartender.

"That's right, It's in an area I think you know quite well... Amegakure, I mean after all what better place to hide than in the middle of a country with closed off borders. The question is what would someone like Hanzou the Salamander do if he caught you in his country? Besides it was just a rumor anyway" Saito said.

"Heh, maybe, but there is very rarely smoke without fire. Thanks for the information. And don't worry your payment will be on time" Jiraiya said as he turned and walked from the room. '_So Ame huh, it's been a long time since I have been to that war torn country. In any event I can't just run off and go there now, not when the others are in danger. Itachi, you better hurry up and get those eyes of yours healed, if the Akatsuki have three teams in the Land of Fire searching then it's only a matter of time __before the others run into them!_' He thought darkly as he quickly left the Rusted Kunai and took off as quickly as he could back to Konoha.

(**Later that Day**)

It was approaching nightfall and despite making good progress during the day the group of Naruto, Akimi and the Konoha ninja had not yet made it to the Fire temple. They ran on for a few more hours until it was getting too dark to see without extra light. When they finally came to a halt it was at the base of a small hill in an open field.

"We better make camp here, it won't help us at all if we arrive at the Fire Temple too tired to search for any tracks that the Akatsuki may have left behind" Kakashi said taking a seat on the grass before removing his favorite accessory, the small Icha Icha novel that he carried with him at all times.

Akimi thought of complaining, knowing that they were only a few more hours away, but sighed in agreement when she saw Naruto drop onto the grass. "It will be easier to search in daylight anyway" Naruto said looking up into the stars and folding his hands behind his head as he lay back.

"Well we should get our camp built. "Ten- Yamato, if you would do the honors" Asuma said catching himself before using the Anbu's real name like Kakashi did back in Konoha.

Tenzo nodded and formed a few hand seals ending on a peculiar one that Naruto had sworn he had seen before, but couldn't put his finger on when. His eyes widened considerably when four wooden walls shot out of the ground and a large house twice the size of the one Naruto had constructed earlier that day appeared before him. "Mokuton! How is that possible!" Naruto said getting up on his feet and looking between the three Konoha ninja.

"It's a long story Naruto" Kakashi said signaling for the blond to return to his relaxed position.

"It isn't that long Kakashi sempai" Yamato said before turning to Naruto. "When Orochimaru was caught by Sandaime-sama he had been abducting babies from the hospital and orphanages. As well as cloning ninja and attempting to grow them in test tubes" he explained.

"Fortunately none of those experiments worked" Asuma said darkly.

"Yes Orochimaru was unable to clone any ninja so he changed his objective to injecting the stem cells of other ninja into the children that he had kidnapped. His first goal was to inject the cells of the Shodai Hokage into a group of babies. The experiment was a failure and all the children died, or so Orochimaru thought. He had been caught by the Sandaime and was forced to flee before he could check on the last of his experiments, the one child who survived, me. Because of this I have several traits that the Shodai possessed including Mokuton" Yamato explained.

Naruto nodded in understanding and he kept his expression calm. On the inside however his mind was in overdrive thinking about what Tenzo had told him. 'I_f Orochimaru had been experimenting with Hashirama's DNA, all those years ago, then there is a possibility that he continued his research and while maybe not perfecting the operation made it possible to mix the DNA of a person in a certain area. And then if someone had seen Yamato's ability to use Mokuton and coveted it for themselves. Someone like Danzo who cares about nothing but his own power and the power of Konoha would have no problems in making a deal with the snake, maybe to perhaps get rid of the Hokage so he could take __over as the leader of the village_' he thought darkly as he added the information to what he already knew about Danzo's arm.

Naruto got up to inspect the building, it was perfect quality, and the wood was as strong as steel. 'Not only is it Mokuton the quality of the manipulation is top notch as well, it really is just like the Shodai Hokage' the blond thought in awe. "This is amazing!" Naruto said looking around inside to find the house fully furbished and even area to add chakra powered lights.

"That's usually why Yamato's team are chosen for missions far away from Konoha, it saves the village on accommodation" Kakashi said not taking his eyes from his book.

Naruto chuckled. "I can see why it would. I bet he saves heaps on village reconstruction as well" he replied.

Akimi who had followed Naruto inside the house was equally impressed. "Uh how many bedrooms are there?" she asked.

"Five, we each get our own room, we even have our own bathrooms with running water, but its not heated sorry, I'm a Suiton and Doton type, not a Katon" Tenzo said proudly indicating several doors that were upstairs.

Akimi nodded her head but at the same time felt a little uneasy. When she was away from Naruto her thoughts would drift back to her brother and it would hurt to think about it. She wanted to sleep with the blond again so she could forget the aching in her heart, at least for a little while. "Oh that's awesome, it will be good to have a shower in the morning" Akimi said with a fake smile that not even Naruto could see through.

It was not an easy night for Akimi, the amount that Naruto helped her cope with the loss of her brother was obvious the moment he would leave the room to hunt for dinner or to grab more firewood from outside. When this happened she subconsciously moved to almost cling onto the blond when he returned.

As she lay in bed that night the only thoughts that were running through her head were replays of Akaru being killed, each time the visions ran through her mind it hurt just the same as it did when she first saw him killed. The pain in her chest quickly became unbearable for the Swift release kunoichi and she soon bolted from her room, tears streaming out of her eyes.

Naruto had not yet fallen asleep, his mind still full of him trying to figure out what Danzo had been up to with Hashirama Senju's DNA along with the sharingan. He knew Danzo was one hundred percent loyal to Konoha, but that loyalty definitely didn't extend to the Hokage, past or present. He was a power hungry man and for all Naruto knew was planning to not only take over Konoha but capture him and his friends, something the blond would not allow.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the blonds door. Naruto already knew who it would be, the way she had acted when ever he left her side that night was a fair indicator of that. Getting out of bed Naruto walked over to the wooden door and opened it to allow Akimi in.

She hugged him as soon as the kunoichi was in the room tears falling freely from her eyes. "Why does it have to hurt so much" she cried into his chest as Naruto readily returned the hug and began lovingly stroking her hair.

Naruto didn't know how to answer, he knew that shinobi had to deal with death, and too accept that those close to you may die. And so did Akimi, but he couldn't tell her that, it would be too heartless. She had been blessed in many ways, a hidden village has a ninja killed at least once a month. With the Yoinokuchi she had never experienced that side of ninja life. "It's okay Akimi-chan, it hurts because you loved him, he was your brother after all. In time the pain will go away, but never let yourself forget him, he was part of who you are, helped mold you into the beautiful person you are today" Naruto said shaking off the urge to kiss her thinking it would be inappropriate.

Akimi's wails soon turned into light sobs and finally the tears stopped all together. "Can I stay with you?" she asked quietly.

"For as long as you want" the blond replied with a smile.

"Thank you" she whispered while inside she was thinking that she never wanted to leave. His mere presence had calmed her, without him she was alone, lost to the world, but it was like he gave her meaning again.

"Come on, let's get you to bed" Naruto said and gently picked her up and carried her over to his bed, slightly surprised she didn't complain about being carried.

Naruto lay beside Akimi and she immediately moved to close the gap between them wrapping her arms around his body and using his chest as her pillow. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at how she positioned herself subconsciously in the most comfortable position whilst trapping the blond so he couldn't move at all without disturbing her.

The pain had gone, although she hated herself for it, Akaru was no longer in her mind. Now he was replaced with the warmth of Naruto and the steady rise and fall of his chest along with the rhythmic beating of his heart. This was her favorite place, nothing could harm her. The confidence and calm that Naruto seemed to exude spread through her body and she quickly grew tired.

Just as she was fading off to sleep she gave Naruto's chest a quick kiss. "I love you, Naruto-kun" She whispered almost inaudible as the last of her consciousness left her.

Naruto smiled warmly down at her. "And I love you too" he replied quietly, kissing the top of her head.

His declaration was left unheard however as the kunoichi was already fast asleep, but subconsciously she tightened her grip on the blond making him smile.

(**Outside Konoha**)

"The eyes are almost healed, tomorrow afternoon at the latest" Tsunade said after finishing the final round of healing on Itachi's transplanted eyes.

Jiraiya had sat quietly in the corner going over all the information that he had been given on the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Internally he was weighing up each option in his head. '_Who do I go after_' he thought in frustration. 'Danzo could be a real threat to Konoha, but the Akatsuki are after Naruto, Gaara, and Fuu, not to mention all the other Bijuu. Still if Danzo is scheming something to do with Konoha then I can guarantee that he will want Naruto out of the way or under his control!' He continued weighing up his two options, unable to decide when Tsunade hit him on the side of his head sending him tumbling across the room. "Ow what the hell" Jiraiya said rubbing the cheek where Tsunade had hit him.

"Hm sorry about that, but you weren't answering, and that was the only way I could get your attention" Tsunade said with a smile feeling slightly satisfied after striking the old Toad Sage.

"Alright, well you got my attention now. So what do you want?" Jiraiya asked.

"Tomorrow, you will need to be here with Itachi all day to check on his eyes. Itachi should be able to feel it when the healing is complete. As the chakra supply will return and his sharingan should activate by itself. This could also harm Itachi which is why you need to be here, also be careful, we have no idea what his new eyes will do, the only thing we can assume is he will retain most of if not all his original skills with the sharingan. It could be dangerous, so when it is time make sure you are not in Itachi's line of sight" Tsunade suggested.

"Sounds easy enough, stay put until the new sharingan comes to life. I think I can handle that" Jiraiya replied.

"Good see that you do. Oh and try to not make this a regular occurrence, it's hard enough to get time off as the Hokage and head medic, spending it looking after you lot is not my idea of relaxation time" Tsunade replied, adding some killer intent to emphasize her point. Then after grabbing one of Jiraiya's bottle's of Sake she stalked out of the room before either Jiraiya or Itachi could reply.

"She can be rather intimidating" Itachi said, his voice calm even though he could still feel the effects of Tsunade's warning.

"That's nothing, you should see her when she is really pissed" Jiraiya replied with a shudder thinking about the time she caught him peeking on her.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay shorter chapter I know, but action will pick up again over the next few chapters. Anyway hope you enjoyed it. Any complaints or suggestions feel free to tell me what you think.**


	54. Itachi's New Eyes

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****4: Itachi's New Eyes**

On the side of a desolate road in one of the most isolated area's of the Land of Fire, stood two large building's. On the outside they appeared to be nothing more than a roadside tavern with a separate building for it's guest rooms. It could be said that the only thing unusual about these very standing two leveled constructs was that all around them there were no signs of any of the forest's that littered the expanse of the Land of Fire, in fact their was barely a tree in sight.

One could be remiss for believing that this was indeed a normal establishment, but as a wise man once said, 'A ninja's greatest tool is deception'. This was no ordinary tavern, inside sat some of the worst criminals in all of the fire nation, this was the Head quarters for the Land of Fire branch of the black market bounty office and mercenary higher. This was where the underworld turned when the hidden villages refused their request, or simply wanted to save some money.

It was because of this reason that two ninja were slowly approaching with the deceased body of a monk draped over ones shoulder. "Look at this place, what kind of fucking idiots would live in a place like this!" Hidan scoffed looking at how desolate the land was in the area.

"The kind of Idiots, that know it's better to not draw any attention to themselves. And don't want customers. They would scare the regulars away" Kakuzu replied grumpily.

"Or could that just be you? After all almost everyone who works with this place has a bounty on their heads, and we both know how much you love a bounty" Hidan laughed in reply.

"It is not the bounty I love, it's the money! Money is the only thing that truly has any meaning in this world everything else is just for idiots like you, Hidan" Kakuzu grumbled.

Hidan gained a large tick mark on his forehead and swung his scythe in anger at his partner, genuinely trying to remove his head from his body. Kakauzu however stopped the blade with a single hand, and spinning around impaled Hidan with a kunai directly between the eyes. "Ow, fucking great, first the insult now this, you're a real asshole Kakuzu" Hidan swore under his breath as he removed the kunai.

"You say that, but you attacked me first" Kakuzu replied.

"And you disrespected my religion, and Jashin-sama" Hidan replied.

"Shut up, you damn extremist!" Kakuzu snapped.

The pair continued bickering until they came to the door of the pub, where Kakuzu silenced Hidan with a strong fist to the face. A greeter opened the door for Kakuzu and slowly backed away into the shadows.

The man behind a very depressing looking counter looked up when he saw the door open and immediately his eyes widened in shock of who it was that had just entered. There was not a bounty office in all of the elemental nations that didn't know who the Immortal Kakuzu was. Being one of the main offices for the black market had meant that the fake barman had paid Kakuzu before for one of his many kills. "Ah Kakuzu, a pleasure to see you again. And this must be your new partner, I do hope he lasts longer than some of your others" the man said cheerfully.

While the the man behind the desk was in good spirits the others in the tavern were all sweating. There was always a strong possibility that the Akatsuki's self proclaimed financier would find any of them annoying or that their individual bounties would become large enough that Kakuzu would take interest in them.

They all let out a collected sigh of relief when they saw the body of Chiriku however, it was always a good sign when Kakuzu had a dead body slapped over his shoulder, as it would mean that he wouldn't be as likely to attack them.

"I have a bounty for you to cash" Kakuzu said, the tone of his voice all business.

"Very well, may I ask who it is that you wish to claim?" the fake bartender asked still in a cheerful mood.

"Chiriku, the monk from the Fire Temple. He had a very sizable bounty on his head" Kakuzu answered darkly.

"Impressive, he was one of the most difficult bounties we have, only Jiraiya the Sannin, Asuma Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake have bounties of equivalent difficulty and pay in the Land of Fire," the man said as he began inspecting Chiriku's body to be sure it was indeed the former monk of the twelve guardians.

"Yes I'm aware that certain factions outside of the Tsuchikage in Iwa would pay a great deal of money for the heads of Kakashi Hatake and the Toad Sage. However infiltrating Konoha would be suicied even for us" Kakuzu replied.

"Speak for yourself, they couldn't kill me!" Hidan confidently declared proudly.

"Maybe not, but I can imagine them locking you away until all of the lifeforce you have gained from sacrificing people has been used up and you will die in the end" Kakuzu said.

"That would take hundreds of years for that, I would escape before I was even close to death" Hidan scoffed.

"Very well, do you want to go to Konoha and hunt down Kakashi Hatake?" Kakuzu asked with a hint of mirth.

"Of course not, we are supposed to be hunting the jinchuuriki" Hidan said.

The barman's eyes widened at this point. "Your Hunting jinchuuriki? Why would you want to do that?" he asked in surprise.

"None of your business, all you need to know is that is why we are in the Land of Fire" Hidan said.

"You're after some very dangerous opposition in that case" the bounty collector said quietly.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at the man still inspecting the body of Chiriku. "What do you know about the jinchuuriki!" he ordered causing everyone else in the bar to somehow shrink into the shadows, as to avoid the wrath of an angered Kakuzu.

For the first time since Kakuzu and Hidan's arrival the bounty collectors smile faded. "Uh well I only know about the three jinchuuriki who work as mercenaries here in the Land of Fire" he said weakly.

"Then tell me their location!" Kakuzu said a hint of urgency in his voice.

"I don't know. All I know about them is what I have been given by the legal bounty offices. I know that the former Suna jinchuuriki likes to work on the west side of the Land of fire with a kunoichi who specializes in Hyoton. And the Nanabi jinchuuriki works in the forested areas and mainly works with eliminating bandits and drug runners" the man said.

"And the Kyuubi!" Kakuzu asked not yet satisfied with the information he received.

The man gulped and looked around as if hoping for some help to come. "I can't, if they find out I said anything I'm as good as dead" he pleaded.

"Hey Kakuzu, sounds like this guy has a death wish anyway. If he doesn't tell us I'm sure that if we don't kill him Hiruko and Kisame would have no problem coming for the information themselves" Hidan laughed.

The bounty officer now frantically looked around scared for his safety. He knew that Kakuzu needed him alive to pay the pair for their bounty, but Hiruko and Kisame were well known to kill anyone who crossed them. "Fine!, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki works exclusively with either Itachi Uchiha and Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and they only take on S class missions throughout the Elemental Nations" he said.

"Keep talking, what else do you know?" Kakuzu asked.

"Well, as you may know, Itachi Uchiha is a master of Genjutsu, and wields the Mangekyo Sharingan. The Toad Sage Jiraiya, is a master in every sense of the word, with skill in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu that is unrivaled by most" the fake bartender said.

"We already know about those two, what about the Kyuubi brat!" Hidan said angrily showing his frustration at the man for not telling them what they need to know about the most illusive of the jinchuuriki.

"Well the thing is nobody knows about his complete skill set, at least not in the Land of Fire, and those that do know refuse to talk. But it is said that he has never lost a fight, of the three people in their group the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is said to be the strongest. If you are planning to go up against him then you must have a death wish" the man replied.

"Sounds like someone who would be good to sacrifice to Jashin-sama" Hidan laughed.

"Hidan be quiet, if this information is accurate then it may be that Hiruko and Kisame are not suited to fight against the Kyuubi, they may need someone a little more durable to fight him" Kakuzu said sternly.

"Well that's us isn't it, we're more durable than anyone" Hidan smirked.

"Indeed we are, in any case we need to get this information to the others" Kakuzu informed Hidan before turning back to the bounty officer. "We need a room, and are not to be disturbed while we talk to the other members of the Akatsuki" he added and without waiting for agreement he grabbed a key with a room number on it and stalked out of the bar with Hidan following close behind.

(**Fire Temple**)

"Man they haven't left a single sign of where they went to!" Naruto yelled in frustration as he landed back in front of the main temple building.

A monk who had been standing around watching the group of ninja search the area finally walked forward. "Naruto-sama the two people who walked off with the body of Chiriku said they were taking him to a bounty office somewhere to the north" he said bowing low.

Naruto looked pleased but embarrassed at the same time due to the monks antics. It was Asuma who spoke up first however. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I'm sorry, we are not supposed to speak in the prescience of the sage" he said.

"What?" Asuma asked.

"Well isn't it obvious Asuma, they see Naruto as the reincarnation of the Rikudou Sennin, the Monks of the fire temple still practice some of the original Ninjutsu taught by the sage" Kakashi theorized.

"He's right, while I was here training with Jiraiya sensei, the only person they allowed to speak to me was Chiriku sensei who was the high monk, they considered him the only person to be worthy of the right no matter how much I protested" Naruto sighed. Before turning to the monk who was still bowing so low his forehead touched the floor. "Thank you for your help, please there is no need to bow to me" Naruto said to the monk.

The monk didn't speak he just stood up bowed once to Naruto and once to the other ninja of the group and left back to the other monks who looked at him like he had just committed some horrible taboo.

"Well we have a lead at least. As far as I know there are two black market bounty offices to the north of here. We should split up and check them both, if they are there hold them up until the other group arrives" Kakashi suggested.

"I agree" came Naruto's response.

"What if they aren't at either of the offices?" Akimi queried.

"Then we search for leads in the area and meet back here tonight if we don't find anything" Kakashi said.

"Alright then, I'll go with Akimi, and you three can check out the other office" Naruto said.

Everyone murmured in agreement soon all three were off, Naruto and Akimi heading north east while the three Konoha ninja headed westward. '_Good luck Naruto, but in truth I hope we find them, I know you are strong, stronger than I will ever be, but I will still defend you with all that I have_' Kakashi thought as the Yoinokuchi pair left his eyesight.

(**Konoha**)

Itachi sat in a dark room with the only light coming from a small lamp that lit bench where Jiraiya sat reading over the latest chapter of his next book. He may write smut but he was very proud of his work, always making sure to keep his writing interesting with a good plot and a decent amount of action, often based on the missions he had gone on during his life.

As Itachi sat still in the dark meditating and trying to extend his chakra so he could see without his eyes he began to realize just how sore his eyes actually were. '_Wait! I can feel my eyes again_' "It's close!" he declared standing up.

Jiraiya immediately stopped work. "Are you sure?" he asked standing up from his seat.

"Positive, there is a dull ache in my eyes and I can feel my chakra beginning to flow into them" he said calmly.

"Well we should do this outside, we may need this base again some time, and we wouldn't want to damage this place" Jiraiya sighed.

Itachi nodded in understanding. "I agree, while it is highly unlikely that any problems will occur, it is best to be on the safe side. Shall we go, also I believe that we should do this further away from Konoha, I am not exactly welcome here" he added.

The two Yoinokuchi ninja gathered their belongings and made a quick exit from the cave. They ran a fair way away from Konoha so that they could be sure any of Itachi's chakra could not be felt from the village, nor could they see if anything happened. "So how long do you think it will be now?" Jiraiya asked.

"It's unclear, but I can presume that it is close, I can feel the chakra start to build up behind my eyes" Itachi said calmly as he took a seat under a tree.

Jiraiya, remembering Tsunade's warning also took a seat off to the side, well out of Itachi's line of sight. Seconds turned into minutes and still nothing happened. The Toad Sage was becoming impatient, and he was just about to say something when he saw Itachi's whole body tense. "It's done, I can feel it" Itachi said.

Less than a second later Jiraiya felt a huge burst of chakra and Itachi's eye bindings burst into brilliant pure white flames causing the bandages to completely evaporate in an instant, once the bandages were gone so were the flames. Jiraiya watched wide eyed as Itachi stood, his eyes still closed. "How do you feel?" Jiraiya asked.

"Amazing" Itachi replied opening his eyes to reveal a set of shining lightening blue eyes with a metallic red three bladed pinwheel slightly thinner with a more prominent curve than the set in his old Mangekyo Sharingan, but still closely resembling his old Dojutsu. Itachi closed his eyes and moments later there was a small decrease in the chakra flow to Itachi's eyes as his control began to return and the eyes morphed back to something that closely resembled the sharingan, the main difference was they were now azure blue rather than red, and instead of three tomoe he sported thee black spirals in the same locations.

Itachi closed his eyes once more and the chakra again dropped to normal levels, when he opened them again Jiraiya was staring into deep navy blue eyes. "My chakra levels have increased significantly" Itachi said in surprise.

"That's not the only thing that has changed" Jiraiya said handing Itachi a small mirror.

Itachi marveled at his new set of eyes. '_They are much darker than when they were implanted, this must be a result of it blending with my DNA_' he thought. Channeling chakra into his eyes he marveled at the bright blue that greeted him, then he noticed the changes to the tomoe. '_So it really is no longer a sharingan_' he smiled at the thought. He felt further away from the rest of his cursed clan and it was almost liberating. Once more he added the chakra to his eyes and the Azure blue seemed to brighten again and almost glow with the chakra, similar to how Naruto's would glow when he channeled chakra directly into his eyes. The the spirals around his pupil began to unwind and thicken until they formed the three bladed pinwheel and finally the black changed into the bright red. "Amazing!" he exclaimed although his voice was hushed.

"So, let's test them out. It would be foolish to run into battle without knowing what those new eyes of yours actually do" Jiraiya said.

Itachi nodded. "Well Let's try my old jutsu first... Tsukuyomi!" Itachi said staring Jiraiya right in the eyes.

Jiraiya found himself in what could only be described as nothingness. Everywhere he looked was white, no sky, not even land. "Interesting, while it is true I didn't choose anything for you to see, I expected you to be transferred to my inner world" the voice of Itachi echoed around Jiraiya.

"Well, while I'm here you should experiment a little... but nothing painful please" Jiraiya said.

"Very well, how about I create... Konoha" Itachi said materializing beside the Toad sage.

No sooner had he finished talking than the pair found themselves standing in the center of Konoha on a busy day, civilian shoppers were walking around not even paying attention to the pair.

What caught both Itachi and Jiraiya's attention immediately was the fact that Itachi's inner world was no longer dark. The red sky and black clouds that were always present were gone. This new inner world was for lack of a better word, perfect. Every color was there, Jiraiya could even smell the food from a nearby restaurant. "This is impossible. I can't find a single flaw in the genjutsu, if I didn't know better I would be sure I was in the market district of Konoha" Jiraiya said.

"Yes but I can now understand the reason for the large chakra increase, this version of the Tsukuyomi requires almost twice the chakra as my old one. However I can see where this would have it's advantages, my old Tsukuyomi was powerful, but everyone knew they were trapped in a genjutsu. Now I can trap them inside my inner world and they will not even know they are trapped" Itachi said calmly.

Itachi let the genjutsu drop, returning both himself and Jiraiya to the real world. "That is quite the genjutsu, there won't be many out there that can deal with that. So what's next?" Jiraiya asked.

"That would be... Amaterasu!" Itachi said staring at a nearby tree.

Flames shot from Itachi's eyes. However they were not black flames. They were white, the same white flames that burned the bandages from his eyes. The white flames struck the tree but it still stood no sign of damage done to the plant at all.

"What the hell? Why isn't the plant burning?" Jiraiya asked.

"I do not know" Itachi admitted.

"Well those white flames burned away your bandages when the Dojutsu awakened, maybe you aren't doing something right?" Jiraiya suggested.

"That is true, but I didn't have control of my eyes when it first awakened, I just thought about getting the bandages off and then they burned away" Itachi said.

"That's it!" Jiraiya said triumphantly. "The flames only burn what you want. The tree hasn't burnt because you do not see it as a threat or in your way. If you desire to burn the tree it will burn" he explained.

"Sounds reasonable" Itachi thought and after focusing on burning the tree down it burnt away to nothing in almost no time at all.

"Interesting, it adds quite a bit to your arsenal. Something like that could be used in many different ways, the first one that comes to mind is a barrier to help escape if discovered in a infiltration mission. You could move through the flames but your enemies cannot" Jiraiya said clearly impressed.

"Indeed... that just leaves, Susanoo!" a spectral figure appeared around Itachi. However this was much smaller and more human like than his previous Susanoo, while his previous Susanoo towered over him, it now acted more like a cloak that shrouded around his body rising no more than a foot above him. It was also quite obvious to Itachi that the range of it's attack would be far shorter and the ultimate protection it granted was significantly reduced. '_It's smaller and weaker, but then why is the chakra output the same?_' he thought slightly confused. Then a thought occurred to Itachi and he kicked off as hard and fast as he could.

Jiraiya had been less impressed by the transformation of Itachi's final ocular jutsu from the sharingan, that all changed when Itachi moved. It was like a bolt of lightening. The speed was equal to that of the Raikage. While equipped with the same weapons as his old Susanoo the smaller range and decrease of overall protection seemed like an even trade.

"I believe I can live with this" Itachi said dropping the jutsu and letting out a sigh. He may have picked up some upgrades on his former jutsu but they drained him of his chakra, it was clear that he couldn't use those jutsu constantly. Without the increase in his chakra levels Itachi would have been out of chakra already, but as it stood he still had enough chakra left for about five minutes in his new Susanoo form.

"Well, it's good to see everything is still in working order. Now drop back to the first stage of the Dojutsu so we can test out the standard sharingan abilities" Jiraiya suggested.

Itachi nodded and his eyes morphed back, the red faded from the pupil and it changed from the three bladed pinwheel into the three spirals circling the pupil.

"Alight, first off let's test your ability to predict the movement of some projectiles" Jiraiya said quickly creating several mud clones each took out a set of kunai and moved to surround Itachi.

Just like the sharingan Itachi was able to see the attacks before they came. After a few minutes however he noticed that was not all he could do, as he dodged a kunai he seemed to cause the blade to move away from him on its on. Itachi saw an attack coming and stopped dead rather than move to avoid it, the kunai shot right towards Itachi, however before it hit the kunai changed direction in mid air hitting a tree.

Itachi's eyes widened, he had focused on deflecting the kunai and it changed direction. The next attack came in and this time Itachi focused on stopping the blade. The kunai was only able make it half way to Itachi from where Jiraiya had thrown it before it stopped in mid air. It wasn't like Naruto's gravity release where he could reverse the gravity to prevent projectiles from striking, Itachi had stopped the kunai in mid air.

Jiraiya didn't attack as he watched Itachi staring intently at the kunai floating in mid air a few feet away from him. "Well this is new" he said stepping out from the treeline but leaving his clones where they were. "Try moving it" the Toad Sage added indicating the kunai.

Itachi nodded not taking his eyes from the kunai. One of the spirals in each of Itachi's eyes began to spin slowly, and as if moved by in invisible hand the blade turned in mid air before shooting off back in the direction it came striking one of Jiraiya's mud clones.

"Impressive! Let's see what else you can do" Jiraiya said before lightly tossing a kunai into the air in front of Itachi.

It was a slow process, at first Itachi couldn't control the speed. It would take ages to turn then when ever he sent it in a straight line it would go faster than he could anticipate, after about ten minutes he started to get the hang of his new ability and soon had the kunai flying around every which was as long as it was inside his line of sight.

"Throw out another" Itachi ordered.

Jiraiya did as he was instructed. Itachi was able to stop the blade in mid air but could not move both blades at the same time as he had hoped. "How about we see how many you can stop, I imagine this will have a limit, and it would be wise to know what that is" Jiraiya suggested.

"Yes I was just thinking the same thing" Itachi said and indicated for Jiraiya to toss up another kunai. He was able to stop the third blade, however after that he couldn't stop any thing else. "It seems three is my limit" Itachi sighed.

"One for each spiral in your eye" Jiraiya theorized.

"A sound theory, I would like to test one more thing. I will hold two kunai still in mid air and deflect single kunai thrown at me, I want to know how quickly I can change from one target to another" Itachi suggested.

"Good idea, we should also test how powerful this telekinetic ability is. Moving kunai and shuriken is one thing, but lifting say a fallen tree is another thing entirely" Jiraiya said knocking over a large tree for Itachi to train with.

Itachi nodded and after letting the kunai he was manipulating fall to the ground, he turned to the tree that Jiraiya had knocked down. This task proved far more difficult, Itachi had started sweating but he soon found the large tree hovering in mid air. "This is draining on my chakra. The larger the object the more chakra that is needed it appears" Itachi said, dropping the log on the floor.

"Alright, now lets test how quickly you can switch between targets" Jiraiya said.

It turned out Itachi could change almost instantly. As quickly as he could move his eye to the next target the target of his telekinetic manipulating would change. And with the sharingan's ability to see things before they happen still in effect it proved to be a very effective combination.

"Let's stop there, we need to go rest up. We can work on this more later. Now we need to prepare to go find Gaara and Fuu and make sure they are alright" Jiraiya said.

"In that case I think I need to rest for awhile, those jutsu are all rather draining on my chakra" Itachi said finally realizing just how exhausted he really was.

"Yeah rest up, we'll head back to the cave and leave tonight. The information on where the others are heading will be back at the main hideout but you look too spent to make it back there without suffering chakra exhaustion" Jiraiya said.

Itachi nodded and the pair made their way back towards Konoha.

(**Elsewhere**)

"Well this place doesn't scream black market" Asuma said sarcastically as they approached a large tavern in the middle of what could only be described as the most baron area of the Land of Fire.

"There are two very large chakra signatures here" Tenzo said looking at the building beside the tavern.

"Is it the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked.

"I believe so, yes" Tenzo replied.

"Well then, lets go say hi" Kakashi said.

"I was thinking the same thing" Asuma added before lighting a new cigarette.

**END CHAPTER!**

**I was hoping to get into the fighting this chapter, but the part on Itachi's eyes took longer than I expected sorry. **

**Also some suggestions on what to call Itachi's new Dojutsu would be welcome. Hope you don't think he is over powered or anything like that, I tried to make some changes to the sharingan that while improving it didn't make it god like, although it does a good enough job at that itself. If there is anything you don't like feel free to criticize. I know I can't make everyone happy but feel free to complain about anything you don't like.**

**Sorry for the late update, I had a massive storm the other day and my phone lines and DSL are cut, I replied to a few reviews from my phone but I couldn't post, I'm posting this from my friends place. My internet will be back early next week so hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter. Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	55. Akatsuki Vs Konoha

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****5: Akatsuki Vs Konoha**

"Kakuzu, Hidan! Why have you called us here!" Pein asked his annoyance for being summoned to the Gedo Mezo without the capture of a jinchuuriki was clearly evident.

"Yeah, we thought you would of at least had a jinchuuriki, Tobi is very upset, maybe we should take over their targets" the masked Akatsuki member said childishly.

"We have information regarding the three jinchuuriki in the Land of Fire! Information that will help capture at least two of them" Kakuzu declared.

"Really? What could you possibly know that would help us with our targets?" Hiruko asked skeptically.

"I know where the Nanabi and Ichibi usually work. The Ichibi likes operates in the dryer areas of the Land of Fire to the west just off the border. The Nanabi on the other hand operates in the coastal areas of the county with Zabuza Momoichi" Kakuzu explained.

"And what about the Kyuubi?" Kisame asked.

"No idea on where he is going to be, but we have been given a warning that to go up against the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is suicide" Hidan explained with an ironic smile.

"Sounds like he is tough, Tobi is sure glad not to have to fight against him" the masked ninja said happily.

"Maybe we could trade then, I wouldn't mind crossing blades with Zabuza. And suicide isn't really an issue for you two is it" Kisame said with a very shark like smile.

"The Kyuubi is not your target Kisame, he is mine! don't go offering up my target like you have that option" Hiruko snapped in anger.

"Gah, fine. But if those two fuck up we are going after the Nanabi ourselves" Kisame replied.

"That seems to be acceptable" Pein cut in.

"_**Uh Kakuzu**_, _are you and Hidan currently in a secure location?_" Zetsu asked.

"We are in a hotel at a Bounty office" the former Taki ninja replied.

"_**T**__**hen it seems you have some company fast approaching**_. _I can feel them through the telapathic projection link_. _**Three ninja with large chakra supplies, at least jounin level**_" Zetsu informed the pair who were sitting inside a large room each sitting on a separate bed.

"Deal with them, the rest of you continue your search for the Jinchuuriki, and do not call us back here unless you have captured a jinchuuriki" Pein said before fading away.

Hidan and Kakuzu stood up from where they were seated and looked to the door. "Do you think that those three ninja are looking for us?" Hidan asked offhandedly not worried in the slightest that there were three jounin level ninja outside.

Before Kakuzu could ask however a huge spike of wood shot through the wall blasting a massive hole in the room.

The wood retreated from the room which shocked the pair further. "What the fuck was that!" Hidan yelled.

"Mokuton! I haven't seen something like that since the Shodai Hokage" Kakuzu said darkly.

Meanwhile outside the building Kakashi, Asuma, and Tenzo were standing together looking at the damage Tenzo had caused to the building. "Do you think the Black Market charges for damages?" Asuma asked with a smirk.

"I don't know, we're going to have to ask Tsunade-sama" Kakashi replied jokingly. His face then became serious. "Are you sure that was the right room Tenzo?" he asked turning to the Mokuton user.

Tenzo nodded and rather than speak simply pointed to the hole in the building were two men appeared wearing black cloaks with red clouds. Kakashi stiffened at the sight preparing for anything.

"Well well, looks like we have some rats from Konoha" Hidan said as he jumped from the building to land in front of the three Konoha ninja.

Kakuzu followed shortly after and instantly became interested in two of the members of the group from Konoha. "Well if it isn't my lucky day. Kakashi Hatake, and Asuma Sarutobi, I can get a great deal of money for you two" he said with a smirk.

"So you're the bounty hunter that killed Chiriku!" Asuma said angrily not caring about the threat.

"I didn't kill him, that pleasure was given to Hidan. It was my idea to collect the bounty on his head however" Kakuzu replied.

"Well looks like we have heard enough. Tenzo... Now!" Kakashi said urgently.

Instantly wooden bindings shot out from the ground and shot towards the pair. Kakuzu managed to avoid the attack, but Hidan reacted a split second to slow and his leg was wrapped with the Mokuton users wood.

"Ah what the fuck!" Hidan yelled trying to pull his leg free from its bindings.

Kakuzu just shook his head. "You saw before that one of them was a Mokuton user, you should have been prepared for something like that Hidan" he lectured unsympathetic to his partners position. Then after quickly racing through some hand seals he sent a small sharp blade of wind at the wood holding Hidan in place effectively freeing the Jashinist.

"His Fuuton manipulation is highly skilled, to be able to cut through your Mokuton jutsu" Asuma said clearly impressed.

Kakashi and Yamato nodded. "We also have to presume that his other elements are just as strong. The report said he could use all five elements so we have to be on our toes" Kakashi said.

"Alright, I'll take care of the guy with the scythe, he seems like my kind of opponent, you two deal with the other one" Asuma suggested.

"Alright, but we still don't know how to kill that guy, according to Akimi he can still live even after his head is removed. Don't drop your guard for even a second" Kakashi warned.

"So looks like you are going to have those two as company, don't go dieing on me now Kakuzu" Hidan laughed.

"Worry about yourself fool, there is no way that I will be killed by the Copy Ninja. I fought with the Shodai Hokage, Kakashi Hatake is nothing special" Kakuzu replied.

Hidan quickly scoffed at what his partner was saying and shot forward his scythe at the ready to cleave Asuma in two. But as his blade came down he didn't here the unmistakable sound of flesh being torn, instead he heard steel on steel. Looking down he saw two trench knives glowing with Fuuton chakra. "This scythe is made with strong stuff, I would had thought that my trench knives would have caused at least some damage to the weapon." Asuma said with a smile, his cigarette arching out the side but somehow managing not to fall from his mouth.

Kakashi quickly ran through some hand seals and sent a strong wave of fire at Kakuzu. The former Taki ninja responded by drawing on some water from a nearby tap and creating a wall of water to block the flames.

Tenzo used the steam the two jutsu created by manipulating the water into small blades and sent them rocketing towards Kakuzu. This time the Akatsuki ninja used a Doton jutsu to create a large dome around him blocking the Suiton attack.

"This is going to be difficult" Kakashi sighed as the dome of earth collapsed to reveal a completely unscathed Kakuzu.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Akimi were approaching a underground bunker that was built so that it would blend perfectly in with the surrounding landscape. The only way that you would ever be able to find it was if you knew it was there in the first place. The entrance was covered in moss looking just like a large boulder that had been in the same location for hundreds of years.

"Are you sure this is it?" Akimi asked as they approached the hidden entrance.

"Positive, I came here with Jiraiya sensei and Itachi sensei once. Besides I can feel there chakra signatures hiding away underground" Naruto said with a frown.

"Really what did you come here for?" Akimi asked.

"To warn them never to pay out any bounty on Itachi sensei and to warn anyone who asks against the attempting to claim them on any of us" Naruto explained.

Akimi nodded in understanding. "I see, so how do we get in?" she asked looking for the entrance.

"Uh well there is a password Jiraiya sensei told it to me" Naruto said proudly. Then the smile fell from his face and he looked rather embarrassed. "But I sorta forgot it" he admitted sheepishly.

"Well then how are we going to get in!" she asked.

"Hm like this" Naruto replied and pointed a finger towards the moss covered boulder. "Bansho Ten'in!"

there was a loud creaking sound and a second later a huge metal and stone door was flung off of its hinges, Naruto manipulated the gravity to send the door flying off elsewhere into the woods.

Where the door had been removed sat a short man on a stool who was acting as a gate guard. "Ah I guess it would be sort of pointless to ask you for a password now" he said weakly.

Naruto chuckled under his breath and took a few steps forward. "Sorry about that, but I don't have time for that, I'm looking for two people, and I want to know if they came through here" he said calmly.

"Well I'm afraid I can't tell you much about the people who come and go, we are very secretive about our clients after all" the man said as bravely as he could.

Naruto smiled a very dry smile void of all charm and life. "You will tell me what you know about two Akatsuki members, they had the body of a man named Chiriku, the head monk from the Fire Temple" he said, Naruto's voice was quite calm but at the same time that calmness made everything he was saying that much more terrifying for the man who was on the desk.

The door guard was no ninja, just a old gang grunt that traded in terrorizing civilian caravans for an easier job of allowing entrance to the black market. "I'm sorry sir, but I do not know what you are talking about" he said his voice shaking slightly. Under his chair he subtly pressed a button to call for assistance. He never thought he would have had to use it. There had been times in the past where Konoha would send some ninja to clear out the worst of the criminals that would hang around, but that was a rare occurrence and it didn't really bother the people in charge. They considered Konoha to have a working arrangement with them. They wouldn't run the black market completely out of the country, and in exchange they would pass on information to Konoha on note worthy events with the obvious exception of those people they feared more than Konoha, the Akatsuki for one.

"Well that is a shame, if you can't cooperate then I guess I will just have to force the information out of you" Naruto said solemnly.

The door guard began to sweat as Naruto approached slowly. The blond was only a few steps away when help arrived and the guard let out a very audible sigh of relief. "These two destroyed the secret entrance and are looking for information on the Akatsuki!" he said suddenly finding his bravery now that he was in a group that out numbered Naruto and Akimi ten to two.

Naruto hesitated his walk and scanned the gathered crowd. '_From the looks of it they are all missing ninja, from the lesser villages. I shouldn't be so surprised, most of the smaller hidden villages can't afford to send their own ninja out to track them, so they get out on there own and become nothing but __petty criminals and gang members_' he thought while quietly deciding the best way to dispose of them.

The door guard however saw the fact that Naruto stopped his advance as a sign of weakness and grew in confidence. "Not so confident about forcing me to talk now are you!" he yelled tauntingly at the blond. "Ten ninja, four of them were jounin in their old villages!" he added smugly.

"Hm so you have ten ninja, all from the lesser villages and I'm supposed to be afraid?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"Maybe if they were all jounin, they would have about the same skill as one decent ninja from one of the five major villages. But even then I still doubt I would have to lift a finger to help" Akimi added with a smirk.

"What ever" one of the missing ninja said angrily.

"So how do you wanna deal with these guys?" Naruto asked completely ignoring the outraged missing ninja.

"I don't care, just as long as we get the information we need. You will be better than me at that" Akimi replied.

The black market ninja were getting angrier and angrier at Naruto and Akimi's refusal to take them seriously. "That does it!" one of them yelled in anger before charging at Naruto, a kunai in each hand.

Naruto still had his back turned from the ninja as he swung his blades to slice at the blondes neck. However he found his kunai cut nothing but air as Naruto deftly ducked under the attack before turning and in a single motion as Naruto swirled one of his hands reached out grasping the missing ninja's face before ripping his soul from his body and finally coming to a stop at the exact point he stood before the man had attacked.

As the man fell lifeless to the floor the other ninja were in a stunned silence at what they had just witnessed, their ally had his soul forcefully removed from his body with what seemed like a mere touch. They all began looking around to the others for confirmation that what they were seeing was actually happening.

"Now, the fool that attacked me didn't know anything, why don't you tell me if two members of the Akatsuki came through here to collect a bounty in the past day or two?" Naruto asked stepping over the dead body of the ninja that had been foolish enough to attack.

The others seemed to weigh up whether or not they could take Naruto or not, they still had numbers on their side but the prospect of having your soul forcefully removed from your body is not an appealing one.

"We don't have all day Naruto-kun, one of them is bound to have been here the entire time, if they won't tell you, just get to ripping the information from them forcefully. Besides if they haven't been here then we need to go back up the other group" Akimi said feeling slightly impatient because of Naruto's stalling..

Naruto nodded. "You're right Akimi-chan" Naruto admitted before turning back to face the group still attempting to block his entrance. "Alright guys, here's the deal, you tell me if the Akatsuki have been here in the next ten seconds or I will do to you what I did to your friend here, but make it last much longer until I have absorbed every small piece of information no matter how small it is and then destroy this place and anyone who I think deserves it inside" Naruto said with a carefree tone and a smile.

"Look we don't know anything, the Akatsuki haven't been here in months, no leave this place" the gate guard said his voice shaking slightly, he had been unnerved by the site of Naruto's Human Path and the ease in which Naruto dispatched one of the most skilled ninja currently in the hideout.

"Well it doesn't appear that they are lying. The Akatsuki haven't been here, we should get doing to help the others. But if you guys are lying and the Akatsuki have been here, I will make sure to come back for all of you" Naruto warned.

After a quick wordless nod to Akimi the pair took off in a flash that none of the others had been able to follow.

(**Elsewhere**)

Kakashi, and Tenzo were struggling to cope with Kakuzu, he had a counter to every attack that they had produced so far, something that a hundred years of experience will give you. He had not made the mistake to underestimate his opponent like he had done with Akimi.

Asuma was faring much better. While unable to actually kill Hidan, he was the more skilled in close range combat and that had given him the advantage over the immortal.

Hidan swung his scythe at Asuma's legs, but the former member of the twelve guardians easily cleared the attack with a jump. Hidan masked his growing frustration surprisingly well and stuck again with a stab from his retractable spear.

Asuma parried the strike with a trench knife in mid air and spun quickly to slice off Hidan's arm with the other. Hidan was too fast however and managed to avoid the blow. It may not kill him but if Asuma had cut off his arm he would soon find himself in tiny pieces. '_I just need a small nick, a tiny drop of his blood and I will have him_' Hidan thought as he watched Asuma looking for an opening.

Meanwhile Kakashi and Yamato had come to the realization that ninjutsu wouldn't work against Kakuzu, genjutsu or taijutsu were his best options. Unfortunately Tenzo was not a taijutsu type and was suited to support and and long distance jutsu. 'This is a fight better suited to someone like Gai. Well it can't be helped, we just have to deal with what we have been given' Kakashi thought. "Tenzo, I'm going to try and get in closer, ninjutsu attacks are not working too well, cover me from back here" he ordered before charging off to Kakuzu with kunai in hand.

Kakuzu jumped back to keep his distance from the copy ninja but in the end was forced to parry the blow from Kakashi and quickly kick him back before speedily creating a mud wall to deal with a powerful jet of water from a Suiton jutsu that Tenzo had used.

"Clever tactic change, you realized that you could not defeat me with ninjutsu so you are mixing it up. I can hardly say I am surprised however, you are an ninja that is known throughout the elemental nations as a genius are you not Kakashi Hatake?" Kakuzu said with a dark growl.

"That is all perspective. There are ninja almost half my age that are far stronger than I am, and stronger than you will ever be. That is the world we live in" Kakashi said.

"I would never allow myself to be defeated by some child. I am over one hundred years old! I fought against the Shodai Hokage, the rest of you cannot match up" Kakuzu scoffed. His tone then turned far more serious. "If you are going to change your strategy to better deal with me, then I guess I should respond in kind" he added and from his back the four masked creatures shot out and stood beside the former Taki ninja and his arms and legs seemed to grow apart with black cords giving his body a more liquid feel.

"So that's what Akimi said when she mentioned his ability to split parts of his body" Kakashi said his eyes widened slightly by this new development.

All at once the masked creatures shot together as one at Kakashi, moving to surround the copy ninja preventing escape.

Once they had him surrounded each mask opened it's mouth and shot a separate elemental jutsu at Kakashi. Fire, wind, water and lightning all hit together causing an explosion of chakra that could be felt for miles.

When the smoke cleared there lay the smoking remains of Kakashi Hatake. Until 'Poof' up he went in a cloud of smoke. '_A shadow clone! But when!_' Kakuzu asked himself before being drawn out of his revelry by the sound of chirping birds. "What tha-?" was all he managed to say before Kakashi's arm shot through his chest.

Kakuzu's body collapsed on the ground in a heap. Kakashi jumped back to stand beside Tenzo. "Do you think he is dead sempai?" Tenzo asked.

"I don't know, at this point lets just say I hope so" Kakashi replied.

No sooner had Kakashi finished speaking than one of the masked creatures that has seemingly been stunned by the attack on their master shot towards the body of Kakuzu and implanted itself into the mans back.

Even Asuma stood in amazement as Kakuzu picked himself up off the ground the hole in his robes and a scar that was slowly sewing itself beck together the only thing showing that he had been harmed at all. "I must admit I am impressed. You used a shadow clone to fight against me from the start to learn my strategies and find an effective counter. You are a strong opponent. But you had to hold that clone for a long time, it even survived a kick from me, how is that possible?" the former Taki ninja asked.

'_Damn, we could really use that help now Naruto. He now outnumbers us and is highly skilled himself. I have to keep him talking to buy us some time for Naruto and Akimi to arrive_' Kakashi thought. "You didn't actually hit me, my clone blocked the attack then jumped back to avoid the Suiton jutsu. Now how is it that you are still alive, I felt your heart explode from my Raikiri?" he asked attempting to keep the man talking.

"Yes you destroyed my heart, or should I say one of them. You see I have found my ways around cheating death, much like my partner has. My vital organs have all been moved so I am no longer vulnerable to most attacks. And I have harvested five hearts. One for each element. Just killing me once is not enough to stop me" Kakuzu said confidently.

"I see, so those masked creatures each contain one heart then. That is how they are able to move without the use of chakra wire, they each contain one of your hearts" Kakashi surmised.

"Correct, very perceptive Kakashi. Your heart will be the perfect replacement for the one you have just destroyed. Now that's enough small talk shall we continue?" Kakuzu asked.

"This isn't good, Tenzo, you think would can keep those three masks busy while I deal with the main body?" Kakashi asked.

"I'll do my best sempai" Tenzo said. Before sending several wooden spikes towards the masks forcing them to disperse and fly away in separate directions.

While this had been going on Asuma had been doing his best to observe the other fight, he wanted to know what his allies were dealing with. And what he had seen was enough to prove to him that they had it much tougher than he did. Despite his durability Hidan's confidence in his own immortality had made him sloppy, and despite showing glimpses of skill that were worthy of an elite ninja. He would often allow himself to become sloppy and take several hits, whether this was to lull his opponent into a false sense of superiority or not was a question that Asuma simply did not want to know and as such was not taking any risks.

At least he didn't want to. The sight of Kakuzu getting back up had shocked him. For the first time in the fight he was on the defensive. Now Hidan's true skill was on show. His sloppy defense was nothing compared to his skill in offense. Asuma who had foolishly taken his eyes off his opponent for a split second had changed the tide of the fight, he was now ducking and weaving for all he was worth.

"Stop running and let me cut you! Then we can experience the utmost of suffering together, and it will be bliss" Hidan said angrily as he swung his blades faster and faster as Asuma held on.

Then Asuma saw an opening and slipping underneath Hidans retractable spear cut a deep gash into the stomach of the Jashinist before rolling away to make some distance for himself.

Hidan hunched over from the pain of the attack, but rather than the angry scowl that Asuma had expected he heard Hidan break out into joyous laughter. Then he felt his shoulder burn and looking down Asuma saw that he had not entirely avoided the spear when he had ducked Hidan's attack. "Oh this is going to feel great!" Hidan yelled in excitement.

'_What the hell is he talking about!_' Asuma asked himself. And was about to charge back in and attack when a large seal array appeared beneath Hidan's feet and it spread all over the Immortals body.

"Hey Kakuzu, I'm done here!" Hidan called out before plunging the retractable spear through his chest.

Asuma's eyes widened in shock as he felt his heat falter and his knees give out unexpectedly. '_What jutsu is this!_' he thought as he felt his heart slow and his body grow heavy.

Kakashi and Tenzo for their part were shocked but couldn't afford to take their attention away from the their own opponents.

"Oh yeah that's the stuff! Jashin-sama will be pleased with this, what a sacrifice, the son of the Sandaime Hokage!" Hidan said looking up to the heavens in total bliss.

Once Asuma's body struck the ground Hidan removed the blade from his chest and the seals faded away. '_This is not good, now we have to deal with another one. Oh well, if this is my end so be it_' Kakashi thought as he ducked under a kick from Kakuzu's main body.

Hidan went to inspect the body of his prey to make sure he was gone. Once satisfied the immortal turned to watch Kakuzu's fight. "Hurry up Kakuzu! We need to get movi-" he was cut short by a hole the size of a fist being blown into his chest. Hidan looked down in shock. "What the fuck was that!" he yelled.

A response came with another blast, this time to the other side of his chest knocking him onto his back.

From the edge of the clearing two shinobi appeared in white hooded cloaks. "So I guess he really can't be killed. That's interesting" Naruto said his face still hidden from the Akatsuki members as Hidan slowly picked himself up off the ground.

**End Chapter!**

**Internet is back on finally! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, next few will all be focused on the Yoinokuchi Vs Akatsuki as this Arc finally comes towards its end. **


	56. Death of the Zombie Brothers

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****6: Death of the Zombie Brothers**

"Who the fuck are you!" Hidan yelled in anger as he picked himself up off the ground. His wounds were slowly healing themselves but he still sported two large holes in his chest.

Naruto didn't answer and in a burst of speed raced over to pick up Asuma's body.

'_He's fast for a shrimp, and that was a powerful Fuuton jutsu. A long range assassination type jutsu used with such ease is no simple task_' Kakuzu thought slightly impressed, as the fight between himself and Kakashi had stopped to assess the new comers.

Naruto quickly carried Asuma back to where Akimi stood and placed him down on the ground. "Hey that's my kill!" Hidan yelled.

"Who cares about that, Asuma Sarutobi has an incredibly high bounty, they are trying to steal it!" Kakuzu yelled in anger.

"You're both wrong!" Naruto declared loudly with his back turned to them. "He is a ninja from Konoha where I was born, and he is going to continue to be one... … Summoning of the Outer Path, Samsara of Heavenly Rebirth" he added while performing a hand seal.

The King of Hell statue arose from the ground it's eyes rippling with the Rinnegan and as it opened it's mouth a green stream of chakra shot from it's mouth and enveloped Asuma's body.

Everyone stood transfixed at the statue and then Asuma who sat up shaking his head. "Wh-What the hell happened" he said groggily.

"Well you were dead for a couple of minutes, but it's no big deal" Naruto said offhandedly with a smile.

Hidan was shocked, he was positive that Asuma was dead, but he also noticed the ripple pattern and color of the statues eyes. Finally Naruto turned to face Hidan removing his hood to show his face. Hidan took a step back when he saw the same eyes he had seen many times before from his boss stare back at him. "Hey Kakuzu isn't that"

"Yes it is, to think we would run into something like this" Kakuzu said. '_Those are the same eyes that Pein has, and he's not short he is just young. Is this what Kakashi meant, was he expecting this to happen?_' he added in thought.

Naruto had his eyes set on Hidan. "So you're the Akatsuki, I guess this must be your lucky day. It's not often a jinchuuriki goes looking for you, looks like I saved you the problem of finding me" he said calmly.

Hidan and Kakuzu's eyes widened at this declaration. "You mean you're the-"

"That's right, I'm the Kyuubi jinchuuriki" Naruto cut Hidan off. "And you are the one who killed Akaru Hayaku" the blond added still not taking his eyes from Hidan.

"Yeah what of it!" Hidan replied the shock of seeing not only Naruto but the Rinnegan subsiding.

"He was a good friend of mine" Naruto called back sternly.

"So fucking what, you want to kill me now for revenge? You really are a child" Hidan taunted.

"No I don't want to kill you, I want to destroy you. But not for revenge, I will destroy you to stop you from hurting more people" Naruto said.

"Heh good luck kid, but I can't be killed" Hidan scoffed tauntingly.

"I could simply rip your soul from your body, but that's too good for you! I'm going to cut you down into a million pieces and throw your ashes into the wind!" Naruto declared and then within the blink of an eye Naruto had shot forward slamming his fist into the face of the Immortal from the Land of Hot Water.

Before the shock of Naruto's attack settled down Akimi through off her Yoinokuchi robe and shot at Kakuzu delivering a kick to the back of his head sending him flying into a pile of rubble. "Oh Kami that felt good" she said with a satisfied smile.

"Glad for the help Akimi-chan" Kakashi said with a patented eye smile.

"Don't mention it I have some unfinished business with this guy" she replied.

"So it's you, I thought those cloaks were familiar. But to think that it would be you, and that you would bring the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is certainly a surprise" Kakuzu said as he picked himself out of the rubble.

Akimi scowled at Kakuzu and was about to attack again when Kakashi stopped her. "Don't do anything foolish, he can only be killed by destroying all of his masks" he warned as he landed beside her.

"You mean the creatures Yamato is fighting right now?" she asked.

"Exactly, can you keep his main body busy while I go help Yamato with the other masks, only once they are gone can he be killed, and then it has to be a direct impact to the heart" Kakashi explained.

"Sure I can handle this" she replied quickly.

Kakashi nodded and kicked off to where Tenzo was struggling to hold back the three remaining masked creatures.

Akimi prepared herself taking Kakashi's warning into account, she was also aware of just how strong Kakuzu was so she knew a frontal attack would not work on him, no matter how fast she was his experience gave him the upper hand in that situation.

Meanwhile Hidan was for lack of a better word in trouble. He had yet to even get into the fight with the blond jinchuuriki. Instead he had been little more than a punching bag and had been sent flying from high powered hit after hit. 'This kid is insane! I can't even get a block in' the immortal thought as he felt Naruto's fist once again connect with the side of his face. Hidan crashed right through the black market office masquerading as a tavern. Luckily for the people that remained inside his body nor the weapons he kept tethered to him harmed them the process.

Naruto for the first time stopped his assault on Hidan and waited outside of the building for the Jashinist.

Hidan picked himself up and tossed what little remained of his Akatsuki robe into a corner. "This fucking kid is getting on my nerves. To make it worse, hes a fucking jinchuuriki so I can't sacrifice him to jashin-sama!" Hidan cursed under his breath. "Only one thing to do is tire this asshole out" he sighed before kicking off as fast he could.

Hidan bust through the hole he had created in the side of building and shot towards Naruto ready to swing his scythe.

"Hm so you do have some speed even if it isn't much higher than a average jounin, Interesting. Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said calmly blowing Hidan away with ease.

"Ah what the fuck was that!" Hidan whined once more picking himself up. '_So is this the type of power that Leader-sama can throw around, man this would be so much easier if we knew what those blasphemous eyes were capable of_' he thought. He looked back to where Naruto had been but this time saw nothing, only a small crated that had been created when Naruto used his Shinra Tensei. "Ah fuck where did he go now?" the immortal complained.

"You know, for a member of an elite Ninja group like the Akatsuki you don't really have all that much going for you" Naruto called out. Hidan spun around quickly and searched for the blonds location. Hidan found the blond sitting in a tree a short way from Hidan looking thoroughly uninterested with Hidan. "In fact" the blond began not even looking at the Akatsuki ninja. "If you were killed easily I would say you were nothing more than an average jounin level shinobi who excels in kenjutsu" the blond continued.

"What ever you fucking brat, you might act tough but I can't loose this fight, eventually you will make a mistake and then you will taste the cold steel of my blade just like countless others. In the end I can't die, so I don't need to be concerned with petty things like comparative strength" Hidan scoffed.

"Really?" Naruto asked arching an eyebrow and forming the hand seal for Lightning. A powerful bolt struck Hidan in his chest and sent him flying back until he crashed into a large rock. When Hidan got up again Naruto had once again moved, this time standing in the middle of the road off to the side of the immortal. "That jutsu would have killed a normal person, but a trained ninja would have been able to at least get out of the way in time, you are overconfident in your own invulnerability, and you shouldn't be considering what I plan to do to you" Naruto said keeping himself calm, Itachi's training in getting under the oppositions skin proving both helpful and even though he shouldn't admit it, fun.

"So what, you plan on teaching me how to be a better ninja, so after I kill you I can protect myself?" Hidan scoffed.

"Not at all, I don't want you to learn anything, but I do have a few questions I would like to ask before we conclude this. Tell me, when you are killed, does it hurt?" the blond asked.

"What sort of stupid fucking question is that. Of course it fucking hurts, but then it eventually subsides and becomes a feeling of pure bliss as I take the life force energy of my opponent" Hidan answered with a satisfied smile.

"I see, and have you ever lost a limb beyond repair?" Naruto continued.

"I regenerate, although the more sever the injury the more dificult it is, just another thing that makes me immortal, as long as I can see my body I can control it and heal myself and as long as part of me is still alive so am I and eventually I will pull myself back together piece by piece" Hidan replied smugly.

"Impressive, does that hurt?" Naruto asked clearly interested.

"Well I haven't really tried it out, but I had to regrow an arm once, took weeks. It was more painful than loosing the fucking thing" Hidan said.

"Perfect. Then I guess it's time to finish this, but don't worry I'm going to leave you alive, I want you to suffer ten fold for the lives you have taken, and simply ripping what's left of the soul from your body is definitely not enough" Naruto said as he held out his right hand and a spinning ball of chakra appeared. "No I am going to completely dismantle you, burn you to nothing but ash" he added and the spinning ball of chakra slowly caught aflame although remained small in size.

Hidan took a step back, he did not like the sound of what Naruto was planing one bit. Even a masochist like Hidan had his limits and being forced to rebuild his body piece by piece would not only be more painful than he could ever imagine but could literally take an eternity complete. His brain needed to be completely intact to regenerate new cells and not rely on the old ones. The slightest breeze would scatter his body all over the elemental nations making it near impossible to regenerate. '_Could this kid really be able to do what he says? Pein-sama would always refer to himself as a god, those eyes of his supposedly gave him power over all forms of chakra, so this... brat could have the same abilities and a jutsu that would finish my body off completely is not entirely out of the question_' Hidan thought a small bead of sweat forming on his head.

Naruto's eyes began to change from purple to golden and dark orange markings formed around them. Raising the hand holding the Katon Rasengan above his head he smiled slightly before channeling more and more chakra into the jutsu. The jutsu grew, first to the size of Naruto's head, then torso until it eventually dwarfed the blond who was holding the gargantuan ball of spinning flame. "Katon: Odama Rasenbomb" Naruto said calmly.

The power of the jutsu was so strong everyone in the area couldn't help but turn in the direction and stare. Even Akimi who had become accustomed to Naruto doing the impossible couldn't help but stare wide eyed completely forgetting Kakuzu who had likewise forgotten Akimi and the two Konoha ninja he had been fighting.

"What Incredible power" Asuma said in awe from where he was sitting. His wounds my have been healed by Naruto's jutsu, but he was still weak and needed rest meaning he couldn't help the others in dealing with Kakuzu.

Hidan marveled at the jutsu, wondering just how destructive it would be. '_There is no way he can use that at close range, it would kill him as well. But then again, the chakra in that is so dense that he __couldn't possibly throw it_' he thought unsure what would be the best way to avoid a jutsu like the one currently hovering above Naruto's head.

"This is for all the lives you have taken in cold blood!" Naruto declared before throwing the the gargantuan ball of flames. The moment Naruto threw the Rasenbomb he manipulated the gravity around it to cause it to travel faster.

Hidan was stunned, he couldn't believe that Naruto would be able to throw a such a mass of chakra, he knew there was no escape for him. "If I ever pull myself back together, I swear to Jashin-sama that I will kill you, you fucking brat!" Hidan swore unable to complete any hand seals in time to put up a defense, not that it would have done much good.

"Death is too good for you" Naruto said quietly, to himself mostly, just before the jutsu struck. As it struck it expanded slightly before exploding into a pillar of flames. The light and heat from the jutsu was so intense that even Naruto had to look away to protect their faces.

Hidan's screaming lasted only a split second but his pain remained as his body seemed to be burning away to nothingness. His consciousness was living on in constant agony while his body was nothing but a pile of ash.

The pillar of flames gradually faded away leaving a large area of scorched earth that seemed to still glow red from the heat of the jutsu. '_Not a trace of him, if he is truly is still alive, then that is a fate far worse than death_' Naruto said as he felt a breeze flow back over the field blowing what ever small particles were left of Hidan's body away.

Kakuzu was staring wide eyed at Naruto, now sweating a little himself. '_That isn't a jutsu that someone can survive, not even me, Hidan's body is completely gone!_' he thought. He was broken out of his revelry however when he felt the blade of a kunai smash through one of his hearts.

Akimi had recovered from the shock of seeing the jutsu much faster than anyone else, she had been around Naruto a long time after all. And when she saw that Kakuzu was still out of it acted quickly. Channeling some Raiton chakra through one of the dueling kunai that Naruto had given her way back in the Land of Water, she shot around behind Kakuzu until she found the mask he was using as a temporary heart and without delay stabbed. The mask was truly tough, a normal blade would have bent and not caused a scratch, the Doton jutsu that Kakuzu was using to harden his masks was weak against lightening and as such went right through the mask shocking the experienced Akatsuki ninja.

Quickly before the others could react, all three of the remaining masks shot back into Kakuzu's body, he quickly rolled out of the way and his whole body seemed to morph into a different shape. '_This isn't a fight that I can win, as much as I hate to admit it, I need to get out of here. Pein-sama and the others need to know about just how strong the Kyuubi is, and the fact that he has the Rinnegan, I think Pein-sama would be more than interested in that development_' Kakuzu thought urgently. In the blink of an eye two of his masks appeared over his shoulder, both masks opened their mouth at the same time. "Katon: Intelligent Hard Work!... Fuuton: Pressure Damage! Colaboration Jutsu!" he yelled.

The flames expanded immediately and shot forward towards Akimi and the Konoha ninja. '_Oh fuck_' Akimi thought but quickly turned to run. Kakashi used a Suiton jutsu to create a massive wall of water but the flames simply evaporated the water and continued to shoot forward.

Akimi landed next to the two fighting Konoha ninja. "We should probably run" she said so quickly that the two Konoha ninja barely understood what she was saying.

"No need" Kakashi replied before turning to Tenzo. "We will do a collaboration of our own" he said.

Yamato nodded and they both started running through hand seals. Kakashi stopping on the seal for Suiton and Tenzo on the seal for Doton. The head of a large mud dragon appeared from the ground and shot out a large stream of mud at the same time Tenzo spewed forth a stream of water. The two jutsu combined and the Mud expanded and became more fluid.

As the flames hit the collaboration jutsu the mud hardened into a wall and began to pour over stopping the flames and building a massive earth wall between them and Kakuzu.

However Kakuzu was no longer there. The moment he fired his jutsu he had taken off trying to escape the battlefield as quickly as possible. If fact he had just made it to the closest forested area where he could hide safely when Naruto stepped out from the tree line. "Going somewhere?" he asked calmly.

Kakuzu quickly came to a stop. '_He overtook me, so he is faster than me even in this form, just like that damn girl_' "I don't care how strong you are boy, to me you are nothing. I have seen powerful ninja come and go, I have been the only constant in fact the only real constant in this world other than that of money" he said angrily.

"Money? What makes you say that?" Naruto asked genuinely interested.

"You have already shown to me that you are a more than worthy opponent. Anyone that can finish off that fool Hidan would have to be, even I couldn't do that. So I guess that if I'm destined to die today, I will tell you my story as brief as it may be. I came from the Land of Waterfalls, Takigakure as it is better known" he said.

"I know of the place" Naruto said remembering when he broke in to snatch Fuu away.

"Then you know what it is like there, the ninja rarely leave. In my time it was a poor country, but militaristic a one. From a young age I had an abnormally large chakra level and the village wanted to turn me into their living weapon. So the leader at the time approached my parents who were small time farmers supplying a local market demanding that they give me over to the ninja academy to be trained at the age of two" Kakuzu said darkly.

"Two? They wanted to take you from your parents when you were only two years old!" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Yes. My parents denied the village leader claiming I wouldn't enter the Ninja academy until I was ready and even then only if I wanted to. The village leader was furious, he stopped anyone in the village buying our produce leaving our family with no money at all. We had food and shelter that we provided for ourselves, but one day when I was four my mother became sick. Father took her to the doctors but couldn't afford to pay, and the village leader had warned anyone that they would be banished if they helped our family without payment. So once again the village leader came to my father and said that he would give our family the money for mothers treatment if he gave me up to be trained" Kakuzu continued.

"He refused didn't he" Naruto guessed.

"Indeed. My father could have taken the money and saved my mother but he refused. At the time I was unaware that any of this had occurred. My mother died a few months later, that was the first time I had experienced death and the pain that went with it. That was when I promised myself that I would never die and leave those I care about alone, I thought it was so selfish and weak. What right did she have to die, I was young and I blamed her. By the time I was five the leaders of Taki were growing impatient, they wanted to train me as early as possible, to try and force my fathers hand they began destroying his crops that had already been much smaller due to the fact mother was no longer around to harvest them. We were down to bare scraps father would often go for days without eating so that I would remain healthy" Kakuzu said.

For the first time Naruto had a shred of pity for the disfigured man before him. He was starting to see how he turned out the way he did. In truth he only asked about him because he felt that Kakuzu was in some way different, that he was in the Akatsuki not for the fun or to cause pain to others, like Hidan was, but for his own reasons.

"I remember seeing the other children laughing at me, I was wearing nothing but rags. I was so angry that I caught the children and despite being younger than them I beat them all to unconsciousness. It turned out that one of them had a small amount of money on them. I took their money and brought some food, I can still remember just how happy my father was when I brought the food home. When he asked me how I got it I told him I found some money, too ashamed to own up to him that I stole it. After that I became adept at stealing from people, for six months we would live this way. Until one day I came back home with a bag full of food to find several ninja standing outside my door. As I approached an elderly man stepped out of the house. He told me that my father had been killed by some people he owed money too. It turned out later that it had been Taki ninja who killed him, the people in charge had grown tired of waiting for my father to accept their offer and hand me over to them, so they had him killed" Kakuzu continued.

"I see. Do you hate your village for what they have done?" Naruto asked.

"Yes I do. But not as much as I hate my father, if he took the money he could have saved mother, if he had handed me over at any time he would have survived. I was poor, I had nothing, I resented him so much when I eventually discovered the truth.

"And because you had nothing you value money so heavily?" Naruto asked.

"Precisely, if my parents had money there would have been nothing that the village could have done. If we had money the fact we couldn't sell anything to the village wouldn't have mattered. If we had money Mother would have lived. If my father had money I wouldn't have been out stealing and would have been home making it impossible for the Taki ninja to get away with what they said was a debt collectors assassination. Money is the only constant in this world, you would do well to learn that. All the skill in the world counts for nothing if you can't feed yourself or pay for the medical help you need. I joined the Akatsuki because it both allowed me to test myself against the strongest of opponents and make a lot of money. Personally I do not care what their final goal is, in fact I don't even know that myself" Kakuzu said.

"I see, I think I understand you now. You had so much potential you could have done good in this world, someone like you comes along once maybe twice in a generation. But it is not entirely your fault. I'm glad that I got to find out something about you, but I can't let you escape I'm afraid. You know about me and that is something the Akatsuki must not find out until I am ready" Naruto explained a small twinge of regret in his voice. Sure Kakuzu was a heartless killer when he wanted to be, but in a similar way Naruto was as well. "Rasengan Barrage!" Naruto yelled quickly forming a rasengan in both hands and in the blink of an eye had slammed them directly into the Katon and Fuuton masks, causing them to shatter leaving only one remaining which buried itself into his body where his heat should be.

Naruto then spun into a kick which Kakuzu deftly avoided. The blond could sense Akimi and the others fast approaching and quickly made his mind up. '_This kill is Akimi-chan's she needs the closure_' "I'm sorry, but it I will not be the one to kill you. That is a job for someone else, you took away her brother when you decided to go after Chiriku sensei" Naruto said and wordlessly sent Kakuzu flying back with a Shinra Tensei.

Akimi was well ahead of the two Konoha ninja and soon saw Naruto in the distance blow Kakuzu away from him. Picking up speed she caught Kakuzu in mid flight with a kick to one of the Masks on his back with full strength not knowing that the mask was already broken until it was too late to change her target. Kakuzu landed in a heap a small distance away. "How many masks does he have left?" she called out to Naruto.

"Well I destroyed two, so I think he only has one left. And that has implanted itself into him" Naruto called back as Kakashi and Tenzo landed. The four ninja moved to surround Kakuzu as he stood up.

Kakuzu looked around and saw no escape in any direction. "So this is how it ends for me, after all I have been through, killed by a couple of kids. All my years of experience mean nothing against them, how is that possible?" Kakuzu asked weakly.

"The simple fact is the next generation will always out do the previous, you would know that if you had ever taken a student or passed on your knowledge. By passing that knowledge on they gain your strength and add it to their own until they eventually surpass the previous generation. It is a law of life" Kakashi said.

Kakuzu closed his eyes. In all his years of life he had never come to terms with his own mortality. That is way he spent so many years running from death developing his 'Earth Grudge Fear' jutsu, to steal the organs from other people and add them to his own. His now impending death caused his life to run through in his mind. The private training given to him in the academy, his time as the head assassin ninja for the village. His loss to the Shodai Hokage and subsequent banishment from the village. Life as a missing ninja, doing random jobs for money. Meeting and befriending the Gold and Silver brothers, Ginkaku and Kinkaku, he remembered their impressive strength when they entered Bijuu mode and smiled slightly when he realized that Naruto had not even used a small amount of Kyuubi's chakra when dealing with Hidan. The final memory that played through his mind was meeting a dark haired and tall woman with a paper flower and meating Pein for the first time atop a large building with rain falling all in droves. '_I wonder who would win, this kid or Leader-sama?_ _I guess I will never know. Well all that's left now is to go out fighting_' he thought and kicked forward as fast as he could towards Naruto going for the kill no longer caring about the goals of the Akatsuki.

Naruto ducked the blow and went to return one of his own but Kakuzu's body augmented in order to avoid the strike spinning into a kick that Naruto blocked. Kakashi was the next to arrive slamming his fist into the side of Kakuzu's face. The hit sent him into the path of Tenzo who shot several beams of wood at the Akatsuki ninja.

Kakuzu managed to doge two of them and attempt to parry the final but it was an unsuccessful attempt. Had he been fresh and had all of his hearts it would have been an easy deflection but all he managed to do was deflect it away from his heart into the shoulder.

Hid body traveled with the wooden pillar until it struck a large boulder and came to a halt. Kakuzu went to remove the spike but was forced to use his free arm to deflect several kunai thrown by Tenzo with the last one implanting itself right through his forearm despite the bracers he wore to deflect incoming projectiles.

Last to move was Akimi but her speed was as impressive as ever and removed the twin blades on her belt attached by the retractable chain and after channeling Raiton chakra into the blade threw them both with all of her might. Both struck dead on the heart and his body convulsed with the shock of the Raiton chakra flowing through his system. It may have looked painful but his death was instantaneous. "It's done" she sighed, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulder, both of the people responsible for the death of her brother had been taken out.

"We should have attempted to capture him alive" Kakashi said slightly disappointed.

"It wouldn't have done any good, the Akatsuki ninja are all loyal to the death, they wouldn't tell us anything about the organization no matter how much you guys tried. And someone like him would have resistance to everything that even the Yamanaka can do" Naruto said. "Besides he lived long enough I think he earned that death" he finished.

**End Chapter!**

**Well there we go, I hope you enjoyed it. Focus is going to shift now to the other Yoinokuchi ninja for the next chapter or so. Deal with the the other encounters between the Akatsuki and Yoinokuchi. But that doesn't mean I won't include Naruto at any stage. I wanted to give Kakuzu a back story, because to me he seemed underdeveloped in the cannon and had such a complex past and personality even if it was just a small addition I think he deserved some back story.**

**Wow what can I say about the 1000 reviews except thanks. You guys have been brilliant, and I know I have not made everyone happy with some of the choices I have made along the way but like it or not you gave your feedback and it has helped improve the story. So thanks again guys, here's hoping for 2000 lol. **


	57. The Akatsuki Move

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****7: The Akatsuki Move **

"So do you know where have the others gone?" Itachi asked Jiraiya.

Both Yoinokuchi ninja were standing in the middle of the large mission briefing area. Jiraiya was flipping through the book with open missions that was kept so they could keep a track of where the others would be at any one time as well as letting the group brows the mercenary missions from their hideout without the need to visit the bounty office for any reason other than to collect their Ryo.

"Well from what I can make out, Gaara and Haku have gone west, close to the border getting rid of a small bandit problem for one of the villages out there. I don't have a direct location, but it shouldn't be too hard to find, just follow the sand" Jiraiya chuckled.

"And what about Fuu and Zabuza?" the stoic Uchiha queried.

"South of here, near the Land of Waves. There investigating the disappearance of several children from the area. Hm I think I will take that one" the Toad Sage replied darkly.

"It does sound somewhat familiar, but I doubt Orochimaru would be back operating in the Land of Fire. He is far smarter than that" Itachi said.

"You're right, HE is to smart to attempt to start experimenting in this country again. But that doesn't mean that people working for him aren't dumb enough to try" Jiraiya sighed.

"Alright, I'll go west and look for Gaara and Haku, and if I run into the Akatsuki? What should I do?" Itachi asked.

"Hm that is a tricky one to answer. On the one hand we don't want to start an open war with the Akatsuki, on the other hand however they are after the Bijuu which means they are targeting Naruto, Gaara, and Fuu. I would say do not engage if possible, but fight to kill if you must" Jiraiya said.

"Understood Jiraiya-sama" Itachi said and with a small bow left the room heading swiftly for the exit.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto, Akimi and the Team from Konoha were resting after their encounter with the Zombie Brothers. Asuma was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he had been dead. In fact both Kakashi and Tenzo were marveling at the fact as well now that they had the time. "How did you do it?" Kakashi asked finally.

"Huh? Do what?" Naruto said scratching the back of his head in both confusion and embarrassment.

"Bring Asuma back, we saw him fall" Tenzo explained.

"Yes that is something I would like to know as well, one moment I'm in the after life. And the next back in my body and perfectly fine" Asuma added.

"Ah I summoned the King of Hell and grabbed your soul back before the Shinigami could judge you and allow your soul to move on. What you were experiencing was in effect a state of limbo. Some souls never move on, or are waiting for something and stay there for a long time.

"So you can just grab those souls and do what you please with them?" Kakashi asked.

"Sort of. There is a limit to what I can accomplish. I can't put a humans soul into an inanimate object for example" Naruto explained.

"That is incredible" Kakashi said in awe.

"I guess so, most souls move on pretty quickly, once they accept that they are dead. One, two hours tops" the blond said trying to play down just how impressive the jutsu really was.

"Still think of what a jutsu like that could do, you could have a war without any casualties" Tenzo said in awe.

"Well I guess that would be possible, but the strain that would cause on my body would surely kill me, it is a very chakra heavy jutsu, even if I was willing to use Kyuubi that would be impossible unless I transferred my life force into chakra" Naruto explained.

The three Konoha ninja nodded in understanding before Kakashi spoke again. "So now that we are done here where are you two going? Heading home, or are you going to come back to Konoha and find out if the black market is willing to charge Konoha with the damage we caused here" he chuckled.

"Ah I think we should probably head back home, it's been awhile since I have been there, and we are waiting for word from our other teams. If there is one team from the Akatsuki here, there is bound to be more on the way if not in the Land of Fire already" the blond sighed.

"Well it looks like this is goodbye for now then"Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Only for now, I'm sure we will see each other again" Naruto said returning the smile.

After that the others said a quick farewell and took off back towards Konoha. Akimi gave a small sigh and turned to face the blond. "Well I'm glad this is over with, shall we get going?" she asked.

"Yeah in just a minute. There is something I want to do first" Naruto replied.

The blond walked over to where the lifeless body of Kakuzu still lay. With the wave of his arm Naruto created a grave. And placed the Akatsuki ninja inside. "What are you doing, why are you wasting your time on someone like him?" Akimi asked.

"Why not? He was a strong opponent, worthy of a respectful burial" Naruto said calmly.

"But he was with the Akatsuki, they are just evil!" Akimi said in disbelief.

"Was he? I thought so too at first. But Kakuzu told me about himself, he wasn't a saint, but nor was he evil. He was what his life experiences made him to be. Who's to say that I wouldn't have become just like him if Jiraiya hadn't found me in the rubble of my home all those years ago. If I had been found by a missing ninja, I could have been raised to be a criminal" Naruto sighed.

"So what you are saying is you forgive him for all the harm that he has caused?" Akimi asked.

"No, I haven't forgiven him at all. But I can understand him a little, and I also know that despite his crimes he was strong and worthy of our respect. He spent a hundred years running from death, for him that is the greatest punishment of them all" the blond jinchuuriki answered with a sigh.

"I guess I understand" Akimi sighed.

The pair stood beside Kakuzu's makeshift grave for a few moments before Naruto finally turned to grab Akimi's hand. "Come on, let's go home. With any luck everyone will already be back by the time we get there" Naruto said with a warm smile. Akimi nodded and the two took off in the direction of the Yoinokuchi hideout although even with their speed it would take a full day to reach their home.

(**The Next Day**)

Two teenagers were walking down a side street in a rather large village. Villagers shuttled around with their day and all the streets were crowded with happy shoppers and the occasional tourist from other countries, all streets except one. The two teens found themselves in a strangely dark stretch of road considering that it was the middle of the day unlike the busy town behind them not even rodents seemed to want to move.

Gaara and Haku were both looking around almost expectantly. They may have looked calm but in truth they were ready for anything. Inside its gourd Gaara's sand was rising and falling ready to act on the smallest threat to the red haired jinchuuriki or his companion.

"Something is seriously wrong here Gaara-kun" Haku said assessing the situation they had found themselves in.

"Indeed, it's a genjutsu, it was put up to keep civilians away by darkening the area, and causing a sense of unease. It is a very useful technique, they can hide in board daylight by keeping everyone else away" Gaara said contemplatively .

"Sounds like a reasonable tactic. Hide within the town of the people you are terrorizing, it is rather clever" Haku said, begrudgingly impressed by the tactics that who ever put up the genjutsu used.

Gaara nodded and the two Yoinokuchi teens slowly made their way towards onwards towards the end of the alleyway. At the end of the street stood a large warehouse, everything about the building screamed 'do not enter', the windows were blacked out and the doors seemed to be made from some exceedingly strong and heavy material. "This is it, it has to be" Gaara said flatly.

Haku nodded in agreement and the pair approached the door. They stood back while Gaara's sand forced the door open and they entered a large seemingly empty room. '_It's not empty, I'm sure of that_' Gaara thought and sent a small amount of sand around the room searching for anyone that was hiding inside. "Twenty of them, most untrained, however there are a few with large chakra supplies so I can only assume that they are ninja" Gaara whispered.

"Got it... Demonic Ice Mirrors" Haku said and all along the walls and ceiling sheets of ice formed and the Ice wielding ninja stepped back into one of the mirrors.

Gaara stepped forward, his sand spiraling around him defensively. "I know you are here, surrender now and nobody has to be killed" he said darkly trying to intimidate the group of bandits and thugs that were hiding out in the abandoned warehouse. There was no sound from anywhere in the room and Gaara let out an audible sigh. "last chance, surrender now or we will have to use force" he said.

Again no reply. Gaara shook his head in disappointment and his sand began to spiral around his body in a much more aggressive manner as if it was eager to get to work. Suddenly out of seemingly nowhere a kunai shot forward from behind Gaara aimed right at the red haired jinchuuriki's head.

Gaara's sand reacted with time to spare and caught the kunai well before it had the chance to cause any harm to Gaara. "That was not a very smart move" the former Suna ninja said. And suddenly his sand exploded out in multiple directions. Everywhere the sand flew it pulled another person from their hiding place and wrapped them up in sand before solidifying around them keeping them trapped.

Several of the group attempted to flee in order to escape Gaara's sand but were quickly picked off by Haku from the safety of her ice mirrors. It was not long before Gaara and Haku had most of the group caught and unconscious.

Just as Gaara sent his sand to locate the few remaining bandits the room changed, Gaara now found himself standing in a dungeon with his arms and legs in bindings. "An impressive genjutsu" the jinchuuriki admitted.

Gaara remained calm, a genjutsu like this was nothing that he hadn't experienced before. He had sparred with Itachi on a few occasions after all. Gaara's sand moved to spread around the area, nothing could move without him sensing it through his sand.

Without even breaking the genjutsu Gaara found the remaining members of the group and with his sand wrapped them up and pulled them into the center of the room the red haired jinchuuriki then broke a finger of each of the group that had ninja level chakra reserves until the genjutsu dropped.

"It would have been much easier if you all just surrendered in the first place you know" Haku said calmly as she stepped out of a plane of ice to stand next to Gaara.

"Let us go you fucking kids!" one woman yelled in anger.

"Our age has nothing to do with anything. We were hired by the people of this village to get rid of you, and that is exactly what we are going to do" Gaara said passively as the sand that was holding the group of bandits gradually fell away until only hand cuffs remained. Gaara formed a hand seal and created a large group of sand clones to help them escort the group of prisoners out.

They marched them right through the center of the village were everyone could see and didn't stop until they made it to the town square. Gaara left Haku and a decent number of clones to watch over them while he went to fetch the town leaders who had hired Gaara and Haku to solve the problem.

(**Unknown Location**)

Rain fell heavily throughout a large city. Tall towers that scattered the landscape made the sky seem even darker than it was while the rain fell. On a balcony of the tallest tower sat a man with his eyes closed and orange spiky hair. "Konan" he called out although nobody appeared to be around.

For a few seconds nothing happened until a flock of origami butterflies gathered before taking the form of a dark blue haired woman with a paper flower in her hair. "Yes Pein-sama?" she said with a small bow.

"Hidan and Kakuzu are dead, inform the others and tell Hiruko and Kisame to target the Nanabi jinchuuriki" Pein said his eyes still remaining closed.

"Are you sure? How can Hidan be killed, he was supposedly immortal" Konan said.

"His Akatsuki ring was destroyed completely while he was wearing it, if he is still alive there will not be much of him left. And I felt Kakuzu die, his link has been severed I can no longer locate either of them. The only explanation is they have been killed" Pein said.

"Who could have done something like that?" Konan asked.

"I do not know, but it could be possible that they ran into the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Get me Zetsu, I want the other groups watched, we can't afford to lose another team without knowing how they died" Pein replied.

"Very well Pein-sama, I will pass on your message" Konan said before dissolving into thousands of pieces of paper.

'This hunt for the jinchuuriki is not going as smoothly as I had anticipated, perhaps I will have to take matters into my own hands" Pein mused once he was alone again.

Konan reappeared in a small room lit only by a small lamp sitting on a desk next to a large stack of origami paper. She approached it quickly and began writing out the new orders for the Kisame, Hiruko and Zetsu. Once she finished the first note she added some chakra to the paper and it transformed into a bird before taking off out the window. She was about to turn around and fill out the second sheet when she saw the air distort in the side of her eyes. "What do you want?" she said sharply whilst turning to face Tobi.

"Now that isn't a very nice greeting no is it" Tobi said from where he sat in the windowsill.

"Shut it, why are you here?" Konan retorted.

"Well I am sure Pein already knows, but I came to inform him that Hidan and Kakuzu are dead" Tobi said in a lighthearted but still serious manner.

"And how do you know?" Konan demanded.

"Oh you know me, I get around, lets just say a little bird told me" He said making a snide reference to Konan's origami animals she used to deliver messages to members of the Akatsuki when needed.

"Then you would be able to tell me how they died then" Konan said.

"Unfortunately no, it turns out who ever killed them left a strong enough impression on the friendly people of the Land of Fires black market that they were too scared to say who killed them or even how they died, it was a real shame, but on the other hand I got to have some fun trying to make them talk" Tobi laughed.

Konan frowned she never liked killing people if she could avoid it, she was really only in the Akatsuki because of her friends. "I don't know how you know so much, and I don't care, but I will never trust you, in fact I am amazed Pein-sama has put up with you for so long" she said.

"Well you're a bit of a downer. Here I was offering you help and information and you accuse me of being untrustworthy, I'm hurt" Tobi said with a mock sad tone.

"I really couldn't care what you think, I know you have your own goals and motives for the Akatsuki, and once I find out what they are I'm going to make sure Pein-sama and everyone else knows about them" Konan said.

"I only want what Pein wants, to capture the Bijuu. Nothing else is of any importance to me" Tobi said. He was wearing a mask but Konan could almost feel the smirk on Tobi's face.

"Well see, I know you are planning something, just remember that I will be watching you, now get out of here, and go tell Zetsu to keep an eye on, the other teams in the Land of Fire" Konan warned.

"Fine I'm leaving now, good luck trying to prove I'm up to no good" Tobi chuckled and with a friendly wave disappeared.

(**Meanwhile**)

Sasori and Deidara were slowly approaching a rather large village inside the Land of Fire. "Are you sure that the Ichibi is here? I mean you were wrong the last couple of times" Deidara asked slightly annoyed.

"He is here, I picked up some good information from a spy in the last village. He is here for sure. I'm positive" Sasori replied darkly.

"Gah I hope so, we have been searching for days, it feels like we will never find them" Deidara replied.

"Just stay focused, the Ichibi is your target after all, I don't want to have to help you out" Sasori said.

"No chance of that, if the Ichibi is really here what do you say we get a view from above?" the blond Akatsuki ninja from Iwa suggested.

"I agree it would be the easiest way to survey the area. Let's get going" Sasori agreed.

Out of the palm of Deidara's hands a large bird appeared seemingly made from clay. The pair hopped on and the bird took off circling the village.

"Do you see anything?" Sasori asked.

"Not really, I think there is something happening in the center of the village but I can't see from here, I need to get closer" Deidara called back.

They flew closer to the village. Although still circulating far enough away to not to be cause a stir in the village. And there in the center of town was Gaara handing over a group of people to local Land of Fire police. "Hey that's him!" Deidara yelled.

"Then let's go!" Sasori added in a victorious growl.

Down below Gaara stood calmly as the group of bandits were taken away. Suddenly from the air several birds shot towards him. His sand reacted just in time to stop the large explosions they caused as well as deflect the blasts away from the village.

Deidara and Sasori then descended into the village upon the large clay bird of the former Iwa ninja. "Well that confirms it, this is the Ichibi container, he manipulates sand and everything" Deidara said, his voice full of glee.

"So you are the Akatsuki, I guess it was only a matter of time before you came for me" Gaara said in his gravely lifeless tone.

"Looks like the kid has been expecting us, no wonder he was difficult to find" Deidara mused as Sasori hopped off the clay bird onto one of the larger buildings.

"Haku take the one that hopped of the bird, if you can lead him away from the village" Gaara whispered to his partner.

Haku nodded and quickly moved to get between Sasori and Gaara. "It would appear your fight is with me, I will not allow you to team up against Gaara-kun" she informed the the short round man.

"Well I hadn't planned on interfering, Deidara can be difficult and never likes accepting help. But I guess I can occupy some of my time waiting for him to finish by dealing with you, I do hope you are not going to be a waste of my time" Sasori said.

Haku was about to respond but like a bolt of lightning a long flexible blade shot toward the ice wielder from his back like a tail. Haku was forced to roll away and quickly create a pillar of ice to propell her to a higher rooftop outside of the blades range. "Damn who is this guy, it's going to be a tough fight if he had blades coming from everywhere like that" Haku said, talking to herself.

'_So she really does use Hyoton, a rare ability indeed_' Sasori marveled as he stared at the ice pillar Haku used to propel herself away from his blade.

Gaara meanwhile began to use his sand to levitate himself above the village and face off against Deidara. "Let's see just what an Akatsuki ninja can do" Gaara said and without further warning sent a barrage of sand toward Deidara who quickly flew away deftly avoiding the sand.

As the large clay bird ducked tidily under Gaara's wave of sand Deidara quickly slammed his hands into two large pouches and when he pulled them out mouths on the former Iwa ninjas hands opened and several animals crawled out. Deidara tossed the creatures and they each expanded and traveled as quickly as they could toward the red haired jinchuuriki. Once more Gaara's sand stopped the blast but this time it was much larger, shaking the entire village from the blast. Despite this Gaara escaped unharmed and was able to return Deidara's attack with one of his own, his sand formed large spears and flew with great force towards the explosives expert.

Far away from the village a dark haired man in a long white cloak felt the aftershock of Deidara's explosion. Quickly changing his direction the man took off at top speed towards the village. '_Finally time to see what this new Dojutsu can do in a real fight_' he thought with more enthusiasm than he was proud of.

**End Chapter! **


	58. Itachi's Dominance

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****8: Itachi's Dominance**

Gaara was floating high above a large civilian village on the western border of the Land of Fire, around him flew a a large clay bird, and atop the birds back stood the long haired blond member of the Akatsuki, Deidara.

His sand started moving to match the speed of the clay bird, sand shuriken and explosives meeting in mid air granting the people below a spectacular light show, if they were not more concerned with running away from the scene of two powerful ninja trying rather hard to harm each other.

Below them on the rooftops of the village two more ninja were squaring off against each other. Haku was on the back foot as she continuously dodged the large tail like blade of Sasori. "Well you are good at running, I will give you that" Sasori grumbled darkly as Haku created two pillars of ice under her feet to escape what would have been a direct hit from Sasori's blade.

"That's not all I can do I assure you... Hyoton: Hail Damage" she said calmly and with a great breath of air she blew out hundreds of small balls of ice towards the stationary Sasori. The former Suna ninja jumped away but the force of doing so caused him to lose his akatsuki robe.

There stood what appeared to be a wooden man standing hunch backed on all fours, wider than he was tall. Haku's eyes widened in confusion, she had been told all about ninja puppetry by Gaara but this was the first time seeing anything that remotely resembled it. '_It's a puppet! But where are the strings? And for that matter where is his real body!_' she thought as she quickly scanned the area, but there was no sign of chakra strings or a puppeteer.

Up above Gaara had just been forced to use a large amount of sand to block a rather large clay insect. As he turned away from the explosion his eyes fell upon sasori. '_That's Sasori of the Red Sands! And that puppet!, Kankuro would talk about trying to make a copy of it for himself all the time when we were kids_' "Haku-chan, he is inside! What you are seeing is a defensive shell, that man is the greatest puppet master Suna has ever seen! And don't let him cut you, the smallest scratch could be fatal, puppeteers are well known to use poison blades" he yelled in warning before turning his attention back to Deidara who has sent another barrage of explosives toward the Ichibi jinchuuriki.

Rather than block the explosions with sand this time Gaara flew away slipping in between the clay animals with practiced skill. '_I need to get this guy out of the village so I can make some more sand to fight with, otherwise it is only a matter of time before I run out_' Gaara mused as Deidara took flight after the jinchuuriki.

"Clever little brat, should have known he would recognize me even in this form" Sasori mumbled in acceptance.

"So your are inside that... thing, then?" Haku asked as if looking for clarification.

"That is correct, this is my puppet, Hiruko, it is the ultimate puppet for personal defense, something most puppeteers are weakest in. you see it takes great concentration to control even a single puppet effectively, and because of this they tend to be poor at Taijutsu, this puppet compensates for that weakness and turns it into a strength.

Haku had to admit that it was a brilliant idea to overcome a glaring weakness in the fighting style. "it is a very impressive piece of work, it is a shame that I will have to break it" Haku said before quickly running through several hand seals. "Hyoton: Certain Kill Ice Spears!" she yelled before slamming his palms to the ground.

Sasori's eyes widened as the ground under his feet began to change. He jumped just in time as thick spikes of ice shot up from the ground the area the jutsu covered was very impressive but Sasori could tell she held back to avoid doing damage to the village. "Foolish girl, you held back and allowed me to escape because you didn't want to harm the people of this village, truly pathetic, how can you call yourself a ninja if you can't do what needs to be done. In a life or death fight like this you care more about the safety of this civilian village than surviving. As long as this fight is inside the confines of this village you cannot defeat me" he taunted the Ice wielder.

'_I hate to admit it, but he is right, I cannot fight effectively here, and if that is a defensive puppet even my Ice Mirrors jutsu will be in effective, I will need more destructive jutsu to get through it_' she thought while quickly formulating a plan. '_I,ll take him to where Gaara-kun and the other Akatsuki ninja are fighting, that way I can keep and eye on that fight and help where I can_.' "You are right, but I no longer need to be in this village, Gaara-kun and your partner are fighting well outside the city now" she said and quickly formed a large path of Ice mirrors before stepping into the closest sheet of ice and taking off, each mirror disappearing as soon as Haku left for the next one.

"Interesting, she moves faster through ice, she would make a decent puppet" Sasori mused as he took off after Haku on a course to intercept her before she made it to Gaara and Deidara.

(**Border of the Land of Waves**)

"Heh it's been awhile since we have been here" Zabuza mused as he and Fuu approached a large archway over a bridge that had the name 'The Great Bridge Of Hope' carved into it.

Fuu folded both hands behind her head and arched an eyebrow at the reflective expression on Zabuza's face. "You act like this every time we come here, why is that?" she asked inquisitively.

"Over three years ago I tried to kill the man building this bridge. I was hired by a real creep of a man who controlled all the fishing imports and exports for the whole country" Zabuza explained.

"Why would you accept a job like that?" Fuu said slightly disappointed in her mentor.

"Short answer is, I was desperate. But really I was trying to make some money to put together another coup attempt on the Land of Water. This was easy money, or so I thought. I ran into my target about halfway to the old mans village inside the Land of Waves. But he had some help, ninja from Konoha. Notably Kakashi Hatake. I'm ashamed to say he wiped the floor with me but I was able to escape with the help of Haku" Zabuza said.

"Knowing you, it wasn't over there. You're not one to give up on a job" Fuu said knowingly.

"Damn straight, there was no way I was going to let the Copy Ninja off the hook so easily" Zabuza laughed.

"So what happened!" Fuu asked.

"I waited till I recovered from my loss to Kakashi and stuck the team from Konoha and the bridge builder a week later, we were just about to get into it, with Haku taking on the group of genin when two more ninja showed up... Itachi and the kid. Put on quite a little show and offered Haku and myself not only a new life but also a way to accomplish my dream of freeing Kiri from Yagura. My life changed on this bridge" Zabuza said a smile gracing his masked face.

"But the people here have always been rather friendly towards us, wouldn't they dislike you if you tried to kill the person who was trying to save the country?" Fuu queried reasonably.

"Yeah, I came back a few months later to appologize and give something back to the people here, it was Jiraiya-sama's idea. I offered to train the bridge builders grandson to use a sword to help protect the village" Zabuza explained.

"I see, so this is where you run off too every other month" Fuu said in realization. "That's rather nice, I didn't expect that from 'The Demon of the Mist'" she chuckled.

"Hey I have trained some top ninja. The fact that I agreed to help the kid doesn't mean anything. I took you on to train didn't I? I also trained and raised Haku" Zabuza said trying to protect his image by showing his act of kindness and remorse for the people from the Land of Waves was nothing special.

"Alright, I get it. So do you really think who ever is taking the young children will be here?" Fuu mused.

"Can't say, what I do know is that if I was kidnapping children from the border of a country then I would want to be on the other side of that border" Zabuza replied.

Fuu nodded as the pair crossed under the archway above the bridge. "Yeah that makes sensei, and as far as we know there have been know kidnappings from inside this country yet" she added.

(**Meanwhile**)

Elsewhere in the Land of Fire, not at all that far away from Zabuza and Fuu, Kisame and Hiruko sat in an unusually dark corner of a roadside tavern. Kisame was looking around, thoroughly bored, while Hiruko had his nose in a small brown book with the symbol for the Land of Fire on the front cover.

"What are we doing, we got our order to search for the Nanabi! So why are we just sitting around doing nothing!" Kisame said his annoyance bubbling over to anger.

"That is relative, you may be sitting around doing nothing. On the other hand I am doing research so we will not be running around like chickens without their heads while looking for our target" Hiruko stated swiftly.

Blowing off the thinly veiled insult Kisame just looked at the book Hiruko was reading. "What could possibly be in that book that would help us find the Nanabi!" he asked still frustrated.

"This book, has a list of not only available mercenary jobs inside the Land of Fire. But also a list of those that have been completed this year a new copy comes out each week. I am searching this book to find the missions that are currently taking place in the coastal areas of the Land of Fire. Then I am eliminating the missions that would not interest a skilled ninja. So you see by researching areas our target may show up we won't spend days searching every village in the country" Hiruko said.

"Oh sounds good, just hurry up I want to add another name of the former swordsmen to the list of those that I have killed" Kisame said with his shark like smile.

"As far as I was aware you had only killed one" Hiruko said not really interested in what Kisame was saying.

"One can still be a list" the shark like ninja retorted.

"Technically the smallest list possible" Hiruko said airily still not paying Kisame any attention.

(**Western Border**)

A large wave of sand rose from the ground as tall as several of the Hokage Monuments stacked on top of each other, this wall of sand shot forward blanketing the area in a Gaara's favorite weapon.

Deidara let out an audible sigh of relief at having climbed high enough to avoid the tsunami of sand but at the same time knew that the fight had just become that much harder now his opponent had more ammunition. "Damn where the hell did that come from!" He said surveying the area.

While we have been fighting up here I have had some sand of higher density dig into the bedrock beneath us and slowly create more and more sand, long story shot I will never run out of sand, and the more I have the stronger I become... Ascending Suna Shuriken!" Gaara said flatly and from the sea of sand far below sharp projectiles flew up from the attempting to strike Deidara's clay bird from below.

Acting swiftly Deidara shot straight down towards the ground as if he was swooping at his prey, swiftly dodging the projectiles as they ascended. Less than an inch from the ground he pulled up this time the clay bird was flying against sand shuriken the momentum from the descent allowing him to out run the jutsu. His target was clear, he was on a collision course for Gaara.

The jinchuuriki was forced to end his jutsu when he realized Deidara's plan. Simultaneously both Gaara and Deidara back flipped off of their jutsu they used to fight in mid air. Gaara was caught by

a pillar of sand that solidified as he landed in a standing base. Deidara fell slightly further as he quickly gathered the clay and created another bird. He just finished his creation in time to avoid a large spike of sand that shot out from the ground by quickly ascending back to his original height. "I have to admit, you ain't half bad yeah" Deidara said brushing the long bang of hair out of his eyes.

"You are also stronger than I had anticipated" Gaara said returning the complement while still maintaining the cold attitude he used when in a fight.

Down below Haku was having a much harder time. Although her speed and agility were superior to Sasori's she didn't have the raw power required to take out Sasori's puppet. '_I need to hit him with one of my stronger jutsu, but they take time to prepare and even then they won't be fast enough. I'm not strong enough to help Gaara-kun, dammit!_' she thought as she quickly created a shield of ice to block several poisoned senbon sasori had fired at her.

Sasori was rather enjoying the fight he had taken a few hits but nothing that had caused more than a few cracks to his puppet "You can run all you want little girly, eventually I will hit you and then it is all ov-" Sasori was cut off in mid sentence as a strong force struck his puppet causing it to explode into thousands of pieces and dust and sand to be thrown up all over the area blocking the new arrival from view.

Gaara and Deidara's fight seemed to come to a halt as both seemed more interested in the events below.

The dust began to settle and the first thing they had seen was an eery yellow glow of Itachi's Susanoo. Haku couldn't believe what she was seeing. Itachi's eyes seemed to glow through the dust as it settled finally Itachi dropped his jutsu and his eyes reverted to the first stage of the dojutsu.

"What's this, reinforcements?" came Sasoris voice. However it was no longer deep and gravely, this voice was soft, almost angelic. The man himself was rather tall, he had red hair quite a few shades darker than Gaara's and his face held a boy like charm that Haku had to admit was rather handsome. She pictured it was something similar to how Gaara would look in a few years although Sasori's red eyes would be replaced with Gaara's sea green.

"Gah he's wearing the same outfit as the other two! How many of you losers are going to show up!" Deidara whined.

"Nobody else is coming" Itachi answered calmly from below.

"So who's the new guy?" Deidara asked Gaara their temporary truce seeming to still be in effect.

"Itachi Uchiha. This should be interesting" Gaara replied. '_I can feel his chakra, it's so much stronger than it was before. Is this the power of Naruto's gift?_'

"Itachi Uchiha? You can't be serious!" Deidara said in shock knowing that they had been warned about encountering the Uchiha.

"Preposterous. I have fought my fair share of Uchiha, and those eyes are NOT the sharingan!" Sasori scoffed.

"I can assure you I am Itachi Uchiha. As for my eyes... I had had somewhat of an upgrade" Itachi said passively.

"Well see about that. Let's see how you fare against the strongest Kazekage" Sasori said calmly and quickly pulled out a scroll with the kenji for Kazekage inscribed on it. There was a puff of smoke and the lifeless wooden body of the third Kazekage appeared.

"A puppet of someone like him but to what purpose?" Itachi mused, well aware of who it was he was up against. He was answered moments later when a thin yet powerful stream of black sand shot toward Itachi. '_Iron sand, so the puppet has the same power of magnetism that made the Sandaime Kazekage famous. I wonder if that would work for other ninja, if so any powerful ninja with a bloodline that he has killed could become a valuable asset, I need to be on guard_' Itachi thought as he jumped back to avoid the Iron sand.

Slowly the sand came together to form several large objects that the puppet was manipulating. The first acted like a spinning top drilling into the earth as it moved. Another was like a massive hammer. Finally was a giant spear. All three of the iron sand constructs sped forward at Itachi and Haku. The Hyoton user created several ice mirrors to escape while Itachi used a mixture of predicting the objects movements, and his new ability to manipulate inanimate objects to allow him to duck and weave his way through the attacks.

His telekinetic ability was not that successful in this situation. The fact that the objects were already being controlled made anything he would attempt far more taxing on his chakra reserves and more difficult. If Itachi was trained in using his new skill he had figured he may be able to wrestle control away from the puppet, but at the moment he didn't have that kind of control. Then it hit him. He didn't need to, the sand was being controlled by a puppet, and puppets could be manipulated through his ocular jutsu, if he could over power Sasori's chakra he could in effect take control of the puppet without the need of chakra strings. But he didn't need to do that, all he needed to do was disrupt the puppets movement.

After flipping away from a swing from the large iron hammer Itachi quickly looked around to locate Haku who was currently dealing with the spinning top. The Uchiha continued to duck and weave his way through Sasori's attack while making his way as quickly as he could over to Haku.

Once arriving he quickly began whispering his plan to the ice wielder. "We need to disable that puppet. If I can immobilize it for a few seconds do you think you can hit it with a strong enough jutsu to put it out of action?" he asked Haku before jumping back from the spear like object.

"I suppose some ice spears would work, it doesn't look anywhere near as physically strong as that last puppet, and if you can hold it still destroying it won't be a problem at all" Haku replied quietly.

"Okay, I will get you an opening,as soon as these objects stop moving, take that puppet out!" Itachi ordered and quickly turned to stare at the puppet of the Sandaime Kazekage.

Sasori was stunned the moment Itachi looked at the puppet it became incredibly difficult to move. Slowly the three weapons he had created to deal with Itachi and Haku began to dissolve back into iron sand. 'What in Kami's name is going on!' he thought struggling to keep the former Kazekage moving.

"Haku... Now!" Itachi yelled not breaking eye contact from the puppet.

Haku nodded and quickly raced through some hand seals. "Hyoton: Cold Judgment!" she yelled before slamming both palms to the earth. Extending out from her hands ice covered the area ahead of her all the way to where the puppet of the former Kazekage was seemingly struggling to move. Once Haku was satisfied with the area covered she once again slammed her fists into the ground and the entire area erupted in magnificent spiked forming in every direction. The Kazekage was impaled by several of these ice pillars, ripping the puppet apart as they continued to grow.

Haku, satisfied that her job was done ended her jutsu as did Itachi, fighting Sasori for control had been rather difficult and he was exceedingly glad of his greatly increased chakra supply.

"I don't know what you did, but I am guessing it has something to do with those eyes of yours! Well I know the best way to deal with an Uchiha, if you really are Itachi that is... Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!" he said proudly.

Up above where the fight between Gaara and Deidara was still somewhat of a stale mate the Iwa bomber let out a low whistle as Sasori's puppets puffed into existence out of scrolls. "Boy are they in trouble now, Sasori-sama is getting serious it seems, I wouldn't like to be those guys right now" he said with a smile.

"They can easily handle themselves. It is Sasori-sama who should be worried" Gaara said calmly.

"Oh what would you know!" Deidara yelled angrily firing off more groups of clay explosives only to have Gaara escape the blasts with ease.

In fact it seemed to be a fight that wouldn't end. Both ninja were unable to land a single hit. Gaara's ultimate defense proving to be too much even for Deidara's stronger explosives with him not able to fire his more destructive jutsu who was moving just too fast for Gaara's sand to hit him. It was becoming more and more obvious that the winner of their little skirmish would depend on who won the fight down below.

"Amazing, too be able to control so many puppets at one time" Itachi said clearly impressed.

"Why thank you, one hundred against two, what will you do now? You can't keep your eyes on all of them at the same time!" Sasori replied calmly.

'_He is right, I can't control all of these puppets, nor will my old sharingan abilities help me against this many, it also appears that Sasori has some resistance to my ocular genjutsu. It would be far to tiring to fight all of these puppets individually, so that just leaves_' Itachi closed his eyes as he quickly made up his mind on his next move. The Uchiha's right eye shot open to reveal the second stage of the new Dojutsu "Burn away to nothing. Amaterasu!" white flames rocketed forward growing larger as they traveled. The flames hit the wall of puppets despite several of them trying to douse the flames with water from high pressured hoses the flames continued as if not troubled by the water at all.

The white flames of Itachis unique Amaterasu crashed against the puppets and were unable to stand against the intense heat. The puppet army moved to surround Itachi and Haku but the flames followed them burning every puppet they came in contact with almost instantaneously. In no less than a minute all one hundred of the puppets that Sasori had summoned had been burned to ash while the white flames now completely surrounded Itachi and Haku.

"I must say I am highly impressed, but now you are trapped, caught in your own jutsu, this is not something I would expect from someone like Itachi Uchiha" Sasori stated his boyish face still neutral.

Itachi smiled slightly from behind the flames and began to walk forward. "You are right, I wouldn't allow myself to be trapped by my own jutsu" he said before stepping into the flames and out the other side. "That is why it is good that I have not been trapped at all. These white flames only burn what I desire to burn. I am completely unharmed" the Uchiha spoke calmly with his almost cold expressionless voice as he slowly walked through the flames and out the other side. "You know I was trying to figure out why my genjutsu wouldn't work on you, but I get it now" he said stopping once he was a few feet away from the flames.

"Really how clever of you" Sasori said still acting calm despite knowing that Itachi was an opponent that he could not defeat in combat, now with jutsu like his Amaterasu.

"You're body, it's wooden. Sasori of the Red Sand should be much older than you. After all his parents were killed by the White Fang, Sakumo you look much younger than his son Kakashi, in fact you look to be the same age as I am. That body is a puppet" Itachi said.

"Correct" Sasori declared before discarding his Akatsuki robe to show off his wooden torso. "My art is eternal and this, my masterpiece was supposed to ensure that I too would be eternal" he added.

"That is both sad and pathetic, your creations will live on. That is what is important, but life is only worth a damn because it's short. It is supposed to be consumed, used, spent, and most importantly lived. We are supposed to fill it with everything we can while it is our time, them pass on a legacy for the next generation to follow when our time is spent, not selfishly cling on to what you believe is immortality, especially when all you cause is pain for others" Itachi said.

"You expect me to believe that coming from you! Correct me if I am wrong, but did you not massacre your entire family. There is no new generation of Uchiha, you have nothing to pass on at all, all your death will accomplish is bringing the Uchiha clan closer to extinction" Sasori said.

"Perhaps you are right, I have never considered a future for myself but to die, I had hoped that my death would be my legacy, but what good is that if it isn't understood. And now I have an opportunity to give the Uchiha clan a new beginning away from the curse of the sharingan and I was still willing to throw that away" Itachi said talking to himself calmly.

"Well you can go ahead and die if you want, but I still plan to live forever! Deidara, we need to get out of here, let's go!" Sasori yelled getting the attention of Deidara who had just narrowly avoided several sand shuriken.

"You're right Sasori, you will live forever" Itachi said before slamming a fist into the chest of the large puppet damaging the former suna ninja's heart. "Just not in the way you had hoped. It will be your creations that live forever, I know for a fact that there is a promising puppeteer in Suna using two of your old puppets, that is how you will live on, you live through them" Itachi said as the puppet Sasori fell to his knees.

High above Deidara was stunned when he saw sasori fall. "Sasori-sama!" he yelled in denial although unable to help his partner due to Gaara's sand.

"Deidara, leave this place, this is not a fight that can be won, tell Pein about what happened, he needs to be informed" Sasori said surprisingly loudly despite his voice slowly getting weaker.

The Iwa bomber growled in frustration. "He's right, I gotta run, but this Isn't over, good luck surviving this!" Deidara yelled and he formed a massive clay bomb and dropped it before turning to flee as it fell.

Itachi's eyes widened as he watched the bomb descend. Gaara and Haku acted quickly, Gaara used all the sand he could gather from below to smother the bomb while Haku encased the area around the sand with as much ice as she could create in the small amount of time they had.

Despite blocking the attack as best they could the explosion still sent a large shock wave that forced the Yoinokuchi ninja to do what ever they could to avoid being blown away.

When the dust cleared both Itachi and Haku were covered in sand while Gaara was floating high above in a protective dome. "Should we go after him? He cannot possibly have much chakra left" the red haired jinchuuriki asked as the sand dome came down to earth next to Haku and Itachi.

Itachi stood up and shook his head. "No let him go, that bird could move fast and for us to catch up would take far too long, that Akatsuki members has escaped us for today, however it wouldn't surprise me if we saw him again" Itachi said.

"I agree, we have had enough trouble for one day, besides out mission is over, we can go home!" Haku added with a relieved sigh.

"Very well, it would be wise to inform the others we ran into the Akatsuki in the Land of Fire anyway" Gaara said.

"We already know they are here, that's why I came out to back you guys up... They killed Akatu a few days ago, two different members, so I am guessing that there is another team out there looking for either Naruto-kun or Fuu-chan" Itachi informed the others solemnly.

"Akaru is dead! What about Akimi-chan is she alright?" Haku asked.

"She is fine, she was able to escape and has gone with Naruto-kun to hunt down the Akatsuki group responsible" Itachi said.

"And you're not worried about him going up against two members of the Akatsuki?" Haku queried.

"Naruto is more than capable of dealing with the Akatsuki, I have complete faith in him" Itachi replied with a smile. "Now lets get back home" he added with a sigh and began walking off in the direction of the closest road.

"Wait up, I want to collect the body of Sasori and send it back to Suna, they deserve to know his fate" Gaara called out. Itachi waved in acceptance but didn't turn back.

Several minutes after the group for the Yoinokuchi left a figure rose from a branch of a nearby tree. "_Well now that was certainly interesting_" white Zetsu said.

"_**Damn right, who would have thought that Itachi Uchiha would show up, and with new eyes no less**_" Zetsu's blacker half added."_**We should get this information to Tobi and Pein, because it looks like the jinchuuriki of the Land of Fire will be far more difficult to capture than we could have ever anticipated**_" he added. The White half murmured in agreement before they sank back into the tree branch.

**End Chapter!**

**Well I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you don't think Itachi was able to win too easy, I mean in the cannon Sakura was able to defeat Sasori, albeit with the help of Chiyo. The point is if someone like Sakura, who has spent every Arc bar the retrieval or the Kazekage arc crying and just generally being useless can defeat Sasori, it shouldn't pose much of a problem for a ninja like Itachi. **

**Anyway tell me what you think, like it or hate it, it's the only way I will learn what to improve.**


	59. Search for Clues

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 5****9: Search for Clues**

Naruto and Akimi entered the Yoinokuchi hideout to find it dark and empty, Jiraiya and Itachi having left to locate the other members of the group. It had been a relatively trip back through the land of fire. The usual cheeriness and banter that the pair shared was replaced by a comfortable silence. Naruto knew Akimi was still grieving the loss of her brother, even if she refused to admit it he could tell.

Akimi had spent the last few days going over the events of the week in her head, from losing her brother to landing the finishing blow on Kakuzu. She was feeling a lot better, she still insisted on having Naruto around at all times, she was glad that despite the fact they they were not joking around and turning everything into a competition or a game, that they still were comfortable being in each others company. She knew Naruto was at a loss for what to say to comfort her, but that didn't bother her at all, words didn't need to be said his mere presence was enough for the dark haired kunoichi.

"Looks like nobody is home" Naruto said before as they walked further into the underground complex.

"Good" Akimi said quietly.

"Not ready to face the others yet?" Naruto asked kindly.

Akimi shook her head. "It's not that, it's just we haven't had any time with just the two of us in so long, sure we have had a few moments, but not like this with the whole place to ourselves" she said softly.

Naruto smiled and pulled Akimi into a hug, he wanted so badly to claim her lips with his own but resisted not wanting to do something like that while she was grieving. "Well then lets hope for a few days of it just being us" he said.

Akimi smiled as she let her head rest on the blond jinchuuriki's shoulder before nuzzling into his neck. "Come on, let's get something to eat, I feel like I haven't had a proper meal in days" Naruto said softly, grabbing Akimi's hand and dragging her off to the kitchen.

"That might be because we haven't had a proper meal since we left Konoha, and that was a couple of days ago" Akimi laughed, for the first time since Akaru had died.

"Oh yeah, well even more of a reason to have something amazing now then!" Naruto said with a smile.

"Were not having Ramen" she said knowing exactly where Naruto was heading.

"Oh man you've gone and Ramen blocked me, uncool" Naruto joked happy to see the kunoichi smile and laugh again.

"You were just talking about eating a proper meal! Ramen isn't a adequate meal" Akimi chuckled.

"It's not like it's soup... Soup is not a meal" Naruto replied but he saw Akimi was not going to relent. "Ah fine, come on lets see what meat we have in this place, we'll make a stir fry" he sighed slightly upset he wouldn't be getting any ramen, but happy to be back laughing with the dark haired kunoichi.

Akimi nodded and went to the closest cupboard and removed a large wok. "Here you go, I'll fetch the vegetables while you get the meat" she said happily.

"Sure thing" Naruto said calmly opening the fridge. 'So is this what it's like to have a girlfriend? Don't couples usually do thing's or go on dates, this is great but what if Akimi-chan want's more' he thought tentatively. He quickly made up his mind and forgetting the meat for a second turned back to where the kunoichi was collecting the other ingredients. "Ah Akimi-chan?"

"Yes?" she replied quickly looking over to the blond.

"Well i was just wondering if, tomorrow you would like to go out for dinner with me in one of the nearby towns rather than cook?" he said hesitantly.

"Why Naruto, are you asking me out on a date" she teased.

"Uh yeah I guess I am, couples do that sort of thing right?" the blond replied.

"Yes they do, and I would love to go on a date with you, although for us it seems out of the ordinary to do something that normal people do... I'm glad" she said calmly but inside she was jumping for joy. While they had somewhat of a relationship now. It still didn't feel like they were a couple, at least not to Akimi. So going on a date like a normal boyfriend and girlfriend would hopefully help their relationship develop.

(**Land of Waves**)

Zabuza and Fuu arrived in a small but very prosperous village, several people that recognized the pair from other times they had come on missions sent them a friendly wave, while others shouted out friendly greetings.

"Can you sense anything? As far as I can tell there are no powerful chakra signatures in this area" Fuu said.

"That's true, but when someone is kidnapping children they don't need to be all that strong, we are more likely looking for some scientist than a ninja. There is also the possibility they have seals in place to prevent detection" Zabuza declared.

Fuu dropped her head slightly. "That will make this person very difficult to find, we don't even have any leads" she said slightly downcast.

"Then we will just have to search for some leads, come on lets go see the Tazuna's family, if anything out of the ordinary has been going on in this country that old drunk is bound to know something" the swordsman said not breaking his stride as he walked.

They walked on until they came to a rather large house close to the sea side, an old man in a tattered hat sat on under a tree to the side of the house sleeping and looked as though he had enjoyed quite a few bottles of Sake that day already.

"Well look at you old man, what would your daughter say if she saw you now" Zabuza chuckled.

"She wouldn't be very impressed that's for sure!" came an angry reply from behind the pair. Zabuza and Fuu spun around to see a tall dark haired, middle aged woman looking not at all pleased and carrying an overflowing bucket of water. "Please move out of the way Zabuza-san" she said respectfully.

Zabuza clearly grinned under his mask. "Sure thing Tsunami, don't let me stop you" he said taking a step back to allow the angry woman access to the sleeping drunk man.

Tsunami stalked forward gripping the full bucket with both hands. When she made it to Tazuna's feet she unceremoniously dumped all the water on the sleeping only man's head. "Ahhh what the hell!" he slurred spitting out some water that fell in his mouth.

"You were drunk in the middle of the day again, what kind of example are you setting for Inari-kun!" the woman yelled dropping the bucket on Tazuna's head.

"Damn can't a man have a drink on his day off!" Tazuna replied.

"There isn't a problem with having a drink, it's when you have more than ten, that's when it becomes inappropriate!" Tsunami yelled.

Zabuza who was watching the scene from the sidelines was silently laughing enjoying the show, Fuu on the other hand seemed to agree with Tsunami, being drunk in the middle of the day was rather inappropriate, but she kept that to herself.

"And now our guests will think you are like this all the time, how embarrassing?" the dark haired women fumed.

Tazuna yanked the bucket off of his head and began looking around. "What guests... Oh Zabuza, Inari said you wouldn't be coming for another couple of weeks, and look you have brought a pretty little girlfriend with you, I think she might be a little young for you though" Tazuna mused.

Zabuza laughed at the old man, It's nothing like that old man, she isn't my girlfriend, she is my work partner. And I'm not here to continue Inari's training, It's all business this time" he said still chuckling.

"And anyway, we are wearing the same uniform, why would you assume that I am his girlfriend!" Fuu said slightly annoyed at the old man.

"I don't know" Tazuna admitted scratching the back of his head. "I just woke up and Zabuza has never been here with anyone else, so I assumed you were I guess" he concluded.

Fuu grumbled something about incompetent old men before turning to Tsunami. "Hello I'm Fuu, it's a pleasure to meet you miss?"

"Oh I'm sorry, how rude of me I'm Tsunami, it's a pleasure to meet one of Zabuza-san's friend's you must be a ninja as well then?" Tsunami said with a friendly smile and a bow.

"Yes I'm a ninja, have been all my life, well at least as long as I can remember" Fuu replied.

"Oh my you must be strong then, you don't use a sword like Zabuza-san?" the dark haired woman asked.

"Oh no, you see I am more useful as support, I am predominately a genjutsu user and specialize in illusions to confuse and distract the enemy, then Zabuza finishes them off. Although I am still talented in other areas, kenjutsu is not one of them" Fuu admitted.

"Sounds like a pretty strong team, you distract and Zabuza takes them out, a super strategy" the bridge builder mused.

"Of course, together I can't think of any team that could beat us" Zabuza said proudly.

"What about Itachi and Naruto-kun?" Fuu said, she too was proud of her and Zabuza's teamwork but wasn't going to let his head get too big.

"Well those two don't count, they are more like freaks of nature" Zabuza said still trying to defend his declaration.

"They are still a team, also those two sometimes pair with Jiraiya-sama, and on that note I think the Sannin of Konoha would have made a stronger team than us" Fuu said.

"Kami, just drop it will ya, I get it there are stronger teams than us" Zabuza sighed before turning to Tazuna and Tsunami. "We are going to need your help old man, but I think you should sober up first. Is it alright if we stay here for awhile?" he asked.

"That's fine Zabuza-san. Make yourself at home, I'll go tell Inari that you are here, he is out training at the moment with the wooden katana you gave him" Tsunami said with a smile and quickly left in the direction of the beach.

(**Land of Water**)

Tobi was sitting in a tree on the banks of a large lake. The water seemed to be unnaturally disturbed and choppy like there was something big moving around under the surface just out of view. "Ah if it isn't the Sanbi, how nice of you to return in such an isolated place like this. It will be quite awhile before Kiri finds out about you, so I don't need to rush anything. I would like to see how things turn out in the Land of Fire first at the very least" He said talking to the water although the tone of his voice was quiet enough that only he could hear.

Tobi stood up and was about to warp away to another location when the tree branch began to bulge and Zetsu appeared. "_**Kami, you're a difficult person to find sometimes Tobi**_" Black Zetsu said slightly annoyed.

Tobi stood still as if contemplating what to say. "Why are you here Zetsu? Were you not sent to watch the other teams in the Land of Fire?" Tobi asked.

"_Yes I was._ _**But there has been a rather unusual development**_" Zetsu replied.

"Really, and what is so important that you decided that it was necessary to come to me?" the masked Akatsuki ninja continued.

"_Itachi Uchiha has a new Dojutsu_, _**he no longer wields the Sharingan.**_ _He interfered with Sasori and Deidara while they were fighting against the Ichibi and his partner._ _**Sasori was killed by Itachi with ease,**_ _his new Dojutsu is powerful indeed_, _**and it retains variations on all of his Mangekyo powers,**_ _although I did not see him use Tsukuyomi_" Zetsu reported.

"Impossible, the sharingan doesn't evolve or change into anything but the the Rinnegan, and that requires the physical energies and DNA of a powerful Senju!" Tobi said in disbelief.

"_**It was not the Rinnegan**_, _these eyes were bright blue._ _**They retained certain characteristics of the Sharingan but they were certainly different**_" Zetsu said sternly.

"I need to see this for myself, but I am not ready to expose myself to Itachi, he will remember me from all those years ago. I need someone to confront him for me, and I think I know just the right person, but he needs to overcome Orochimaru first, that will be the first test for young Sasuke-kun" Tobi said, his smirk resounded in the tone of his voice.

"_Sasuke Uchiha?_ _**You mean Itachi's brother?**_" Zetsu asked.

"Of course, Sasuke is bound to go after Itachi to gain his so called revenge, it will be interesting to see just how far he has come" Tobi said calmly.

"_Do you really expect Sasuke to be able to match Itachi?_ I_**tachi is one of the most skilled members the Uchiha had ever seen.**_ _While Sasuke may be special,_ _**he is certainly not a genius on the same level as Itachi**_" Zetsu said flatly.

"True, but Itachi has no will to kill, that is why Sasuke is the superior Uchiha. He will loose himself in his hatred, perfect for molding into a weapon for me to use" Tobi said joyfully.

"_So that is why you really want him_, _**you are upset Itachi didn't follow you after destroying his clan.**_ _So you are going to go after Sasuke instead_" Zetsu surmised.

"Yes I guess that is true. Anyway, tell me about Sasori, did Deidara survive?" Tobi asked.

"_**Yes he did,**_ _he fled once Sasori was defeated and failed to obtain the Ichibi._ _**It also appears that Hidan and Kakuzu were killed by the Kyuubi jinchuuriki**_" Zetsu said.

"I had guessed that much, but I didn't want to tell Pein, he still serves a purpose in leading the Akatsuki, something that I cannot do if he were to loose against the Kyuubi brat even if it is unlikely, it is a possibility I may have to plan for. I need to wait until the others that would oppose me as leader are taken care of" Tobi mused.

"_You seem to have this well thought out_" Zetsu complimented.

"Of course I have, if I want my plan to succeed then I will need to have every possible outcome covered" Tobi said darkly. "Go report to Pein, I take it you have a clone watching Hiruko and Kisame?" he added.

"**Yes**, _a white Zetsu clone is taking making sure to watch them very carefully_" Zetsu assured Tobi.

"Good, send another clone to try and locate Sasuke-kun, Orochimaru will need to take over his body soon, so it will not be long before the inevitable confrontation. Now I need to go look into other matters, don't disappoint me!" Tobi said before disappearing in a spiraling vortex from his one exposed eye.

"He asks a lot" White Zetsu said once Tobi had left the area.

"_**How are we supposed to locate Orochimaru now that he doesn't have the Akatsuki ring?**_" The black half added.

"_Guess we just search all of the bases we know about and hope to get lucky_" the white side mused before they sunk back into the tree as if they were never there in the first place.

(**Tazuna's House**)

Tazuna had been put to bed by his daughter soon after Zabuza and Fuu's arrival, she had come back from the beach without Inari not being able to locate the young teen. It was a few hours before the self proclaimed 'Super Bridge Builder' woke. And he stumbled down stairs to find Tsunami beginning to prepare dinner. "Ah just what I need, a good meal to revitalize me" Tazuna said when he saw Tsunami pealing potato's. Then he looked around for signs of the two ninja who had come for information. "Where is Zabuza and his pretty partner?" he asked when he saw no signs of either of them.

"They are outside with Inari, Fuu-chan is helping Inari learn to control chakra" Tsunami said with a small smile.

"And what about Zabuza?" Tazuna asked.

"He seems to be occupying himself by sleeping under the same tree where he found you when they arrived" she replied.

Tazuna nodded and slowly made his way out of the kitchen towards the front door. Upon exiting the building he found Inari struggling but very slowly spinning a leaf on his finger while Fuu sat watching. Deciding not to bother his grandson while he was working so hard the old bridge builder made his way across the lawn to the large tree he had been drinking under earlier that day. "You look like you're enjoying yourself" Tazuna said giving Zabuza a light kick.

Zabuza caught the foot with ease surprising Tazuna to no end. "That's not very nice old man" he said wagging a finger of the other hand, his eyes were still closed and from the outside looked completely asleep.

"Your friend is stealing your pupil, doesn't that upset you?" Tazuna joked taking a seat next to Zabuza.

"Not really, the way I see it, it's like she is doing my job for me. Let her do the basics, then I can come in later and reap the benefits and make him into a proper guardian for this country" Zabuza said with a smug smile showing through his mask.

"I see, so what is it that you wanted to talk to me about then? You said it was business before so it can't be about Inari's training" the old man said.

"That's right, around the borders of the Land of Fire and Wave, children have been going missing. Each one has been from the Land of Fire which leads me to believe that they are here and do not want to draw attention to that fact. I need to know if you have seen anything that has looked out of place or people that do not belong in this country, anything that could help us find the people responsible" the Demon of the Mist said casually.

Tazuna nodded and began rubbing his cheek in deep thought. "Well there have been a few people who have been coming through, but they have been mostly traders. But despite that, they have not sold anything to the people of stores in the village at all, they seem to always move on through the village and head to somewhere else, I had thought that they were looking for supply's or produce in come of the off villages or fishermen huts elsewhere in the country, but that could all be a front. It's possible that they are the people you are looking for" he said.

"I see, do you know where they went after they left the village?" Zabuza asked.

"Hm, I believe it was north, into the forests, don't really know why, there is nothing in there other than trees and the odd fox" Tazuna sighed.

"I bet there is a hidden base in there now, we need to go check it out" Zabuza declared standing up and giving a large stretch before reaching for his blade.

"Leaving already? Surely you can stay for dinner, Tsunami looks like she is preparing more than enough for you both" Tazuna interjected when he saw Zabuza reach for his blade.

"Well, I'm not normally one to hang around when there is work to be done, but I suppose we can stay for at least a meal. Actually it will be easier to search the forest in daylight so maybe it would be for the best if we get a couple of rooms in the village and begin our search tomorrow" Zabuza mused while leaning against his large blade.

(**Land of Fire**)

"You say this will help find the Nanabi, but we haven't had much luck so far, nowhere we have been as seen anyone who fits the description of the jinchuuriki in months" Kisame grumbled darkly.

"You are right in a sense, but there are still a few more places to search, and then I also think that they might have gone to some of the smaller off shore countries that surround the Land of Fire" Hiruko said calmly.

"Like where, only county I know of like that is the Land of Whirlpools, and that place is long gone" Kisame said.

"There are several small island nations that have recently declared independence from the Land of Fire. As they served no tactical or political purpose there was no need to deny them their request. Places like the Land of Shells and the Land of Waves are only new. It is possible that they may have picked up a mission indie one of those countries, or a mission has lead them there" Hiruko explained.

"You better be right about this, I am starting to think that the jinchuuriki fucking know where we are and have been hiding from us. I mean how long have we been hunting the Kyuubi, and still we have come up with nothing. It feels like we are being toyed with" Kisame fumed.

"It's only a matter of time before we find them. With my range of jutsu and bloodlines and your monstrous chakra reserves as well as samehada, we have nothing to fear in facing any jinchuuriki" Hiruko said flatly.

"Yeah but what about the two bodyguards the Kyuubi supposedly has, Itachi Uchiha and Jiraiya of the Sannin?" Kisame asked.

"True a fight with Jiraiya is not a fight either of us would win, and Itachi Uchiha is a highly formidable opponent. It will just be a matter of waiting for our chance to strike at the Kyuubi without those two around. Together we will be able to take down the Kyuubi no problem" Hiruko assured the shark like man.

"If you say so, but Hidan and Kakuzu's report stated that the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was stronger than both Jiraiya and Itachi. To tell the truth I am kind of excited, even if it will be a difficult fight" Kisame said with a smile that seemed to emphasize the sharpness of his shark like teeth.

I am sure we will think of something, worst case scenario is, we bring all the teams together and take the Kyuubi out. I don't think Pein-sama will really mind all that much if we bring in the others to help. So long as we get our targets and he get's the Bijuu who really cares how many of us are required" the short white haired Akatsuki ninja said with a expressionless tone.

The two Akatsuki ninja talked on as they walked getting closer to the next town on their checklist for possible locations of Fuu, completely unaware of a set of purple bar like eyes watching the pair from some nearby bushes.

Once out of range a small green toad hopped out of a nearby bush, on it's back it had a small scroll that it took out and wrote a quick message down on the paper before the scroll disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I sure hope that makes it to Jiraiya-sama in time" the toad croaked before hopping off after the two Akatsuki ninja.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay kinda sort I know. I just wanted to set the scene for the next confrontation and it's easier to approach the fights as new chapters rather than start them mid way through. Still next chapter should be out in a few days and that will get back into the action. No prizes for guessing what members of each group will be involved. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. **


	60. The Underground Complex

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****60: The Underground Complex**

"Kami we have been searching for fucking hours. Why can't we find anything in this damn forest!" Zabuza yelled angrily. Normally the Demon of the Bloody Mist was a relatively calm person, but there are only so many tree's you can inspect and rocks you can turn over before even the most carefree and relaxed person looses his cool.

Early that morning, before the sun had even risen, Zabuza and Fuu left the sea side home of Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari and made their way through the village out to the forest that spread to the north within the the small island country of the Land of Waves. It was now fast approaching midday and the Yoinokuchi pair had yet to find any traces of the group Tazuna had told Zabuza about.

"I know, I swear that the where ever these guys are hiding they better be hidden well, because if we have wasted all this time searching just for it to be some shack in the middle of the forest I am going to be pissed" Fuu added tapping on a tree to see if it was fake or held any clues.

They continued gaining nothing but frustration for another half an hour before Zabuza 'accidentally' put his fist right through a tree. "This is insane! We aren't getting anywhere like this!" he roared in anger.

The tree that Zabuza attacked began to crack and fall until it hit the ground and gave off the unmistakable sound of a heavy object hitting hollow steel. "What was that!" Fuu asked.

"Looks like I found them" Zabuza said happily.

"Well I think it's more like the tree found them" Fuu said as she went to inspect the area where the tree had fallen. "Here! It's an underground bunker of something, they disguised it as the floor of the forest" Fuu said pulling away the leaves and foliage that covered two large metal doors.

"Well then let's go in and say hi, if this is where the children were taken to we deal with who ever is inside!" Zabuza said proudly grabbing the giant cleaver from his back and slicing through the door to grant them access into a long dark underground tunnel. "And here I was hoping for a welcoming committee, but there is definitely people in here, I can feel their chakra signatures" Zabuza said calmly as he stepped inside.

The moment Zabuza's foot hit the floor in the tunnel the lights came on illuminating the cold steel walls and highlighting the immensity of the complex they had just set foot into. "I have a feeling that who ever is running this place has been here for a long time" Fuu said, in awe of the complexes size as she entered behind the swordsman from Kiri.

As they entered further into the underground hideout the light which had come on as they entered seemed to follow their movements, only lighting a room once they entered and instantly going out when they left. It was convenient although a tiny bit unnerving for the pair. "Still no sign of life, but there is definitely people here, I can tell" Zabuza said.

"I am too, I can tell that they have been here recently as well" Fuu replied.

"Keep your guard up. I am willing to bet our entire pay for this job that the sensors that work these lights also give away our positions. If it was me, I would be setting up a trap for us to stumble into" Zabuza said as they walked still deeper underground.

They turned a corner to light up a new passageway that seemed to stretch on for an age so much so that the light that illuminated even the largest of rooms did not travel to the end. However in the distance they saw a sliver of light, a room that had it's lights on already. "Looks like we may have found something!" Zabuza said removing his large cleaver from his back and taking off with Fuu not far behind.

The pair bust into a massive oval room, the ceiling went all the way up to what had to be the floor of the forest and it was about as large as the arena that they held the chunin exam finals in. "Their is no way in hell that this is a new construction" Fuu said looking in awe at the grandeur of the place.

"You're right, but who could have built something like this anyway" Zabuza said also stunned by what he was seeing.

"The Senju clan" came a smooth male voice from all around them. "This is a relic from the old clan wars, built long before Konoha was even thought of. Like the Uchiha the Senju had many locations that are now lost to history" the voice said the same way a teacher would address a rather slow student.

"Who's there!" Zabuza said scanning the area.

"It's no use trying to search for me, this place was protected by Uzumaki seal masters, making it impossible to precisely locate any chakra signatures" the voice called out again.

"Uzumaki?" Fuu asked in shock. '_That was Naruto-kun's mothers clan but I have never heard of any other Uzumaki_'

"Yes Uzumaki, their skill in sealing was unrivaled. They shared a close friendship with the Senju clan and rumors say that they were distant relatives but that is speculation" the voice called out again.

"So basically you're saying that seals are preventing us from finding you" Zabuza said while Fuu was still contemplating the relationship between the Uzumaki and Senju. '_Does Naruto-kun know about this, I mean he always refers to Tsunade-sama as his grandmother, and from what Akimi-chan says Tsunade-sama thinks of Naruto as a little brother. Maybe they know that there is some distant connection between them_' she mused not really paying attention to her partner who was still scanning the area.

"Yes, but not just finding you, the light that illuminates any room you enter is also a seal. And then there are the defensive seals put up to get rid of intruders" the voice called back.

"Defensive... you mean traps? So this room has one of those defensive seals in it doesn't it, that's why you lured us here" Zabuza guessed.

"Very good Momoichi-san, it has a rather advanced seal that I am sure you will find most entertaining" the voice called out. The moment he stopped talking four ninja rose up from the ground wearing old style armor of the colors, red, blue,yellow and green. On their chests there was a snow white crest of the Senju clan. The four ninja separated and moved to surround and circle the pair.

Fuu acted first, casting a genjutsu, but it seemed to have no effect, the paralysis jutsu she used didn't effect the movements of the shinobi who were circling the pair. "What the? No effect at all!" Fuu exclaimed in disbelief.

"A genjutsu. Nice try, but you are not fighting against actual people. These golem are not alive meaning that they have no senses, so they cannot possibly be caught within a genjutsu" the voice of the man rang out again.

"Fine looks like we are going to have to do this the hard way then!" Zabuza said before racing forward with Kubikiribocho to cleave one of the ninja in two. However the target simply raised his arm and blocked the strike.

Meanwhile another two golem raced at Fuu who flipped over them both just before they connected with a hit. Spinning in mid air into a powerful kick to the side of the head of one of the attackers sending the golem flying into the other attacker and falling in a heap at the other side of the room. "Man they are as harder than steel" she said feeling her foot where she hit the ninja.

"You're telling me, his their arms are enough to block Kubikiribocho!" Zabuza said in shock.

"That's not all they can do" the voice called out again.

As if ordered the two that Fuu knocked to the ground stood back up and held their arms out. At the wrists the hands of both ninja extended and changed until they formed two deadly looking blades slightly longer and wider than kunai. '_So they aren't just durable, one wrong move and I'm done for_' Fuu thought as the pair of golem shinobi charged. She took out two kunai and after slipping under the first two strikes from the closest of the pair she deflected the attacks from the next ninja before sweeping his legs out from under him. Not having hands to stop his fall the golem crashed to ground.

Zabuza was fighting off his two with a kunai in one hand and Kubikiribocho in the other. The golem had the skill level of a newly promoted jounin so Zabuza was easily superior to them in terms of skill, but the durability of their skin and Senju armor leveled the playing field. Zabuza would land several blows but each time the only effect it would have would be to knock them back. 'Gah when I get my hands on the bastard responsible for this, I am going to make them pay!' he thought as he jumped away from a powerful strike from the red armored Senju golem.

Zabuza deciding to change tactic began racing through hand seals. "Suiton: Water Bullet!" he said before spitting out a powerful blast of water. The jutsu his the red armored ninja in the chest sending him crashing into the closest wall. He was not down for long however as it readily picked itself up from the ground with very little damage at all, only a barely noticeable crack in its armor. Zabuza wouldn't have even noticed the damage he had managed to inflict if the golem had not been staring at it. "Heh so they can be damaged, I will just have to use something stronger next time" he said victoriously although he knew that he didn't have enough water to use any of his high power jutsu. The golem typically didn't reply it just tilted it's head before it's armor mended itself to look brand new. "What tha? Kami that's not good, they can repair themselves" Zabuza warned the Fuu.

"What! They are so tough, how the hell are we supposed to win" Fuu called back.

"Oh that's an easy one. You're not" the voice called out gleefully.

"That's it!" Fuu yelled in frustration as a orange cloak of chakra began to cover the kunoichi. The cloak slowly took the form of a large rhinoceros beetle with four wings. "I have had enough of you!"

she yelled slamming a fist into one of the golems completely destroying its head. Not finished there she delivered a powerful drop kick to her other target causing it to crack and fall apart.

"Oh my, a jinchuuriki. How unexpected" the man called out again although he still didn't seem worried.

His reason for remaining calm became obvious seconds later as both golems dissolved into the ground only to reform seconds later. "No way!" Fuu said in shock at seeing the two golems reform.

"Huh looks like we can't win this way, there must be something we are missing" Zabuza said while parrying a powerful blow.

The two golem that Fuu had destroyed charged again, this time they were far faster than they were before. 'Their skill has improved, becoming stronger and faster to accommodate the skills of their opponent, what genius designs a defense like this!' she thought deciding to block the strikes from the golem rather than attack knowing that should they be destroyed again they could become even stronger. '_Wait, that man said it was a seals designed by the Uzumaki clan that defend this place, then that means!_' "Zabuza, we need to find a seal matrix somewhere in this room, if we destroy that it should stop these things!" she yelled victoriously.

"Easier said than done, but I have an idea!" Zabuza called back.

Zabuza jumped high in the air and began racing through another set of hand seals. "Suiton: Pressure Damage!" he yelled before spewing out a powerful jetstream of water, not at the golem but at the walls causing each of them to crack. His jutsu didn't stop until every wall was a complete mess not one part was left undamaged. The golem still stood however unaffected by the attack. "Well at least we know it's not on the walls he said before quickly bringing up his cleaved to block a fist from a golem.

'If it's not on the walls then where!" she thought looking up in frustration. And there it was at the very top of the room in the center there was a small spiral that resembled the Uzumaki clan symbol. And it was glowing so brightly that it illuminated the entire room. Fuu had thought that the lights were on but it was just the energy being released from the seal that activates the golem defense. "There it is!" she said and using her beetle like wings she shot up as to the ceiling and crashed right through until she was back outside.

The moment Fuu crashed through the roof everything went dark. Once the light was gone the Senju golem dissolved back into the floor. "Heh good work kiddo, what do you have to say to that huh! We beat your damn trap!" Zabuza said happily. Zabuza waited as Fuu landed next to him and dropped her chakra cloak but there was no response from the man.

"Who cares, he should be just up ahead anyway" Fuu declared.

"Yeah, let's go" Zabuza replied.

The pair shot at a sprint out of the room and followed the pathway checking each room quickly for any signs of the kidnappers until they came to what appears to be the end of the line. The pathway opened up into a small room with four doors. "Let's check them individually" Fuu suggested.

"Alright, but someone should remain out here, just in case they try and run for it" Zabuza agreed.

The first door opened into what appeared to be a kitchen and dining room, big enough to feed almost a hundred, but there was no sign of the kidnappers. However in the second room they found a laboratory with several cages containing young children all under the age of ten. "Looks like we found them" Fuu said racing to break open the cages. "Are you alright? What did they do to you?" she asked one of the older children a young boy around nine years old.

He was crying and quickly ran to hug the green haired kunoichi. "They attacked me when I was in the park with my Kaa-san!" he cried gripping onto her robes.

"I'm sorry we will get you all home soon" Fuu said comforting the children. "Have they done anything to you yet?" she asked wanting to know just why they had been taken.

The child shook his head. "No, they didn't. They said they were waiting for someone called Ohimaro-sama" he said.

"Ohimaro... I think he means Orochimaru" Zabuza said unable to suppress a snicker at the way the yong child pronounced the name.

"Yeah that was it, they said we would be given the honor of helping him" a girl said giving Fuu a hug as she was released from her cage.

"So Orochimaru must have found this place and decided to use it as one of his bases" Zabuza mused fingering the handle of his massive cleaver.

"Jiraiya-sama will want to be informed of this" Fuu said quietly.

"There is no point, someone like Orochimaru will have ways to communicate with each hideout, if one of them if found he will simply abandon it for good as it's no longer secure" Zabuza said calmly.

"Still, it's something that Jiraiya-sama would like to know about. Anyway lets end this! You kids wait here, We still have some work to do" Fuu said before exiting the room and going to the next room. Even before opening the door she could tell that it was the right one, she could hear the people on the other side whispering amongst themselves. Quickly coming up with a plan she ran though a few hand seals and placed her hands against the door. "Blinding Flare Jutsu" she whispered before opening the door with a kunai in the other hand.

The room was clearly a command center for the complex with several screens set up showing different rooms. There was also a large map of several exits and entrances placed around the forest. When Fuu entered she found great pleasure in seeing five Oto ninja and two scientists gripping at their faces blinded by her genjutsu. "What you have done is unforgivable! To harm children and steal them from their families scum like that don't deserve to live!" she said.

Zabuza walked in his blade already at his side. "Sorry guys, looks like you don't get to live, Fuu has spoken" he said.

It was over in an instant. Zabuza raced around the room not a single movement of his blade was wasted as he sliced a vital area of each of the group of Orochimaru's subordinates until only one remained, a scientist.

After checking that each of the ninja to make sure they were dead Fuu dropped her genjutsu to allow the survivor to see them. "Do you know who we are?" Zabuza asked once the man had come to his senses again.

"Y-y-yes" he said. His voice was shaky but unmistakable, he was the man taunting them while they were fighting the Senju golem. "You are Zab-Zabuza M-m-Momoichi, Demon of the Bloody Mist and she is the Nanabi jinchuuriki Fuu. You work for Jiraiya of the Sanin as a mercenary group" he said his fear not subsiding.

"My oh my it looks like the snake has been doing some research" Zabuza said impressed with the scientists knowledge.

"How does he know about Me and the fact we work with Jiraiya-sama?" Fuu asked.

"Simple isn't it, Jiraiya is Orochimaru-sama's old teammate and would naturally want to keep an eye on him. Also Orochimaru is highly interested in a certain member of your little group. The son of the Yondaime Hokage, one Naruto Namikaze although I am unsure as to why" the scientist explained.

"He's after Naruto-kun?" Fuu asked intently.

"What, does he have a death wish or something?" Zabuza quieried.

"Orochimaru-sama does not wish to fight Naruto Namikaze, he simply has a interest in him" the man replied.

"Alright that's fine, now tell me about this place. Firstly, when was Orochimaru going to show up here?" Zabuza asked.

"In a few weeks once he has obtained his next body, he was coming to inspect the facility here and start his experiments" came the scientists reply.

"Alright, so how long have you lot been fouling up this place?" the former Kiri ninja queried.

"Only for a few months. We were warned that taking children from the Land of Fire could be a risk, but there were not enough children young enough within this country to satisfy Orochimaru-sama's needs" he replied.

"That and you knew they would hire ninja to look into the disappearance of a large group of children from a single small country" Zabuza guessed.

"Yes the Land of waves has a good relationship with Konoha, especially the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake" the man explained.

"Sounds like Orochimaru is still getting intel from inside Konoha" Zabuza sighed knowing that the three Yoinokuchi ninja from Konoha would not like to hear that.

"Alright, final question. Where is Orochimaru now and how many other bases are there?" Zabuza asked sternly.

"I do not know where Orochimaru-sama is, nor would I tell you if I did know such a thing. As for the bases I only know the one that I have been assigned to before this and that has been destroyed after the Akatsuki located it. This was my assignment after that was closed" he said.

"Well looks like that's all we need to know, thanks for the help" Zabuza said before taking out a kunai.

"Wait! Before you kill him there is something I want to know. Why did you give us our answers?" Fuu said.

"Because I am dead either way, and nothing I have told you has given you anything that could adversely effect Orochimaru-sama" the scientists replied flatly. "Not that it matters anyway" he grumbled cryptically.

"Well at least you have earned a quick death" Zabuza said before plunging a kunai into the mans heart stopping it instantly. "He may have been complete scum, but at least he was honest scum" he said once he removed the blade.

"Yeah, we should check out these other rooms in case there are any more of them hiding" Fuu suggested.

Zabuza nodded and the pair left the room as it was. The remaining rooms had nothing special inside them. One room had an operating table for Orochimaru's experiments and the other seemed to be a lock up with separate small rooms designed to hold a few people. Clearly used to hold any successful experiments.

"Looks like we got them all, come on lets get the hell out of here" Zabuza said.

"Yeah good idea" Fuu said closing the door on the secondary holding area.

After collecting the children they made their way back towards the exit until they reached the room where they encountered the automated defense golem. The room was still quite dark but was illuminated by the afternoon sunlight shining through the hole Fuu made in the ceiling. It would be faster to get out this way" Fuu said indicating the hole in the ceiling high above.

"But how are we supposed to get all the way up there! It's way to high for anyone to jump" one of the children said.

Fuu smiled at the child. "Don't worry something like that is easy for ninja like us, we will have you all out of here in no time" she said before turning to Zabuza. "We'll take them up two at a time?" she suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Alright kids who's first" Zabuza said.

One by one Zabuza and Fuu would collect a child and take them to the top using the wall to help them along the way. Until eventually they had all the children out of the underground complex. "Well let's get you all back to the Land of Fire, then we can work on getting you all back to your parents" Fuu said kindly to a loud cheer from the children.

**End Chapter!**

**Didn't get around to the part with the Akatsuki, spent too much time on their mission so looks like you will have to wait a little longer, sorry guys. I hope you liked the chapter anyway. **

**Would like to hear some recommendations for what you would like to see happen, not making any promises but it's good to get other peoples thoughts on what they want, and as long as it's not some unreasonable request like having Naruto destroy Konoha because he's bored, I will consider it. **


	61. A Meeting of Old Friends and Enemies

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****61: A Meeting of Old Friends and Enemies **

Zabuza and Fuu slowly walked out of the forest accompanied by a rather large group of young children, evidence that their mission had been successful.

"Oh man that was actually kinda fun, I almost wish it wasn't over" Zabuza admitted as they entered the village.

"Well if you want we can go back, I'm sure there will be more seal traps that can be activated" Fuu said walking slightly behind the swordsman with the children following her.

"Hm maybe when we get these kids home, hell it might be a good place to train, if we can find a way to stop those golems without destroying the seal" Zabuza mused.

"That is if there are anymore of them there at all" Fuu replied.

"What ever, come on, if we hurry we can get the first lot of these kids home before the day is out" Zabuza said in a huff.

They didn't stop in the village and soon arrived at the large bridge connecting the small country to the Land of Fire. A light mist covered the bridge giving it a ethereal and supernatural look. The children didn't seem to mind and none of them noticed the brief look exchanged by Zabuza and Fuu as they began to cross.

'_There is chakra in that mist, it looks the same as Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu. There are ninja around for sure, the only question is who are they waiting for, the mist is not effecting visibility at all on the bridge, so are they waiting for us to get closer? Or is their target someone else?_' Fuu thought as the group slowly moved across the bridge. While she remained calm and for the most part calm her right hand never strayed far from her kunai pouch.

They continued to walk across the bridge, walking further and further along with no sign of who ever cast the jutsu, but still it did not drop, a fact that was making both Zabuza and Fuu more nervous. '_To be able to use a jutsu like the Hidden Mist with this large of a range, they must have a monstrous chakra levels, sure Naruto-kun could do this no problem, and maybe Jiraiya-sama, but I doubt is anyone else could come close to this_' Fuu thought still scanning the area, with no sign of the caster.

Zabuza had a rather stony look on his face and the further he walked the colder his expression was, and by the time they were around three quarters of the way across the bridge he had a full blown scowl on his face. Not long after the mist became thick and a minute later the silhouette of two people stood in the center of the bridge blocking their path. "Kisame Hoshigaki! What do you want?" Zabuza said with a pronounced scowl.

"Oh I'm touched you knew who it was so easily" came the reply from the taller of the pair hidden in the mist. "Do you like it? I set up this little trap just for this meeting" he added.

"I knew it had to be you when I saw how large this jutsu was! But why exactly are you here?" Zabuza said wearily.

"Oh can't I show up just to say hi to an old friend?" Kisame mused.

"You are not a friend! You killed Fuguki-dono and stole your way into the Seven Swordsmen, you are nothing but complete trash. Now tell me why you are here!"Zabuza replied forcefully.

"Enough of this Kisame! We have found our target let's get this over with!" Hiruko said before stepping out of the mist.

"That's!" Fuu gasped in shock when she saw the black cloaks littered with red clouds.

"Akatsuki" Zabuza said in a hushed gasp. Thinking quickly Zabuza turned to the oldest of the children. "Hey kid, get everyone else back, go back to the village, it's not safe here!" he said as clearly and urgently as he could.

"Bu-bu-but why?" the child asked hesitantly.

"It's not safe here, do as he says hurry!" Fuu yelled not taking her eyes off the Akatsuki ninja.

"Look at how far you have fallen Zabuza, to think you were once known as the Demon of the Mist. Now why don't you hand over your pretty little friend and then we can have some fun, hell we recently lost a few members, we might even allow you to join us" Kisame said with his shark like smile.

"No way I would ever join with you guys. You're going to loose anyway" Zabuza replied taking Kubikiribocho from his back and lowering his stance ready for either of the Akatsuki ninja to attack.

"Ah oh well, guess we will just have to take her by force then. Either way we get to have some fun right Zabuza?" Kisame leered, his pointed shark like teeth exposed to add to the intimidation.

Fuu was looking around and knew that there was nowhere to run to, the bridge was a perfect place to launch an attack, there was nowhere to hide for miles with only water surrounding them. '_This isn't good. If Zabuza takes the Shark faced guy that leave me up against the short one, he may look weak but he is giving off a really creepy vibe, something tells me he is just as dangerous as the other one if not more so_' she thought while intently staring down Hiruko who seemed to be rather bored with everything.

Suddenly without warning Kisame shot forward at the exact same time as Zabuza they met in the middle, Kubikiribocho clashing with Samehada, both fighting for dominance. Neither would give an inch as they both glared into the others eyes. "You have gotten stronger Zabuza, and here I thought life in exile would make you weak" Kisame taunted before breaking off their clash and jumping back across the bridge.

Meanwhile Fuu and Hiruko had still yet to move, Fuu's glaring daggers into Hiruko's expressionless eyes. "What a waste of time this is. In truth I have no issue with you, but the two that were assigned to your capture have been killed and I got stuck with the job. Now give up so I don't have to embarrass you" Hiruko said calmly.

"Not a chance!" Fuu yelled back. Fuu quickly removed a kunai and sent it soaring as fast as she could towards the short Akatsuki ninja.

Almost lazily Hiruko raised his hand and blocked the blade. Despite striking the hand dead on Fuu's kunai simply bounced off with a loud clang. '_What the hell!_' Fuu thought as she quickly shot a glace at the hand that Hiruko had used to deflect her kunai. Hirukos hand seemed to be made of metal but it was very slowly changing back to flesh.

Hiruko smirked when he saw the confused and astounded look on Fuu's face. "I see you are admiring one of my many Kekkei Genkai, Steel release, Koton. If you insist on fighting I will be sure to show you some of my others" he said his light red eyes still giving off the same lack of emotion and life.

'_He had more than one bloodline limit? And he makes it sound like he has more than two as well, just what the hell is this guy?_' Fuu thought as she prepared for Hikaru to attack again.

"I see so that is your decision then... very well" Hiruko said before disappearing in a blur.

Fuu's eyes widened just before being struck in the side of the face by Hiruko's fist sending her flying back across the bridge.

"Fuu!" Zabuza yelled in shock when he saw her struck, but he didn't have time to be worried about the Nanabi jinchuuriki as Kisame shot forward again with Samehada and Zabuza was forced to block the attack.

"You don't have time to be worrying about your little friend Zabuza, you need to focus on me otherwise Samehada will be taking your legs" Kisame smirked.

'_Gah he's right, I just have to trust that Fuu can handle herself_' Zabuza thought. The battle between the two swordsmen raged on, each movement of one countered superbly by the other. Each swipe of the blade was blocked and their physical strength was also on par. However Zabuza knew as well as Kisame that if this turned into a test of stamina then there would only ever be one winner, Kisame was known as the Monster of Kiri and the Tailless Bijuu because of his enormous chakra capacity.

Meanwhile Fuu picked herself up from the ground just in time to avoid another powerful punch from the short Akatsuki ninja. '_That was swift release, I'm sure of it, only Akimi moves like that, ah this is not good. But at least it gives me some clue as to how fast this guy is_' she thought while putting her training with Akimi into good use by dodging several more furious strikes from Hiruko before the pair eventually split off with them both landing on top of the water beside the large bridge.

"Hm you do have some skill, but it wont be enough to defeat me" Hiruko sighed passively.

Fuu grit her teeth as a cloak of chakra began to envelop her until two winglike tails spread behind her. "Well see, I'm just getting warmed up!" she said before wiping away a small amount of blood from the side of her mouth.

Fuu shot forward at a much faster speed than her previous attacks but Hiruko was more than a match for her. Little did he know, Fuu was aware of this fact and her attack was nothing but a feint. Hiruko dodged the strike effortlessly and sidestepped into a kick aimed at the green haired kunoichi's ribs unfortunately all he hit was air as Fuu rolled out of the way before using her Bijuu cloak to grab Hiruko's leg and throw him into the side of the large bridge.

Not giving Hiruko any time to recover, Fuu shot forward slamming her fist into the chest of the short Akatsuki ninja causing a small section of the bridge to crack from the pressure. Continuing her assault Fuu began landing heavy punch after punch forcing Hiruko's body to become imbedded within the concrete of the bridge.

Fuu jumped back across the waters surface and began racing through several hand signs. "Suiton: Torrential Tribute!" she yelled and from the water five thin tunnels of water arose from the sea, each one pointed at the end like a drill. In one movement all five water drills shot toward Hiruko who still had the same calm attitude.

Several of the bandages on Hiruko's face were torn but his mouth was still well covered, enough for Fuu to miss the smirk that played across his face at the sight of the jutsu. "Storm Release: Demon Dragon Storm!" he said proudly. And a large red pillar and black clouds erupted in front of his body. As Fuu's jutsu hit the clouds it began to shrink and eventually it disappeared within the black clouds which grew larger and darker the more of the Suiton jutsu they absorbed. "Demon Dragon Storm, Release!" Hiruko mumbled under his breath once Fuu's attack had been successfully thwarted.

Fuu looked on in shock as her jutsu that should have finished off the Akatsuki ninja was blocked with ease. '_What the hell is that jutsu?_' she wondered before she felt a spike in the chakra of Hiruko's jutsu. First a massive wind struck Fuu forcing her to slightly slide back across the water from the pressure, then a massive wave of water shot out of the cloud and it sparked with lightning as it traveled toward the jinchuuriki at tremendous speed propelled faster and faster by the wind.

Acting quickly Fuu used her Bijuu cloaks wings to fly directly up out of the path of the jutsu. She didn't get a chance to breath a sigh of relief however as she suddenly felt the wind changed and the jutsu shot right back towards her. Once more she effectively dodged the attack only to have it change course again and head straight towards the amber eyed kunoichi.

While Fuu was doing her best to avoid the powerful jutsu Zabuza and Kisame were still clashing swords both still evenly matched in Kenjutsu. Zabuza had the upper hand in terms of movement but Samehada would instantly move to block any attack that Kisame may have missed as the shark like man and blade worked in perfect harmony with each other. "You should just give up Zabuza, you will live longer. There is no way that girl can defeat Hiruko. The only way you stand a chance against me is to bring back the ruthlessness that made you known as the Demon of the Bloody Mist, let me see that blood lust" Kisame said with a grin that showed off all of his pointed teeth.

"It was never blood lust, it was just my will to survive, and I can do that without being known as a mindless killer like you were, how many allies have you killed over the years huh?" Zabuza asked as he brought Kubikiribocho down towards Kisame's head only for the Akatsuki ninja to block it with ease.

"You act as though you didn't enjoy your job, you were Kiri's top assassin. So what if I killed my own men, that was my job. I got sick of it so I made it clear that I retired when I killed Fuguki and took Samehada. Just like you did with your failed coup de tat" Kisame said.

"Regardless of what you think, I'm not joining you, and I'm not going down easily!" Zabuza yelled as he swung his cleaver at the base of Kisame's neck. Samehada reacted first contorting in Kisame's hand to block the strike. Zabuza however had other plans, his attack with the cleaver was nothing but a distraction to get Samehada out of the way, and whilst the two greatswords fought for dominance Zabuza removed a kunai with his free hand and slammed it into the gut of Kisame before removing it and kicking the stunned Akatsuki ninja away. "You will never be as good of a swordsman as I am. My generation was known as the strongest of the Seven Swordsmen for a reason. You were just some punk who saw an opportunity for greatness and stabbed his master in the back!" Zabuza lectured before turning to see how Fuu was doing as she flew around avoiding the ball of water and lightning.

Kisame looked down at his stomach as he applied pressure to hold back the bleeding. '_A better swordsman hey... Well in that case it looks like I will have to do things a little differently then_' he thought as Samehada wrapped itself around his body and the wound he received from Zabuza healed.

Kisame stood and saw that Zabuza wasn't paying him any attention at all. "It seems you have forgotten just how great Samehada is" he leered forcing Zabuza to Quickly spin around to face the now fully revitalized Kisame. "You forgot Samehada's power to heal and transfer chakra didn't you. I guess you have become rusty over the years" he laughed.

Zabuza grit his teeth in frustration. '_Dammit, he's right. How the fuck could I forget something so important about one of the blades of the Seven Swordsmen!_' he thought readying his blade for another assault.

The Attack didn't come however, instead Kisame began running through hand seals. "You may be right. You might be the better swordsman. But I will always be better at ninjutsu!.. Suiton: Rapid Tsunami!" Kisame smirked.

Zabuza didn't have time to think as a massive wave rose up dwarfing the bridge as well as those that still occupied it before crashing down on top of the Demon of the Mist and blowing him away.

Kisame knew that Zabuza would not have been killed from the attack, but that didn't mean that he would be left unharmed either. "Where is he Samehada?" Kisame asked his blade.

In response the sword stuck several spikes out in the direction of the closest shore and growled showing off it's own pair of shark like teeth.

After seeing Kisames attack on Zabuza, Fuu who was still weaving in and out of Hiruko's jutsu's path began to get worried. '_Oh no Zabuza! If you can be defeated so easily, then what chance do I have against them both!_' she asked herself in disbelief. Then she was given a glimmer of hope. Kisame was leaving in the direciton of the shoreline, meaning Zabuza was still alive. '_I need to get to Zabuza before shark face, if he is unconscious I can fight the two of them off for at least long enough for him to recover. If I can't do that what am I good for_' she thought before taking off in the direction of the shoreline to look for Zabuza, Hiruko's jutsu following close behind.

Fuu found Zabuza unconscious on the beach, Kubikiribocho was imbedded in the ground a few yards away. She was about to attempt to awaken the sleeping Swordsman when she heared the crackling of Hiruko's jutsu behind her. 'Oh I am getting sick of that fucking thing!' she thought quickly looping over the ball of water and Lightning and hurriedly forming hand seals. "Suiton: Water Encampment Wall!" she yelled causing a large pillar of water to raise up and surround Fuu just in time to block the jutsu which struck the water and sent electricity racing through the wall of water, several bolts of lightning shot out and hit Fuu in various areas but her Bijuu cloak successfully prevented any major harm.

Once the lightning dissipated Fuu dropped her defensive jutsu and flew down to land next to Zabuza. 'He's still alive, thank Kami' she thought as she took his pulse and checked his breathing. "Zabuza you gotta get up, they are nearly here. I can't fight them on my own, please you gotta get up!" she yelled.

Zabuza didn't stir until he was given a firm shove from Fuu throwing the former Kiri ninja out of the way of a strong Suiton jutsu sent from Kisame. As Zabuza opened his eyes he saw Fuu standing off against both Akatsuki ninja. '_I have to help her_' he thought as he attempted to stand, but it was no good, his legs gave out under him. '_I can't even stand, Kisame's jutsu really took me by surprise. We could really use some help_' he thought in desperation as he could only watch as Fuu began casting a genjutsu.

"Oh my it looks like he is done for, what did you do to him Kisame?" Hiruko mused as he observed Zabuza attempt to stand.

"Oh you know me, it's hard to control my chakra sometimes" Kisame joked proudly.

"In any case, you're alone now little lady. All that is left for us to do now, is to stop you from being able to run away" Hiruko said passively.

"I'm not out of this fight yet!" Fuu said as two more wing like tails appeared behind the mint green haired jinchuuriki.

Not waiting for the Akatsuki ninja to make the first move, Fuu kicked off at top speed using her cloak to grab Hiruko and slam him into the ground before he could move. She then shot off towards Kisame who just stood still with his shark like grin.

Fuu's punch was blocked by samehada and right before the kunoichi's eyes her chakra cloak was sucked away. "What the hell!" she yelled quickly jumping away from Kisame and reforming her chakra cloak.

"You seem a little confused... Then allow me to explain. You see Samehada here eats chakra, and he especially like the taste of Bijuu. The simple truth of the matter is, if you come near me, Samehada will eat your chakra" Kisame chuckled.

'It eats chakra? Does that mean ninjutsu is useless against him as well?' Fuu asked herself as she observed the shark like ninja. 'It has to be, otherwise Zabuza would have attempted to use ninjutsu against him. The only way to beat him would be to get through his defense with speed. I can do that, but it could cost me my chakra cloak each time. And I can already feel myself loosing control over four tails. The more chakra I am forced to draw from Nanabi the less control I have. I won't be able to use more than three tails if I have to reform my cloak again' she thought looking around for an opening.

Suddenly Hiruko shot out of the ground from behind Fuu and slammed a foot made of metal into her back sending the jinchuuriki tumbling across the ground in between Hiruko and Kisame. "We both can absorb your jutsu, you can't fight us. Kisame let's just end this so we can get back to hunting the Kyuubi" Hiruko said, his relaxed attitude still not wavering.

"Fine by me, I've had my fun with Zabuza anyway" Kisame leered and the pair began stalking closer to Fuu who had just picked herself up off the ground.

Fuu ducked under the first swing of Samehada but it managed to eat away two of Fuu's tails. She then was forced to block a kick in swift release from Hiruko. She just managed to get the block in but he had morphed his body to metal and the hit still was able to throw Fuu back across the water to where Kisame was waiting with Samehada. Fuu spun in mid air and delivered a devastating kick to the side of Kisame's head but it cost her the remainder of her chakra cloak. The green haired kunoichi didn't have enough time to reform her Bijuu cloak as Hiruko once again shot forward. Fuu knew she couldn't block the attack in time and simply moved to defend the vital areas to ensure she survived the attack. What she didn't expect however was to be yanked away to the side by the long tongue of a large toad the moment before Hiruko was able to strike.

"A toad? Then that means!-" Hiruko was unable to finish his thought as he received a kick to the back of his spine sending him tumbling across the water.

Jiraiya landed on the sandy beach in his typical kabuki show off pose. "Fuu are you alright?" Jiraiya asked. He may have looked rather ridiculous but his voice was firm and very serious.

"Yes, I'm fine, but Zabuza can't move at the moment" She called back. '_Jiraiya-sama, thank Kami, some help has come_' she thought with an audible sigh of relief.

"That's okay, I'll have one of the toads look at him" Jiraiya said still not moving from his pose.

Hiruko and Kisame both resurfaced from under the sea at the same time. "It would seem that we have some unwanted intruders" Hiruko said his calmness cracking for the first time.

"Huh?" Kisame asked before turning his eyes on Jiraiya. "I see, what should we do?" Kisame asked.

Hiruko didn't answer Kisame, instead he chose to address Jiraiya "Why are you getting in our way old friend?" he said quite interested in why Jiraiya was standing completely still.

"Friend? Am I supposed to know you?" Jiraiya asked passively with his eyes closed.

"We were friends, a long time ago. Until I was banished from Konoha at the end of the Third Ninja War. My experiments were considered inhumane by that fool of a Sandaime Hokage. But in the end I had the last laugh, my weakness and lack of Kekkei Genkai are no longer an issue... Do you remember me now? I used to always try and train with You and the other Sannin but I could never keep up" The short Akatsuki ninja said.

"Hiruko?" Jiraiya asked, he sounded completely stunned but didn't move an inch.

"That's right" Hiruko said with a satisfied grin.

"What the hell happened to you? You're so small now" Jiraiya asked opening his eyes to look at Hiruko for the first time.

"That is not important, what is important is that you leave this place and give us the Nanabi or we will be forced to take it by force!" Hiruko said trying to intimidate the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya let out a small laugh and allowed himself to smile before replying. "Well then, it looks like this fight is just beginning... Summoning Jutsu!"

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry for the late update guys, I have been really busy this week, and I haven't been home so I couldn't work on the story. I hope this chapter makes up for it. And with any luck you won't have to wait long for the next chapter. **


	62. Enter Jiraiya the Gallant

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****62: Enter Jiraiya The Gallant.**

Akimi was currently sitting in her room wrapped in a town, her long hair fell behind her still wet from getting out of the shower. There were a large variety of dresses as well as several sets of bra's and panties that lay out on her bed that she was staring at as if trying to solve some impossible riddle. '_What do I wear, this is the first real date I have been on. I suppose I could wear the same red dress that I wore in the Land of Water, but Naruto-kun has already seen that, maybe I should go with something else?_' she thought agonizing over what to wear for her date with Naruto that night.

Meanwhile in Naruto's room the blond jinchuuriki was currently agonizing over a similar problem. Namely the fact that since he gave up on wearing shirts due to the fact he had destroyed most of them when he trained he had very few remaining. His wardrobe consisted of ten of his specially weighted Yoinokuchi robes, a large amount of black ninja pants and three cloaks that were made for him by the toads after he finished his sage training. All he had in the way of dress clothes were two back dress trousers and three button up shirts that Naruto found rather uncomfortable. '_Damn it, why did I have to go and ask Akimi-chan on a real date, I have nothing to wear! I wish I could just go in my Yoinokuchi robe and Ninja pants, but that's not fair to her... She seemed really happy when I asked her as well so I am just going to have to put up with wearing a shirt for one night I guess. Besides it's a small price to pay to see her smile like that again_' he thought as he quickly grabbed a blue shirt that was a very similar color to his old Azure eyes. He then grabbed a red sage cloak that had black flames around the base.

After throwing on his chosen outfit the blond made his way downstairs to wait for Akimi to finish getting ready. After a few minutes Akimi came up the stairs from her room wearing a long deep purple thin strapped dress with a black butterfly pattern that ran diagonally up from the base on the left side. The butterflies that started quite dark became lighter and lighter until they made it to the small straps that held the dress up. The dress was surprisingly modest when it came to cleavage but it left just enough to assure that Naruto would notice. Her hair was left loose and it swayed behind her and the several colored stands of her hair hung down to frame her face "So what do you think?" she asked giving the blond a slow twirl.

"Beautiful" was all Naruto could stammer out as the discomfort of wearing dress clothes was immediately forgotten, replaced by a sense of pride that the beautiful woman in front of him was all his for the night. "Come on let's go. We have to find a nice place to eat after all" Naruto said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, but we are ages away from any town's and tree hopping would probably ruin my dress" Akimi said suddenly regretting her choice of clothing.

"Well you should have thought about that earlier... but don't worry were going to fly. I'll summon a bird to take us around until we find a nice place" Naruto declared.

Akimi smiled and gave a tiny shake of her head. 'How could I forget that he can do that, my hair will probably get messed up a bit, I'm glad I left it out now' she thought before quickly following Naruto outside.

"Alright I'll bring up something big enough so we can both enjoy the ride... Summoning Jutsu" Naruto said confidently slamming his hands to the ground.

(**Meanwhile**)

On the border of the Lands of Fire and Wave, Naruto's master had also just completed a summoning jutsu. "Gah Jiraiya-chan wha-cha summon us for, if it's just for a sparring match with Naruto-chan I am going to be upset! You can enter Sage Mode on your own now" came the small yet sharp call of a male toad sitting on Jiraiya's right shoulder.

"At least it is in a nice location this time, Pa. We are normally summoned in some dark uncomfortable place!" an elderly female toad sitting on the opposite shoulder said slightly less sternly.

"Well, unfortunately it's not just a sparring match with Naruto. I'm facing two Akatsuki ninja, I might not need Sage Mode, but if things start going south I don't want to be unprepared" Jiraiya explained.

"Two Akatsuki ninja huh? Looks like it could be trouble" Fukusaku said.

"What the hell is this is he doing with those two toad? Is he making fun of us?" Kisame said loudly.

"Somehow I don't think so. Jiraiya may be an idiot, but he is a strong idiot" Hiruko said calmly.

"Well I'm not waiting around, our target is the jinchuuriki and that's what I'm going for" Kisame said before hoisting Samehada off his back and charging quickly towards where Fuu stood.

Before he could reach his target however Jiraiya appeared in front of him and with a powerful kick sent the shark like ninja sailing back across the water. "Heh I seem to be getting faster, training with Naruto pays off, even for someone like me, I guess" Jiraiya said smugly.

Suddenly a small walking stick smacked Jiraiya hard on the side of his head. "Don't celebrate yet fool, this fight is a long way from over" Fukusaku said angrily.

"Hey I wasn't celebrating, I was just saying I have gotten stronger" Jiraiya said rubing the side of his head where Fukusaku had hit him.

"They are some rather interesting summons you have there Jiraiya-kun, I have never seen a summoned animal that fuses with the summoner before. Your body has also undergone a minor change as well... is this the fabled sage mode that was taught to you by the toads?" Hiruko asked calmly while Kisame picked himself out of the water after being healed by Samehada although he was still rubbing his chest where he had been hit.

"You always were a smart one Hiruko. Yes this is my sage mode, why don't you come and test it out for yourself?" Jiraiya said with a small smirk.

Hiruko didn't move for a moment choosing to stay completely still as if observing Jiraiya waiting for him to make a move. Eventually the short Akatsuki ninja raised his hands out at chest height. "Slashing Bandages" he said calmly and from his arm several thin threads of bandages that he had wrapped around his arms shot forward like whips towards Jiraiya.

The Toad Sage easily jumped out of the way leaving the bandages to slice through the ground like a blade. "Gah that's not somthin c'ha wanna get hit by Jiraiya-chan" Shima said as the bandages took once more shot towards Jiraiya.

Once more Jiraiya rolled out of the way of one of Hiruko's bandages. "This can't go on. We need to stop this jutsu, now!" Jiraiya said as he began running through hand signs. "Sage art: Mud Wave" he yelled before slamming one palm to the ground causing a huge wall of mud to rise around him. Then with his free hand Jiraiya pushed the jutsu in the direction of Hiruko.

Hiruko stood his ground and just before it hit Kisame jumped high with Samehada and cut the jutsu through the middle absorbing the attack. "Now that's interesting" Jiraiya admitted.

"Tha blade can eat chakra, indeed it is interesting, but eating Senjutsu chakra is not safe at all.. look" Shima said pointing to large shark skin blade. Samehada was laying limply almost coughing up the excess Senjutsu that it had absorbed.

"What the fuck have they done to my blade!" Kisame asked as parts of the large great sword seemed to bulge out at various locations.

During this time Fuu was standing just off to the side watching the fight progress in awe. 'Jiraiya-sama is amazing. He can fight with both of those Akatsuki ninja at the same time. This is a fight between S ranked ninja, I feel so out of place' she thought as Hiruko once more sent two large whip like bandages towards the leader of the Yoinokuchi.

As Jiraiya jumped back to avoid the attack Shima took in a large breath of air and out shot a thin stream of water that tore up the ground from the amazing pressure behind the attack. Hiruko's bandages while strong were no match for the small toads Suiton jutsu and were easily torn apart.

While Jiraiya was distracted by Hiruko, Kisame made his way around behind Jiraiya and began funning through several hand seals. "Suiton: Hundred Shark Barrage!" he said quietly hoping to catch the toad sage off guard.

"Jiraiya-sama look out!" Fuu yelled as the first of many large sharks made from water shot out of the ocean and sped at Jiraiya's back.

Jiraiya smirked slightly having already felt the attack coming with his Senjutsu. "Fukusaku-sama do you mind?" he asked while still focusing on Hiruko's bandage blades that seemed to keep coming no matter how many were destroyed.

"Not at all Jiraiya-chan... Toad Style Fuuton: Pressure Defense!" he said before letting out a loud croak causing all the water sharks to dissolve and Kisame to use Samehada to block the air pressure from the small silver haired toads jutsu.

Hiruko seeing that his jutsu was getting him nowhere canceled his attack '_Damn that Jiraiya, I cant even steal his jutsu because they use that weird sage chakra... looks like I don't have much choice I have to bring in some help_' he thought before quickly racing through a new set of hand seals. "Chimera Summoning!" he said confidently before slamming his hand down onto the surface of the water.

Seconds later there was a huge disturbance in the waters surface and there standing towering over the toad sage was a large monstrous creature. It had the head and body of a lion, its front legs were that of an eagle and there were two bat like wings that extend out to block the sky. Finally the tale was covered in scales and ended in the head of a snake.

Jiraiya was stunned at what he was seeing, he had never set eyes on anything so vile and unnatural in his entire life. "What the hell is that thing?" he asked in a sickened tone.

Hiruko who was standing on the head of the gigantic summons smirked triumphantly. "Do you like it jiraiya-kun? This is my chimera. I was never blessed with being given a summoning contract so I created one myself from the parts of animals and I have created the ultimate summon animal" he said smugly.

"You... you did this! Haven't you gone far enough in defiling the laws of nature. You disgust me!" Jiraiya yelled in reply before charging at the large chimera.

"I don't think so Jiraiya-kun" Hiruko taunted and after wordlessly sending an order to his summoned animal the chimera lifted a large clawed leg and knocked the Toad Sage out of the air sending him flying back crashing through a large area of forest.

"Damn him, I can't even sense any life in that animal" Jiraiya grunted as he stood up and wiped a small amount of blood away from his mouth.

"It's definitely alive, that's fa sure. Ya can't feel it's life force because it's several animals all fused togetha to create tha... thing. It screams out in pain but can't do anything but blindly follow its masters orders" Fukusaku explained staring at the animal through the hole in the trees made by Jiraiya's body.

"Looks like we are going to have to fight size with size then" Jiriaya mused. "Summoning Jutsu!" he yelled loudly as he slammed his palms to the ground. There was a large burst of smoke and when it cleared Jiraiya was standing atop a giant magenta toad with black markings on his face, arms, and legs. He hard two horn like protrusions on his head just above either eyes. He wore a black kimono and a mesh armor. He held a circular shield in one hand and a sasumata in the other. "Hey Gamaken, looks like I'm going to need your help" Jiraiya said with a smile.

"Ah Jiraiya-sama I will do my best, but I am rather clumsy" Gamaken replied.

Wasting no time Gamaken launched himself forward towards the giant chimera. In response the chimera used it massive bat like wings to take off in the air towards the slightly smaller toad.

The two met in mid air and Gamaken was forced to use his shield to parry a vicious onslaught from the chimera's front legs. Gamaken was far more skilled in close range combat however and he hooked his sasumata behind one of the chimeras front legs and with all the strength he could muster used it as leverage to spin the pair of summons in midair before tossing Hiruko's creation to the ground.

Meanwhile Kisame was watching the fight with interest although he couldn't see a opening for him to safely join in with the fight between the two summons. '_Damn it, it's just to dangerous to get close, even for me... wait a minute if that fool of a Sanin distracted that means I can deal with the Nanabi_' he thought as a large grin spread across his face and he turned to look over at Fuu who was standing next to Zabuza and a small toad that Jiraiya summoned at the same time as the elder toads which seemed to be performing some sort of first aid to the Demon of the Mist.

Seeing that Samehada had finally recovered from ingesting Jiraiya's senjutsu the former Kiri ninja grabbed the blade and shot forward to attack Fuu while she was distracted with the fight between toad and chimera.

While Fuu may have been unaware of the incoming threat, Jiraiya was not. His ability to sense lifeforms and threats instantly picked up on Kisame's movements and he quickly jumped from Gamaken's back.

Jiraiya landed right in between the Monster of Kiri and the Nanabi jinchuuriki and wasted no time in sending a high powered punch at Kisame. The Akatsuki ninja blocked the attack with his free hand intending to counter with Samehada but the power of Jiraiya's punch was powerful enough to send him skidding back across the ground all the way back to the water. "Nice try but there is no chance in hell I'm letting the Akatsuki take her" Jiraiya said with a small smile. "Now to deal with you! Sage Art: Kebari Senbon" Jiraiya said and his long hair spread out across his back and stuck out like spikes before thousands of tiny strands of hair shot out from his back like needles towards Kisame.

Kisame jumped back to avoid the first barrage but the hair senbon kept coming forcing Kisame to block the attack with Samehada.

The moment Kisame raised his blade to cover his face Jiraiya moved at an incredible speed appearing behind the Akatsuki ninja. "Behind you!" Jiraiya taunted causing Kisame to spin around in shock only to receive a kick directly to his chest. Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief before turning to see how Gamaken was coping with the large chimera. '_He needs a little help... but first_' "Fuu I want you to take Zabuza and get out of here. I'm going to go take out that creature and when I do I want you to hop onto Gamaken's back. He will take you to safety" Jiraiya said calmly.

"But what about you? I can't leave you in a situation like this without back up!" Fuu said.

"I'll be fine. Now do as I say" Jiraiya said sternly.

"He's right ch'a should get out of here, it is difficult for Jiraiya-chan to focus on his fight if he has to watch out for you two. Besides if worst case scenario happens we have a backup plan" Fukusaku said kindly.

Fuu nodded her head in understanding. "Alright I'll go" she said slightly disheartened that she couldn't be of any use to Jiraiya in the fight.

Jiraiya gave Fuu one last smile before charging off back to were the large chimera was forcing Gamaken back with a mixture of slashes with his claws and strikes from the snake like tail. "Enough, this damn toad has troubled us long enough!.. Chimera fire your ultimate attack. Katon: Chimera Fireball!" Hiruko yelled.

The chimera opened its mouth to breath a deadly attack at the toad but just as the flames started to shoot forward the chimera was forced to the ground. Jiraiya had arrived just in time with a Oodama Rasengan which he slammed into the side of the giant creatures head.

"Thanks for the assistance Jiraiya-sama" Gamaken said respectfully.

"Don't mention it Gamaken, but I need you to go pick up those two over there. Make sure they get far enough away that they are well outside of sensory range" Jiraiya said.

"Very well I will make sure that it gets done" Gamaken said calmly before kicking off and landing beside Fuu and Zabuza. "Get on we need to make as much distance as we can from this place" he said sagely. Fuu nodded and after lifting Zabuza over her shoulder jumped up onto Gamaken's back. "Hold on this is sometimes rough if it's your fist time riding one of the giant toads of Myobokuzan" Gamaken said and without waiting for Fuu to respond pushed off heading deeper into the Land of Fire.

Hiruko saw this and snarled under his breath. '_I need to catch up to that damn toad. Luckily for me I have Swift release_' he thought with a small smile. But just as he was about to take off his whole body was constricted by a Jiraiya's hair.

"I don't think so Hiruko. Like I told Kisame, there is no way I am letting the Akatsuki get there fingers on her!" Jiraiya said as his hair which stretched out from behind him like rope constricted Hiruko tighter and tighter.

"You are getting in my way!... Koton: Finger Blades" Hiruko replied impatiently. His fingers seemed to extend and sharpen until they became blades strong enough to just cut through Jiraiya's extended hair. '_I still won't be able to chase after that damn toad, and Kisame needs more time for Samehada to heal him. Damn it to hell she is going to get away!_' he thought getting angrier the more he thought about it.

"Oh you escaped, that's an interesting skill you have there. Is that one of the bloodlines you have stolen. What happened to you Hiruko! You didn't loose anyone in the war like Orochimaru so how could you end up like this!" Jiraiya asked knowing every second he had the Akatsuki ninja here they couldn't chasing after Fuu.

"What happened to me? You don't remember? We were friends but I could never keep up with you, Tsunade or Orochimaru. You three became great ninja while I was never anything but a chunin class ninja and member of the science department. And to make it worse I was better than most of the people who became jounin, just because of their precious Kekkei Genkai. Then one day towards the end of the third shinobi world war I saw it, the answer to all my grievances. Kakashi Hatake, he was given a Kekkei Genkai by another, that was when I had a dream. I would find a way to get Kekkei Genkai of my own. So I began experimenting. Once the war ended and that old fool Hiruzen found out what I was doing he banished me from the village not thinking of me as a threat... but I continued my research... and now I have completed my chimera technique and inside my body now rest four Kekkei Genkai not only that my fame grew to the point where I was asked to join the Akatsuki. Now I am no longer behind all those people who were blessed to have been born inside a Kekkei Genkai clan" Hiruko said.

"You really have fallen. You are just as bad as Orochimaru and his pointless quest for immortality. And to prevent you from harming anyone or anything else with that chimera jutsu I will stop you here and now!" Jiraiya said his face full of determination.

"You can try!" Hiruko replied before once more disappearing in a blur as he charged at Jiraiya with his fingers still sharp metal blades.

"Swift Release huh, not a bad trick, but that will never work on me" Jiraiya replied and met the white haired Akatsuki ninja with a senjutsu powered punch the extended force produced prevented Hiruko from even scratching the toad sage. "Let's finish this... I'll supply the oil, Fukusaku-sama can you supply fire. Shima-sama I need you to supply some wind" he said as he started running through some hand seals. "Sage Art Collaboration: Goemon" the two toads and Jiraiya each took in a deep breath before breathing out a stream of Fire, Wind, and Oil respectfully. The three jutsu combined to make a tidal wave of boiling oil that set the tree's that the jutsu came in contact with on fire.

Hiruko's eyes widened when he saw the jutsu approaching and he hastily began racing through several hand seals. "Ranton: Levitating Thunder Clouds" he said urgently. As soon as he finished the jutsu thick dark clouds appeared under Hiruko's feet and propelled him into the air above the boiling oil below him. 'The longer this fight goes on the more it benefits Jiraiya. He has already seen most of my moves. It is not advantageous for me to continue this fight... I need to get Kisame and retreat for now' he thought as he looked around for any way to make his escape. Then he saw it, the chimera he summoned earlier was standing up again. "Sorry to say this is where we end it for today Jiraiya-kun. I have to go, we may not have been able to capture the Nanabi today. But the Akatsuki will not give up, we will have all nine of the Bijuu soon enough" he smirked.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jiraiya said but before he could move he picked up the threat moving behind him. "Ah man I thought I put that thing down" he sighed as the gargantuan chimera opened its mouth and let out a massive roar along with a huge ball of flames.

Fukusaku and Shima acted quickly with the elderly male frog spitting out a powerful torrent of water and Shima delivering a gale of wind that combined to nullify the flames.

Hiruko used this time to quickly head over to where Kisame lay slowly healing his collapsed chest from where Jiraiya had kicked him earlier. "What the hell is wrong with you. A wound like that Samehada should be able to fix in less than a minute why are you still unable to stand!" Hiruko asked highly annoyed.

"Gah it's that damn weird chakra of that damn Toad Sage. Samehada is sick from the chakra and it's not healing me properly" Kisame admitted begrudgingly.

"Well we need to retreat for now. The Nanabi is gone and a fight with Jiraiya is not one that I can win. Let's go I'll carry you but we can't waste any time escaping.

Meanwhile Jiraiya was ducking and weaving in and out of the chimeras barrage of powerful swipes and jutsu. While the lion head would spew fire the snake like tail sent bolts of lightning at the sage who was finding it rather difficult to get close to the summoned creature that seemed to remember the damage Jiraiya caused to it earlier.

"Fucking hell, Hiruko got away with Kisame. But at least they are not heading in the direction that Gamaken took Fuu and Zabuza. I need to get rid of this thing so I can go after them!" Jiraiya said while rolling out of the way of a large bolt of lightning. Jiraiya was so preoccupied with the chimera he didn't notice the large bird approaching at a rapid speed from the north.

Another minute passed and Jiraiya was still no closer to getting a meaningful hit in on the chimera, but he felt the arrival of two new chakra signatures high above. "That's!"

Jiraiya didn't get to finish his sentence as a blond landed on the back of the neck chimera with a rasengan in each hand. The two rasengan both grew to an enormous size before the blond flipped backwards in the air and slammed both rasengan into the back of the chimera. "Oodama Rasengan Barrage!" Naruto yelled as the animal collapsed into the ground and just before the jutsu could finish the creature off it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Yo sensei. What the hell was that thing?" Naruto asked as the bird still carrying Akimi on it's back came to land beside the blond.

"A summons created by a member of the Akatsuki. It's a shame you were unable to finish it off. It really is a powerful creature" Jiraiya said.

"Oh maybe I should have used an elemental rasengan then... Oh Fukusaku-sama, Shima-sama it's good to see you again" Naruto said finally noticing the two small toads on his sensei's shoulders.

"Ah Naruto-chan, good timing as ever, I was about to recommend summoning Gamabunta to help Jiraiya-chan deal with that creature.

"Oh look Pa, he's wearing one of the cloaks we gave him!" Shima said no longer caring about the battle that they had just fought.

"Oh yeah, and you're wearing a shirt as well... that's rare. You normally only wear pants and your Yoinokuchi robe" Jiraiya said before noticing Akimi and her attire. "Oh I see, you two are sneeking out to go on a little romantic escape... so where are you going huh" he asked far more interested than either teen would like.

"Like we would tell you. You would find a way to follow and spy on us you damn perverted sensei" Naruto said sternly.

Jiraiya fell to his knees in comic fashion. "Oh my beloved pupil is so mean to me, after all I have taught him he won't answer a simple question.. I'm a failure as a sensei!" he mock cried.

Naruto sweat dropped and shook his head in embarrassment. "Quit it will ya. Look truth is we don't even know where we are going yet. We were flying around checking out a few places when I saw the light show you were putting on over here and wanted to go check it out in case it we were needed. Now we are going... It was good to see you Fukusaku-sama, Shima-sama" Naruto said and with a small respectful bow to the two elder toads Naruto jumped on the back of his summoned bird and took off at a fast enough speed to ensure that Jiraiya couldn't follow.

"Hm I knew it wouldn't be long before those two became serious, the signs have been there ever since he came back from our training trip. But unless I am mistaken Fuu also has feelings for the Gaki... that could be a difficult situation for him. On the other hand it will be perfect for my next book!" Jiraiya said with a rather perverted smile.

"Ah ya always tha same ain'cha Jiraiya-chan. Anyway you should head off after Gamaken. We will return and send word that you have dealt with the Akatsuki ninja and they can return" Fukusaku said sagely.

"Yeah, and as much as I would like to follow that disciple of mine I think I will wait here and help those two out with the remainder of their mission. It wouldn't be good if the Akatsuki showed up again with Zabuza still injured" Jiraiya sighed with a small look of regret on his face as he gazed off in the direction that Naruto and Akimi flew.

"Well we will take our leave now. Don't ch'a hesitate to call us if ya need any assistance in a fight again" Shima said before both she and Fukusaku disappeared in a puff of smoke.

(Elsewhere)

After Jiraiya's sage mode ended a figure grew out of one of the trees that had been badly burnt by Jiraiya's boiling oil jutsu. "_Well it looks like even Kisame and Hiruko couldn't capture there target_" White Zetsu said in interest.

"_**Yeah I would have thought this would have been an easy target for them as well**_" Black Zetsu added.

"_Still the appearance of the Toad Sage was unexpected_" White replied.

"**But it confirms one thing... The Ichibi, Nanabi and Kyuubi are all working together**" Black sighed.

"_Also their allies are very strong indeed, taking them out will not be easy. It could even lead to an all out war between our groups_" White Zetsu mused.

"_**That could be fun... oh well, let's go pass on the information to Pein-sama and Tobi**_" the Black half of Zetsu suggested and after White agreed they dissolved back into the tree without a trace.

**End Chapter!**

**End of a long Arc. The opening shots of the confrontations between the Akatsuki and Yoinokuchi are done. Now there will be a chapter or two of filler, before I move into the next Arc. **

**Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the Arc for that matter. Haven't decided on doing a spin off on the three tails Arc or going to Sasuke's hunt for Itachi. Personally I am leaning more towards the Tree Tails Arc because it could be an interesting spot for another confrontation between the Akatsuki and Yoinokuchi, I could even throw in Konoha, Kiri and Oto to make things more interesting. Anyway let me know what you think.**


	63. Night Out

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****63: Night Out**

"It figures, we go out to relax, and we end up running into Jiraiya-sama fighting some weird creature. We never have any luck" Akimi pouted.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "I guess so, but hey at least it happened before we found a good place for our date right... I mean if it happened in the middle of dinner or something that, then it would be a problem" he said with a smile.

"Idiot! Now you have just gone and jinxed us" Akimi giggled.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You're never supposed to say something bad won't happen because that means that it will" Akimi said in a carefree tone.

"I see, oh well at least that means the night will be eventful... who knows it might even make it fun" Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah it could, but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of this date to help us relax? I mean if we wanted to do something exciting we should have just taken a mission" Akimi replied.

"Yeah that's true. I guess it will be good to leave the base and not have to fight someone" Naruto sighed before lying back on the bird so he could watch the clouds whiz past.

Akimi looked down at the relaxing blond and smiled before laying beside him and resting her head on his chest. "Regardless of what happens tonight, lets at least make sure to have a good time" she said gazing up at Naruto's face.

Naruto was still looking up at the sky but murmured an agreement before unconsciously wrapping a arm around Akimi's waist and pulling her slightly closer.

(**Unknown Location**)

"So you all failed. Not one of you was able to capture your targets" Pein said in an emotionless tone as he looked over the group of Akatsuki ninja who were each standing on a finger of two hands that came from the large Gedo Mezo statue.

"It was that fucker Itachi Uchiha! He killed Sasori-sama! It was all I could do to get away from them. Besides that Ichibi kid is no pushover. He turned a large field into a desert just for the sand" Deidara said.

"I see. Three S ranked ninja of our organization all killed in the past week. This is indeed a setback. So what is your excuse Kisame? Weren't you asking to be given the Nanabi as a target just the other day?" Pein said. He was already given a report from Zetsu but wanted to hear their version of events.

"We had her, the Nanabi jinchuuriki. But then Jiraiya of the Sannin showed up allowing the Nanabi to escape. We fought him but could only hold each other to a stand still" Kisame said.

"_Funny that's not the way I remember it_" the White half of Zetsu said with a smirk.

"_**Yeah I seem to recall seeing you having your chest crushed from a single kick from the Toad Sage**_. _Oh and Hiruko_, _**despite all of your Kekkei Genkai,**_ _you still had no way to even trouble someone who doesn't even have one._ _**Face it, you both lost badly.**_ _I would go as far as saying that you are both lucky to be alive right now_" Zetsu taunted.

"You were watching!" Hiruko asked indignantly.

"_**Those were my orders**_. _I was supposed to keep an eye on you as a lookout for who killed Hidan and Kakuzu_" Zetsu replied.

"Did you find out anything? I mean what could have possibly killed the Zombie brothers yeah!" Deidara asked.

"_**They were killed by the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki**_, _Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze_._** I saw him arrive after you left the fight with the Toad Sage, Hiruko**_. _He defeated your interesting summons with ease_" Zetsu informed the group.

The remaining members of the Akatsuki began murmuring amongst themselves about this development. "Enough! What else can you tell us about the Kyuubi jinchuuriki?" Pein asked his interest in the boy raising considerably.

"_**Well I didn't get a good look at him because I was keeping my distance.**_ _Even when I mask and suppress my chakra signature it wouldn't have been a good idea to get to close to Jiraiya while he was in Sage Mode_. _**But I can tell you that his chakra levels were monstrous**_, _even without the Kyuubi he easily matches your levels Kisame._ _**Finally, his chakra control is near perfect as far as I could tell,**_ _I couldn't even sense him until he had arrived at the fight_" Zetsu reported.

"How is that possible. To have so much chakra and brilliant chakra control. It shouldn't be possible!" Kisame scoffed.

"Maybe you are just not as special as you think, you were defeated with ease from what I hear after all" Deidara taunted.

"If it wasn't for that damn Sage Mode of his I could have defeated him!" Kisame retorted angrily.

"Maybe, but the fact still remains that we were completely out classed in the fight. Jiraiya was far stronger than I had anticipated" Hiruko admitted in his typical expressionless tone.

"The thing I don't understand is how we all failed, and why Itachi Uchiha and Jiraiya showed up during the fight with the jinchuuriki? I thought they were the Kyuubi's bodyguards?" Kisame asked.

"_**It appears that the three jinchuuriki all work together in an organization similar to our own**_. _I would assume Hidan and Kakuzu's attack on the Fire Temple alerted them to our presence and the __three key members split up_. _**The Kyuubi went to deal with Hidan and Kakuzu, **__while Itachi and Jiraiya went to check on the other jinchuuriki_" Zetsu mused.

"This is indeed a set back, to take those jinchuuriki will be difficult. I will deal with the Kyuubi myself when the time comes. As for their group we will crush them in due time. For now we will focus on the other Bijuu" Pein said calmly.

(**Land of Fire**)

Naruto and Akimi's bird was circling above a large port town and while a large area was devoted to fishing and seafaring, there was a large population and it seemed to be a rather wealthy village from the quality of the houses and hotels that scattered the village. "It looks pretty busy down there. I bet they have some interesting stuff. I mean this is a major port town after all, they need to do something to keep the tourists and sailors occupied" Naruto said as he brought the large bird to a rest in a clearing just outside of the village.

After helping Akimi down from the bird Naruto dispelled his summons and the young couple began to walk toward the village. As they walked Naruto's hand brushed against Akimi's and rather than hesitating he grabbed it immediately. Akimi smiled contentedly as Naruto's hand gripped her own. "Have you been to this village before?" she asked Naruto curiously.

"No, this isn't a ninja port so I have never come here before. But it sure looks like a nice place" Naruto admitted as they arrived at the main gates.

The gates were guarded by two Samurai of the Land of Fire. They each wore dark red body armor with the kanji for fire on the right side of their chest plates. "Halt, state your names and purpose of your visit to Unabara town!" one of the guards said sternly.

"Uh Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, and this is Akimi Hayaku... we're here for uh I guess you would call it relaxation" Naruto said.

"Namikaze! You are the son of the Yondaime Hokage?" the other guard asked with wide eyes.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Uh yeah. But if you don't mind me asking, what's with the interrogation just to enter the village?" Naruto asked.

"This Village is a major port town and vacation spot for the higher class of the Land of Fire. Because of that it is also a obvious place for assassins to gather. As a precaution we screen all those who wish to enter" the first guard said before turning to his counterpart. "Is their identity confirmed, is this boy who he says he is?" he asked.

The other guard had his his head in a large book and without looking away nodded. "Yes this is indeed the son of the Yondaime Hokage. The name and description match perfectly" he said.

"Then please welcome to the village Namikaze-sama. The son of a Kage is always welcome here" the first guard said and with a nod allowed the pair to enter the village.

"Uh thanks. But you don't need to call me Namikaze-sama. I am not that important, I just want to relax while I am here, I don't want anyone to cause a fuss over me" Naruto said. He would have waited for the guards to respond but Akimi had grabbed his arm and began pulling him into the village.

"Come on, were allowed in so let's have a look around, for a civilian village this place is huge!" Akimi said eagerly dragging Naruto through the streets toward the center of the village.

The pair walked for awhile through mostly houses until they came to the large town square which had been designed as a tourist destination with stores lining the sides of the street and festival style booths that lined the center of the street. "This looks like it could be fun, let's have a look around before getting something to eat" Naruto suggested.

Yeah, but these all seem like civilian games. It would be unfair if we compete" Akimi said.

"We're not dressed as ninja though" Naruto whispered and the pair walked over to check out the attractions. Just like Akimi said most of the games were targeted at civilians who had some basic skills. There was a simple kunai tossing game where if you hit the target you would win a prize but that was the most difficult of the games there. "Well they all seem pretty straight forward, but fun. Let's play a few later" Naruto suggested.

"Yeah, oh look that place looks like it's nice, let's eat there" Akimi said pointing out a small outdoor cafe style restaurant.

"Sure the place looks nice enough" Naruto agreed and the couple left the square in the direction of the small cafe.

(**Land of Lightning**)

It had been a tense few weeks in Kumo. Ever since the tools of the Rikudou Sennin were stolen the village had been on high alert. A was currently sitting at his desk waiting for the debriefing from team Samui who had just returned from Konoha, Suna, and Kiri. His brother was resting up against the wall. "Well are they willing to cooperate with our search?" the Raikage asked.

"Suna is willing to help search and allow our ninja to look for any sign of the group that attacked Kumo. On the condition that should we capture them we hand over one Gaara Subaku who is the Ichibi jinchuuriki" Samui said.

"I see... and what of the other villages?" A asked.

"Well Konoha gave us what information they had on Itachi Uchiha but refused to give up any information on Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze who is not considered a either a missing ninja or enemy of Konoha. Unfortunately they will not permit our hunter ninja to search the Land of Fire either" Samui reported.

"I expected as much... and what of Kiri?" the Raikage continued.

"We were given nothing. The Mizukage flat out refused to cooperate with any investigation into Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze's group. It appears that they are seen as hero's in Kiri and will likely act in their defense should they be challenged.

"That is unexpected. I was counting on Kiri to agree in an attempt to better relations between our villages. Then we could put pressure on Konoha to accept our investigation. But should that happen Suna will side with Konoha due to there alliance and now Kiri will likely support them as well" A said in annoyance.

"It's best to let mister nine go. A fight with them is not a winning match yo" Bee rapped making his thoughts known.

"We can't just let them get away unpunished. But for now I have to agree, we don't have the strength to take on Konoha, Kiri, and that group of ninja. Konoha alone would be difficult due to the sheer number of top class shinobi. Even without the Kyuubi they are still considered the strongest village for a reason" A said.

The door to the office opened and in walked an elderly ninja. "Then the time has come to inform Iwa of the existence of the son of the Yondaime Hokage. While Oonoki of the twin scales might not move on the boy, there is enough influence from other parties in Iwa that will hold a grudge against Minato Namikaze to have them send out undercover assassination squads, something that we should be doing already" the old shinobi said.

"What good would that do. If we let Iwa get a hold of the tools of the Rikudou Sennin then it will be as good as admitting to them that we were attacked. And Iwa are not ones to just hand over objects that powerful" A said.

"Perhaps, but in telling them it would give the boy one less country that he could to run to" the elder said.

"Um I don't think that would stop him" Samui admitted weakly.

"What do you mean?" the elder asked impatiently.

"Well I may not have seen him fight. But while we were in Konoha he showed up... He not only infiltrated the Konoha council chamber while it was filled with top ranking Konoha ninja, he hid during the entire meeting in plain view using some sort of jutsu to make him transparent. He is no ordinary shinobi, it seems to me that Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is someone who goes where ever he wants" Samui said.

"What he was there in Konoha! Then how do you know they aren't harboring him?" the elder said.

"In truth I cannot answer that. But as he is not a Konoha ninja, Konoha have not wronged us in anyway. They also gave us the information on Itachi Uchiha who is seen as a criminal in Konoha" Samui replied.

"In other words they agree to help in dealing with people who have wronged Konoha but someone who is as dangerous and important as the son of Minato Namikaze can be seen as a powerful ally. It is the same stance we would have taken. There are also no grounds to go to war even if we had the military strength because they agreed to give us the information on their missing ninja" A said a hint of respect in his voice.

"So what will you do?" the elder asked.

"For now there is nothing we can do. They will be considered enemies to the Land of Lightning with a kill on sight order with a capture order given out for Gaara Subaku" A sighed.

"Very well" the elder said and with a respectful bow left the room. '_A, you are much weaker than your father. If you won't act and give Iwa information on a living relative of the Yondaime Hokage then I will_' he thought pensively once he left the office.

(**Land of Fire**)

"I have a favor to ask of you Naruto-kun" Akimi said after the pair had finished ordering their meals.

"Huh what is it?" Naruto asked.

"I need you to teach me how to properly manipulate Fuuton chakra" Akimi said.

"Huh I thought you already could" Naruto said surprised.

"Well I can, but only as well as my Kekkei Genkai allows me too. I'm not strong enough, if I was stronger I could have saved Akaru-Niisan. I wan't to be strong enough so that I never feel that helpless again" Akimi admitted sadly.

"Hey, what happened to Akaru, it wasn't your fault. You know that right?" Naruto replied slightly concerned.

Akimi nodded. "I know, but I can't help thinking things would have been different if I was stronger. I was taught proper Raiton manipulation by Nii-san but I can't learn any of his strongest jutsu until I can control my Fuuton chakra" Akimi admitted.

"Well if you want I can help. Jiraiya sensei made me master all the manipulation techniques even though I could already control the elements" Naruto said.

"Then you will teach me?" she asked eagerly.

"Sure, I will do anything I can to help out. We can start training tomorrow if you like" Naruto said.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun" Akimi said before leaning across the table so she could give the blond a quick kiss.

Naruto smiled smugly and quickly returned the kiss before whispering in Akimi's ear. "You know I am receiving quite a few glares from some of the other men in this restaurant. You are really to beautiful to be allowed out looking like that!"

Akimi blushed from the compliment but when she looked around she saw that Naruto was not the only one receiving glares. "Well maybe I should let everyone else know who I belong to then" she whispered back seductively.

"As much as I would enjoy that it looks like our food is here" Naruto sighed as he felt the waiter arrive and place their meals in front of the pair. His eyes lingered for awhile on Akimi but quickly left once he saw the slightly unnerving look Naruto gave him. "Damn leeches" Naruto chuckled under his breath trying to play off just how much it annoyed him that people were looking at Akimi like that.

"Aw is Naruto-kun jealous that I am getting attention?" Akimi giggled.

A small blush spread across the blonds cheeks. "Not at all" he said defensively.

"You know this is the first time I have been able to tell that you were lying. "Don't worry Naruto-kun, I'm not interested in anybody else" she assured the blond highly enjoying how flustered she had made him.

Rather than answer Naruto just began to eat pretending to not be able to answer. Akimi let out a small laugh at his antics and shook her head before deciding to make a start on her own meal. They didn't talk much as they ate but it didn't bother either of them, they were comfortable enough that they didn't need to say anything at all.

After paying for their meal Naruto and Akimi left the restaurant and went for a walk down to the beach. "It's really nice here" Naruto said looking out to sea.

"Yeah, this would be a nice place to live wouldn't it" Akimi said.

"Maybe, if I wasn't a ninja it might have been a perfect place for me to live" Naruto mused.

"Still it's good to know that there are people living like this. They don't at all about what happens in the ninja world, a carefree life. I guess that is something we were never meant to have. "You were made into a jinchuuriki and were the son of a Kage. While I was born with a mutation of my mothers Kekkei Genkai that the village council in Kumo thought to valuable to go to waste" Akimi sighed.

"Yeah maybe we never had a chance at a carefree life. But that doesn't mean we can't have a good one. Itachi sensei told me once that life was what you make of it, that everyone has the potential to do great things" Naruto said.

Akimi smiled. "I like that idea. I mean even though I never had a chance to not be a kunoichi. I am still happy, because if I wasn't I may never have met you and everyone else" Akimi said happily.

"That's the way I look at it... now come on why don't I win you some pointless plushy toy from the town square" Naruto said before grabbing Akimi's hand in his own and leading her back towards the center of the village.

"Alright, but it better be a good one, you can't just say that and get me some tiny frog or something" Akimi joked. After a short while Akimi realized that they were being followed. "Hey Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah I know. It's some of the guys that were checking you out at the restaurant, but they aren't alone there are another two groups waiting to surround us just up ahead" Naruto replied calmly.

"Those idiots wouldn't have a clue as to who they were messing with... Ah why did something like this have to happen, it's all your fault I told you that you had jinxed us" Akimi sighed.

"Really? I was going to say it was your fault for looking so amazing that they couldn't stay away" Naruto half joked.

"Oh well, this should at least be entertaining" Akimi said before folding her arms in annoyance knowing they were waling right into the trap set for them.

As they turned the corner to where they knew that another group of villagers were waiting for them all the lights in the street apart from one suddenly went off. "Well, well, well. If it isn't a young couple out for a nice time" a teen around Naruto's age leered from the darkness.

"I have no interest in any of you, I suggest that you all leave us alone" Naruto said switching to an Itachi like emotionless state. Akimi smiled at seeing the sudden transformation, she knew Naruto and Itachi both used an emotionless mask when fighting to intimidate other ninja into loosing their cool. But these were not ninja. From what she could tell they were mostly a bunch of delinquents.

"Oh look he is trying to act tough" the boy laughed before turning to Akimi. "What the hell do you see in this looser? Huh I mean just look at those fucked up eyes the kids a freak" he laughed.

Akimi clenched her fist and was about to attack the boy, who was still laughing at his insult, but Naruto grabbed her arm and gently gave it an reassuring squeeze. She sent Naruto a questioning look but he simply shook his head. Reluctantly Akimi unclenched her fist and the couple began walking again.

"Hey I don't remember saying that you could leave!" the boy said again and he and the rest of the delinquents moved to surround the two Yoinokuchi ninja. "Now, why don't you run along home and leave this pretty little thing with us? Don't worry I will take good care of her" the teen leered.

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "If I left Akimi-chan with you, none of you would be alive to see the sunrise, and I would probably be in a lot of trouble. Now I suggest that you get out of my way before I force you to" Naruto said expressionlessly.

"I guess this kid doesn't know who he is dealing with hey boss" another teen said with a smirk.

"Maybe not. But let's show him then" the leader replied and four teens from the circle including the leader all charged at Naruto.

The blond jinchuuriki quirked an eyebrow at his attackers but didn't even move as they hit him as hard as they could. "Are you done yet?" Naruto asked complete unfazed by the delinquents attack.

"What the hell. He's not hurt at all!" one of the other delinquents said in shock.

"Of course not, there is no way any of you could ever hurt me" Naruto said calmly before a small frown grew on his face. "You lot are ruining my date, now this is my last warning!" Naruto said leaking a miniscule amount of killer intent that caused most of the teens to take a couple of steps back realizing that the blond was indeed not someone they wanted to mess with.

The leader of their group however seemed to be strangely immune to Naruto's threat and seemed to just be made more angry from Naruto's threat. "You think you're stronger than me you piece of trash!" he yelled before slamming his fist into Naruto's face.

The delinquents eyes widened however when he saw that his fist was caught and stopped less than half an inch from Naruto's left eye. "You should have listened to me... now I am mad!" Naruto said and in his free hand a pale blue spinning ball of chakra began to form.

"You're a... a... Nin-Ninja!" the teen said now thoroughly regretting his decision.

"That's right! I don't care if you make fun of me, or even attack me. You would never be able to harm me anyway. But what I can't forgive is you ruining our date... now I have weakened this so you will be fine in a few days. But let this be a lesson to you and if I ever see you rejects picking on someone again make no mistake I will kill you... Rasengan!" Naruto said in a hushed tone before slamming the jutsu into the stomach of the delinquent leader causing him to fly back and land in the gutter of the road. "Come on Akimi-chan, we don't need to let these guys ruin our date... or dose anyone else here want to get in our way?" Naruto said eying the remaining teens.

Clearly afraid of ending up in the same condition as their leader the remaining delinquents parted and allowed Naruto and Akimi to continue on their way towards the center of the village. "You know, I must say that was rather entertaining to watch" Akimi giggled wrapping her arm around Naruto's so they were waling shoulder to shoulder. "But did you really have to hit him with a rasengan? I mean isn't that dangerous? Even if it was weakened" she asked.

"He will regain consciousness in a few hours, and after a few days rest he will be fine. Besides he deserved what he got, he ruined our date" Naruto grumbled.

"Aw is that what you think? I think it's a story to tell people... a bunch of teenage civilians tried to take on the mighty Naruto-kun in a fight over his lovely girlfriend" Akimi laughed.

"Is that why you seem so happy?" Naruto asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Well yes, that and the fact you hurt that asshole because of me. I know you better than to think you would ever hurt a civilian no matter how much of a jerk he was, so I am glad" she said resting her head on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto just smiled in response and continued walking knowing that the town square was at the end of this road. '_She was able to read me like a book, she really does know me better than anyone else, or is it that she knows me so well because she loves me?_' he thought contentedly.

The young couple came to the kunai throwing game. "Okay Akimi-chan, what do you want?" Naruto asked pointing to the prizes.

"Hm that fox" Akimi said pointing to a life size fox plush toy.

"Hm no problem" Naruto said confidently causing Akimi to roll her eyes.

"If you miss I am never going to let you forget it" Akimi joked.

"Like I would miss" Naruto replied before hitting the target dead center with the first kunai. "There you go Akimi-chan, one fox plushy" Naruto said handing over the toy fox.

"Thanks shall we head home? It's getting kinda late" Akimi suggested.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah you're right. Come on there is a park over their where I can summon a bird to take us back home" Naruto said.

They talked and joked all of the way home as the large Rinnegan eyed summon flew over the Land of fire. The two teens slowly moved closer to each other subconsciously and by the time they landed in front of the hidden entrance to the Yoinokuchi main hideout Akimi was sitting Naruto's lap and they were sharing a rather passionate kiss. The bird landing snapped the pair back to reality and Naruto quickly hopped off the summons followed by the dark haired kunoichi.

"Ah it's always good to come home" Naruto sighed as he opened the door into the dark and empty hideout. "Hm I guess Jiraiya sensei and the others aren't back yet huh?" Naruto said. He heard the entrance close behind Akimi then something light falling on the floor. His curiosity piqued the blond slowly turned around to see the Dark haired kunoichi in nothing but a black bra and panties with purple lace around the edges of each. "Akimi-cha-"

Naruto was cut off with Akimi claiming his lips with her own. Wasting no time Naruto deepened the kiss and the pair stumbled around until they collapsed on the couch with Akimi straddling the blond jinchuuriki waist. "I love you Naruto-kun" she said in a hushed tone despite the fact that the base was completely empty.

Naruto gently cupped Akimi's cheek and his thumb softly brushed her cheek. "And I love you too Akimi-chan" Naruto said.

Akimi's eyes widened from hearing Naruto say that he loved her as well she was happy enough knowing that he knew that she loved him but hearing the words for the first time caused her heart to skip a beat.

Naruto chuckled under his breath at the expression on Akimi's face and using her momentary lack of brain function spun her around so he was now on top and gave the still stunned kunoichi a tentative kiss.

Naruto's lips falling against her own work Akimi from her daze and she returned the kiss with as much emotion as she could muster. Her hands wrapped around his torso bringing his chest down to hers and the other hand snaked its way to his hair.

**LEMON START**

Naruto's tongue ventured out as he momentarily broke their kiss and traced Akimi's bottom lip. Understanding immediately what Naruto wanted she parted her lips and gained the blond entrance. Her own tongue coming to greet his as Naruto entered and began exploring the contours of her mouth.

Rather than fight Naruto's tongue back Akimi used her own to almost guide Naruto to all the different areas of her mouth making sure that he taste every last part of her mouth until he eventually had to surface for air. "My oh my Akimi-chan, you are being strangely submissive, that's not like you at all" Naruto teased while getting his breath back.

Akimi flushed pink and grabbing Naruto's shirt pulled him back down and forced her tongue this time to invade Naruto's mouth hungrily tasting every inch she could. Naruto halfheartedly attempted to fight her tongue back with his own but in the end he allowed Akimi to explore to her hearts content. The kiss stretched on as if neither wanted to be the one to break apart. To them it was like one of their sparing matches neither wanted to loose and be.

Eventually they seemed to come to a point where neither cold hold on without air any longer and they parted a thin strand of saliva stretched between their lips. Naruto recovered first leaning down and placing a kisses along Akimi's jawline and down her neck. Despite doing her best to hold it in Akimi couldn't help but let a small whimpered moan as she begged for Naruto to continue his ministrations.

Reacting to Akimi's pleasured moan the young blonds right hand began to explore more of her body while the left was tucked in behind her back. First gliding down the outside of her thigh and onto her firm yet feminine abdominal muscles until finally coming to a rest on her large yet well proportioned chest. "Naru-to-kuuuun" she moaned as he continued slowly kiss down her neck. When Naruto gave her breast a light squeeze she whimpered once more before stiffening. "Unfair, you're still dressed" she complained weakly and began hastily undoing the buttons on the blonds shirt but in her current state it was proving to be quite the challenge.

"Here let me help you" Naruto huskily whispered in Akimi's ear causing her to shiver with pleasure. The fact that he could make the young kunoichi react like that without even touching her filled the blond jinchuuriki with pride and he quickly removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor. Before the shirt even hit the ground Naruto felt Akimi tugging at his trousers, wordlessly ordering them to be removed.

Naruto complied with Akimi's demand and after kicking his pants over next to his discarded shirt before leaning back down and once more locking lips in a passionate embrace. Unlike the last two times this was only a short kiss this time as Naruto pulled back before planting kisses down the dark haired kunoichi's neck and chest before lightly teasing Akimi's breast through her bra.

Akimi's back arched slightly as she felt Naruto's tongue flick across her nipple. She closed her eyes in pleasure while Naruto slowly unclasped her bra before guiding the fabric out of the way before he began rolling his tongue around her exposed nipple and softly massaging the other breast with his right hand.

Akimi moaned into the blonds ministrations unable to contain herself. Slowly Naruto's hand that had been resting at the small of the kunoichi's back slid around after tracing Akimi's stomach came to a stop at the hem of her rather wet panties. Naruto's hand slipped inside ran over the small well groomed tuft of hair and rested cupping her dripping southern lips causing Akimi to whimper in anticipation.

Deciding to tease the kunoichi a little longer Naruto slowly traced the edges of her lips with his index finger. Being the impatient person Akimi was she quickly became fed up with Naruto's teasing and bucked her hips into his hand forcing the primary offending index finger inside her. "You're a little impatient aren't you" Naruto teased.

Akimi flushed at his comment before wrapping both of her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss while he began pumping his finger into her drenched pussy. Akimi could feel the pressure building like a knot in her stomach as Naruto guided a second finger inside of her. Akimi was moaning into every pump of the blonds wrist as she hungrily sort to repay the blond by extending a arm down and slipping inside Naruto's boxers and slowly gripping his rather large yet constricted member. This time it was Naruto's turn to let out a moan as she began massaging the head with her thumb as she slowly began pumping his shaft. 'It's big, I think eight maybe even nine inches' she thought as she continued to stroke his full length.

Using his hand that was still teasing Akimi's breast Naruto removed his boxers allowing Akimi better access to his tool as she started increasing the speed of her strokes. 'This is not good, I need to hold out longer than this' Naruto thought as he increased the speed of his own hands. Then he remembered something that he had read in Jiraiya's book. After a quick exploration with this thumb a audible gasp from Akimi let him know exactly when he found it. The small bundle of highly sensitive nerves. Acting on impulse Naruto began rubbing Akimi's clit with his thumb while increasing the speed of his fingers.

Akimi's breathing grew heavy as the knot in her stomach seemed to coil up. "Ah- Na-ru-to-kun... I'm gonna c-ahhhhh" she didn't get to finish her thought as Naruto felt her walls tighten against his fingers and her warm juices cascade over his fingers. Akimi's brain was numb, her arms went limp completely forgetting about the task she was performing just seconds ago. She had pleasured herself before but it was never that strong.

Naruto removed his fingers from her folds and marveled as they dripped of her juices. Naruto hesitated for a moment before bringing the fingers up to his mouth and licking them clean. "Delicious, I think you taste far better than ramen Akimi-chan" Naruto purred as he moved to reposition himself between her legs. This act woke Akimi from her daze as she finished coming down. Her breathing was still heavy as she gazed up into Naruto's eyes which were begging for entry. "Do it... I want you to fuck me Naruto-kun" she said softly begging for them to become one.

Naruto gently lifted Akimi's legs and removed her soaked panties and threw them over to where his shirt and pants were crumpled in a pile before moving his erect member into place and began to slide in but stopped once he felt a barrier. He knew what this was and was now fighting an internal battle he wanted nothing more than continue but at the same time he knew it would hurt the girl he loved lying beneath him, something that he never wanted to do. "It's okay Naruto-kun. I have been hurt before, I can take the pain" she assured him bucking her hips ever so slightly to urge him to continue.

Sighing to show that he understood Naruto pushed past the membrane like barrier until he was fully sheathed inside her. Akimi closed her eyes in discomfort and Naruto kissed her tenderly to attempt to take her mind away from the pain. After a few moments Akimi's breathing returned to normal and she opened her eyes. "Alright, you can move now... slowly" she said.

Naruto inched his way back. "Oh kami you are tight Akimi-chan, it feels amazing" Naruto moaned before thrusting his member deeper into her pussy. The action sent a jolt of pleasure and a little pain to Akimi who gasped as her back arched. Naruto repeated the process a few times before smoothing out his strokes to a slow pace.

Eventually the pain dulled for Akimi and was replaces with a feeling of pleasure. "Naruto-kun... more, please fuck me harder" she begged weakly. Responding as directed Naruto began picking up the pace and thrusting into her deeper and harder with each stroke. Akimi responded by buck her hips in the same rhythm allowing Naruto to hit even deeper until the tip of his cock kissed the entrance to her womb causing a powerful jolt of pleasure. Once more Akimi began to feel the knot in her stomach build.

"Akimi-chan I'm close" Naruto breathed out before Akimi had a chance.

"Not yet!, I'm almost there too. Hold on... we can cum together" Akimi panted not wanting to admit just how close she really was as Naruto continued to hit up against her womb. "Naruto I'm cumming!" she screamed as an euphoric wave of ecstasy washed over her body.

Akimi's velvety walls clamped down tightly on Naruto's cock and her fluids flooded over the head of his member the added stimulation set him over the edge unable to hold off any longer his sead shot out and coated the Akimi's insides causing the young kunoichi to shiver in pleasure.

The young couple looked at each other both eyes filled with both lust and love. "Mine!" they both said at the same time before leaning to claim the others lips.

When they finally broke from the kiss Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Ah sorry I shouldn't of came inside. I can do a birth control jutsu" he said appologetically.

"It's fine, I can do it... I'm not really ready to be a mother just yet" Akimi giggled still on an emotional high from what they just did.

"Yeah, but who taught you the jutsu?" Naruto asked as he watched Akimi's hands glow green and pass over her stomach and womb.

"Akaru-Niisan forced me to learn them while you were away. It was really embarrassing" Akimi laughed. "So we went to Konoha and Shizune taught me the jutsu."

Naruto nodded before a new problem dawned upon him. "I think we may need to clean clean this couch" he chuckled looking at several stains caused from their bodily fluids.

"We can do that tomorrow, lets just flip the cushions and go to your room" Akimi said lovingly indicating that she wasn't finished for the night just yet.

Naruto agreed and hid the stains before picking up Akimi bridal style and carrying her upstairs. Their clothes completely abandoned on the floor.

**LEMON END**

**End Chapter!**

**Bit of a nothing chapter. I'm not really sure how the lemon was, I don't have much experience writing them. There will be more lemons in this story from time to time. I'll be moving on with the story next chapter moving into the next Arc.**


	64. Three Tails Discovery

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****64: Three Tails Discovery**

In a dark underground facility, somewhere in the Land of Tea, Orochimaru sat in the dark going over notes on his experiments. Above him loud explosions could be heard and felt as they shook the entire complex. "Kukukuku Sasuke-kun is awfully energetic this morning. Maybe I should you should go spar with him Kabuto" the snake sannin suggested at the same moment as the silver haired spy entered Orochimaru's room.

"He doesn't want to spar. All he wants is to kill Itachi" Kabuto mused while smirking.

"That is true, and he is just about ready for me. Anyway why are you here? Kabuto I thought you were working with some of the experiments" Orochimaru asked.

"I was Orochimaru-sama, but you information has arrived from our spy's in the Land of Water. The Three Tails has been discovered on an isolated island to the south of Kiri. It is possible that Kiri and the Akatsuki are still unaware of it's location" Kabuto said calmly.

"Is that so. Then this might be the perfect chance, how did your last round of experiments go with young Yukimaru?" Orochimaru asked.

"Promising. I believe that he will be the perfect host for the Sanbi and should not have any difficulties in controlling its power over time" Kabuto said smugly.

"Is that so? In that case send Guren... and a large group of the more stable experiments to the Land of Water to turn Yukimaru into the next Sanbi jinchuuriki. He could become a valuable tool later on" Orochimaru replied.

"You are going to send her!" Kabuto questioned in disbelief.

"Kukukukuku that's right, you don't get along with Guren, do you Kabuto... in that case you are to go as well. And take Sasuke-kun. It could be a chance for some experience in fighting should any unwanted guests show up" Orochimaru said firmly enough to let Kabuto know that it was not a suggestion.

"Very well Orochimaru-sama, I will go inform Sasuke-kun and prepare for our departure" Kabuto sighed and left the room silently after a bow.

A floor up Sasuke stood in an almost pitch black room, a single candle by the door the only source of light. At least until lightning erupted from the Uchiha's hand and danced around his body scratching deep cuts into the walls and floor. There were several audible thuds and after canceling his jutsu Sasuke bent down to pick up the head of a stone training dummy. "It's still not strong enough! I need to become stronger to kill Itachi!" he seethed.

(**Elsewhere**)

Naruto stirred in as he began to wake but found his movements rather constricted. Opening his eyes he found himself staring upon a sleeping Akimi who was tightly embracing the blond not allowing him to move at all, and their legs were delicately wrapped together intimately. Naruto smiled warmly at the sleeping kunoichi and began to stroke her hair gently as the events of the previous night quickly ran through him mind.

Akimi woke not long after Naruto with the feeling of Naruto's fingers running through her hair, letting out a contented sigh she opened her her eyes. "Good morning Naruto-kun" she said while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh sorry I guess I must have woken you while playing with your hair" Naruto admitted.

"That's alright, I don't mind at all... it's getting pretty late anyway, if we don't get up soon the others will be getting back and we will still be in bed" she sighed. Then a smirk played across her face. "Although if you want we can stay here all day, I don't really mind" she seductively purred.

"As much as I want to we shouldn't. We are going to start working on your Fuuton manipulation" Naruto said sliding out of bed and pulling on some boxers. "I'll go grab you some clothes from your room. Then I'll be back, we can have a shower then head out to a river to begin the training" Naruto said.

Walking downstairs Naruto's quickly raced around picking up the clothes they left discarded the previous night, before racing down to Akimi's room and grabbing her a change of clothes for training.

After sharing a rather long shower Naruto and Akimi got dressed and made their way downstairs. And found Itachi sitting at a table. "Itachi sensei, when did you get back? Naruto asked clearly surprised to see the Uchiha.

"Around fifteen minutes ago. Gaara and Haku are back as well. I believe they have gone to freshen up" Itachi answered.

"Oh by the way how do your eyes work!" Naruto asked eagerly.

"No problems at all, a perfect transplant" Itachi said expressionlessly.

"And the sharingan?" the blond continued.

"You tell me" Itachi replied activating his eyes.

"Wow look at that. Your three tomoe have been replaced by spirals... sorta looks like the Uzumaki clan seal... so what are you going to call it?" Naruto said still pressing for more information on Itachi's new eyes.

"I, don't know. I haven't thought about the name" Itachi admitted.

"Hm what about Uzugan? Because the spirals in the eye look like the Uzumaki crest" Akimi suggested.

"Yeah I like that. The Uzugan sounds good to me" Naruto agreed.

"So where are you two off too? Jiraiya-sama want's us all to stay close to home for awhile, at least until he returns with Fuu and Zabuza" Itachi said.

"We are just going out to train, Akimi-chan want's to work on Fuuton manipulation so I am going to help. Jiraiya should be back soon. We saw him yesterday fighting with two Akatsuki ninja but they got away" Naruto said.

"So him too huh, looks like we all had encounters with the Akatsuki then. I killed Sasori of the Red Sands but his partner escaped... did you get the two responsible for Akaru's death?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah we got them" Naruto admitted.

"So that is three Akatsuki ninja down. But I wold not put it past them to have figured out we are working together as a group after this. We may have to rethink the team formations to counter any retaliation strikes against us" Itachi sighed.

"How could they? We all fought in different parts of the country" Akimi said.

"It's because of Jiraiya-sama and myself. The Akatsuki have been hunting Naruto for a long time they are sure to have information on him. And considering he has travels with either Jiraiya-sama or myself our involvement with the Akatsuki will have given us away. Itachi explained.

Naruto nodded in agreement with Itachi's assessment of the situation. "That's a good point. But really there are three jinchuuriki and only two S ranked guards. I can handle the Akatsuki at that level so I am probably alright by myself" he mused.

"Maybe, but there is still a lot we do not know about the Akatsuki. I doubt Jiraiya will agree to send you out on your own" Itachi said.

"Well I can take Akimi-chan as my new team. Together we can deal with anything" Naruto said confidently.

"That is a possibility but we should wait and see what Jiraiya thinks first" Itachi replied.

"Yeah fair enough. Well, lets go Akimi-chan it takes awhile to master any elemental manipulation even with the boost you have with your Kekkei Genkai" Naruto said and after waving goodbye to Itachi the couple made their way outside.

Itachi sat with a smirk on his face watching the couple leave. '_Looks like they have taken their relationship to the next level while we have been away. I'm sure Jiraiya-sama will be thrilled, yet devastated that he missed a chance to do his research_' the Uchiha thought with a silent laugh.

(**Konoha**)

Tsunade sat at her desk going through a stack of mission request forms. Each one more dull and unappealing as the previous. On the other side of her desk Hiruzen Sarutobi was also going through a stack of papers in order to assist Tsunade.

Just as the busty Hokage was about to give up and grab a bottle of Saki the door to her office opened and in walked Shizune with a letter in her hand. "Tsunade-sama, look at this... it's a report sent from the team you sent to investigate the disturbances felt at some of the eastern border towns" Shizune said urgently.

"And what have they found?" Tsunade asked.

"It's the Sanbi. It seems to have reformed in a large lake on a island close to our border" Shizune answered.

"Has Kiri been informed? The Sanbi is one of there Bijuu after all" Hiruzen asked.

"Not as far as we know. The island is rather isolated from the rest of the Land of Water" Shizune said.

"I see. In that case, send a letter to Kiri informing them of the revival of the Sanbi and tell them that to ensure that the Bijuu is not captured by the Akatsuki we will be sending a few teams to guard the area until they can find a suitable host" Tsunade ordered.

"A very diplomatic approach Tsunade-Hime" Hiruzen said approvingly.

"It is the safest option. The Sanbi is Kiri's Bijuu so taking it for our own is not an option. But I won't stand around and leave fresh for the picking for any Akatsuki ninja to show up. The more they take the closer they become to having Naruto and the other jinchuuriki in Jiraiya's group as there only remaining targets" Tsunade explained.

"Indeed I was thinking along the same lines. But who are you going to send? It could be awhile before Kiri can find a suitable candidate for a sealing. If that is the case we can't send any large group of Anbu or even jounin. It would leave us understaffed here" Hiruzen said.

"Tenzo and his Mokuton could be vital in calming the Bijuu. Teams Gai and Kurenai can join him with Kakashi taking over for Kurenai as their jounin commander. Finally I think you should go as well Shizune, and take Sakura. With a Bijuu around it will be highly dangerous and we can't afford to go without some skilled field medics" Tsunade said.

Shizune nodded. "Very well. I shall send word out to the teams at once. Then I will send word to Kiri about the reappearance of the Sanbi" she said before bowing slightly and leaving the room.

"There was another option we could have explored. But I think this is the safest" Hiruzen sighed once Shizune had left the room.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked with a quizzical look toward the old Sarutobi.

"Jiraiya's group. They would have been excellent back up for our teams. But with the possibility that the Akatsuki could show up I believe that not informing them would be for the best" the former Hokage explained.

"That's true, but do you really think something like this is going to escape Jiraiya's attention. Even if he is busy on a mission I wouldn't be surprised if he finds out soon enough" Tsunade replied with a slight sigh.

"That is true, he was always been far more inquisitive than he ought to be" Hiruzen chuckled knowing of Jiraiya's habits of peeking on women.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Akimi were standing on the edge of a large river. "Alright so you will already have some basic Fuuton element control because of your Kekkei Genkai" Naruto lectured before stepping out onto the water. "Because of that cutting the leaf didn't cause you any difficulties at all. However this next part is much harder to complete. I want you to cut the flow of the river. It is a lot easier with a waterfall as there is not as much water. But unfortunately for you we don't have a waterfall handy so this is what we have to work with" he continued.

"How am I supposed to cut the water? Akimi asked.

Naruto moved over to the far bank and placed his hands on top of the waters surface. "Like this" he said before focusing his Fuuton chakra out of his hands and the water parted. After holding the water back for a few seconds the blond dropped the jutsu allowing the water flow to return to normal. "It's the same principle as cutting the leaf but instead of a short burst you need to be able to hold and extend the the flow of your chakra out from your body... having better control over both of your elements will make it a lot easier for you to use your swift release as well. It could even make you faster" Naruto explained.

"What you think so?" Akimi asked.

"Of course. At the moment your fop speed is limited by strength and the level of manipulation you can get out of your swift release. By improving the individual aspects of a sub element it will certainly make it stronger" Naruto said.

"Right then I better get started" Akimi said more determined than before. The training was not going as well as Akimi had hoped and as the day moved on she had only been able to disrupt the waters flow for less than a second causing more of a splash than a separation in the water. The lack of significant improvement was starting to get to Akimi and she was starting to feel embarrassed because she couldn't complete the training exercise. "Damn it what am I doing wrong!" she yelled in frustration after another few hours past.

Naruto had been resting under a tree watching Akimi's progress sighed at her frustration. "You are doing perfectly fine. This is not an easy task to complete. Go again and let me get a closer look at your technique" Naruto said before walking over to stand beside the young kunoichi.

Akimi took a few deep breaths in and focusing heavily she released a bust of Fuuton chakra that ripped up the water but was unable to do anything else.

"You are really stiff, relax more. You have the right idea but the balance is wrong. You are trying so hard to get enough power into the jutsu to cut all the way to the other side that you were less attentive in stabilizing the chakra and what you need the chakra to do... Now try again and don't think about the amount of chakra you need, just focus on the other stuff" Naruto lectured kindly.

Akimi nodded and closed her eyes. '_I can do this... Don't think about the power I need... focus on what __I need it to do instead... finally stabilizing_' she thought taking a deep breath with each point that was running through her mind. Finally she thrust her hands against the water again as she expelled the Fuuton chakra and a thin trench appeared for a split second before disappearing. It was by no means perfect but at the same time a big improvement.

"There much better" Naruto said with a smile.

"Why couldn't you have helped me out earlier! I was trying to do it the wrong way for so long!" Akimi pouted.

"Well for two reasons. First off what you were doing wasn't wrong and will help when you move onto the last step of the training, to stop the water like I did. Secondly... well you're cute when your flustered" Naruto said finishing with a smirk before laughing at the now furios expression on Akimi's face.

"You asshole!" she yelled pushing the laughing blond into the water. Naruto reacted quickly, spinning around and and pulling Akimi in after him.

"That wasn't very nice" Naruto joked when he resurfaced.

"Neither was pulling me in after you, besides you deserved it" Akimi said in mock anger before her expression softened and she began slowly approaching Naruto resting her arms on his shoulders and leaning forward for a kiss.

Their lips were a fraction apart when Naruto heard something. "Oh for the love of Kami. I know you're out there Jiraiya sensei! I can here you taking notes for your smut books" Naruto said loudly, but there was no response from anyone. "Okay then, have it your way" he said and bent down to pick up a small rock from the riverbed and tossed it into a nearby tree.

"Ouch! Damn it gaki that hurt" Jiraiya's voice called back causing the blond to smirk.

"You should have known better than to try and peek on us while we were training" Naruto replied as Jiraiya dropped from the tree.

"That's not what it looked like to me. Unless Akimi is working on some new way to kill someone with a kiss" Jiraiya said with a slightly perverted grin.

Both teens blushed heavily. "Damn it Jiraiya sensei... why are you here anyway!" Naruto said trying to change the topic. Akimi on the other hand was looking for where Jiraiya may have hidden his little book he makes notes in.

"Oh yeah, I need everyone back at the base. We need to go through our confrontations with the Akatsuki. Then we need to discuss our next move.

"Next move? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked clearly confused.

"While I was helping Fuu and Zabuza complete their mission we discovered something. But if we move on the information we will be almost certain to run into the Akatsuki again. If that happens then we will likely end up in an all out war with the group meaning they will not leave us alone anylonger. It could also force them to become more extreme with the way they complete their objectives" Jiraiya explained.

"Huh sounds kinda serious. Alright let's go Akimi-chan" Naruto said before picking himself up out of the water and using a Fuuton jutsu to somewhat dry himself and Akimi off.

The trip back to the entrance of the Yoinokuchi base was quiet. Akimi and Naruto were still slightly embarrassed that Jiraiya had caught them about to make out. Jiraiya on the other hand seemed to be contemplating something else. When they opened the hidden entrance to the base they found the other Yoinokuchi ninja already waiting for them.

Haku and Fuu raced over to Akimi the moment they saw her offering their condolences for the loss of her brother. Something that made the dark haired kunoichi smile. "Thanks Haku, Fuu, I'm fine really" She assured the pair.

The group sat at around a table and Jiraiya took out a large map unfolding it. On the map there were three places pinned. "What's this?" Naruto asked pointing to the markers that Jiraiya had placed.

"They are three areas of interest. The first one is an island off the coast of the Land of Fire where the Sanbi has recently reformed. Next we have the Land of Tea, Orochimaru was recently spotted in the country and has several bases hidden there. Finally, we have Ame. I have reason to believe that the Akatsuki is being run from there and is the home to the leader" Jiraiya said.

"Hm so the Sanbi has reformed huh, and I am guessing that means the Akatsuki are going to move soon. After the disappointment of missing out on Fuu and Gaara an unsealed, unprotected Bijuu would be too good of an opportunity to pass up" Zabuza mused.

"That's true. But as you might be aware our fights with the Akatsuki have not been low key. Gaara has turned a large field into a desert, the fight with the members that killed Akaru destroyed a good section of the Fire Temple, and the Bridge to the Land of Waves has been badly damaged in the fight with Kisame Hoshigaki and Hiruko. Konoha already knows about the attacks but should we move to intercept them and fight over the Sanbi I am sure the fighting will escalate, and it will no longer just be the Land of Fire and us that feel the fall out" Jiraiya said.

"So are you suggesting that we just let the Akatsuki waltz in and take a bijuu?" Naruto asked.

"I don't want to suggest that, but maybe staying out of this one is for the best" Jiraiya admitted.

"Bullshit! Yeah they might treat us as a more serious threat to them. But we have already killed three of there members. Meaning there are no more than seven left if that. We fight them for the Sanbi and win they could be another two members down maybe more. And like you said the island is isolated and uninhabited. We are going to have to fight the Akatsuki anyway so why not do it there where we are not going to be ambushed like Gaara and Fuu were on their missions" Naruto said.

"I agree. But it put's our plan of staying off the Akatsuki's radar completely out the window, if it wasn't already" Itachi said.

"Well in that case we are going to split up into two groups. Itachi, you will take Naruto and Akimi to the Land of Water and intercept the Akatsuki when and if they show up for the Sanbi. Meanwhile the rest of us will head to the Land of Tea and search for Orochimaru" Jiraiya said.

"Hey why are we looking for that snake while those three are off fighting?" Zabuza asked feeling left out.

"Because Orochimaru has information that I need on a certain someone in Konoha, and I need you all because like you said Orochimaru is a snake that can escape almost any trap and he has a small army of followers that he can call on should he need it so I can assure you that we do not have a boring job Zabuza" Jiraiya replied.

"Well I guess when you put it like that. I'm in" Zabuza replied.

"Wouldn't it be better to split the teams up evenly?" Haku asked.

"It might be, but if we send too many people to the Island then the Akatsuki might discover you and bring reinforcements. Naruto and Itachi are the best choice for people who can deal with them quickly, sending Akimi with them is because she is the fastest runner and can quickly arrive to provide assistance should it be required. As for the us, well Naruto and Itachi should only be fighting against one opponent each, while we could have to face multiple so the more people the better and it is always possible that the Akatsuki will attack in order to capture Fuu or Gaara and our numbers would make anyone back off and wait for a better opening" Jiraiya explained.

Haku nodded in understanding and everyone agreed to the plan. "Well looks like we don't get anymore time to rest then" Naruto sighed standing up and heading towards his room.

**End Chapter!**

**So if you haven't figured it out already it's going to be a multiple sided fight for the Sanbi. Haven't decided on what Akatsuki members to use but I'm sure I will figure it out one way or another. **

**Chapter was a bit short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. and if you have any requests for what fights you would like to see this arc or just about what you think should happen feel free to suggest anything.**


	65. Unexpected Discovery

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****65: Unexpected Discovery**

In a large seaside village on the eastern border of the Land of Fire a group of three teams from Konoha were walking towards the docks where a large ship with the leaf symbol of Konoha sat docked already filled with supplies.

"Kakashi-sensei, when are you going to tell us what this mission is? It must be Important if Tsunade-sama is willing to send three teams," Sakura asked as they arrived at the docks.

"The mission is confidential for a reason Sakura. Once we arrive at our destination it will be explained in more detail" Kakashi replied.

"It must be a very secretive and important mission indeed, if we are not even given details. If that is the case I will give one hundred and twenty percent. I will make sure that I do a good job, that way I can show that I am a splendid ninja" Lee said boldly.

"That a boy Lee!" Gai beamed in pride of his favorite pupil.

"Still it does seem out of the ordinary that we are being sent out of the Land of Fire, without any proper instructions of where we are going, or the type of mission. It almost reminds me of one of our survival training exercises when we were genin," Neji mused.

"I do not believe this to be a training exercise Neji. Far from it in fact, why else would we have brought two field medics. It is safe to assume that this will be a mission that could prove to be highly dangerous," Shino said expressionlessly.

"That's very perceptive Shino," Shizune complimented.

Shino's only response was to nod his head. "In that case we could be up against some really strong ninja, that means we can show everyone what we can do right Akamaru!" Kiba said grinning while his large white ninja hound barked in approval.

The teams from Konoha quickly loaded the rest of the supplies that they would need and set off south east into the Land of Water.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto had just finished sealing any supplies he might need away into a large scroll. "That should be enough... I'm glad Itachi-sensei said we were going to wait for a day before leaving yesterday. I guess even he needs time to relax after a mission every once in a while" Naruto mused.

At that moment the door to his room opened and Itachi entered. "Akimi-chan is waiting downstairs are you ready to go Naruto-kun?" he asked passively.

"Yeah, just give me a sec... Summoning Jutsu," Naruto said before a large puff of smoke appeared and a large red toad about as tall as Itachi, and three times as wide, wearing a blue vest sat in the middle of the room.

"Hey boss, what do ya need?" The toad said with a friendly wave.

"Hey Kichi. I have a mission that could take awhile. So I need you to hold onto my stuff, oh and make sure Tatsu doesn't eat any of my food, I'm going to need it!" Naruto said handing the large sealing scroll over to the red toad.

"Don't worry I'll leave it with Fukusaku-sama until I am summoned," Gamakichi said happily.

"Why can't you just store the scroll in your stomach like some of the other toads. I swear I saw that freaky toad that wears makeup store stuff for Jiraiya-sensei in his stomach before, so why can't you?" Naruto said.

"Gamariki... yeah he is a little off. He can do things like that because his specialty isn't in fighting. I'm a battle toad so I don't have the ability to store things in my stomach, but I am much stronger than he is. I think Tatsu might be able to store things... but I wouldn't risk it. Knowing him he would probably just eat anything you give him thinking it's snacks," Gamakichi admitted slightly embarrassed for his brother.

"Yeah you are right, I would rather not risk it. Just make sure this scroll stays safe alright?" Naruto said.

"Sure thing Boss, and don't worry, you can count on me!" Gamakichi replied before giving a salute and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Do you think it's wise letting the toads look after your supplies Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked once Naruto pulled on a Yoinokuchi cloak and made his way to the door.

"Well I'm not going to leave it with my Rinnegan summons, they are brain dead, they can't act by themselves without me giving orders, so trusting them isn't an option. If I ask one of the Rinnegan summons to look after my pack anything that could be considered even a minor threat would be wiped out completely," Naruto replied shaking his head.

"Well, you could always just carry the pack yourself" Itachi suggested.

"Itachi-sensei, I don't even like wearing a shirt, so you can imagine how I feel about backpacks" Naruto joked as they walked downstairs and found Akimi impatiently waiting by the entrance.

"What the hell took you so long?" she asked.

"Naruto was having a conversation with a toad" Itachi said faltly.

"Gamakichi is not just a toad. He is my personal summons of the Toads of Myobokuzan. I have another one… but, uh, I try not to think about him" Naruto said.

"We already wasted a day relaxing yesterday, why didn't you do it then?" Akimi asked.

"Well I wasn't packed then, and the day wasn't wasted. We spent it training!" Naruto replied defensively.

"This is getting us nowhere. Let's just get going. Naruto-kun, do you have a flying summons that could carry the three of us?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah the I should be able to pull that off. But sustaining a Rinnegan summons for that long is gonna be draining, even for me. Can we at least run to one of the port towns before I summon anything? That way it will be no problem!" Naruto said.

"Very well. Then we shouldn't waste any more time here. Lets get going," Itachi said and without further discussion pushed open the entrance to the Yoinokuchi hideout and kicked off into the trees.

"Well he's serious, as usual. Come on Akimi-chan lets hurry and catch up" Naruto sighed.

"What about a race?" Akimi asked with a smirk.

"I think that's a little unfair with your Swift Release, but why not" Naruto chuckled and kicked off at full speed.

"Hey wait up! Now who's not playing fair Cheater!" Akimi yelled before kicking off after the blond.

It was not long before the pair raced past Itachi who could only shake his head at their antics. "I thought he wanted to save his energy?" the Uchiha sighed to himself but picked up the pace to keep up with the teens regardless.

(**Elsewhere**)

There was a far less friendly group of ninja traveling from a hidden port just north of the Land of Fire. A large group from Oto, and leading the group were two distinctly different shinobi. There was Kabuto who was sent mostly to keep an eye on Orochimaru's favorite pet Sasuke. The other group leader was a tall kunoichi with light blue hair which she kept in a spiky ponytail. She wore dark red lipstick and a green dress that had a long left sleeve and a short right one.

Kabuto and Guren did not see eye to eye on most things. For one Guren thought that she would have been a far better person to guard her beloved Orochimaru-sama than the brooding Uchiha. As such the boat seemed to be divided. Guren and her large team on one side with Kabuto, Sasuke and a much smaller group of Oto ninja on the other. In fact the only thing keeping them from killing each other was the fact that they had a job to do, and Orochimaru would not be happy if they failed. Or in Sasuke's case the fact that he thought of everyone not worthy to kill because they wouldn't be strong enough to test out his abilities.

"I don't get it Kabuto, why am I the one who has to look after the gaki?" Guren asked angrily.

"Because I am already baby sitting Sasuke-kun besides it might be good for you to be useful for once," Kabuto leered.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Guren spat angrily.

Kabuto's smirk grew. "Only that you are never given missions by Orochimaru-sama because you are unreliable," he said.

A large blade made of crystal shot out from Guren's forearms and came to a halt just grazing Kabuto's neck who stayed calm and smirking during the process. "I'll kill you one of these days Kabuto! Orochimaru-sama won't have a use for someone like you forever, and when that day comes I will gladly remove that smug smile from your face!" Guren seethed.

"Such hostilities and I thought you were getting soft after looking after Yukimaru" Kabuto said flatly.

Guren moved her blade back violently cutting Kabuto's cheek before dissolving her crystal blade. "Next time it will be your neck. Now how long until we arrive at our destination!" Guren said.

Kabuto wiped the blood away from his wound and quickly healed the injury. "I won't be long now, I expect us to arrive within an hour. With Yukimaru it will not be all that difficult to locate the Sanbi" Kabuto said.

Guren huffed and walked away. "I'm sure one of the peons that were assigned to me will tell me when we get there anyway" she scoffed to indicate that she wasn't even listening to Kabuto.

'_She is as difficult as always. With any luck this will be a short mission and we can get back to Orochimaru-sama without any difficulties_' Kabuto mused while gazing out to sea.

Kabuto had no idea that they would not be the first group to be arriving at the island holding the Sanbi, that honor was given to the teams from Konoha who had just arrived on an abandoned beach at the south of the island.

"Wow look at this place. Maybe we have been sent on a holiday, I mean there is nothing here at all what could we possibly need to do out here?" Kiba said as he looked around the sunny beach.

Kiba was given an answer when a loud roar echoed throughout the island causing trees to shake and Kiba to grab his ears.

"What was that?" Sakura asked slightly apprehensive to be given an answer.

"That was the reason we are here Sakura" Kakashi said with one of his eye smiles.

"So what, we are supposed to fight some monster?" Tenten asked in shocked disbelief.

"No we are simply here to watch over the Sanbi until a team from Kiri arrive to seal it" Kakashi explained.

"Sanbi? isn't that one of the nine Bijuu?" Sakura asked.

"That's right the Sanbi is the three tailed tortoise. We are going to keep an eye on the bijuu to make sure nobody attempts to capture or steal the bijuu which is considered property of Kiri" Gai said.

"What why would they seal it? why don't we just kill the Sanbi?" Kiba suggested.

"It's not possible to kill a Bijuu they reform themselves if they are defeated" Gai said informatively.

"But we were told that the Yondaime Hokage killed the Kyuubi, so it must be possible" Sakura said.

Gai went pale and stuttered trying to think up an answer. It was still an offense punishable by death to mention that the Kyuubi was not dead and sealed inside a child who no longer resides in the village. Luckily for the charming sensei with mammoth sized eyebrows his eternal rival came to his aid. "The Yondaime Hokage was able to defeat the Kyuubi because of his unique skills and strength that not even all of us together could match" Kakashi said.

"I see. But why does Kiri want to own one of these things? I mean aren't they dangerous?" Sakura asked.

"Well you see Sakura they are often seen as an integral part of a counties military and a major deterrent during times of high tension between villages" Kakashi explained.

"Wow so does Konoha have a Bijuu as part of the military?" Tenten asked.

"Uh no. We did but it sort of left us. But Tsunade-sama is confident he will come back one day" Gai said.

"He I didn't know the Tailed beasts had genders" Kiba said.

Once more Gai paled and the three other senior ninja gave him an exasperated look. "Well as you can probably tell Bijuu are not easily controlled. To keep a Bijuu's power under control they are sealed within a host. These host's are called jinchuuriki and can hold the Bijuu's power back and after awhile access a small amount of it as if it's their own. In very rare cases even control the full extent of the Bijuu's power" Kakashi explained.

"Wow they must be really strong. So who is Konoha's jinchuuriki?" Tenten asked.

"We are not allowed to say. If we do we will break a law and it will end in our deaths. It was a law passed to ensure that the jinchuuriki would live as normal a life as possible" Gai said a hint of regret and sadness in his voice.

"I bet he's really strong... someone like one of the Sannin" Kiba said enthusiastically.

"Something like that" Kakashi said.

"In any case let's find the Sanbi's location and set up a camp at a safe distance" Shizune said trying to change the topic of discussion.

Thanks to Kiba's short attention span it worked perfectly. "Oh yeah where do we need to go!" the Inuzuka asked eagerly.

"Well why don't you tell us. You are part of the hunting and tracking team are you not?" Kakashi said with a smile.

Kiba spluttered. "Ah well..."

"The target is located ten miles inland" Shino informed the group.

"Impressive" Kakashi mused with wide eyes.

"The air is filled with chakra that is coming from the creature. My beetles were able to locate it before we even left the ship" Shino said, his voice void of emotion.

"Well that's our target let's get going then" Kakashi said and began walking.

The Konoha ninja continued on at a slow pace not wanting to alert the Bijuu to their arrival if they could help it. But after a few minutes of careful tree hopping they arrived at a large cliff overlooking a gigantic lake that would fit Konoha easily inside.

"This looks like the spot" Shizune sighed taking a seat at the edge of the cliff.

"Sanbi is the water spirit so it does make sense to be a an area like this" Gai added.

"So basically we just have to watch this lake until some Kiri ninja show up?" Neji asked.

"Yes that's right, hopefully it will be a straightforward mission" Kakashi said.

"Then why send three teams? The Bijuu doesn't look like it is going to go anywhere anytime soon and surely if someone were to attempt to steal the Sanbi it would be Kiri's problem. Why are we getting involved?" Neji continued.

"In the wrong hands the power of a Bijuu can be very dangerous. We also have been given reports on a group of S ranked missing ninja that are hunting the Bijuu. We do not know their final goal but letting a group of criminals get their hands of that kind of destructive power would be disastrous for all of the elemental nations" Shizune said standing up but still looking over the lake. "The more Bijuu that they capture the more dangerous they are. That is why Tsunade-sama sent us here" she added.

"Alright Let's split into two groups. One group will set up a camp while the others will scout the area" Kakashi said.

"I think I would be most useful with the camp. How about you leave that task to the support team" Tenzo suggested.

"Alright in that case. Shizune and Sakura will go with you to set up camp. I will take team Kurenai around one side of the lake and Gai you can take your team around the other" Kakashi said while reading his favorite Icha Icha book.

"Yosh! We will do it. And if there is anything to find we will discover it" Gai said enthusiasticly.

"Huh, you say something Gai?" Kakashi asked offhandedly lifting his head slightly to look at the green spandex wearing jounin.

"Gah... curse you Kakashi, and that damn hip attitude!" Gai whined with anime style tears flowing freely.

(**Meanwhile**)

There was another group arriving on the island this time from the north. The boat that pulled up was highly inconspicuous looking just like any other fishing vessel from a civilian village. However those on board were by no means that.

"What's the point of this! I should be training to face Itachi not baby sitting a bunch of weaklings" Sasuke growled as he left the boat accompanied by Kabuto.

"My Sasuke-kun you really do only have a one track mind don't you. Orochimaru-sama requested we complete this mission and that is what we are going to do." Kabuto replied.

"Whatever" Sasuke scoffed before walking off towards the beach.

"You should really cheer up and relax more Sasuke-kun," Kabuto sighed before following after the ever brooding Uchiha.

"Hn," was Sasuke's only reply.

Waiting at the shore was Guren who was accompanied by a teenager a year or two younger than Sasuke. He had long pale greyish blond hair with magenta eyes. He wore an olive green and gray kimono along with dark blue pants.

"Yukimaru and I are ready to go. I've sent my team on ahead to set up camp and scout the area" Guren said coolly.

"Good then I can assume you are prepared for the sealing?" Kabuto asked.

"I am, but as you probably know it will all be up to how long Yukimaru can keep the Sanbi calm for the sealing" Guren said.

"Is that all we are here for? What a waste of time" Sasuke scoffed angrily.

"Orochimaru-sama thinks young Yukimaru-kun will become a great asset to him. Maybe even more useful than you Sasuke-kun. You should be worried that he doesn't replace you" Kabuto said with his trademark smirk.

"Like someone like him could ever replace me. I am not worried by the lives of the weak and foolish" Sasuke scoffed.

"Ah but he is not always going to be weak Sasuke-kun once he becomes the Sanbi's jinchuuriki his ability to sync with the Bijuu will make him highly formidable once he has been trained properly." Kabuto said calmly.

"It doesn't matter. Compared to me, a full blooded Uchiha. He will always be weak!" Sasuke declared pompously.

"If you say so. I any case lets head to camp I'm sure that it has been set up for us by now" Kabuto said.

(Elsewhere)

The teams led by Kakashi and Gai had just met up after scouting the are. "Did you find anything Gai?" Kakashi asked.

"No everything was quiet. What about you?" Gai asked.

"Well we didn't see anything but Shino has sent some of his beetles to checkout a wider area. We are waiting for them all to return," Kakashi sighed.

The wait for Shino's Kikai beetles turned out to be longer than the group had anticipated. "Hey Shino what's up with your bugs. shouldn't they be back by now?" Kiba asked impatiently.

"Indeed they should have. It is possible that they have been killed. Although the more likely situation is that they have found something and are investigating closer. In any event they should be on the way back now" the Aburame answered flatly.

No sooner had Shino finished talking than a small insect flew down from a nearby tree and landed upon the insect users finger. After a short moment of silent communication between the bug and bug user Shino nodded and turned to Kakashi. "There is a large group of ninja around thirty strong in a cave around seven miles north of our location" Shino informed the group.

"Kiri shouldn't have arrived already, we only sent the letter to them yesterday" Gai said.

"There is always the possibility that they knew of the Sanbi already and have sent a group. In which case we should go explain the purposes of us being here. But we shouldn't go with a large group, too many and we will be easily found should it not prove to be Kiri and we will be seen as a threat if it is. Gai and Shino come with me. The rest of you head back to the campsite" Kakashi ordered.

The group split up and Kakashi and Gai followed Shino through the trees before slowing to a halt a good distance away from a tall cliff with a large opening that looked to have been made recently. "They are not Kiri ninja, that's for sure" Gai said calmly.

"Oto... that means Orochimaru has some interest in this island. The question is, is the snake here himself or did he just send a couple of teams" Kakashi said.

It was at that moment four new arrivals landed in front of the cave causing the the Konoha ninja's eyes to widen. "Sasuke" Kakashi said in a hushed tone.

"And the one with the silver hair is supposedly Kabuto Yakushi, former medic for Konoha and Orochimaru's right hand man" Gai said.

"So thirty ninja, plus those four. It's not a fight we can easily win by charging in and attacking. We are going to need a plan" Kakashi mused closing his eyes in deep thought. "Shino can you leave some of your Kikaichu here to keep an eye on them. If they don't move we can wait until help arrives, either from Kiri or Konoha before dealing with the Oto ninja. Either way our mission remains the same. Watch over the Sanbi and make sure nothing happens to it until Kiri has sealed it" Kakashi said.

"Although I do not like that we are leaving them alone when we have an opportunity to capture Sasuke I have to agree. Any confrontation with this group would weaken our fighting strength considerably should a more pressing threat arise." Shino said his tone still as bland as ever.

"Your understanding and analysis of any situation is impressive Shino. You would be in for a good shot at making Jounin during the next trials." Kakashi said.

"Thank you Kakashi sensei. I was hoping to wait for Kiba and Hinata to reach a level where they can take the trials with me however. We have been working as a team ever since Sai and Sasuke left and I would like that to remain the case," Shino said.

"Looks like the latest generation has the right mind set, right Gai" Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Yosh! They burn brightly with the flames of youth!" The bushy eyebrowed sensei exclaimed in a hushed voice so as to not alert the Oto ninja to their position.

"We should head back and tell the others about this... but don't mention that Sasuke is here. We don't know how the others will respond," Kakashi ordered.

"Agreed," Shino said with a nod. While Gai just gave a thumbs up and a big grin.

The three Konoha ninja turned around and kicked off back towards the other side of the lake in silence. '_Sasuke... Just what the hell are you doing on this island!_' Kakashi thought slightly worried as he leaped from tree to tree. The copy ninja was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the large bird fly over and circle the lake once before landing in the middle of the forest to the east.

**End Chapter!**

**Action will start to pick up next chapter. Just needed to set up the scene for the encounters. Also you may have noticed I haven't mentioned which Akatsuki pairing will take part, two reasons for this... One I still haven't decided yet, and secondly I want some suspense. Hope you liked the chapter and you didn't mind the fact that Naruto was barely in this one.**


	66. Shock Decision

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****66: Shock Decision**

"So that's where the Sanbi is huh... it's been awhile since I have seen it. I wonder if it's any different now that it's not inside Yagura?" Naruto mused as the large bird he summoned flew over the lake.

"I don't think it will have changed all that much. I mean, has Kyuubi changed at all since it was sealed in you?" Akimi said.

"Uh I don't really know. I keep Kyuubi's chakra almost completely suppressed. I haven't been into my seal in years" Naruto mused.

"Learning how to use Kyuubi's chakra properly, would be a great benefit to you Naruto-kun," Itachi said.

"Well Jiraiya-sensei wanted us to try during our trip. But Fukusaku-sama wouldn't allow it. Not only that, every time the topic was brought up he would hit Jiraiya-sensei or myself with his walking stick," Naruto said flinching from the memory of how painful the small toad could hit someone.

"Strange, I would have thought that the training would be perfect for someone with your abilities," Itachi said calmly.

"Yeah but the grand old geezer toad sage said that I wasn't ready. It's hard to believe him though, he always kept forgetting my name. So I'm not really sure what to think about training with Kyuubi," Naruto chuckled. They circled the lake a few times in silence before coming into land in a small clearance in the surrounding forest. "Hey Itachi-sensei did you notice?"

"Yes. For a supposedly unpopulated island it sure is busy." The stoic Uchiha said calmly.

"Huh, are you saying that there is someone else on this island?" Akimi asked.

"Yes, quite a few. There is a cave to the north with what seems like a large number of strong chakra signatures. Meanwhile south there is a smaller group of ninja that are inside a large house" Itachi informed the kunoichi.

"I don't know who's inside the caves but I have a fairly decent idea who the ninja are at the south side of the lake. The real question is, why are they here?" Naruto mused.

"Well, why don't we go find out for ourselves?" Akimi asked.

Naruto took a quick look around the area and nodded. "Sounds like a plan. This isn't a very good strategic area anyway. If the Akatsuki show up they will spot us here right away. Our plan is to lure the Akatsuki ninja that show up to capture the Sanbi into a confrontation with the Bijuu, before surprising them them in an ambush. That won't work if they know we are here waiting for them" Naruto said.

"So you suggest we hide out with the ninja to the south? A decent plan." Itachi agreed. "However, while you and Akimi-chan may be welcomed, I will not be greeted in a similar fashion."

"They wouldn't try anything. And with all the activity in this area we will need to minimalise the areas where ninja are concentrated if our plan is going to work. Besides the best place to hide a tree is in the forest, so hiding out with the others is our best option" Naruto said.

Itachi was silent for a few moments but eventually nodded in agreement. "It does seem like our best bet, and they will surely have information on the other group that is here" Itachi said. '_This could be quite a dangerous situation. If the team from Konoha don't accept my presence then it could turn into a fight. Something that I do not want, and I know Naruto-kun would not like to be forced to fight against ninja from Konoha,_' he added as an afterthought while the group began heading south towards the Konoha groups campsite.

(**Meanwhile at the the Konoha Campsite**)

The chunin were all marveling at the large building Tenzo had constructed using his Mokuton jutsu. "This has got to be one of the most amazing skills I have ever seen!" Kiba said enthusiastically as he inspected the various rooms of the house. "It has everything... Hey can you build me a house inside the Inuzuka compound? It's really difficult to be still living with my mother and sister," he said.

Shizune couldn't help but chuckle at the Inuzuka's optimism and boldness. "Kiba, Yamato-taichou is a very busy member of Anbu, he can't go around performing requests for every chunin that asks for something," she said kindly.

"I know, but this place is just so amazing, I think it is even bigger than our clans meeting hall!" Kiba said slightly crestfallen.

"Well I'm sure if you asked Tsuande-sama she could permit Yamato-taichou to build you a house. Although it would not be cheap and... I'm sure at this stage of your career you would not be able to afford it," Shizune said.

Suddenly the doors burst open and Gai shot into the building with his trademark nice guy pose, followed slowly by Kakashi who looked somwhat embarrassed for his friend, and Shino who had no emotion showing one way or the other. "Ah Kakashi where is your enthusiasm for a grand entrance!" the spandex clad jounin asked.

"Huh you say something Gai?" the copy ninja replied. Gai's response was more like that of a child than a powerful shinobi. He fell on the floor with tears streaming down his face weeping about Kakashi's 'Hip and Cool' attitude.

The other ninja in the room watched the scene with a mixture of awe and fear. '_Wow Kakashi-sensei really knows how to set Gai-sensei off!_' Sakura thought slightly embarrassed for Gai.

After a short moment Gai jumped up off the ground as if nothing had even happened. "Kakashi I challenge you to a race around the lake!" he said back to his normal self.

"Sorry Gai, but we don't have time" Kakashi replied.

"Oh yes that's right what did you find? Who else is on the island?" Shizune queried.

"Oto ninja, not only that there are some of Orochimaru's top men with them" Kakashi answered.

"Oto! What are they doing here?" Yamato asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it surely can't be anything good. Ideally I would like to take them out. But they outnumber us by more than two to one. Even if they didn't outnumber us so heavily, a fight against them would leave us exposed should anyone more dangerous come after the Sanbi" Kakashi explained.

"But they might have information on Sasuke-kun! Surely that is more important than looking after a creature that can easily fend for itself!" Sakura said urgently.

Gai and Kakashi exchanged looks before answering the pinkette. "Our mission is to make sure the Sanbi remains safe. I want to look for Sasuke as well. But the mission comes first in this instance" Kakashi sighed.

"Besides if Oto is on this island then it is always a possibility they are after the Sanbi. Should this happen we will of course stop them... If that is the case you might just get the information that you need" Gai added, careful not to give away the fact that Sasuke was indeed here on the island.

Sakura nodded in understanding even if she was slightly upset by the decision. "I'm sorry Sakura, we simply don't have the numbers to take on the Oto ninja and watch over the Sanbi at the same time" Kakashi said kindly.

"It's okay Kakashi-sensei I understand" Sakura sighed.

Suddenly there was a loud noise outside and everyone in the large wooden house rushed outside. A few yards away from their campsite a small clearing had been created the trees had been ripped out of the ground completely. "What did that, was it the Sanbi?"Tenten asked.

"I don't think so Tenten. The area is far too small for it to have been done by a Bijuu" Kakashi said.

"Attentive as ever Kakashi" came a calm smooth voice from the treeline before Itachi walked out.

Kakashi, Gai, and Tenzo, automatically fell into a stance ready for an attack. And while most of the others were wondering just who it was standing before them Shizune was busy looking for either Naruto or Jiraiya. Sakura and Hinata who had met Itachi Uchiha once before if only for the briefest of moments seemed more surprised by the fact he would show up rather than reading themselves to fight. "Itachi Uchiha, why are you here!" Kakashi said in a harsh.

"I'm waiting for the Akatsuki" Itachi replied expressionlessly.

"Then you made a big mistake in coming here and confronting us!" Gai yelled before jumping forward fist cocked while he focused on the Uchiha's feet.

Itachi rolled out of the way of the attack just in time, Gai's fist struck the ground with such intensity that a small crater formed. But his attack didn't stop there in one swift movement he used the hand that he had punched with to push off into a flying kick. This time to stop Itachi from getting away again, Tenzo trapped him with his mouton jutsu. Only Kakashi seemed hesitant. Although Jiraiya never talked about the people in his group he knew for a fact that Naruto was one of them, and not only that, the blond had also been traveling with Itachi when they first met.

Gai was just about to make contact with the still stoic Uchiha when he was blown back with force sending him crashing into a nearby tree. "Looks like you were right Itachi-sensei, Miteo Gai did attack first!" came the call of Naruto as he made his presence known to the group.

"What were you expecting to happen Naruto-kun? Itachi is a S-ranked missing ninja in Konoha. They were never going to welcome him with open arms" Akimi said walking out from the trees on the opposite side of the Konoha ninja, her arms folded clearly unhappy with the way they indicated their arrival. '_He's becoming more and more like Jiraiya-sama, always wanting to make a grand entrance_' she thought shaking her head.

"Naruto-kun what are you doing here!" Shizune asked in shock, even though she had a fairly good idea.

"Didn't anyone listen to Itachi-sensei? We are waiting for the Akatsuki to show up" Naruto replied.

"Naruto-kun, that is Itachi Uchiha, he's a very dangerous criminal! Why are you associating with the likes of him?" Tenzo asked.

"Huh? Itachi-sensei isn't dangerous. Well, okay yes he is, but only if you are an Uchiha" Naruto chuckled.

"Regardless Itachi Uchiha is a missing ninja and criminal, with an order to exterminate on is head" Gai said.

"Well it is true that, that is the case. But every leaf in the forest has two sides" Itachi said offhandedly.

This simple statement caused Kakashi to go bug eyed for just a moment. '_That's an old Anbu code phrase for an undercover S class assignment, they haven't been given out since a year after I joined Anbu. Could it be that Itachi is actually innocent, and just playing the role of a missing ninja? That said Itachi was an Anbu captain so it's possible he knew the old codes,_' he thought.

"Look this is getting us nowhere. If you really want to try and capture or kill Itachi-sensei you will fail, so why don't we call a truce while we are here on this island" Naruto suggested. "Besides I really don't want to have to hurt any of my friends just because they wanted to attack my sensei" he added.

"We agree" Kakashi said causing Tenzo and Gai to look at the copy ninja questioningly. "A fight against the three of them is not a fight that can be won so easily. In fact it would be easier to go up against the Oto ninja on the other side of the lake" Kakashi explained after seeing the looks he was receiving.

"Come off it, there is only three of them" Kiba said not liking that his abilities were being questioned.

"Yes and Naruto-kun and Itachi are both Kage level ninja. It would take all of us to fight against them" Shizune said.

"Shizune-Neechan is right, and even if I have no desire to hurt any of you. I would defend Itachi-sensei with my life" Naruto replied.

"Alright for now Itachi Uchiha is not an enemy of Konoha. Although I am not looking forward to giving the mission report when we get back" Kakashi said with a defeated sigh.

"Hey with there help we can easily take care of the Oto ninja. Like you said they are strong enough that they would even be able to do it themselves!" Sakura suggested.

"So the other group is from Oto huh? Is Orochimaru there?" Naruto asked his interest piqued.

"No, but he has some of his top men there" Kakashi answered.

"Oh never mind then" Naruto replied all interest in the situation gone.

"Yes but Sakura-chan is right. With your help Naruto-kun, we could capture the Oto ninja and get information on the whereabouts of Sasuke-kun!" Lee said optimistically.

Naruto waved the comment off. "Nah, not interested. We're here for the Akatsuki, dealing with a bunch of Oto weaklings is a waste of energy" he replied lazily.

"But, they are on this island for a reason. They could be going after the Sanbi themselves," Sakura added.

"If that's the case, then isn't it your job to stop them? I mean why else would Konoha be here?" Akimi said.

"So basically you are just going to sit around and do nothing until these Akatsuki, who ever they are show up?" Neji surmised.

"Well um. It does seem like that is their plan. But surely if the bait was taken Naruto-kun and the others would have to act" Hinata said.

"Huh I guess that's true. No point being here if the Sanbi is gone," Naruto agreed.

"Then what about Kiri, if they show up first will you stop them from creating a new jinchuuriki?" Kakashi questioned.

"Hm good question. Probably not considering we have a good relationship with Kiri. Besides at least that way Sanbi will be safe, although it is a little cruel on the Bijuu" Naruto mused.

"So you won't help us?" Shino asked.

"It's not that I don't want to help you guys out. It's that you are using our arrival as an excuse to have us do your work for you. If we didn't show up, you weren't planing to attack the Oto camp were you?" Naruto asked to which Shino shook his head. "So why then should we have to do it, and weaken ourselves, just to be convenient for Konoha?" the blond lectured.

"I see your point" Shino said respectfully.

"Anyway we should finish building our camp site" Naruto said before walking over to the area of cleared trees and after slamming his hands to the ground a relatively large, single level house built of stone erected itself.

"Why is it that everyone on this mission can build a house like it's no big deal!" Kiba whined in defeat after witnessing Naruto's jutsu.

While this was going on there seemed to be a very awkward stare down going on between Itachi and the Konoha ninja. Well awkward in the sense that Itachi was sanding there emotionless while sections of the Konoha ninja waited for him to attack. Only Shizune seemed to be relaxed. Knowing the full story of why Itachi was a missing ninja from before Tsunade became Hokage.

Very slowly the tension seemed to die down and everyone relaxed. "Phew glad that's over with. For awhile there I thought it was going to descend into a fight" Akimi sighed before going to check out Naruto's handiwork on their living arrangements. "It seems to have calmed down and there is not much chance of a fight breaking out anymore," Akimi said hugging the blond jinchuuriki from behind.

Naruto spun around deftly in Akimi's arms before giving the speedy kunoichi a quick kiss. "That's good I didn't think that we would hit all that much resistance anyway. Although the Oto ninja are a worry that I didn't want to have to deal with" Naruto sighed.

"Then why not just go wipe them all out it's not like it will be all that difficult, they are all huddled together after all. One of your completed elemental rasengan jutsu would wipe them all out with ease," Akimi said.

"Yeah, but where is the fun in that? This way I can see what the Konoha ninja are capable of," Naruto replied.

The rest of the day passed without incident. Kiba, Lee and Hinata were sent to watch over the lake that held Sanbi but there was no movement at all save the odd wave caused by the Bijuu surfacing for a brief moment. Naruto was surprised nothing had happened. He was sure that there would have no other reason for Oto ninja to be on the island other than the Bijuu and the fact that they had not made a move yet was rather interesting.

He was not to disappointed for long however as early the next morning Kiba came bounding into the camp. "There is movement on the lake. A boat with about five people is heading out to the center!" the Inuzuka yelled.

Kakashi, Gai and Tenzo quickly ran off towards the lake followed closely by most of the other Konoha ninja leaving only Shizune and Sakura behind.

"Shall we go help out?" Itachi asked.

"Nah let's just go watch what happens it should be interesting" Naruto mused.

The three Yoinokuchi ninja took off at a leisurely pace after the teams from Konoha. When they arrived at the cliff the Konoha group was already making their way across the lakes surface. "This doesn't seem wise. We should help them out" Itachi said.

Down on the lakes surface there was a thin mist that caused poor visibility. Inside a small boat sat Guren, Yukimaru, Kabuto and two ninja from Guren's group. "Well first we need to call the Sanbi out. Yukimaru you need to sync with the Bijuu and attempt to control it so we can begin the sealing" Kabuto said.

"Like we would let Orochimaru get his slimy hands on a Bijuu" came the call of Kakashi through the mist.

"Oh my this is unexpected... I didn't expect to see Konoha here. The Akatsuki or Kiri maybe, but not Konoha" Kabuto mused.

"Kabuto Yakushi, you have valuable information on Orochimaru and will be taken into custody. Now stand down, and come quietly" Kakashi ordered.

"And why would I want to do that?" Kabuto replied before flinging several kunai in the direction of Kakashi's voice. "Start the sealing. We will take care of this!" he ordered before sending up a flair.

Up where Naruto and the other Yoinokuchi ninja were observing the scene below they saw a large group of ninja bolt across the waters surface from the north. "Are they trying to make a jinchuuriki in a situation like this?" Naruto asked quite surprised by the development.

"Well your father sealed the Kyuubi into you while fighting it. So it may not be all that surprising" Itachi said.

"Hey look the fights starting!" Akimi said pointing to an area in the low lying clouds where two ninja were striking at each other viciously with kunai in each hand.

One by one more and more ninja joined the fray down below, and while Kakashi was occupied with Kabuto the other Konoha ninja were each facing up against two or more. Gai was making light work of the of any Oto ninja that ventured into his area with efficient taijutsu.

"Where's Sasuke? I know he is on this island with the rest of you!" Kakashi asked as He and Kabuto came together again each trying to over power the other.

"Oh you know him Kakashi, all he cares about is fighting his brother. Although he may show up if he gets bored. However if you want a chance to talk to Sasuke-kun you will need to defeat me first, and to do that you will need to uncover that Sharingan eye of yours" Kabuto smirked.

Kakashi twisted around withing the blink of an eye delivering a kick to Kabuto's chest sending him skidding back across the water before coming to a rest just in front of the boat. "Can't you handle a bunch of Konoha ninja Kabuto, you really are pathetic!" Guren said angrily.

"Just shut up and get to work with the sealing. Orochimaru-sama already prepared the seal all you have to do is add the chakra once the Sanbi has been calmed and held in place, so get to it already!" Kabuto replied before rolling out of the way of a torrent of water that flew up from in front of Kakashi's feet.

"You're going to have to do better than that Kakashi" Kabuto said before activating his chakra scalpels and racing in at the masked Konoha ninja. '_I say that, but in terms of skill Kakashi might just be out of my league as I am right now,_' Kabuto thought as he swung at the copy ninja who deftly slid back across the water to avoid the strike.

Kabuto's missed attack led to an opening that Kakashi wasted no time in attacking sending a kick aimed at the exposed ribs of Orochimaru's right hand man. However, a split second before the kick made contact Kakashi pulled out, and just in time too as Kabuto's hand went to swipe at the leg that had aimed to connect with his ribs. "Clever feint. You deliberately left an opening for me to exploit, because with medical taijutsu you can disable a limb from the lightest of touches" Kakashi mused.

"As expected of the legendary Copy Ninja. Your reputation is well earned indeed" Kabuto complimented calmly. '_As I thought, he is far too experienced to be caught up in a move like that, this fight will be highly difficult, but the longer it goes on the more it will favor me as that eye of his will be __a drain on his chakra,_' he added as an afterthought.

(**Meanwhile on the Boat**)

"Okay Yukimaru, you know what you have to do right?" Guren posed.

The teenager with pale blond hair nodded although he was rather intimidated by the position he was put in as well as scared with the fighting going on around him. After seeing the expectant look on Guren's face however the teen gained more confidence. "I can do it Guren-neechan" he said.

Guren blushed slightly at being referred to as an older sister by the young teen, but she took no notice of this fact. Slowly a pale blue aura formed around his body and a massive jolt of chakra could be felt beneath the still lake. "Yes that's it Yukimaru, yo need to bring the Sanbi here as quickly as possible" she said encouragingly.

From the water three armored tails appeared followed by a large shell until the Sanbi stood in the senter of the lake looking down upon Yukimaru with what appeared to be a look of interest on its face. All fighting between the two groups stopped and all eyes turned on the strange pairing of Yukimaru and Sanbi.

"So that's why Orochimaru is so interested in the Sanbi. It appears this boy has some connection with the Bijuu, he is able to at the very least able to somewhat calm it down" Itachi observed from where the Yoinokuchi ninja were sitting, watching the scenes progress down below.

Suddenly the Sanbi gave a giant roar and the boat flew from the water causing Yukimaru to loose concentration. Once the teens jutsu was dropped Sanbi flew into a rage, it's tails started seinging wildly and it thrashed around forcing the Oto and Konoha ninja to separate. "This isn't good. I think I know what's coming!" Naruto said quickly jumping to his feet and holding a hand high above his head. "I need to get into sage mode before the Sanbi gets too angry," Naruto said closing his eyes and standing perfectly still.

Below in the water the gigantic three tailed tortoise looked around at the people who had disturbed his peace. Opening its mouth wide highly condensed chakra began to form in front of the creatures face. "It's going to try and kill them all!" Akimi said in shock after feeling the sheer power behind the jutsu Sanbi was preparing.

"This is the power of a Bijuu, their ultimate move the Bijuudama," Itachi explained while slightly awed at the site.

The two dark haired shinobi were distracted moments later when they heard a loud bell like screech from behind them they turned just in time to see Naruto launch himself high into the air above the lake with Rasenshuriken in hand. "Hey Sanbi... remember me! Sorry about this, but I can't let you fire that jutsu! Fuuton Rasenshuriken!" the blond yelled.

"What is that jutsu?" Kakashi gasped his eyes now transfixed on the blond hovering high above them. '_This is just like when he killed the Akatsuki member Hidan. But this time he is using Fuuton chakra instead of Katon!_' he reasoned. Then after remembering just how devastating the Katon element rasengan was quickly turned to the other ninja. "We need to get back now!" he yelled at the same time as Tenzo who had just come to the same realization.

Once the Konoha ninja were at a safe distance away Naruto had no more reason to wait and before Sanbi could complete the jutsu Naruto rocketed the spinning disk of Fuuton chakra down into the Sanbi's impenetrable shell before exploding in a torrent of power and wind.

Sanbi I roared in pain arching its head high into the air before releasing it's Bijuudama that only narrowly avoided the blond, who was preparing a gravity barrier to block the jutsu should he need it. Once the condensed blast of chakra tore through the clouds it exploded in a brilliant show of lights that could be seen even as far away as Kiri, and the shorelines of the Land of Fire.

Both explosions died down and Sanbi who's shell now had multiple small, yet deep cuts all over it quickly retreated under water. On the far north shoreline stood a dark haired teenager who watched the show of power with nothing but unbridled fury. However his anger was not directed at Naruto, nor was it aimed at the Bijuu. The focus of his anger was the tall Uchiha standing on a cliff at the far side of the lake watching the proceedings with a calm expressionless demeanor. "Itachi! You will die on this island!" Sasuke seethed as he readied his katana with one hand and a chidori in the other.

**End Chapter!**

**Yes I know it's another cliffhanger, but I did what I wanted to in this chapter already and if I moved on to the next part of the story it would take too long and I would have to end the chapter at an even worse part. Besides as much as I know you all hate when I use them it does make for the story to flow easier into the next chapter. Had a major Typo in this chapter that i needed to fix **

**Anyway hope you liked it and if not... Tell me why so I can try and improve in the future.**


	67. A Brothers Duel

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****67: A Brothers Duel**

"What amazing power... and he is the same age as everyone in our graduating class. Truly Naruto is on a completely different level" Shino said calmly as Naruto slowly came to a rest in the middle of the lake once the Sanbi had retreated.

"Amazing just like against the Jashinist, Hidan. Such power, an attack like that is not one that can lived through. It even damaged Sanbi's shell!" Tenzo said in awe.

Naruto landed gently on the waters surface using gravity manipulation to slow his dissent. Heavy winds were still swirling around causing even Naruto's weighted cloak to flail behind him in the wind. "Looks like we caused a bid of a stir hey Sanbi" Naruto said looking down into the water. Although he couldn't be sure Naruto thought he heard a small growl ring out in response from the depths below. Suddenly pink crystals began to form in the air around Naruto, rising up from the lakes surface, and move to trap the blond. "What the hell... Shinra Tensei!" Naruto yelled blowing the crystal away with ease. "That was quite an interesting jutsu, I wonder who's responsible?"

"I am" Guren called out before racing through a set of hand seals. "Shoton: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon!" she yelled and the water under her feet morphed into a giant long serpent like dragon lifting Guren high into the air. The jutsu wasn't finished there however as several smaller dragons all formed at the same time before launching themselves at the blond.

"Crystal Release huh? In that case... Preta Path" as each dragon hit the blond it seemed to dissolve as the energy was absorbed by the blond without even a scratch.

"How? Just what the hell is this kid!" Guren gasped in shock as her crystal jutsu had no effect on Naruto whatsoever.

"Naruto Uzumaki, a wielder of the fabled Rinnegan, and a rather troublesome person to fight against. But if he's here then that means!" Kabuto said before turning his attention to where Sasuke was supposed to be standing, only to find that he was no longer there. "Itachi Uchiha is here isn't he?" Kabuto asked.

"Yes he is" Naruto replied calmly.

"This isn't good. We need to retreat and leave this island at once! We cannot win this fight" Kabuto ordered. '_I need to catch up with Sasuke before he does anything stupid. If he is killed Orochimaru will loose his next body_' he thought desperately.

"You make it sound so simple. What makes you think we will allow you to leave just like that?" Naruto asked a small smile forming on his face.

For the first time since he started fighting Kabuto lost his confident smirk. 'I won't be able to win in a fight against him. I need a distraction to get away!' he thought with a hint of desperation.

Kabuto's wishes were granted not to long later. When Guren gave a silent order to her men and two Oto ninja burst up from either side of the blond causing his attention to be drawn away from Kabuto long enough for Orochimaru's right hand man to make a break for the shoreline.

The two Oto ninja jumped high in the air, each had a kunai aimed for a vital area of Naruto's. But the blond jinchuuriki easily maneuvered out of the way before grabbing each of the ninja's faces and holding them at arms reach. "Human Path!" Naruto muttered darkly, his face void of all emotion. When Naruto yanked his palms back from the Oto ninja's faces each hand had a soul attached to it and the Oto ninja both collapsed in lifeless heaps. "Trash, Orochimaru should really put more effort into training his ninja rather than just experimenting on them for a small boost in power" he sighed.

Kabuto was only a few yards from the shoreline when a blur shot past him and Akimi stood in his way. "You're not going anywhere!" she declared.

"You... you're that kunoichi with Swift Release right? I would love to stay and see if you have improved at all since the chunin exams, but I'm in a bit of a hurry you see" Kabuto said with a smirk and with a wave of his hand three Oto ninja shot out to surround Akimi before rushing in to attack at the same time.

Akimi drew the chained blades from her belt and quickly spun around in a pirouette. When she came to a stop the three Oto ninja each had deep cuts across their throats and two more on their chests. They wobbled for a moment before collapsing.

"It seems Naruto-kun isn't the only one that has improved" Kabuto said begrudgingly.

By this time the teams from Konoha had gotten over the shock of Naruto's show of power and had moved to back him up. "Uh not that it looks like you need it, but we're here to help" Kakashi said with a friendly smile.

"Oh in that case, you guys can take care of this lot. There is a much more interesting fight about to start back near our camp, and i don't wanna miss it," Naruto replied before running off.

"Hey where do you think you're going!" Guren yelled from atop her crystal Dragon.

"Sorry, but I really couldn't be bothered fighting, but don't worry I'm sure that the Konoha ninja will be more than a match for you and your minions" Naruto called back with a laugh.

"He's leaving us! What the hell!" Kiba yelled in anger.

"Guess he doesn't consider these guys to be much of a challenge then," Neji observed.

"Yosh Naruto-kun is certainly powerful, but leaving us is not very youthful. Anyway together we are even stronger than Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.

'_They can handle that fight, besides I'm sure that I saw Sasuke on the edge of the lake, that means he would have seen Itachi-sensei. What will Itachi's answer be? Is he still willing to die for Sasuke's sake? Ah I can't miss this!_' Naruto thought as he ran across the surface of the lake in the direction of Itachi's chakra signature.

Sasuke was jumping from tree to tree only one thought was racing through his mind. '_Must get to __Itachi!_' every step he took he gripped the hilt of his Katana ready to attack the moment Itachi came into view. Finally he broke free of the treeline and arrived at a large stony cliff that overlooked the lake where the various fights had begun down below. "Where are you Itachi. I know you are here!" he yelled.

"It's been quite awhile Sasuke-kun. Your hatred has grown I see" Itachi said a small hint of regret etched in his voice not that Sasuke noticed.

"I've lived to kill you, every day for the three years I have done nothing but train to avenge the Uchiha clan. And now I'm going to do it. Your genjutsu doesn't fool me!" Sasuke taunted causing Itachi's eyes to widen as a the blade of Sasuke's katana ripped through his chest from behind.

Sasuke victorious smirk was gone a second later when Itachi bust into a murder of crows and took flight only to reform into Itachi at the opposite side of the rocky cliff. "Is that all?" Itachi said clearly unimpressed.

"Gah a multilayer genjutsu, I should have known" Sasuke growled before releasing a burst of chakra dispelling the genjutsu and revealed Itachi standing underneath a tree and on the lowest branch sat Naruto.

"Well would you look at that, he's not half bad. I guess that snake pedo can teach if he was able to break out of one of your multilayer genjutsu, Itachi-sensei," Naruto complimented.

"You! Why are you here!" Sasuke ordered.

"Hm, well I am interested in what Itachi is going to do. Personally I would just kill you so Orochimaru doesn't get his beloved Sharingan... Well that, and let's face the facts here, you're a complete Teme" Naruto said offhandedly.

"What ever you are just a waste of space anyway. Keep out of this fight!" Sasuke demanded.

"Oh don't worry I have no intention of getting involved, you don't stand a chance against Itachi-sensei anyway," Naruto scoffed.

Sasuke clenched his fists before lightening began to dance around his hand. "I'll show you both... Chidori!" Sasuke jumped forward in a blur while Itachi looked on, his dojutsu still not activated and still managed to roll out of the way of Sasuke's attack. The tree Naruto was sitting in was not so lucky however as his fist went right through the trunk like a knife through butter. Naruto quickly jumped to a new elevated position while the angry Uchiha sped off after his elder brother. "You think you can defeat me without using your Sharingan! How dare you underestimate me like that!" he roared.

Itachi closed his eyes for a split second and when he opened them they were lightening blue with three spirals circling his pupil. "I no longer have the Sharingan... you could say that I traded up" Itachi said calmly as he once more sidestepped Sasuke's attack with ease.

Sasuke came to a stop. Impossible! There is no dojutsu that is superior to the Sharingan!" Sasuke declared.

"Hey that hurts! I made those eyes!" Naruto called back in mock anger causing a small smile to grace Itachi's lips.

"Made them? What is he talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"It's simple really, the Rinnegan possesses the ability to use Yin/Yang release, and a very special jutsu that allows him to create objects, organs and although we haven't tried, even life! Everything he creates is slightly changed however. My new Dojutsu was created by copying the Sharingan perfectly, but for what ever reason I have gained new abilities while for the most part retaining my old" Itachi said informatively.

"It doesn't matter anyway, you're eyes will be useless once you are dead. In the end nobody will ever see them again!" Sasuke declared getting over the shock of Itachi's new eyes. This time taking out his katana and pointing it at Itachi. "Chidori Sharp Spear" lightning shot out of the blade in a straight beam before crashing through Itachi's chest.

For a moment nothing happened Itachi seamed to stand still perplexed until Naruto let out a rather long and very audible yawn. At this point Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke. 'A shadow clone!' Sasuke realized before spinning around in time to see Itachi finish off a set of hand seals.

"Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi spoke before taking in a deep breath and releasing a massive ball of flames that lit up the sky.

(**Meanwhile on the Lake**)

Kakashi had begun fighting with Guren while the remaining Konoha ninja dealt with the large group of Oto ninja. As it turned out an alarming number of the Oto ninja had the curse marks but only a fraction of that number could take them to the second level.

And while the Konoha ninja had their hands full Akimi and Kabuto were still staring each other down. Neither party seemed to be willing to make the first move. "You know if you're not going to fight me you should just get out of my way" Kabuto said eventually.

"Not likely, besides if you want to run away so badly the only way to do that is to move. I can wait here until Naruto-kun and Itachi show up or even until those Konoha ninja finish your friends off over there" Akimi taunted.

'_She's right. But attacking first is not really my style, and her swift release will make her a very difficult opponent even with medical taijutsu. She is also smart enough to realize that those fools can't win against the likes of Kakashi Hatake and Miteo Gai. Damn looks like I have no choice!_' Kabuto thought bitterly as he activated his chakra scalpels. And lunging at the dark haired kunoichi.

Akimi began to almost dance through each strike as it came in only narrowly missing. "Huh compared to Naruto-kun and that guy Kakuzu you are nothing special huh?" Akimi sighed spinning out of the way of Kabuto's chakra scalpel and bringing her heel around to strike the back of the medic ninja's head.

Kabuto was flung across the water from the strength of Akimi's kick and their was a deep cut at the point where she had made impact. The cut healed itself right before Akimi's eyes making her look at the silver haired medic with slightly more interest.

"My specialty is medical jutsu, I heal much faster than normal people and I can even heal most minor injuries almost instantaneously and it's all thanks to some of my experiments with Orochimaru-sama. Your ability in taijutsu is impressive indeed you would make a fabulous test subject" Kabuto leered as he once more activated his chakra scalpels.

"Like I would let you, you fucking freak!" Akimi said in reply before disappearing in a blur.

'_Fast!_' was all Kabuto could think before he felt a painful fist hit his chest and several ribs crack. He was however able to touch her elbow for the briefest of moments before being sent flying for a second time.

Akimi was about to charge after Kabuto when she noticed her arm hanging limply at her side. '_What the hell did he do to me?'_ she questioned as she tried with some difficulty to move her fingers. She was eventually able to clench her fist but it took a lot of concentration and effort.

(**Meanwhile at the Konoha Camp**)

Shizune and Sakura were both waiting inside for word from the teams that went to the lake. They had both felt the massive explosions of Naruto's Rasenshuriken and the Bijuudama but had decided to stay put just in case they were needed later. However the longer time went on with no word from the teams the more anxious the pair became. "This is killing me, what if someone is hurt, we should be out there helping!" Sakura said.

"I understand your concern Sakura but we can't let ourselves get involved with the fighting. If we do that and we are injured then who will heal the others?" Shizune reasoned.

"But what if there are injured that can't make it back here because the fight still going on? We should at least go out to the edge of the lake and see if everyone is okay, that way we can pull people out if they are injured," Sakura suggested.

"Alright I can agree to that... but we are not to get involved with the fighting, do I make myself clear!" Shizune asked.

"I understand" Sakura said quickly opening the door. The first thing the two medic ninja noticed was the rather large fire that was burning to the north, in the direction of the cliff that overlooked the lake. "They couldn't possibly be fighting this close could they?" Sakura queried.

"It's not likely. Kakashi, would want to keep any confrontations as far away from our camp as possible. That fire was probably caused by a Katon jutsu that missed it's target," Shizune guessed.

"We should put it out then, it could become dangerous if it gets out of hand," Sakura replied. No sooner had she finished talking then another large blast of fire was shot up into the air from the same location.

"That's not the result of a misplaced jutsu... there is a fight going on over there... but so close to our base. We need to check it out!" Shizune said taking off in the direction of the flames.

Sakura followed close behind. "But Shizune-sensei why are you so interested all of a sudden? You didn't think it was a good idea to leave the house just a moment ago, so why does this make a difference?" Sakura asked.

"We can't treat any patients in safety if the fighting is so close, we need to assess the danger and prepare to set up a separate temperary field clinic should the situation become out of hand" Shizune explained as she landed in another tree just on the edge of the flames.

"Can you two keep it down, the Teme is planing something and I'm trying to figure out what it is!" came Naruto's voice from a few trees ahead.

"Naruto-kun? Who's fighting here?" Shizune asked landing on the same branch as the blond.

"Itachi-sensei and his fool of a brother. Although to tell the truth Sasuke isn't doing all that badly, even if Itachi-sensei is just toying with him" Naruto chuckled while leaning back ultra relaxed against the trunk of the tree.

"Sa-Sasu-ke? Sasuke-kun! He's here on this island!" Sakura asked frantically.

"Yeah about fifty yards that way" Naruto said pointing north. "I wouldn't go over there though, he's firing off Katon jutsu like he needs them to live, and his aim is on wrong side of terrible, which is why he must be planning something" Naruto said not turning his attention from the fight where two more jets of flame were fired causing Itachi to easily maneuver out of the way.

Shizune on the other hand knew a halfhearted warning like that would do nothing to dissuade Sakura in this situation. She was always talking about becoming stronger to save Sasuke from Orochimaru. She turned to warn Sakura about interfering in this fight but she was too late. The moment Naruto had told her where Sasuke was she was already gone.

Deftly avoiding the flames as best she could Sakura broke free of the treeline and into the large rocky clearing around the lake. On one side Itachi stood, his normally white Yoinokuchi robe had several burns and scorch marks but other than that he seemed to be unharmed. On the other side, stood Sasuke he had several cuts and burns on his face including a deep cut over his eye which was bleeding heavily. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed in delight upon seeing the brooding Uchiha. "You're free of Orochimaru, thank goodness, now you can come back to Konoha and be part of our team again!" she said happily.

Sasuke let one eye travel onto the young pink haired kunoichi. "So you're here as well Sakura. I should have known when I saw Kakashi-sensei. But believe me, I have absolutely no interest in returning to Konoha. My interest lies in killing Itachi!" Sasuke yelled before firing several small fireballs in Itachi's general direction. Two of them were way off target, but the third and forth actually made Itachi move.

"Is this the extent of your training Sasuke-kun? Is this what you left Konoha for. I never imagined that you would be so weak as to let someone like Orochimaru manipulate you" Itachi taunted flying forward with a kunai in his left hand and his right pulled back ready to strike.

Sasuke readied himself, his sharingan working in overtime to keep up with the speed of Itachi's finer movements and reactions. Itachi swung his fist, but it was nothing but a feint launching the kunai he had in his left hand to block Sasuke's katana with the deftest of flicks from his wrist.

Sasuke saw it late, but saw the movement none the less and rolled his neck to the side in time to only receive a shallow cut on his cheek that was bleeding none the less. Rolling out of the way Sasuke recreated the gap between them. '_Damn... it's still not ready yet, but almost there, the clouds have begun to gather, I just need to wait for the rain to start... then I will have my revenge!_' Sasuke thought as he held his hand up to wipe away the blood that was coming from his latest wound.

"You can't win this fight Sasuke, you're too weak. I once told you to come back when you had eyes like mine... that is now impossible, so I am telling you to give up" Itachi said deadly serious. "I will let you live this time, but do not seek me out again" he added as it began to rain.

The rage was building inside Sasuke as the words Itachi said played through his mind. '_Damn you Itachi, I will make you pay for underestimating me!_' he fumed.

"Listen to him Sasuke-kun, even I can see, he's a monster look at him! No expression on his face, he must be dead inside so killing him won't change anything! Come back to Konoha and we can all be happy together with our friends!" Sakura pleaded from the sidelines as the rain began to fall harder.

A loud crack of thunder could be heard and Sasuke began laughing madly. "You expect me to give up! Give up when I spent most of my life wanting to kill you! Never, I swear that I will kill you Itachi!" Sasuke yelled his anger consuming him.

"And then what?" came the call of Naruto who landed next to Sakura. "It's dangerous here, the next attack is going to be big, you need to get back" Naruto whispered so only the pinkette could hear.

"Then nothing! My goal will be complete and I can return to living my life!" Sasuke said as a flash of lightning lit the area.

"And how do you do that exactly, you have spent it all in a vain quest for revenge, you probably don't even know how to live without it. So you will find the next target of your animosity and blame them for all your problems. You are a classic example of a lost cause," Naruto scoffed. Sakura still hadn't moved and wanted to say something but seemed to be unable to get anything out. Naruto gave her another warning glance. "I'm telling you, if what I think is going to happen, happens you will die if you stay here, do you think that you matter to Sasuke ahead of his revenge on Itachi-sensei? He will kill you without a second thought as long as he gets what he want's now I'm telling you to leave this area now!" he whispered harshly.

Sakura wanted to say that Sasuke would never harm her as she was his friend. But one look at how serious Naruto was and how deranged Sasuke looked forced her hand. "Please don't let him die," she said weakly before running from the area a few tears falling as she retreated.

Sasuke who had not seen anything of interest in Naruto's words began racing through hand seals faster than he ever had before. "Like I care about anything you have to say... the only thing you showed me is that I was right in leaving Konoha, you became strong because you were outside of that weak village with their waste of times missions... but that's over now. You can die with Itachi! Kirin!" He yelled triumphantly.

The pressure of the jutsu could be felt all over the island, it was on an even grander scale than Naruto's Rasenshuriken as it held all the additional power that was inside the storm clouds. Down on the lake everyone stopped in mid fight to marvel at the power they were feeling. Well everyone save one person. Kabuto who was not faring very well at all against the superior speed of Akimi, knew exactly what this jutsu was, so he used is as a distraction and he dissolved into the water to flee the area, heading for where he now knew Sasuke to be fighting.

Itachi for the first time in the match was impressed and his eyes widened knowing that he couldn't allow himself to be hit by such a jutsu. "So this is what you were planning. I take it you figured it out Naruto-kun, that's why you told the pink haired medic to flee?" he said.

"Enough, I don't care what you think, just die!" Sasuke roared as the lightning took the form of a massive dragon and shot down engulfing the whole cliff side and surround burnt forest in a blinding light nobody could look at directly without shielding their eyes.

Once the light finally dimmed the once perfectly round lake had a new addition an area about the size of one of Konoha's average training grounds. There was nothing remaining of the land mass that had once stood in the area, nor was there any sign of Itachi or Naruto.

"I did it!" Sasuke cheered with a victorious laugh. "I killed him, Itachi Uchiha is-"

"Behind you" came Itachi's smooth voice.

Sasuke spun around his face etched in fear and disbelief. There stood Itachi without a scratch on hims shrouded in his already fully formed Susanoo. "Im-im-impossible!" Sasuke stammered.

"Wow that is some impressive speed Itachi-sensei, I thought I might have had to save you from that, but looks like I wasn't needed after all," came Naruto's calm voice from a nearby tree where the blond was sitting with a smile and not a care in the world.

"How, I did everything right... you should be dead, this isn't fair!" Sasuke stammered.

"Even if I was hit by your jutsu I may have still lived. Susanoo is the ultimate offensive and defensive jutsu of the Mangekyo sharingan, although the defensive characteristics of my own have been decreased somewhat in exchange for incredible speed" Itachi explained.

"Those eyes... They have changed, but they are still the same!" Sasuke said fear now setting in knowing that he had lost completely.

"I gave you a chance to run away, you should have listened. Foolish little brother," Itachi said taking a few steps forward.

Sasuke began backing away each step becoming moving closer and closer to the new edge of the cliff which he had created. "Stay away from me!" he yelled the fear soaked right through his voice.

"I told you not to come to me until you had eyes like mine. You didn't listen and now you have been defeated. Time for punishment" Itachi said flatly before pushing forward in a bust of speed slamming his fist into Sasuke's gut causing the younger Uchiha to double over and fall on his knees in front of his older brother. "Live with this humiliation and never seek me out again, I have no interest in you, you're a failure as a Uchiha and a failure as a brother. "Katon: Flame Lance" Itachi said expressionlessly beofre impaling a thin spike like rod of flame into Sasuke's shoulder causing the younger Uchiha to scream out in pain before kicking him off the side of the cliff and into the water.

"Why didn't you just kill him?" Naruto asked.

"I couldn't do it. As much as I wanted to get rid of the last reminder that I am an Uchiha I just couldn't kill him" Itachi admitted.

"Well it's always possible that he will die from the fall. But it looks like that creep Kabuto will save him in time. And I suppose that it is also possible that he gets captured by Konoha" Naruto mused looking out over the lake where the Konoha ninja and remaining Oto ninja had begun to fight again. "Say do you think the Akatsuki will show up with all this going on?" Naruto asked in an attempt to change the topic of conversation.

Itachi took a seat in a nearby tree and closed his eyes thinking about the question. "Well if it was me I would strike now, while both sides are disorganized. Use the battle as a distraction to take the Bijuu. Guess we will just have to wait and find out," Itachi sighed.

**End Chapter!**

**Just want to apologize for a typo the previous chapter. I said that Naruto had fought the Akatsuki leader when I just meant Hidan. Thanks to the people that pointed that out to me, and it has been fixed now. **

**On another note hope you enjoyed this chapter and despite how much I wanted to kill Sasuke off because I really don't like him as a character at all, I couldn't do it. I swear him and Kabuto are my least favorite people in any Manga I have ever read but killing them now leaves a big hole to be filled in the story. **


	68. Fight for Three Tails

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****68: Fight for Three Tails.**

"You know that crater Sasuke made has given us a good spot to observe the fighting," Naruto said cheerfully as he took a seat on the edge of the newly remodeled cliff.

"If nothing else, but I wonder if Shizune and the pink haired medic made it to safety?" Itachi sighed as he took a seat beside the blond.

"We're fine, we came to see the result of what happened" Shizune said appearing from the trees.

Sakura followed closely behind looking frantically for any sign of Sasuke. "Where is Sasuke-kun?" she asked fearing the worst.

"Having a swim" Naruto replied calmly.

"What! You killed him!" Sakura said collapsing on her knees.

"Nah he's probably still alive, Itachi-sensei just taught him a lesson. I'm sure by now Kabuto collected him and fled. Kinda like Orochimaru really, only fights when he's in control or has a cheap advantage," Naruto sighed not taking his eyes off the fight below.

"Then we should go after him!" Sakura said.

"No point, when they get back Orochimaru will probably be dead. Or at least quite a few hidden bases down. I have no interest in wasting my energy on someone like him anyway," Naruto replied.

"But he belongs in Konoha with his friends, although you two heartless monsters probably don't care about that do you! People are down there fighting, and all you two are doing is watching without a care in the world!" Sakura yelled a few tears falling from her eyes.

"You're annoying. If you want to go find that Teme so badly be my guest, Kabuto must be running low on chakra by now considering the beating Akimi-chan was giving him" Naruto said offhandedly waving Sakura away.

The pink haired kunoichi clenched her fist in anger, she had a strong desire to run over a hit Naruto as hard as she could but the more logical part of her brain warned her that she wouldn't make it withing two yards of him, the difference in power was far too much. Instead she walked to a separate area of the cliff and started walking around looking for any signs of Sasuke.

"A foolish endeavor, but I guess they say that love concurs all" Itachi mused.

"He's already long gone, Kabuto obviously knows some of Orochimaru's escape tricks, he wouldn't have gone into battle without a way out anyway" Naruto added in agreement.

"If that's the case then I think I will go keep an eye on Sakura. I need to make sure she doesn't do anything dangerous while looking for Sasuke. If either of you need healing later on don't be afraid to ask." Shizune said kindly.

"Sure thing. Thanks Shizune-neechan!" Naruto said with a friendly wave goodbye to the older medic before turning his attention back to the fighting down below. "Ahh why is this taking so long!" he whined after a few moments.

"Still, despite the fact that this fight is moving along slowly, it looks like everyone is doing well down there, but the only real fight of interest is Kakashi against the crystal wielder. The chunin seem to be easily holding their own against the curse marked Oto ninja and it will only be a matter of time before they win." Itachi observed.

Itachi's observations were quite accurate, down below on the lakes surface the fight was definitely swinging in Konoha's favor. While the group of chunin were more or less evenly matched with their opponents, Gai, and Tenzo, were able to make light work of most of them and while Oto still had a numbers advantage that was quickly decreasing.

Only Guren seemed to be causing a problem for the group from Konoha as her Shoton made for a very useful offensive and defensive weapon. "How long can you keep running Copy Ninja Kakashi!" she taunted while turning the water under Kakashi's feet into crystal and attempting to freeze his legs in place.

Kakashi rolled out of the way quite expertly and as he rolled sent two kunai towards Guren who used long blades of the same crystal to knock them out of the air. '_Her jutsu are quite formidable, but she seems to be relying on them a little too much. If I can find the weakness in her Crystal Release, I will have her!_' he thought once more jumping away from a large wave of crystal that attempted to once more suffocate the elite jounin.

"You can't defeat me Kakashi, now stay still and become my latest crystal sculpture," Guren taunted.

Kakashi didn't reply as he was too busy weaving in and out of sharp crystal projectiles. That flew at him from every angle including under the water. "Suiton; Water Dragon!" the large serpent like dragon shot out from the water and went straight for Guren.

Guren ended her jutsu just in time to in case Kakashi's jutsu in crystal and taking control of it for herself.

'_Damn that's one handy skill. I guess it looks like I will just have to use less stable elements then,'_ "Raikiri!" lightning erupted around Kakashi's right hand and several blades of Raiton chakra shot out striking the newly formed crystal dragon. It took a moment but eventually the Raiton jutsu was able to cut through. 'Just as I though, it shares the same principle as Doton. It can be overpowered and if that's the case enough physical strength would also be able to deal with it,' Kakashi observed as lightning still danced around his arm. "I understand your jutsu now. Elements like Suiton and Doton are useless against you but unstable elements like Raiton cannot be crystallized." Kakashi said with mild interest.

"Well why don't you come at me and find out for yourself" Guren said confidently.

Kakashi saw right through her confident smirk and called the crystal users bluff. "Don't worry I plan on it!" Taking off through the water, Raikiri in hand he charged at the spirited crystal user.

Guren sent a wall of crystal into the air in order to block Kakashi's path but his Raikiri cut right through. Kakashi was just about to reach the crystal user when she lifted herself out of harms way with a pillar of crystal before forming another large dragon to carry her.

Kakashi wasn't going to be deterred by the large crystal dragon and jumped up towards Guren, his Raikiri piercing right through the neck of the dragon with little difficulty.

Guren knowing she was in trouble flipped off the crystal creature landing once more on the waters surface. "I hope you didn't think it would be that easy Kakashi?" she taunted.

"Not at all, I would be a little disappointed if it was, but I may not be your only problem for long. Look around you, your men are loosing, and badly!" Kakashi said pointing out where the others were fighting. Gai was currently giving a lesson in taijutsu to three Oto ninja with curse marks activated. Tenzo had a good number trapped in his Mokuton Jutsu, and even the chunin were beginning to take control of their respective matches. "You may be tough and the owner of a rather unique Kekkei Genkai, but you must know that you have lost this fight," he added.

"What do you know, those men are expendable as long as they serve their purpose it doesn't matter to me. We will be taking the Sanbi and won't be letting you get in our way!" Guren yelled angrily.

"Huh I think that's supposed to be our line," came a cold call from the edge of the lake.

Kakashi and Guren both spun around to see Kisame and Hiruko standing still looking rather bored with themselves. "We were going to wait and take out the losers of this fight. But you are taking too long. And Kisame was getting impatient," Hiruko said calmly.

"Akatsuki!" Kakashi and Guren gasped simultaneously. Kakashi was about to change his target and attack the Akatsuki pair when someone beat him to it. A bright white blur flashed across the waters surface and didn't stop until it slammed it's fist into the side of Hiruko's head sending him flying leaving Akimi in it's place. "You're not going to lay a finger on the Bijuu!" she said confidently.

(**Up on the cliff**)

Naruto let out a sigh. "Looks like she's as impatient as ever. I was hoping that maybe Kakashi and the woman would do some of our job for us, but looks like that's all over now."

Itachi nodded in agreement. "It would have made defeating them significantly easier," he said calmly.

"Oh well can't be helped, I'll go down there and deal with one of them. Watch Akimi-chan if she's in trouble help her," Naruto said before jumping down the cliff side.

"He is still doubting his own power against stronger opponents. I'm sure he could handle both of those Akatsuki members if he wanted to, he doesn't know, just how powerful he is" Itachi mused to himself while watching the blond speed across the water.

(**Meanwhile With Akimi**)

"Hey that wasn't a bad hit. You're one tough kunoichi aren't you" Kisame chuckled.

Akimi was slightly taken aback by this comment. "Don't you care about your partner?" she asked in confusion.

"No that's not it at all. Hiruko is just very tough skinned, I doubt an attack like that would cause him much of a problem" Kisame said looking over to where Hiruko was picking himself up off the bank of the lake with no signs of injuries.

'_What the hell, I hit him full force in the side of the head and he gets up without an injury... This must be the man with multiple Kekkei Genkai that Fuu and Zabuza fought against!_' Akimi correctly guessed before turning her attention to Kisame. '_So then this must the be Kisame Hoshigaki. Yes that is definitely the sword that Zabuza described!_' Akimi thought whilst trying to remember what skills Hiruko had.

"Oh my I didn't expect to see someone with Swift release here, this will give me a chance to test mine out against the real thing," Hiruko said his usual stoic expression seemed to be gone and a slight smile formed on his face not that it could be seen through his Akatsuki cloak.

Hiruko was about to charge when Naruto landed beside Akimi. "So this is who the Akatsuki have sent to capture the Sanbi huh?" he sighed.

Kisame and Hiruko's eyes both widened when they examined Naruto. Kisame was the first to get over his shock. "Hey isn't that,"

"Yes it is" Hiruko cut the shark like ninja off not wanting to let the Yoinokuchi ninja know that they knew anything special. '_There is no doubt about it, that's the Rinnegan. And that boy looks almost exactly like the Yondaime... This must be the Kyuubi jinchuuriki as well. Damn, this could be difficult!_' he thought not taking his eyes off of Naruto.

"So Akimi-chan which one do you want?" Naruto asked.

"I think I will take the guy who likes to steal Kekkei Genkai!" Akimi said.

Naruto was against this idea, he knew that Hiruko had swift release as well as other powerful Kekkei Genkai, from the reports that each of the Yoinokuchi gave about the Akatsuki ninja's they faced. Despite this he was willing to let her give it a go. "Alright, be careful. Back up isn't far away if you need help later," the blond assured the kunoichi.

"Aw Naruto-kun are you worried about me? I'm touched" Akimi joked.

Naruto smiled in response but didn't say anything, turning his attention to Kisame now he finally spoke. "Looks like it's you and me shark face, I hope you're ready."

Kisame gripped Samehada and lifted the large blade to rest on his shoulder. "I'm always ready kid. Bring it on!"

Naruto took off in a blur towards Kisame. Samehada reacted quicker than the former Kiri ninja and bent around to block Naruto's powerful punch. In retaliation Kisame kicked Naruto back away from him. '_Damn this kid is almost as fast as Hiruko, I knew I needed to be on guard but I think I am starting to see why Hidan would lose to a guy like him!_' Kisame started running through hand seals at lightning quick speed. "Suiton: Water Shark Bullet!" a large shark made of water shot out of the lake and right towards Naruto.

Naruto jumped in the air but the water shark moved to intercept the blond forcing him to stick his hands out and absorb the chakra from the jutsu. Kisame eyes widened in interest but he didn't have long to marvel at Naruto's ability to negate his jutsu as the blond performed his own jutsu. Once more Samehada was on hand to save Kisame spinning around behind the shark loving shinobi and absorbing a powerful spiraling spike of water that had shot up from the waters surface. "That sword is a real pain in the ass" Naruto chuckled as he landed again on the waters surface.

"Well it seems like you are full of surprises yourself" Kisame replied a smile forming to show off his sharp teeth. '_It's strange, this kid is strong. I can tell already that even if I go all out that my chances of winning this fight are slim. I wonder how Pein would fair against this kid, if that kid really has the Rinnegan then their abilities should be similar. It's strange then, despite being out classed I am excited!_' he thought as his smile grew. "This is getting interesting, I'm glad we were given this assignment now," he chuckled unwrapping his sword completely.

Naruto watched with interest as Kisame removed all the bandages from Kisame. Once finished Samehada seemed to bulge until it took the appearance closer to a mammoth spiky club, to that of a sword. Finally the tip of the great sword opened up revealing a set of shiny teeth. "Wow what the hell is that thing? Is your sword alive or something?" Naruto asked a mixture of impressed and freaked out by the new appearance of the sword.

"Yes it is, Samehada is alive and very hungry... He's is in luck though, because it's favorite meal is jinchuuriki chakra. You all have such a wonderful amount of chakra poor Samehada can't get enough" Kisame chuckled.

"Do your worst!" Naruto declared readying himself.

"Thought you would never ask!" Kisame replied before taking off across the waters surface.

Meanwhile Akimi and Hiruko were having somewhat of a duel for speed. Each was continually pushing their swift release faster and faster trying to get the advantage. Every time an opening would appear, the other would push themselves harder to move away from the attack and go even faster. The fight was like a blur to many of the onlookers as the arrival of the Akatsuki seemed to make both Konoha and Oto ninja forget about their goals. Only Kakashi, Gai and to a lesser extent Lee who had trained his body for speed could keep up with the two speedy shinobi. Every so often there would be a loud bang indicating that one of their punches or kicks had broken the sound barrier.

"Not bad little girl, but you will need to do better if you want to beat me!" Hiruko laughed quickly spinning into a leg sweep which Akimi hopped over before dropping a leg on the grounded Hiruko who was just able to roll out of the way. The impact of Akimi's leg hitting the water sent a massive wave rippling out from the point of impact.

"Who the hell are these people!" one Oto ninja gasped in shock unable to follow the speed of the fight between Akimi and Hiruko while the sheer power being thrown around by Kisame and Naruto was terrifying to the Oto ninja.

Knowing she had to change something Akimi jumped back away from Hiruko. 'We're just too even in terms of speed. If this keeps up I will lose, he has more experience in fighting than I do in the end that will make the difference unless I try something different!' Akimi thought taking out the two blades connected by retractable chains she wore on her belt. Not giving Hirkuo any time to assess this new danger Akimi tossed the first of her blades forcing the ability stealing ninja to roll out of the way.

Once more Akimi sent a blade toward Hiruko while retracting the other blade. Again Hiruko rolled out of the way. Akimi however was expecting this and quickly tossed her second blade, although not at Hiruko, instead she tossed the kunai like blade slight in front of the missing ninja from Konoha striking a rock on the waters edge. Then she took off at full speed before Hiruko could even react to the blade embedded in stone. Moving at close to full speed Akimi ran around Hiruko several times, until he was wrapped up in Akimi's chains. "Dodge me this time," Akimi said confidently while taking out a kunai from her pouch.

"Wow she got him! Amazing!" Lee said happily.

"It indeed looks that way Lee. She is definitely burning brightly with the flames of youth!" Gai replied loudly.

"I don't think that it is over just yet... look at that Akatsuki ninja he doesn't seem worried at all" Kakashi observed.

Akimi tossed the kunai in her hand and it was about to pierce his chest however there was a loud clang and the kunai simply bounced off. "What the hell! What type of armor is that?" Lee asked in shock never having seen a kunai simply bounce off of a target before.

Suddenly Hiruko began to flex his arms and quickly broke free shattering the chains holding him in place. His akatsuki robes were completely ruined from the effort showing off that his entire chest seemed to be made of a dark gray metal that was slowly fading away leaving a pale skin behind. His arms and face were almost completely covered in bandages as well as most of his lower abdomen down to his long black ninja pants. "A nice plan, against anyone else that may have worked. Unfortunately, now it's my turn!.. Slashing Bandages!" Hiruko declared grandly extending both arms out.

Akimi's eyes widened and had to be on her toes as thin whip like bandages that were sharpened by Hiruko's chakra to make them as sharp as any kunai. Akimi couldn't even get close to the heavily bandaged ninja. Akimi removed the two dueling kunai she received from Naruto that he won back in Kiri. Using these she was able to block the bandages even if she couldn't cut through them. 'This guy is insane, how am I supposed to beat him!' Akimi questioned herself while flipping back, away from Hiruko's attack once more.

Meanwhile both Kisame and Naruto had given up on using jutsu to defeat there opponent. And Kisame was currently doing his best to tear Naruto in half with Samehada. To counter the threat of the shark like sword Naruto had created one of his chakra rods. However their brittle nature meant that they could only take a few hits from Samehada before shattering, but this was enough for Naruto to be able to get in a few hits on the Monster of Kiri. '_Damn him, every time I hit Kisame, that sword of his just heals him... I could use Senjutsu, finish this in one go, but I really don't want to be forced into something like that. If he would just stay still for awhile I could use my human path, but that damn sword wont let me get a hold on him!_' the blond thought contemplatively.

Once more Kisame jumped forward Samehada primed to take off one of Naruto's arms. Naruto quickly created a chakra rod to block the strike and slid around behind Kisame delivering a powerful kick to the ribs of the S ranked missing ninja.

Kisame skid across the surface of the lake clutching his sides. He opened his mouth to speak but only coughed out a lot of blood. Samehada wasted no time in once again healing the damage from Naruto's attack. "Damn kid you're really something else," he panted as hid broken ribs began to heal.

"So are you, you have chakra levels that match my own, and I am host to Kyuubi who has been increasing my chakra supply's since the day I was born. For you to be able to mate me is unbelievable" Naruto complimented.

"Yeah that's how I got my title of the 'Tailless Bijuu!' but you, you haven't even begun to show me your true power and I am struggling to even get a hit in." Kisame said with a slight chuckle.

"If you think that why are you laughing? It seems to me that if this keeps going like this, the only outcome of this fight is a victory for me," Naruto stated slightly confused.

"Yeah you're right, I'm totally out classed but, that doesn't bother me at all, in fact the fight to stay alive is invigorating. However, there is one thing you might not know." Kisame said a small smirk forming.

"Really and what might that be?" Naruto asked raising an eyebrow.

"That would be telling, why would I want to ruin the surprise, just like that?" Kisame chuckled.

(**Meanwhile**)

Itachi was getting ready to step into Akimi's fight. She had not been able to get on top against Hiruko, his speed could match her own and whenever she did get into a position to strike his Steel release made the attack virtually pointless. It wasn't that she was unskilled, far from it, she had more than out fought Hiruko but she lacked the physical strength to finish the job. 'Her technique is close to perfect, but she lacks power behind her strikes. Against any normal shinobi she wouldn't have a problem but this opponent is perfectly suited to deal with her style. She needs to take lessons from Tsunade-sama to make her punches stronger,' he thought as he stood up ready to jump down and take over for the speedy kunoichi.

He was about to jump when a spiraling vortex appeared directly beside the stoic Uchiha. "Why hello Itachi, I had a feeling that I would find you here" Tobi said with a small hint of his childish persona.

"It's you. The one that showed up while I was killing my clan!" Itachi said slightly shocked.

"Ah you remember me, I'm so glad," Tobi replied.

"Your with the Akatsuki now?" Itachi asked calmly, quickly overcoming the shock that momentarily removed his stoic mask.

"Ah indeed I have. But that isn't really important," Tobi said offhandedly.

Itachi raised an eyebrow in thought pausing for a moment before speaking. "Then what is important? Why are you here?" he questioned.

"Ah I want to see this new Dojutsu that I have heard so much about from my new partner." Tobi said happily.

Itachi was on guard, although he had met this man before he seemed to be completely off. Jumping between serious, playful and contemplative, in the blink of an eye. "Why do you care?" Itachi said deciding to keep asking questions until he was given a straight answer.

"I want to see what they look like. Call it interest in Naruto-kun's ocular powers. I want to know how much of a threat he is going to become." Tobi said darkly.

"You can watch him. He's currently toying with Kisame Hoshigaki right now." Itachi said pointing to where Naruto and Kisame were fighting.

"Oh yes I do plan on watching him fight, it will be quite enlightening. But this is not the fight that I am interested in. Kisame couldn't hope to win against someone with the Rinnegan. His offensive skills are completely useless against someone like Naruto-kun. I am waiting for a different person to arrive.

"What do you mean?" Itachi questioned.

"See for yourself" Tobi said and turned his attention to the opposite side of the lake from Naruto and Akimi's fight, where a new arrival appeared. "Now it looks like the real fight can begin. Oh I'm so very excited!" Tobi said with a child like laugh.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry this update took so long. I brought Mass Effect 3 and that sorta took up all of my free time, during the last couple of days lol. Hope you're not too upset with me.**

**Anyway hope you like the chapter and I'll try and get the next one up faster than this update. **


	69. A Rival Appears

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****69: A Rival Appears**

Itachi watched wide eyed as the man seemed to move in slow motion across the lake. His movements completely undetectable to everyone else. "What is this!" he asked, his voice was calm but Tobi could sense the urgency in his question.

The masked Akatsuki ninja chuckled enjoying leaving Itachi in the dark. "Oh it's not over yet. Just watch" Tobi leered enjoying the look of surprise on the usually calm and collected Itachi.

The man walked undetected until he was standing directly behind a group of Oto ninja. Before performing a few hand seals. "Summoning jutsu!" he said loudly finally drawing the attention of those closest to him and others including Naruto due to the major spike in chakra.

Where once one man stood in black Akatsuki robes now stood seven. five of which shared the same orange hair and rippling purple eyes that were also shared by a sixth baled shinobi. Naruto's eyes widened as much as physically possible. "What the fuck!" he gasped breathlessly.

"I told you I didn't want to ruin your surprise, didn't I" Kisame chuckled.

The tallest of the new arrivals stepped forward, he had spiky orange hair not too dissimilar to that of Naruto's and around his face at several locations were piercings that seemed to be made of the black chakra rods. His face was an expressionless mask as his eyes bore down in what seemed like genuine curiosity at the blond who looked back with the same eyes. "You are all in the way! You should bow your heads in the presence of a God... Shinra Tensei!" The water around the tall man rippled before everyone in the area other than the six standing behind him blew away.

Shinobi were thrown in all directions. Those closest to the man's attack had their ribs shattered from the sudden force behind the attack. Overcoming his shock just in time Naruto managed to manipulate the gravity around himself to stop from being blown away himself. Akimi and the two Akatsuki ninja were not so lucky. 'Six people with the Rinnegan! No it can't be six is far to convenient as there are six paths. They also have chakra distribution rods all over their faces. One of them could be controlling the others, Itachi-sensei had a theory that the chakra distribution rods could have that effect. But why do they all have the Rinnegan?' Naruto thought frantically.

"You are the Kyuubi jinchuuriki." it was a statement from the man rather than a question. "I can now see just how you were able to fight with such ease against someone like Kisame. To think you would have my eyes. Now I can see just why Hidan and Kakuzu are no more." he added expressionlessly.

"Yeah I'm the container for Kyuubi. Who are you?" Naruto asked the two identical sets of eyes staring each other down.

"I am Pein," Deva path declared.

"Alright, and now tell me, who are they?" the blond said, indicating the five others with the Rinnegan.

"They are all Pein. Pein is all six of us together, the six paths of Pein" Deva path replied.

"Six paths huh? I guess that makes you Deva path then." Naruto observed.

Deva path raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. '_Clever boy, but that is to be expected. As a wieler of the Rinnegan himself he has first hand knowledge of it's powers. Then there is the fact he has Jiraiya-sensei as a bodyguard._' he thought, a small hint of respect for the boy forming.

"What are you surprised. Each of you are riddled with the chakra distribution rods. Not only that, you all have the same color hair. Only one of you is the real body... or are you hiding somewhere controlling these people like puppets?" Naruto asked.

"Why don't you find out for yourself." Deva path stated before quickly jumping back into the group of other Paths.

'_It's too risky for me to attack without knowing his abilities. Not only that at close range the eyes will share a field of vision making taijutsu difficult. Preta path will just absorb any jutsu I try and use. Genjutsu is a possibility, but even then that is only assuming that he doesn't have the skill to break out. He also has a numbers advantage so I would need to capture all six of them inside the same genjutsu for that to work, not an easy task_' Naruto thought.

"Seems that you don't want to make the first move. In that case. Summoning jutsu." Animal path slammed his hand to the surface of the water and a gigantic Marlon appeared before diving deep underwater.

Naruto responded by creating a summons of his own. A large eagle that quickly carried him into the air. At the same moment that the giant fish leaped out of the water. The eagle was faster however and was able to narrowly avoid the attack. Acting quickly Naruto jumped from atop his summons and slammed a rasengan into the side of the fish as it began it's decent. The jutsu was too much for the Marlon who disappeared in a puff of smoke. There was no time for Naruto to rest however, as soon as he landed on the waters surface he had to roll out of the way of a speeding drill beaked bird. Pein's summons then changed it's target crashing into the large eagle and Naruto had summoned.

Naruto kicked himself up into the air grabbing hold of Pein's summoned creature that began to struggle restlessly in order to knock the blond off of it's back. Naruto held on however and once he came to terms with the large birds movement grabbed a wing and tossed the drill beaked flying summons into the water forcing it to dispel. "You're going to have to do better than that, a couple of summoned creatures are not going to make me even break a sweat" Naruto declared.

"You seem to be under the impression that this situation is in your favor" Deva path said expressionlessly.

Naruto didn't reply, the more he thought about it, the more desperate his situation appeared to be. Not only was he facing all six paths of Pein, the other Akatsuki members in attendance were all ready to jump in if needed. Akimi still hadn't fully recovered from the shock of being blown away by Deva paths jutsu and with the exception of Kakashi and Gai who were in a similar condition none of the ninja from Konoha were a match for any of the present Akatsuki ninja. '_Dammit Itachi-sensei, I could really use your help nine on one is a little too much for me to handle_' he thought with a hint of desperation.

At that time Itachi was watching the proceedings play out in shock. "What is this? How can there be six other people with the Rinnegan!" he asked to no one in particular.

"That is the true power of the Rinnegan. You see the Rinnegan becomes more powerful as it ages, learning new jutsu. I am sure you have witnessed it yourself, that when Naruto is in need he seems to become stronger. He unlocks his abilities as the need arises," Tobi informed the speechless Uchiha.

Tobi's words rang through his mind and slowly they began to make sense. In the Land of Water during the bloodline wars Naruto needed a weapon and he discovered the first stage of the Creation All Things jutsu, in the ability to create the chakra rods from thin air. Then other older cases ran through head, while training in elemental manipulation Jiraiya once used too much chakra and almost killed Naruto. He was saved by awakening his Preta path and absorbing the jutsu. '_In those two cases there had been plenty of times where he could have discovered that ability before he did. Could it be that his eyes were not strong enough at those times?_' he pondered.

"So basically you want Naruto-kun to fight these six people, just to see how strong his ocular powers are?" Itachi finally spoke.

"Well his and I would like to see what those new eyes of yours could do. Although you being here is more of a bonus, I had expected that troublesome Toad Sage to be in attendance instead" Tobi mused.

"You knew we would be here?" Itachi asked.

"Oh yes, I found the Sanbi quite awhile ago. I was planning on coming and taking it in secret once I got around to it, but your involvement in the Land of Fire changed my mind. So I returned here and forced the Sanbi to create a scene, one that would be surely felt on the Land of Fire, then once I was sure I had their attention I went to Pein. Your little group has become somewhat of a nuisance to Pein so I suggested he come to watch over Kisame and Hiruko, knowing that young Naruto-kun would be here," Tobi explained.

Itachi paused he was torn between jumping down to help Naruto in his fight and getting more information from Tobi, his indecisiveness was costing him time so eventually decided to ask one more question. "How did you know Naruto would be here and not someone else?"

"I can understand the thinking of that fool Jiraiya. Naruto defeated the Sanbi host over three years ago, he has the most experience in fighting with Bijuu, not to mention he is strong enough to deal with any threat that should oppose him. Well I should say, almost any threat." Tobi replied.

"I see, I'll take my leave then," came Itachi's reply before kicking off and making his way towards the center of the lake where Naruto stood surrounded by Akatsuki ninja on all sides.

Naruto made sure to keep his guard up. There was no opening to escape, on one side all six paths of Pein stood. While on the other side Kisame, Hiruko and Konan stood. Only Kisame had any emotion on his face, the former Kiri ninja stood with a hungry smile, Samehada hunched over his shoulder ready and waiting to charge at the blond.

Deva Path took a step forward followed by Kisame and Hiruko. They were about to move in again when Itachi shot into the circle and stood back to back with Naruto so they could cover each others blind spots. Naruto was facing Pein while Itachi had the three other Akatsuki ninja. "I think nine on one, is a little unfair don't you?" he said calmly.

"Itachi Uchiha, this could be entertaining. Pein-sama, we will leave the Kyuubi brat to you, we will deal with Itachi!" Hiruko said.

"Very well then," Pein replied completely uninterested with this latest arrival.

Wordlessly Pein gave a signal and all of the Akatsuki ninja jumped away leaving Itachi and Naruto standing alone. For a moment nothing happened until. "Beneath us!" Naruto yelled jumping high in the air while Itachi separated from the blond making his way north towards the closest shoreline.

Kisame rose up from the water narrowly avoiding the pair with Samehada but still smiling widely.

Naruto landed a fair way away from Kisame and the moment he landed he had to duck in order to avoid having his head removed by a long thin saw like blade. Spinning around the blond found himself face to face with a smiling bald man with the Rinnegan. "Let me guess Asura path right?" Naruto said jumping back slightly, creating distance between the two. Immediately a separate path joined in on the action. Throwing a kick from behind that Naruto was just able to block. Two more of the six paths jumped out of the water from the various sides while Asura path once more sent his large blade at the blond. "Ah fuck this... Shinra Tensei!" the four paths were immediately blown a considerable distance away.

The second the four paths were thrown away from Naruto, Pein's Deva path extended his arm and created a long chakra rod. "Disappointing, I would have thought he would be more of a challenge. Bansho Ten'in!"

Naruto felt the pull and could do nothing about soaring right towards Deva paths sharp blade. 'Not good!' he thought. Contorting his body in mid air Naruto extended his hand out and formed a rasengan.

Pein's chakra rod was no path for the spiraling ball of chakra and Pein was forced to jump back in retreat. "Clever, you turned a difficult situation in your favor quite efficiently, Jiraiya-sensei has taught you well" Deva path complimented as the four paths that were blown away regrouped around the blond.

"Jiraiya-sensei? Wait that means... You're Nagato!" Naruto said in realization.

"I am Pein nothing else" Deva path replied.

"Maybe now, but Jiraiya-sensei told me about you, you were orphaned during the second shinobi world war and Jiraiya-sensei agreed to train you and two others, Konan and Yahiko! So there are five of you here does that mean the one missing is the real body?" Naruto reasoned.

"You know nothing about me. However you have such amazing potential, I could teach you how to use those eyes properly," Deva path said.

Naruto had to admit that the prospect of learning from someone who had the Rinnegan was appealing but knew better than to accept. "That would be a conflict of interest. Why would you want to help me when you are after the Kyuubi which I contain?" Naruto asked.

"Isn't it obvious, with the Rinnegan's power you can remove all traces of the Kyuubi from your chakra coils. Hand us the Kyuubi and join us, together we can bring peace to this world and be seen as the gods we are" Deva path declared.

"Bring peace? That can't be the Akatsuki's goal? Nothing your group has done can been seen as peaceful!" Naruto said.

"Ah but that is indeed my plan. I will collect all nine of the Bijuu to create a weapon so powerful it could destroy a nation in an instant. The world will eventually fear its use and they will finally know pain!" Deva path explained.

"That's not peace, that's mass genocide, you plan to wipe everyone out and have the survivors live in fear! How is that real peace!" Naruto yelled.

"Real peace? Real peace is nothing but a lie. The world is governed by a cycle of hatred. Pain leads to hatred and hatred leads to revenge. This cursed ninja world is slowly descending towards another major conflict that will take lives and breed still more hatred amongst the world and the five major villages. I will end this cycle of hatred by taking the hate and pain of the elemental nations all onto my own shoulders. Their hatred and fear of me will force peace onto this world" Deva path explained.

"You think it's that easy? That you can just kill a bunch of people and then we will all get along?" Naruto asked.

"People will live with the pain that I give them. That pain will prevent them from starting anymore conflicts as the fear of loss will become to great" Pein replied.

"Or you give people nothing else to live for and the fighting escalates. This plan is insane!" Naruto said.

"Then the weapon shall be used again. Eventually the fear of more pain will force peace upon this world. Now give me your answer will you join me? Or will I take the Kyuubi by force?" Pein said flatly.

Naruto smiled slightly his eyes beginning to change to a golden color while his tiny pupil grew slightly larger and bar like. "I would never give Kyuubi to the likes of you, we may not see eye to eye on, well anything. But your plan for peace is just wrong. Peace is something that comes through understanding and hard work, not just by bullying the rest of the world! But I will say one thing, thanks for talking long enough for me to gather my senjutsu!" Naruto said as the dark orange pigment finished forming around his eyes.

"Senjutsu?" Deva path questioned.

"That's right now let's see how you can deal with a sage of Myobokuzan!" Naruto said before spinning to kick Asura path, who was standing behind the blond, in the side of the head.

Thanks to the shared field of vision Asura path was able to get his hands up in time to block Naruto's attack. The power behind the attack was enough to send the bald path flying, giving Naruto a path to escape the circle Pein had trapped him in. Pein's paths took chase slightly faster than the blond until he removed his Yoinokuchi robe which instantly sank due to being heavily weighted.

'_So he wears weighted clothes. Not only that, his strength has increased by several times added to the strength gifted by the Rinnegan and a direct hit is not something that can be survived!_' Pein thought.

Itachi meanwhile had drawn the other Akatsuki out to the northern forest. He was trying to isolate them into one on one battles but this was proving difficult. Konan was flying high about the forest with paper wings giving her the appearance of an angel while coordinating the former Kiri and Konoha ninja beneath her.

"That kunoichi is a bit of a problem, as long as she can see my location I am likely to be drawn into a three on one fight." Itachi said to himself as he maneuvered from tree to tree careful to keep out of sight of the dark haired woman high above.

A little further back Kisame and Hiruko were chasing after the stoic Uchiha but were stopped in their tracks by Pein's Naraka path. "Kisame stop, I have another task for you," Pein informed the shark like ninja.

"What! But I wanted to take on that damn Uchiha!" Kisame complained.

"Enough, I want you to go take care of Sanbi, you are the only one that can fight efficiently while underwater now go!" Pein ordered.

"Ah man, fine, but I'm not happy about this," Kisame complained before turning around and heading back towards the lake.

"You are not fighting with the rest of them?" Hiruko observed.

"That would be troublesome. This body is support, best to stay hidden and aid the other paths from the shadows. That boy is not someone that even I can take lightly if I am going to win." Pein explained.

"The kid's that good huh?" Hiruko questioned.

"He's like me, and trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin. A fight with him is not something you will escape without taking a few hits. But in the end, he will know pain!" Pein said calmly.

Hiruko nodded then took off again after Itachi while Naraka path began to slowly walk back towards the lake. '_Despite being alone and in a five on one situation he is holding his own quite admirably._' he thought.

Indeed Naruto was more than holding his own against Pein's paths but the numbers were starting to take a toll on the young blond. He had several deep cuts on his face and arms as well as what felt like a broken rib. '_Need to keep moving and attack only when I see an opening. If I stay still for too long I get swamped. I still have the Frog Kumite but I can't rely solely on that. If I use any completed elemental rasengan I only have two shots before my sage mode wears off... I'm not prepared for this fight, Dammit!_' Naruto thought before coming to a complete stop as several rockets fired by Asura path shot by the blond before exploding in mid air.

The distraction was enough for the other paths to catch up, Preta and Human path slightly behind Deva, Animal, and Asura. The bald Asura path's body seemed to contort and extra arms appeared. Giving him three on each side, while the long saw like blade extended from behind him like a tail. The blade shot forward at the same time as Animal path began a new summoning jutsu.

Unlike the last few times Naruto did not make any attempt to dodge Asura paths blade instead held out a single hand and caught it with ease. "Nice try but now it's my turn!" Naruto called back, yanking Asura path forward with tremendous speed with one hand and forming a rasengan in the other.

The bald Akatsuki ninja exploded in a mess of metallic scraps, as he slammed the rasengan into Asura paths chest. His broken body then thrown back landing well behind the remaining four paths. Deva path glanced back at the now sinking scrapheap in mild interest. "Impressive," he said calmly.

"Yeah, I'm just getting warmed up!" Naruto said panting slightly, and for once doubtful that his show of confidence would intimidate his opponent.

Animal path finished his jutsu and a giant chameleon with a snake headed tail. Immediately the summons disappeared from view before swallowing the animal path to hide it from view and jumping away.

'_That's it, I can't run any longer, I need to go on the attack now. The longer I run, the less likely a victory will be, unless Itachi is still able to fight after finishing with the others, and Akimi is still out cold from that gravity jutsu used earlier. The main threat seems to be the man that has been using Deva paths abilities, but I can deal with that if I can get rid of his support first._' Naruto thought. "Sage Art: Suiton: Water Drill." Naruto said before spitting out a high pressured stream of water.

Pein's Preta path shot forward to absorb the jutsu safely but Naruto just smiled, and the moment his jutsu ended sped forward. Naruto through a weaker punch at Preta path which was blocked easily and then kicked out at Deva path who used two arms to block the exceedingly powerful kick that was able to send Deva path flying but unharmed. This was part of Naruto's plan however as his attention quickly turned back to Preta path throwing another seemingly slow and weak punch under the veil of a fake which Preta path easily dodged. Or so he thought, Preta path who had dodged the attack so narrowly so as to get into an optimum position to attack was sent flying much to Pein's surprise.

Naruto's attack didn't stop there as he quickly changed his target to Human path who was now completely open. Not wanting to give Pein anymore chances to see the Frog Kumite and learn how it works Naruto formed the seal for Fuuton. "Sage Art: Shredding Pressure Damage!" thrusting his palm forward a tunnel of tremendously powerful wind shot forward blasting a hole right through Human paths stomach. "Three down! I take it none of them were the main body then," Naruto said turning to face Deva path who still didn't seem concerned at the loss of the three paths.

"As expected, a well thought out attack, you moved to get Preta path in front of me so I couldn't use a gravity jutsu without catching him inside it. You understand the limitations of the jutsu and were able to manipulate the field to your own advantage" Pein complimented.

"I don't get you, you lost three body's but you're not concerned at all. Are you really that confident that you will win?" Naruto asked using the momentary rest in hostilities to top up his senjutsu supply's.

"Why would I concern myself with such things. Still it's good to see that you are able to fight rather than run" Deva path said quickly extending his arms.

Naruto saw the movement and mirrored it. "Shinra Tensei!" both yelled at the same time. Two powerful waves of gravity shot out clashing in the center both fighting to domination over the other. They were perfectly even for a few seconds until the one of the Tomoe on the necklace around Naruto's neck began to glow red and his jutsu began to overpower that of Pein's.

Tobi up on the Hill side was surprised. "This is unexpected, Nagato's Rinnegan should be more powerful as it's far more developed, Nagato is able to summon the Gedo Mezo, one of the Rinnegan's ultimate techniques. Naruto shouldn't be able to match his ability at all. Something is certainly off here," he mused.

Pein was also surprised by the way his Shinra Tensei was being overpowered by that of Naruto's. '_Am I too far away from the main body? How could I be loosing in a test of abilities?_' Nagato thought as Naruto's jutsu grew closer and close as the pair continued to focus more and more on overcoming each other.

Naruto was a fingers length away from Deva path when a long tongue shot out of thin air and wrapped around the blond breaking his concentration long enough for Pein to overwhelm the blonds Shinra Tensei, and by the time Naruto broke free it was too late Deva paths jutsu slammed into him, tossing the blond far away into the trees at the edge of the lake.

Naruto gingerly pulled himself to his feet while checking to make sure that their were no lasting injuries. '_I'm still in one piece at least. But I can't afford to get caught off guard again._' Naruto thought turning to face the center of the lake but then had to roll out of the way moments later as several rockets landed where he was previously standing. '_That's Asura Path's ability. But I that body already!_' Naruto thought before looking in the direction that the attack came from.

There stood all three of bodies that Naruto had already defeated. They were in perfect condition with no sign that they had been injured at all. Behind the three stood Naraka path with the outer path King of Hell statue summoned next to him. "So that's why that one was hiding. He heals the others with the outer path. I could really use some help right now," Naruto said for the first time feeling slightly concerned about his predicament.

Meanwhile Itachi had just discovered that Kisame was no longer following him. '_Has he gone back after Naruto-kun? I can't let that happen, looks like two on one is the best I can hope for then because I can't waste any more time running!_' he thought turning around and activating his Dojutsu.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry to end it mid fight, I'll be sure to try and wrap up this fight next chapter. But I thought this might be a decent spot to stop and get some feedback on how people the fight is going so far, that way I can change things if I need to. **


	70. Pein Vs Naruto

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 70****: Pein vs Naruto**

Naruto and Itachi both stood with enemies on either side. For Naruto Pein's six paths were separated by those recently revived on one side and Deva and Animal path on the other. Much to the blonds dismay Naraka path had once more gone into hiding giving the elder Rinnegan wielder the advantage.

Itachi on the other hand was standing with Hiruko and Konan each of the three shinobi had no emotion at all showing on their faces.

Konan was the first to move a wave of paper shot forward quickly and wrapped around Itachi who didn't even blink as Hiruko sent a sharp blade like bandage directly through his body.

Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving only crows that flew over to a nearby tree and Itachi reappeared. "Origami ninjutsu, interesting, I was once told about a kunoichi who used similar ninjutsu." Itachi complemented offhandedly.

"A clone, but when?" Konan said in surprise.

"But is that a clone as well? And if it is, where is the real one!" Hiruko replied.

"I can see only one way to find out," Konan said and a hail of paper shuriken and kunai flew at Itachi who raised an eyebrow before his eyes morphed to the second stage of his Uzugan and Konan's projectiles disintegrated in a flash of white flames.

Hiruko then attempted to catch Itachi off guard by using swift release to get behind Itachi before sending a dark cloud that was sparking with lightning straight at the Uchiha's back. Unfortunately Itachi was well versed in coping with the excessive speed of swift release wielders and easily avoided the attack by jumping to another tree as the jutsu struck removing several branches without a trace.

"Your techniques are full of holes. Even if your attacks use fire resistant paper, it is still paper none the less and will burn if the flames are strong enough, and Hiruko, you were a second class ninja dropout who thought you could reach the level of the Sannin if you had a Kekkei Genkai. Just having a Kekkei Genkai means nothing if you don't know how to fight properly. Jiraiya-sama has no Kekkei Genkai and you are still no match for him!" Itachi declared sternly.

'_He's right, those white flames he used were able to burn my paper shuriken and kunai down to nothing in an instant. Could he have seen through our attacks so easily?_' Konan questioned herself.

"You think you intimidate me you fucking kid! Someone just barely out of their teens has no right to lecture anyone. You act tough but really you're nothing special. I know all about you Itachi Uchiha, you massacred your best friend, just to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan. Then killed your entire clan to test the new eyes. You are no better than I am!" Hiruko said uncharacteristically angry at Itachi's assessment of his abilities.

"It appears I hit a nerve, seems even your emotionless facade is second rate" Itachi mused flatly.

Meanwhile Naruto was contemplating his next move. Animal path was still well hidden inside the large Chameleon summons but Naruto guessed that it was somewhere near Deva path for the added safety. On closer inspection Naruto found the large lizard due to the ripples in the waters surface. '_That summoned creature has to go first, as long as it's around I can be attacked from anywhere without seeing the attack coming,_' the blond thought readying himself for an attack.

The attack that Naruto was expecting didn't take long to arrive, the three newly revived paths all shot forward together Naruto ducked under the fist of Human path and went to counter with a back hand but was forced to jump back again to avoid Asura paths blade. The moment Naruto landed he received a kick to the back from Preta path that while not overly powerful did send the blond tumbling across the water.

Naruto recovered in time to roll out of the way of several rockets fired by Preta path and create some distance between himself and the three paths. '_Damn If I want to stand a chance in this fight I need to get rid of the Naraka path, and Pein knows it. He also must consider me a threat if he is hiding the path out in the woods somewhere. But enough of that, I can't hope to find him while I am dealing with these five, I need to do something quickly_' "Well using jutsu might be out so I guess I am stuck with this... Asura path!" Naruto yelled and quickly grabbing his left hand as it detached revealing several rockets the fired off in all directions, acting as both protection from an attack from his blind spot as well as attacking the three Paths around him.

'_That is tremendous firepower from his Asura path. It also seems that I am yet to scratch the surface of his true power, he is a jinchuuriki after all, yet as of yet he hasn't tapped into a shred of Kyuubi's power. The question is why?'_ Pein thought as he watched Naruto's barrage of attacks from Deva and Animal paths eyes.

Naruto let out a audible sigh as he stopped his attack and waited for the smoke to clear. He didn't have time to admire his handy wok however as several of Pein's rockets shot out from the smoke. "What the fuck?" Naruto asked in shock as he was forced to jump back, away from the attack. The blast from Pein's Asura path was enough to show just how they survived. All three paths that Naruto had targeted were being covered by the large flexible tail like blade of Asura path as it wrapped around the three acting as a shield.

Suddenly from behind Animal paths chameleon came into view for a split second and its long tongue shot towards the blond at the same time as the three paths Naruto was currently up against shot forward.

"That's it no more, this numbers game is pissing me off!" Naruto yelled raising his hands towards the three paths. "Shinra Tensei!" Human, Preta, and Asura path were all blown away and Naruto without turning around caught the snake tailed chameleons tongue just as it was about to hit his back.

Immediately the summons tried to yank Naruto towards it and retract it's tongue but Naruto held firm. In the blink of and eye Naruto spun around and yanked the lizard forward with all his might. Pein's summons had no chance to fight against being pulled in by the blond and went flying.

"Got you! Oodama Rasengan!" Naruto yelled and slammed the giant ball of spinning chakra into the summons forcing it into the face of the chameleon that had no choice but to disappear in a puff of smoke. Pein's animal path appeared from the smoke and began running through more hand seals. "I don't think so!" Naruto said shooting forward.

Naruto was about to deliver a powerful punch to the summoning path until Deva path stepped in. using a gravity jutsu Naruto was blown off course and Animal path was able to finish it's summons creating three large centipedes.

"Time to take things up a notch... Summoning jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

"Interesting, he didn't change to the Animal path when he summoned. There also appears to be multiple chakra signatures" Deva path observed.

"Naruto? It is rare that you summon me. I was enjoying a nice cup of sake, this better be important!" came the booming voice of a massive dull rusty red toad with a scar over his left eye.

"Don't be grumpy Bunta-chan, I'm sure Naruto-chan has a reason for summoning us, don't you?" came a much smaller but no less commanding voice.

"I sure do, I'm in a bit of a tight spot and I need some summons that are capable to think for themselves," Naruto declared as the smoke cleared to reveal Naruto standing atop Gamabunta with Fukusaku sitting on the blonds shoulder although not fused.

Fukusaku began looking around to find Naruto's opponent then froze when he saw six people all standing together. "Naruto-chan, their eyes!"

"Yeah I know, that's why I need you. I don't have time to send any clones to Myobokuzan so I need you on hand to collect senjutsu, I can absorb it using Preta path's power, but I can't afford to hold anything back on this guy, he's just too strong" Naruto admitted.

"Six Rinnegan wielders, how can you fight against six of them, even if you used Kyuubi it would be impossible if they are at your same level" Fukusaku said, still not believing his eyes.

"It's not that, those are just slave bodies, he's controlling them using the black chakra rods. Only one of them is the real body, the fact they all have the Rinnegan must be a by product of the jutsu" Naruto surmised.

"I see, but which one is the real body?" Gamabunta asked.

"I don't know, that's something I still need to find out" Naruto admitted bitterly.

Gamabunta was about to reply when the conversation was rudely interrupted by Pein's summons. "No time to talk, Gamabunta can you deal with these summons, were going to get back into the fight. Hold on tight Fukusaku-sama!" Naruto said urgently as he leaped from atop Gamabunta's head.

Naruto landed and took off straight for Deva path who's eyes widened at the suddern attention. Up to that point Naruto had been more concerned with getting rid of the supporting ninja than taking on Deva path alone. "You think it will be that easy? Shinra Tensei!" Pein said confidently. He knew if Naruto fought against it he would not be able to defend against the other paths.

"Sage Art: Toad Suction," Naruto said and as Pein's attack approached the blond fell down on all fours and his hands and feet became webbed and rather than be blown away Naruto stuck to the ground unmoving. "Got you now! Suiton: Rasentsunami!" Naruto yelled and holding his right hand above his head a giant ball of spinning water formed. Rather than throwing the jutsu or racing forward the giant ball of water seemed to break and shot towards Deva path tearing trees up from around the lakes edge as the jutsu gained momentum. The jutsu ripped over the top of Deva path and continued on it's path flattening a path all the way out to sea.

The orange pigment around Naruto's eyes began to fade but that was quickly remedied as he absorbed the senjutsu chakra from the small toad who was stuck like glue to his shoulder.

"I think I may have over done it a bit," Naruto said sheepishly.

"A bit? you flattened a quarter of the island!" Fukusaku yelled smacking the blond on the top of his head.

"Amazing, to think you would be this powerful," a voice came from the rubble.

"No way!" Naruto gasped as Deva path picked himself up from under a few trees.

"I protected myself with a gravity barrier, but even then the power of that attack forced quite a bit of power to be exerted to defend myself.

"Damn I wasn't quick enough, I knew I should have gone with the Rasenshuriken, it forms much quicker!" Naruto lamented.

(**Moments Earlier**)

Hiruko and Konan were still struggling with getting to grips with Itachi. The Uchiha seemed to have an answer for every move they pulled out. Despite his apparent dominance Itachi had yet to attempt an attack on the pair.

"Something is off here, why don't you attack?" Konan finally asked.

"There is no point, a victory here serves me no purpose when I can simply tire you both out, I will be able to defeat you without wasting energy in attacking" Itachi explained.

"Is that so? But what about your little friend? Pein is going to crush him" Hiruko declared.

"Is that so? I know Naruto-kun well enough to know that he will not fall so easily.

Both groups stopped still neither moving until there was a loud roaring noise of gushing water and the ground began to shake. "What the hell is that?" Hiruko asked looking around but much to his surprise he saw nothing change everything was the same as it was moments earlier. Then he noticed something else, the are they had been fighting seemed to be barely damaged at all.

Konan noticed this too and quickly put two and two together. "This is a genjutsu! That's why you haven't been attacking, the longer we stay on the offensive the more chakra we use and the weaker we become. We should have seen this coming, Itachi Uchiha was considered a genius among the Uchiha clan known for their ocular genjutsu" she said.

"You figured it out, you should probably thank Naruto-kun for that" Itachi said.

Hiruko and Konan both broke out of the genjutsu and saw that a few hundred yards behind the Uchiha was a path of destruction that spread across the a vast area. "What could have done this?" Hiruko asked in awe.

"That would be Naruto-kun, he seems to be doing quite well for someone who you said would be crushed" Itachi mused.

"You've been toying with us all along" Konan said passively.

"That's one way to see it, I prefer to think of it as fighting efficiently" Itachi replied.

"How do we know we are out of your genjutsu now? For someone like you a multiple layer genjutsu is nothing special" Konan said.

"That's true, I could have layer upon layer of genjutsu, you may never know if you are out completely" Itachi said smugly.

"Ah screw this! I know how to find out for sure!" Hiruko declared taking out a kunai.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly as the bloodline stealer dug the kunai into his own leg. But nothing changed. "So we were out, I'm sick of your head games you damn Uchiha!" Hiruko said angrily.

"Very well shall we begin then?" Itachi asked. He didn't wait for an answer however as he began racing through hand seals. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

A huge ball of flames shot forward from Itachi's mouth and burning everything they touched. In response Hiruko created a black cloud which seemed to grow as the flame hit it absorbing all the chakra in the jutsu. The cloud then erupted with lightning destroying everything in the area where Itachi had been standing. "Did I get him?" Hiruko asked.

"I don't think that it is going to be all that easy,"Konan sighed.

She was right when a second later Itachi appeared behind Hiruko and kicked the Akatsuki ninja from Konoha pn the side of his head sending him crashing into a nearby tree. Only his Metal release saved him from major injury and being removed from the fight.

'_He used Hiruko's jutsu as cover and moved at an extreme speed, was that a jutsu?_' Konan queried as she looked for the right time to attack. It wasn't as if Itachi was overly guarded, in fact his stance was so close to neutral, it appeared as though he was riddled with openings. The problem was, that is exactly what Itachi wanted. Those so called openings were there to draw his opponents in to attack him, a perfect counter attacking strategy.

Hiruko meanwhile was picking himself up from the hit he recently received. '_Dammit! Jiraiya was stronger but this damn kid is just as dangerous. How did he get behind me so easily? Looks like I will have to fight his speed with my own!_' he seethed behind his expressionless facade. In a bolt hiruko took off closing in on Itachi. He got within a foot of the Uchiha before a skeletal cloak formed around Itachi and he took off at speeds comparable to those of Hiruko. "What the hell was that!" Hiruko gasped coming to a stop.

Up on the hill one man was thoroughly enjoying the show being put up by Pein, Naruto and Itachi. "Such an interesting twist on Susanoo. It appears to have lost some of its defensive capabilities but I would say the boost in speed more than makes up fir that. What's more it appears he still has the Sword of Tatsuka and Yata mirror. So Itachi is just as powerful as I had expected. The surprise is Naruto, his strength has increased beyond what I had expected. Pein would have lost this already if he hadn't his his Naraka path," Tobi observed.

"_Tobi, how are they doing?_" came the voice of the white half of Zetsu as the plant ninja appeared from a nearby tree branch.

"If it keeps up like this then they will lose. Pein has a numbers advantage, but with Naruto being the main body is able to cope with anything thrown at him. However Pein's strategy is perfect as long as Naraka path is hidden he can continue to revive his paths no matter how many times Naruto puts them down" Tobi informed his loyal companion.

"_**But then that sounds as if Pein will win.**_ _As long as the fight draws out_, _**that kid is going to run out of steam eventually right?**_" Zetsu replied.

"Maybe, don't forget he still has Kyuubi's power to draw upon and Nagato may tire before then. That said Itachi will finish off Hiruko and Konan long before that could happen anyway," Tobi replied.

"_Maybe we should help then?_" White Zetsu suggested.

"No need, this won't end today. Our reason for coming here was obvious, I just wanted to see how young Naruto would cope with Nagato. I have a far grander stage planned for the final confrontation between those two" Tobi chuckled.

At that time Naruto was once again fighting off attacks from several sides, constantly weaving in between attacks from the various paths. The only two missing were the Naraka path, who was hiding away watching the fight progress and Animal path who was busy dealing with Gamabunta. Much to Animal paths dismay the giant toad was well versed in dealing with the major summons of the Rinnegan, having trained with Naruto on many occasions.

Naruto slipped through an attack from Human path and out of the circle that he was trapped in, quickly moving to make some distance between the group. "This is getting us nowhere, unless I can find the main body or at least Naraka path they will just keep coming back!" Naruto sighed while collecting more senjutsu chakra from the small toad sitting on his shoulder.

"But we can't search while fighting, his strategy is perfect for a fight like this. Even if you knew where he was it would be difficult to get him" Fukusaku agreed.

"Not necessarily. I haven't been able to use my full speed as I need to keep gravity manipulation handy in case I have to use it to counter his." Naruto explained.

Fukusaku was about to say something but was cut off when several projectiles shot past the blond. Naruto spun around quickly. "Sage Art: Raiton: Heavenly Current!" Naruto yelled in reply before slamming his hands down onto the waters surface. The water around the blond started sparking and shot through the water splitting several times covering a massive area of the lake. At random points the jutsu would shoot out of the water and up into the air.

Once the jutsu made it to Pein's paths Preta stepped forward to absorb the chakra. While they were occupied with the jutsu Naruto began to look around in an attempt to find any sign of Naraka path. Unfortunately there was no sign of the hiding path. What Naruto did see however was Animal path fully focused on Gamabunta who was struggling to capture the three headed Cerberus dog. Realization set in. "I got it, I know how to locate the main body and Naraka path!" Naruto said victoriously.

Fukusaku was about to ask how but Naruto had already taken off at full speed holding nothing back speeding across the water towards Animal path.

Naruto got three quarters of the way there when a massive explosion erupted from beneath the water throwing not only Naruto, but all of the paths of Pein out of the lake as well as Gamabunta and the Rinnegan summons who were closest to the blast.

Naruto landed on the closest bank where most of the Konoha ninja had recovered and those that hadn't were being treated by Shizune and Sakura. "What was that?" Naruto asked in shock once he stood up.

"It came from under water, I think it's the Sanbi" Kakashi said weakly from behind the blond. Kakashi and most of the Konoha ninja were not in any shape to continue fighting all there were able to do was sit back and watch as Naruto fought on against Pein.

Turning back to the lake a large shell was slowly drawing out displacing the water as the Sanbi rose to the surface. "I didn't think it would be back so soon. This complicates things" Naruto said.

"No something is wrong" Fukusaku declared.

"Huh what do you mean Fukusaku-sama?" Naruto asked.

"His tails there not moving, the Sanbi is unconscious!" Fukusaku replied.

"But how!" Kakashi asked shocked.

They were answered moments later when Kisame appeared out of the water looking more like a shark than ever. He had a long tail and webbed hands and feet. His head had elongated and had gills to allow him to breath under water. Slowly his body began to change back and Samehada appeared in his hand.

"It's done, it wasn't all that tough!" Kisame said smugly.

Naruto took several steps forward in an attempt to help the Sanbi. A split second later however four of Peins paths were standing on Sanbi's shell and in several places impaling the Bijuu with his chakra rods. '_They're trying to take the Bijuu and run! I have to stop them!_' Naruto thought and charged off towards the center of the lake.

Naruto crossed the lake in no time at all forcing Deva path to attempt to blast Naruto back however they each had the same idea. "Shinra Tensei!" they both called out at the same time.

The waves of gravity struck each other and once more they began fighting for dominance. Again Naruto's jutsu began taking control pushing Pein's back. Pein was not as surprised as he had been the last time but being overpowered by the younger less experienced Rinnegan wielder was still an annoyance to Pein.

While this was going on human path created another chakra rod and gave it to Kisame who stabbed himself in the arm. "I don't get it, why not just finish off this gaki and take the Kyuubi now along with the Sanbi?" Kisame asked.

"Too many unknowns. Hiruko and Konan are not faring well against Itachi Uchiha. We will take the Kyuubi another day." Human path replied all the while Naruto's jutsu was slowly approaching closer and closer.

At that time Naraka path was speeding towards where Konan and Hiruko were still in conflict with Itachi. Upon arriving he found the pair in a bad way. Both seemed to be completely spent. Hiruko's robes were torn and he had several cut's all over his body. Konan was not in as bad a shape, only bleeding from the lip and having several singes on her robes which appeared to be now made from paper. Clearly showing her fatigue at not being able to hold her origami jutsu perfectly anymore.

Itachi meanwhile barely had a scratch on him, the only signs that he had been in a fight at all were several singes on his Yoinokuchi robes as well as a small amount of fatigue.

Not wanting to give Itachi an chance to stop his plan Pein silently moved behind Hiruko and without warning ran a chakra rod through his shoulder.

Itachi's eyes widened at this. "What is this? Aren't you both allies?" he asked just barely able to keep the surprise from his voice.

"That is indeed the case. We are leaving and giving you a chance to follow us would be rather troublesome" Naraka path explained before the three ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'_I see, he used the chakra distribution rod so that he could summon everyone safely from the area. I should go check on Naruto and the others_,' Itachi thought and turned back to the lake while silently cursing himself that he didn't finish Hiruko and Konan off earlier.

At the lake Naruto was furious, the akatsuki had gotten the better of him and they were nowhere in the area. Even with his senjutsu locating the Sanbi and Pein was impossible. "We lost!" Naruto sighed allowing his sage mode to finally leave him before falling to his knees.

"It's not all bad Naruto-chan. Ya may have lost this time, but you have learned quite a lot about ya opponent. For you who have not suffered many defeats it should be seen as a chance to improve. Learn from this and next time you face that man you will win!" Fukusaku said attempting to comfort the blond.

Up on the cliff side two people stood watching the proceedings with great interest. "How interesting. Looks like things may become more exciting now. I don't think Pein will wait very long before going after Naruto again." Tobi said pleased with how things had progressed.

"I_'m slightly confused Tobi,_ _**which one are you interested in Pein or the kid?**_" Zetsu asked.

"I have no interest in either of them. Pein will never hand over the Bijuu when the time comes, I will be forced to kill him, and that boy doesn't have enough hate to be manipulated in such a way. My interest lies in claiming the Rinnegan of the one that loses." Tobi declared calmly.

"_But if Pein loses we won't have anyone capable of defeating the others of that kids group._ _**Itachi and Jiraiya are still around with the other two Bijuu that they are harboring.**_" Zetsu said.

"Yes we will need to increase our numbers. I think the time is approaching where we pay young Sasuke-kun a visit. Turn his hatred on our own targets. Anyway we should go, I doubt the others will travel far before they start the sealing" Tobi mused.

Zetsu nodded in agreement before Tobi disappeared in a spiraling black vortex, and Zetsu dissolved into a nearby tree leaving no trace that they had been there at all.

**End Chapter!**


	71. Coping With Defeat

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****1: Coping with Defeat**

A stillness fell over the island. The sounds of battle that had scattered the area for what seemed like an eternity gone leaving a silent void in the wake. The lake which had once been the scene of the fiercest fighting was now all but empty only a single figure was left in the center on his knees looking into the sky.

"I can't believe we lost" Naruto said shaking his head in disbelief.

"Quit complaining Naruto-chan!" Fukusaku yelled before smacking the blond with a small walking stick. "There are other things we need to take care of now!"

"Your right, I need to go check on Akimi-chan," Naruto sighed picking himself up. It didn't take long for Naruto to find Akimi who was still unconscious on a grassy area at the edge of the lake. Kneeling beside the fallen kunoichi Naruto wasted no time in activating a medical jutsu to assess her injuries.

"How is she?" the small toad asked.

"She's fine, just unconscious, she should wake up soon" Naruto sighed in relief. He had forced himself to put his girlfriends condition out of his mind while he was fighting but now he was just glad that she was alright.

Naruto took a seat beside Akimi and laid her on her back with her head resting in Naruto's lap while he waited for the kunoichi to awaken.

The minutes dragged on and Itachi made his way over to Naruto. "I messed up." Itachi admitted bitterly.

"What do you mean Itachi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I took my time and rather than finish off my opponents I toyed with them so you could fight that other Rinnegan wielder I was hoping you would learn something from the fight, had I known what they were planning I would have finished the two I was fighting off" Itachi said clearly upset with his poor judgment.

Naruto was about to reply but was beaten to the punch by a new arrival. "So the Akatsuki got away with the Sanbi huh? Orochimaru-sama is not going to be happy about that, but I if we kill off you two and bring him your bodies to experiment on I am sure he will forgive us!"

Naruto didn't even bother to look at the person. Instead he slowly stood up placing Akimi's head on a pillow made from her Yoinokuchi robe. "So you want to fight huh?" he asked still not looking at the new arrival.

"It's not going to be much of a fight, I saw the fight you just had, you can't possibly have any energy left to fight with, and we outnumber you by quite a lot" Guren replied smugly.

"No energy left huh? Don't make me laugh, my fight with Pein could have gone on for the rest of the day before either of us became exhausted!" Naruto said quickly gathering senjutsu chakra and entering Sage Mode.

"Naruto-chan don't you think this is going a little overboard? Do you really need sage mode to defeat these ninja?" Fukusaku said pointing to Guren and twelve other Oto ninja who were standing ready for a fight.

"No I probably don't need it but I am so sick of this fighting. Orochimaru and the Akatsuki, they're no different from each other, all they do is cause pain and suffering... No more, I will stop it!" Naruto seethed his anger and incredible killing intent causing a few of the Oto ninja to take a couple of steps back now unsure of if it was a good idea to confront the blond afterall. "You want a fight? Then I'll give you one... Bansho Ten'in!" Naruto said pointing at a bald Oto ninja.

The Bald ninja flew uncontrollably at the angry jinchuuriki who formed a rasengan and slammed it into the Oto ninja's chest with such force that it tore right through his body killing the ninja instantly.

The other Oto ninja stood wide eyed at the show of power "How can he keep fighting with such a high chakra output? It's not human!" Guren gasped realizing that she made a horrible mistake in approaching the pair.

A group of five Oto ninja took off attempting to flee but they were easily intercepted by Itachi. "We should have done this at the start. If we just put this lot down then it would have been much harder for the Akatsuki to take Sanbi," Itachi said his eyes second stage Uzugan activating. "Amaterasu!"

The five ninja were all burnt down to nothing in seconds. Guren and the remaining Oto ninja were now desperately looking for a way out. They had lost almost half of the group that had survived the conflict with Konoha and the Akatsuki in less than a minute.

"We're in a really bad mood, you picked an absolutely horrible time to piss us off!" Naruto said before disappearing in a blur of speed and reappearing in between of two more Oto ninja slamming his fists into each of their stomachs causing them to double over, unconscious before they even hit the ground.

Guren quickly raced through several hand seals and sent a large spike of crystal at Naruto's back. The blond spun on the spot and shattered Guren's jutsu with a back hand as if to emphasize the difference in quality.

The remaining four Oto ninja all moved to surround Naruto before jumping in. "You think that will work?" Naruto questioned before blowing them all away with a wordless Shinra Tensei.

'_This kid! No wonder Orochimaru-sama fears him._' Guren thought desperately. Taking a few steps away while looking for an escape rout. No such luck however as looking behind her she saw Itachi ready to intercept any escape attempt.

"So you must be the one in charge. I see you haven't even been marked by one of those disgusting curse seals so you follow Orochimaru willingly and not as a slave bent to his will, that makes you even worse, you willingly follow that freak" Naruto said a rasengan forming in his right hand as he slowly approached the stunned crystal user.

"Orochimaru-sama is not a freak!" Guren spat in reply.

"Hm okay then, pedophile with a snake fetish then?" Naruto joked darkly.

Something in the crystal wielding kunoichi snapped and charged at Naruto crystal blades forming while she ran. Naruto easily ducked under her attack and hit the kunoichi in the stomach with his rasengan sending her flying, coming to a stop as she crashed into a tree.

"She was able to block most of the attack, not bad." Naruto mused as looking over to where Guren was trying to stand.

"Well, you don't need me here anymore Naruto-chan so I'm going back to Myobokuzan, Ma is making bug stew tonight and I don't want to miss out" Fukusaku croaked.

Naruto paled and shivered at the thought of Shima's cooking, while it may have been appetizing for toads, any human would not touch her cooking. "Ugh sounds great Fukusaku-sama. I can handle everything here now anyway, and Gamabunta has already left anyway." Naruto said givingiving the small toad a friendly wave before it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Should we finish her off?" Itachi asked contemplatively drawing Naruto's attention back to the present situation.

"Yes, she is loyal to Orochimaru down to her core you wont get any information out of her, she's better off dead so she can't harm anyone else," Naruto replied.

Itachi and Naruto both stepped toward Guren who was trying and failing to stand. "Sorry but you should have ran away when you had the chance. Now die." Itachi said taking out a kunai.

"Wait... Please don't kill Guren-Neechan!" came a pained cry from behind the two Yoinokuchi ninja.

Turning around Naruto and Itachi turned around to see Yukimaru on all fours with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"The boy they wanted to turn into a jinchuuriki. Apart from his ability to partly sync with Sanbi he has no training or abilities at all" Naruto mused.

"Please... she's not a bad person! You can't kill her!" Yukimaru wept.

"Maybe we should should kill them both? He is of no more use to Orochimaru. Things that Orochimaru has no more use for tend to end up on an operating table" Itachi said flatly.

"No! Not him, you can kill me but leave Yukimaru alone!" Guren coughed.

"Now isn't this interesting. Do you care about this boy? If so you do know what would happen to him if you returned. Orochimaru didn't have him trained because he has no talent for being a ninja. In that case you think Orochimaru will keep him around unscathed?" Itachi asked.

"I won't let him!" Guren spat.

"How do you plan to do that. If you go back Orochimaru won't care about how you feel! This isn't getting us anywhere! Itachi-sensei let's just kill them already" Naruto said.

"Wait... what if we don't go back to Orochimaru-sama?" Guren said weakly.

"You would give up on returning to Orochimaru for this boy? Then maybe there is some hope for you. But we need something more than that. Locations of his bases, give them to us and we will let you two leave." Naruto declared.

Guren paused, torn between her loyalty to Orochimaru and the young teen she had grown to care for. The moments ticked on as she fought an internal battle. Eventually she collapsed "Fine I'll tell you everything I know. There is a major base in each of the great elemental nations other than the Land of Fire. Along with this there are six others, three in the Land of Tea, this is the sight of what is officially Otogakure. The other locations that I am aware of are the Land of Forests, Land of Stars, and Land of Hot Water. These were chosen as locations that had produced powerful ninja in the past there may be other locations but I don't know them. Please I told you all I know let us go" she begged.

"She's telling the truth, there is no signs of deceit in her eyes" Itachi said.

"Alright then, you two can leave. But if we find out you have gone back to Orochimaru later I will make sure you regret it!" Naruto warned.

Yukimaru wiped his eyes and beamed at the pair. Thank you!" he said almost crying tears of joy.

"Yeah don't get any grand ideas that we are going to become friends. Also you might like to know that I believe Kabuto and Sasuke have already taken a boat off this island so I hope you cam in more than one." Naruto said coldly.

"Should have known, Kabuto is a vile person! Next time I see him, I'll make sure to not to spare his life!" Guren coughed.

"So what do you two plan to do? Going out on your own will be tough, although we may have a solution." Itachi said.

"They can't join up with us, Yukimaru is not a ninja, and we can't baby sit him while he learns." Naruto said sternly.

"No, I agree, coming with us is not an option. With the looks of things from today our problems with the Akatsuki might soon escalate and any untrained ninja would be a liability we can't have. However, Kiri could take them in. Shoton was an old Kekkei Genkai of the Land of Water, and because their military I still recovering taking in someone like Guren would be possible." Itachi explained.

"Yeah that could work, it could also be good to have someone keep an eye on her so she doesn't try and run back to snake face" Naruto agreed.

"How do you know Kiri would accept us?" Guren asked as she finally managed to get to a standing base while leaning against the tree.

"We have a good relationship with Kiri if we ask them they will take you in for sure." Naruto said.

"Kakashi said that Kiri was sending a team here so we will hand you two over to them when they arrive. Not exactly the Bijuu they were hoping for but it might be some form of compensation for our failure here." Naruto said.

"You're planing on giving us up as prisoners?" Guren asked slightly fearful.

"No, you would become a valuable member of Kiri's military." Naruto replied. "Also it will keep him safe while receiving proper training, or he could become a civilian and lead a normal life!" he added indicating Yukimaru.

"I think we should trust them. I mean what have we got to loose Guren-neechan? It's a chance at a normal life." Yukimaru sighed.

Naruto was then distracted as Akimi began to stir. Quickly racing to her side he immediately performed some medical ninjutsu to help her with what Naruto assumed would be a killer headache. "Ughh where am I I feel like I have been stepped on by one of Jiraiya-sama's toads" the kunoichi said groggily while sitting up.

"You've been unconscious don't move for a bit so I can help you readjust" Naruto said softly in her ear.

"Naruto-kun? What about the Akatsuki did you get them?" she asked while trying to regain focus.

"They got away, and they took the Bijuu. I lost," Naruto admitted bitterly.

"Oh well... As long as you're safe, that's all I care about" Akimi said comfortingly before resting her head against the blonds chest.

"Maybe we should leave?" Guren said feeling slightly awkward at the position the two elder teens were in.

"I agree, I'll show you to our camp site. Can you walk?" Itachi asked. Guren nodded in response and gingerly walked over to where Itachi was standing. "I'll meet you back at camp in awhile. You best inform the Konoha ninja of our agreement, it's best if we don't have any unwanted misunderstandings," the stoic Uchiha informed the blond.

"Yeah I'll handle it." Naruto said waving his sensei off as the kunoichi leaning against his chest had his full attention.

Once Itachi, Guren and Yukimaru left Akimi turned her head to look Naruto in the eyes. "What happened? I had that guy matched, how did I lose so easily? I'm so sorry, I'm still too weak!" Akimi said clearly upset with herself.

"It wasn't your fault at all, we were not prepared for the fight, simple as that. How were we to know that we would run into another Rinnegan wielder." Naruto said

"What! There was another person with the Rinnegan here!" Akimi asked shocked.

"Yes and he was strong, he had me at a disadvantage from the start. But next time I'll repay him ten fold" Naruto answered a hint of determination in his voice.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun we'll get them next time. Anyway we should go check on the others I don't see any Konoha ninja around at the moment," Akimi said looking around.

"Yeah good idea. Can you walk?" Naruto asked still clearly concerned for Akimi's health.

"I'm fine, my head feels much better now come on lets go!" she said seemingly back to her energetic self.

Naruto held out a hand to help Akimi to her feet then they took off at a slow walk across to the other side of the lake where Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja had gathered.

(**Unknown Location**)

The Akatsuki ninja all stood on the hands of a large statue with the Sanbi pinned to the ground below them. "That was interesting to say the least. Who would have thought that the Kyuubi brat would be so tough" Kisame said.

"With Jiraiya-sensei as a teacher it was never going to be an easy fight. But him having the Rinnegan was highly unexpected. I will have to take care of him next time, for anyone else to fight against the Kyuubi child would not be wise." Pein said as he began the sealing process.

"Wow he must be tough, Tobi hopes he doesn't have to capture him!" the masked Akatsuki ninja said in a very child like manner.

"Weren't you listening Tobi, you idiot! Pein-sama said he was going to deal with the Kyuubi brat, Kami, why do I have to be paired up with this child?" Deidara snapped angrily.

"Because Zetsu is needed to locate the Bijuu and spy on our enemies that means Tobi has to team up with you for now. We also have uneven numbers because you survived wile Sasori did not this way we everything works out for the better" Pein replied.

"Better for who? I'm the one stuck baby sitting an infant!" Deidara complained.

"Oh no Deidara-sempai doesn't like me, but Tobi likes Deidara-sempai. Tobi wont hold you back, because Tobi is a good boy" the masked Akatsuki ninja said cheerfully.

"This is irrelevant! The real question is how are we going to deal with Jiraiya's group. Three Jinchuuriki, Itachi Uchiha these are talented ninja a group of two will not be able to deal with them!" Hiruko said.

"_He's right it would be suicide to send a small group after them._ _**Hell it's probably more dangerous than attempting to take the Hachibi and Nibi from inside Kumo!**_" Zetsu agreed.

"We will leave them alone for now. We will focus on getting the other jinchuuriki first. Our priority targets will be the Rokubi and Nibi. Kisame and Hiruko will stay in the Land of Water and look for clues on the Rokubi's whereabouts, and Zetsu look for a way to get the Nibi outside of Kumo, do what ever it takes!" Pein ordered.

"Uh not to sound pessimistic, but is staying in the Land of Water really wise? I mean the Kyuubi brat and Itachi Uchiha are here after all." Hiruko warned.

"I do not imagine that they will stay in this country for long. I would however advise keeping a safe distance from the location we abducted Sanbi from to be on the safe side." Pein replied.

There was a murmur of agreement from the Akatsuki ninja and silence fell as they all turned their attention back to the Sanbi. Minutes ticked on in silence without a single sound being heard before Kisame finally spoke. "The sealing is going much faster than the two Iwa jinchuuriki." he said pleased with how quickly the Sanbi was being sealed.

"It's because it wasn't inside a jinchuuriki. Not having to destroy a seal and worrying about the Bijuu going on a rampage inside makes the process that much faster." Hiruko said also pleased with the speed that they were sealing the gigantic tortoise.

(**That Night**)

Naruto and the others were back at their camp sharing a large fire with the teams from Konoha. Several ninja were injured but everyone had survived the fight. In fact despite having lost the Bijuu to the Akatsuki they were almost all in a good mood. Only Sakura seemed to still be depressed, blaming Itachi and Naruto for Sasuke's disappearance.

At the current point in time Naruto and Akimi were sitting by the fire along with Kakashi and Gai talking about past missions when Itachi made his presence known. "Guren has marked the general area of Orochimaru's bases on this map, along with what seals and protections guard them." the stoic Uchiha said handing over a large map to Naruto.

"Seems like Guren was telling the truth. Look at all these hidden bases. Orochimaru sure has been busy." Naruto sighed.

"Do you mind if I take a look? Tsunade-sama would be extremely interested in confirmation on Orochimaru's bases." Kakashi asked.

"Sure go ahead, we can't deal with all of them anyway. Oh but I wouldn't bother with the bases in the Land of Tea, Jiraiya sensei and the others are dealing with them already. The problem lies in the hidden bases he has in the Land of Lightning and Land of Earth. We are not exactly Kumo's favorite people and the bases is too close to Iwa for comfort. Jiraiya-sensei, Itachi-sensei, and I, wouldn't be greeted fondly there either." Naruto explained.

"Orochimaru's bases are so close to the major villages less than a days run, that is insanely risky" Kakashi observed.

"Indeed, but in some ways it makes sense, the shorter the distance to the safety the more risks can be taken while spying, or kidnapping promising children for his research." Itachi said passively.

"That is a most unyouthful practice!" Gai yelled angrily.

"This is Orochimaru Gai, do you really think that he cares about how he obtains his test subjects. Kidnapping young children with Kekkei Genkai, or from powerful ninja families makes it easy for him to recruit and gather research material." Kakashi said bitterly.

"He's right, Jiraiya-sensei told me about what Orochimaru did in Konoha before he was discovered. Performing experiments on babies and young children stolen from orphanages. It can't be surprising that he would want to continue that practice when you think about it." Naruto sighed.

Well perhaps we can help in this matter. If I copy the base locations onto another map, Tsunade-sama can give the information to Kumo and Iwa. A move like that could help heal some of the tensions that still remain between our countries." Kakashi suggested.

Naruto thought about the suggestion for a moment and nodded. "Yeah good idea. With any luck we won't have to do anything about those two hideouts then." he said happily handing the map over to Kakashi to copy the points of interest.

"I must request one thing though. Danzo must never find out about that map." Itachi said calmly.

"Huh why?" Gai asked.

Naruto let out a sigh and decided to inform the two Konoha jounin on their suspicions. "We believe Danzo has been working in secret with Orochimaru." he said.

"That's quite a serious accusation do you have any proof?" Gai asked.

"Not yet, but he seems to have two different sources of chakra. His crippled arm has a different chakra signature to the rest of his body, not only that he has sharingan implanted on his arm I and covered eye. I could see the drain they had on his chakra even though they seemed to be covered it was still slightly present, just like your right eye Kakashi." Naruto explained.

"There are no medical ninja in Konoha who would have performed such a disturbing procedure and no scientists that would have dared experiment like that. Which only leaves two possibilities. That Danzo has people in his Root program performing experiments just like Orochimaru, or that Danzo was at least at one point in league with him. When you consider the invasion of Konoha by Oto and Suna three years ago and just how many of Orochimaru's men were able to sneak into the village undetected seems to me that the second option is more likely.

"So are you saying that Danzo helped Orochimaru attack and destroy Konoha!" Kakashi asked shocked.

"Destroy, no. We believe Danzo wanted to become the Hokage. He would have cut a deal with Danzo that would have meant killing Sarutobi-sama in exchange for something else. My guess is medical blood and DNA samples for Orochimaru's experiments. Danzo never expected Konoha to fall it's military is far too strong for Suna and a bunch of Oto ninja." Itachi informed the group.

"So Danzo tries to have Hiruzen-sama assassinated, all so that he can take over as Hokage. It does make some sense Danzo was always gunning for the seat. I remember he said that neither Orochimaru or Minato-sensei were experienced enough for the job saying that he would take it if Hiruzen-sama was going to step down." Kakashi sighed.

"Jiraiya-sensei and the others in our group are currently looking for evidence to tie the two together and this map could lead us right to it! But that's why Danzo must not find out" Naruto said imploringly.

"Very well I agree. Does Tsunade-sama know about this?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah Baa-chan knows, but she can't do anything without any proof." Naruto sighed.

Kakashi nodded and finished copying out the rest of the map and sealed the copy away before placing it in his backpack. "Well I think it's time we get some sleep before it's our shift on watch." he said talking to Gai.

"Yosh a decent sleep is key for the flames of youth to burn brightest!" Gai said grandly.

Naruto sweat dropped at the spandex wearing jounins over the top antics before turning to where Akimi sat surprisingly quiet during the conversation. "Should we head to bed as well?" he asked.

"Yeah I am pretty tired, who would have thought being unconscious could be so tiring." she joked in reply before standing up and beginning to walk back to the stone house Naruto had built upon their arrival.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry for the late update, I have been really busy this week. Anyway chapter was a bit of a bridging chapter to change the focus off of the Akatsuki and onto the next Arc although I may have a chapter of filler before I get into it properly.**


	72. Itachi's Tale

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****2: Itachi's Tale **

A heavy mist covered the small island where the teams from Konoha and the Yoinokuchi were camping inside two makeshift houses. Coupled with the early morning light it was impossible to see more than a foot in front of their faces.

While almost everyone else slept there was one teen who sat in meditation, all but impossible to see in the middle of the lake. As he sat in silence every so often various elemental jutsu would erupt around him. Water would shoot high into the air like a fountain, small tornado's would form, balls of fire would appear floating in thin air, pillars of stone would rise before being shattered by static electricity. Each element would appear one after the other and slowly increase in power each time a new element came around.

'_Not strong enough... I need to push this harder, I won't lose to Pein again. I can't afford to lose again!_' Naruto thought as he worked on getting multiple elements to appear together.

(**Meanwhile**)

The rest of the ninja who were sleeping slowly began to stir. Itachi who had been awake for awhile made his way out to check on Naruto. '_He is taking his elemental training too an extreme level now. With the amount of chakra he is using, if he makes a mistake this entire island could be destroyed. If it was anyone else other than Naruto-kun I would stop it immediately, but I guess I should trust that he knows what he is doing._' he thought racing out to the cliff side which was now much closer to the camp thanks to Sasuke's Kirin.

Arriving at the cliff Itachi found Kakashi standing alone looking out over the Mist covered lake. "This fog, this isn't a natural mist but I can't sense any chakra inside it." Kakashi said.

Itachi nodded in response. "It's a result of Naruto's training, the local atmosphere is being thrown out of balance due to the constant elemental manipulation. This mist is a by product." Itachi informed the copy ninja.

"I have never seen anything like it, even with the sharingan I can only just see where he is. Elemental manipulation on this scale shouldn't be possible!" Kakashi said shocked.

"The more time you spend around Naruto-kun the more you can believe that nothing is ever impossible" the Uchiha replied sagely.

"Jiraiya-sama once told me something very similar, it is a shame, I would have really liked to have been able to teach him like his father taught me, in the end I failed as a sensei, just like I failed to protect my team and failed to protect Naruto as a child." Kakashi admitted.

"You never failed anyone, you are just like Jiraiya-sama. You blame yourself for everything bad that happens around you. It was never your fault that Naruto was kidnapped from Konoha, if anything it was mine, I was the one who volunteered to watch over him that night. As for failing as a sensei, that was all my doing as well, I failed to do my job properly and you bore the consequences." Itachi stated calmly.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi queried.

"I let Sasuke live, I am beginning to think that was a mistake. He has not turned out as I had hoped, and he may not be completely lost yet, I have my doubts if saving him is at all possible. I told him to hate me, grow powerful and then when he was as strong as I was, to hunt me down." Itachi said not even looking at Kakashi as he spoke staring out to where Naruto was levitating with gravity manipulation.

"You wanted Sasuke to kill you? That's insane, why go through the trouble of killing the Uchiha clan just to have Sasuke come to kill you?" Kakashi asked clearly shocked.

"Every leaf in the forest has two sides Kakashi, I'm sure you know that" Itachi replied cryptically.

"A mission? You were ordered to kill the Uchiha clan!" Kakashi guessed.

"So you do know the old Anbu codes from the third shinobi war. Hiruzen-sama gave them to me before I left Konoha as a way that I may avoid being prosecuted. He knew the only people able to capture me at the time were the Sannin and some of the senior elite jounin at the time. But if you know the code then you also know you can never tell anyone else. You know the penalty for letting out an S class secret." Itachi spoke.

"That's why Jiraiya-sama trusts you, you're not a traitor at all. But that still doesn't explain why you killed the Uchiha clan, I don't understand it at all." Kakashi said, the realization that Itachi had been victimized in Konoha unjustly setting in.

"My father, he was an arrogant man and like most in my clan obsessed with power. After the Kyuubi incident tensions began to form between the Uchiha and Hokage. Eventually my father had enough, he thought that Konoha should be run by the Uchiha clan, as the strongest in the village and that Hiruzen-sama had become too soft to be Hokage. Like sheep everyone else in the clan believed what they were saying and started having meetings to discuss how to remove Hiruzen-sama from the seat of Hokage. Because of this, father asked me to spy on the Hokage and the elders." Itachi explained.

"But you didn't, did you?" Kakashi guessed.

"No, I loved Konoha far to much to go along with what my father had planned, he wanted all the other clans to serve under the Uchiha, it would no longer be Konoha, we were heading down the same path that Madara Uchiha took all those years earlier and nobody cared. I told the elders and Hiruzen-sama everything and became a double agent, acting as though I was giving my father information while reporting everything back to the Hokage. The strained relationship between the Uchiha clan and the rest of the village continued and the Hokage entered talks to try and appease my father and our clan, but every time it looked like it may lead to a resolution my father would show his arrogance in demanding something completely unreasonable, he wanted to have two seats on the shinobi council for the Uchiha instead of the one that was afforded to the other clans. He wanted a cut of all mission revenue to go to the Uchiha clan." Itachi said slightly disgusted by the thought.

"There was no way the other clans or any Hokage would allow that, clearly favoring one clan over the others is against Konoha law, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha both agreed on that before they even had discussions on who should be the Shodai Hokage." Kakashi said.

"Exactly. In the end the Uchiha clan seemed to fall further and further down into their own foolish superiority complex. Talk of a coup de tat increased until it became all but set in stone. With no other option I told Hiruzen-sama and the elders of the situation." Itachi said.

"And they ordered you to kill your clan?" Kakashi guessed.

Itachi sighed and took a seat, still not taking his eyes off of Naruto. "No I volunteered. H iruzen-sama was going to have an official order be past and have Anbu squads do the deed. But I saw a potential problem, while it was well known that the Uchiha clan and Hokage were at a disagreement, nobody other than myself and the elders knew just how far my clan had gone. If the order came in from the Hokage tensions would have been raised between the other clans, thinking that the Uchiha were killed just because of a disagreement. Not only that it would cast a bad light on Konoha to the outside world, people who kill there own are feared, and not easily trusted loosing Konoha trading partners and jobs from all around the elemental nations. In order to save Konoha, I offered to become an exile, I would kill my clan and take all the blame and heat off of the Hokage's shoulders. That way I could become an infamous criminal who killed his clan and Konoha for the most part would be left unscathed, yes the loss of the Uchiha clan would hurt, but not as much as a full scale coup de tat would." he said.

"So you sacrificed you're freedom, and were forced to leave the village you loved." Kakashi said a hint of pity in his voice.

"Yes I was given my orders and the elders left the room. Hiruzen-sama gave me the old Anbu pass phrases and told me to find Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun. However killing your family is not something that is easy to do, every strike of my blade made me hate myself more and more until there was only one person left, Sasuke had come home late from training as he always did, I was about to strike him down and end the Uchiha clan once and for all, but I couldn't do it, I loved my foolish little brother too much. Unfortunately I couldn't just leave him, so I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I showed him what I did, I used Tsukuyomi and repeatedly forced Sasuke to watch as I killed our parents. Then I told him to hate me and to come before me when he had eyes like mine." Itachi said.

Kakashi nodded in understanding taking a seat beside the Uchiha. "So that Sasuke would kill you and you could have some measure of peace knowing that a Uchiha had passed judgement upon you for what you did to your clan."

"I had hoped to inspire Sasuke to become a strong ninja, but in the end I created a criminal, after spending time with Naruto I have come to understand that hatred leads to nothing but misery, asking Sasuke to hate me ate away at him and slowly he is loosing himself to it. Naruto should hold such hatred for Konoha, yet while he does admit it if far from his favorite place, he still considers it somewhat of a home knowing that his father died to protect it I think he feels that to disown Konoha completely would disgrace his fathers legacy." Itachi said.

"He seems rather mature, I don't know whether to be pleased his so much like Minato-sama or saddened that he was forced to grow up so fast living outside of the safety of Konoha, unable to just be a kid." Kakashi said.

"He's not always mature, spend enough time with him and Akimi-chan and you will see that he can be an idiot sometimes." Itachi replied with a smile.

"Those two are close, it's pretty easy to see that. I was surprised that he allowed her to fight a member of the Akatsuki alone, it really shows that he trusts her to handle herself in a fight and to be able to get his back should he ever need it." Kakashi said.

"That and the fact that if Naruto-kun tried to stop her from fighting she would spend the next month challenging him to a fight to prove that she wasn't weak. It was just less painful for everyone to let her fight." Itachi replied dryly with a sly smile.

"Mah mah, did you just make a joke? I believe I have now seen everything in all the time I have known you every time we worked together I have never seen you joke!" Kakashi chuckled in mocked shock.

"It is hard to remain serious all the time with people like Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama, as they would often say, 'life is too short to live with a sick up your ass'." Itachi said a real smile crossing his face.

"You have really changed since leaving Konoha it seems." Kakashi sighed with one of his patented eye smiles.

"I believe so. When I decided to destroy the Uchiha clan I had all but decided to live as the criminal that I was about to become, I figured that as a criminal I would make contacts with others and any threat to Konoha I would find and try and prevent. But when Hiruzen told me about Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama I saw a chance to do some good. Unfortunately for me it is hard to be professional and emotionless all the time when I had two children as partners. If it wasn't Jiraiya-sama being caught peeking on women at hot springs it was Naruto-kun tormenting villagers with harmless pranks for a laugh. Fortunately at least Naruto-kun has grown out of that bad habit, however I don't think Jiraiya-sama will ever stop peeking on women." Itachi said flatly.

"No I don't think he ever will, and personally I am glad, his last book was excellent and I am looking forward eagerly to the next one." Kakashi laughed.

"Is that you Kakashi-sensei?" came the quiet call of Sakura as she approached the two former Anbu ninja.

"Over here Sakura." Kakashi said calmly.

"Something weird is happening every so often the ground is shaking and this mist is so thick. It's woken everyone up." Sakura said as she slowly appeared from the mist. Her face quickly turned into a scowl upon seeing Itachi who didn't even acknowledge her arrival. "What's he doing here!" she snapped venomously.

"I am observing my pupils training, is that unreasonable?" Itachi proposed.

Sakura's scowl did not drop as she continued to glare at Itachi's back. "I guess not, but is it 'your pupil' who is causing all of this fog and the bursts of chakra that sometimes cause the ground to shake?" she asked, her voice filled with contempt.

"Yes, the shocks people are feeling are the result of his Doton manipulation, it's distorting the shape of the island" Itachi said offhandedly as though he had just been asked politely what the time was.

"He's disturbing everyone, Akamaru is whimpering every time there is a shake and it's woken everyone up, someone needs to teach him to respect others! But I guess it's to be respected that he doesn't care. Nobody has ever punished him for being a trouble maker and his sensei is a criminal. No wonder he doesn't care about anyone else!" Sakura said.

Neither Itachi nor Kakashi said anything, but the copy ninja could feel a small amount of killing intent radiating from the Uchiha who's stoic mask had slipped ever so slightly. '_Itachi really does care for Naruto,_' "Sakura that's uncalled for, you do not know why he is doing what he is, so blaming him is unfair." Kakashi said as kindly as he could considering that he was also somewhat unhappy with her attitude.

"He's doing it to wake everyone up for a laugh! He's allowed to get away with doing what ever he has ever wanted because he doesn't have any parents, nobody has ever taught him how to act around others!" Sakura said.

"Enough!" Itachi said his fist's clenched. Causing Kakashi to go wide eyed. "He's never had anyone to teach him how to act around others huh. Well he has also never known what it's like to have the love of a parent or had the warmth of a mothers hug, something that you obviously take for granted. So what you think Naruto-kun is arrogant? Yet you chase after that foolish brother of mine. I understand you are upset that we let Sasuke get away but you have no right to attack the fact that Naruto-kun has never had any parents, and you even know why, yet you still thought that was a reason to criticize him!" Itachi said angrily.

Kakashi was stunned he had never expected such a show of emotions from someone like Itachi Uchiha, a man who was known to be calm ninety nine percent of the time. Although he had to admit it was justified, had Sakura not been one of his students he may have reacted in a similar way.

Tears were beginning to form at the edge of Sakura's eyes but her rage and anger at Itachi pused her forward. "What do you know! You killed your parents, you can't lecture me, someone needs to stop that idiot before he causes any more trouble!" she yelled and ran past Itachi jumping down onto the lake.

"You need to stop her. The area around where Naruto is training is incredibly dangerous. Her body will act as a conductor if she get's too close, the elements that are being thrown around will be drawn to her chakra and she will be killed." Itachi said his emotionless mask perfectly returned as though it had never been lifted.

It took a moment for the copy ninja to take in what Itachi had said but soon realized the situation the pink haired kunoichi was in. Sakura was racing towards Naruto trying ready to hit him to disrupt his training. "Oh no, Sakura stop!" he called out before racing off after his former pupil.

'_In some way's I almost hope the Kakashi doesn't make it. That girl, she talks about things that she does not know. If Tsunade-sama, or Hiruzen-sama heard what she said about Naruto-kun I doubt she would be remain a shinobi for very long._' Itachi thought as he watched Kakashi race across the waters surface at impressive speed.

Kakashi caught up with Sakura and cut off her advance. "Just what the hell do you think that you are doing!" he commanded.

"I am going to stop that Baka from disturbing everyone else on the island!" Sakura said.

"Do you know what will happen if you get close to him right now?" Kakashi asked sternly.

"Huh what do you mean?" Sakura asked clearly confused.

"Naruto is manipulating the atmosphere around his body, you enter that area and you will be torn to shreds!" Kakashi lectured.

"What are you talking about, it looks like he's just floating there to me, sure it's pretty impressive that he can levitate but it doesn't look dangerous to me!" Sakura replied.

Kakashi sighed taking out two bells from his kunai pouch. "Fine, remember these?" he asked.

"Sure they're the bells we were supposed to steal during our genin test" Sakura said.

"Correct. Now watch!" Kakashi stated firmly before tossing the two bells over to where Naruto was sitting.

The bells flew through the air until they came within five meters of the blond where they suddenly caught fire, then they were sliced into thousands of pieces by invisible blades of wind, finally each individual remaining piece was struck with lightning that seemed to appear from thin air.

"Wha- what was that!" Sakura stammered in complete shock.

Kakashi was at a loss for what to say having never seen a training method like this, luckily for the copy ninja Itachi answered. "Naruto-kun is attempting to manipulate all elements at the same time, a process that should be impossible especially for anyone who does not have a Kekkei Genkai of a sub element." the Uchiha explained.

"Then why does he try? If it's impossible, what's the point?" Sakura asked momentarily forgetting her dislike for the elder Uchiha.

"Because he believes that it can be done. And he has had some success. He is able to use two elements at the same time as long as they are not interacting. For example to gain speeds that can compete with even the Raikage's Raiton armor Naruto uses a mixture of Gravity Manipulation to make his body all but weightless, and Fuuton to push his body forward. Should he be able to add Raiton manipulation to that I have little doubt he could match his father for speed, even without the Hirashin." Itachi said proudly.

"And how is he going?" Kakashi asked.

"It's a slow process, every time Naruto has attempted to add a third element to the mix he has been injured. That's why he has started undergoing this training. In order to add a third element he believes his control in elemental manipulation needs to be even better." Itachi explained.

"But I thought his chakra control was perfect? That;s how he is always able to sneak into and out of Konoha, completely undetected." Kakashi said.

"True, but as you know perfect chakra control does not mean perfect elemental control, he has to learn this just like everything else. Luckily Naruto-kun is a fast learner, Jiraiya-sama believes it has something to do with the Rinnegan, we believe it learns and evolves along with the wielder." Itachi said as the words of the masked Akatsuki ninja ran through his head about the difference between Pein's Rinnegan and Naruto's.

"So you're saying Naruto's eyes help him learn and become stronger along with him?" Kakashi asked.

"I believe so yes, now more than ever. The encounter with the Rinnegan wielder, Pein makes me believe that the Rinnegan still holds secrets that Naruto-kun has yet to uncover." Itachi said.

"You mean the fact that he had six bodies?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, that and the fact that every body seemed to have the Rinnegan. The six bodies were no coincidence. There are six paths. Deva, Asura, Preta, Animal, Human, and Naraka. Each of the bodies seemed to have been granted one of the paths. So the main body was able to divide his consciousness and abilities throughout six beings. The strength of mind that must take must be immense." Itachi said unashamedly showing his respect for Pein's abilities.

"Do you think Naruto could do that?" Sakura asked suddenly engrossed in the discussion.

"I have no doubt that he could. However, he never would." Itachi replied.

"What, why not?" Sakura asked.

"The extra bodies were being controlled by dark black rods that both Naruto and Pein can create from thin air they transfer his chakra into anything they come in contact with. Those bodies are being forcefully controlled by Pein. His chakra is completely dominating the bodies replacing their presence with his own,something that Naruto-kun would never do. The other option is to use the bodies of the dead, and once more Naruto-kun would never use the dead in such a manner, it would be disrespectful." Itachi said.

"But it would make them easy to control, being dead would mean that Pein doesn't need to overwhelm the others chakra." Kakashi said.

"True, which is why considering the number of bodies that Pein is controlling that the majority if not all are dead" Itachi said.

"That's really creepy. How do you fight dead bodies?" Sakura said with a small shiver.

"Fighting them isn't the problem, it's making sure they stay defeated!" Naruto called out finally opening his eyes.

"How did you go Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked.

"I'm getting close, I can feel it, I can transition from one element to another almost seamlessly now!" Naruto said with a smirk.

"Hey what do you mean stay defeated?" Sakura commanded.

"Naraka Path's Summoning of the Outer Path, King of Hell!" Naruto said and from the water appeared a large statue. "This jutsu has amazing restorative powers stronger than any medical jutsu." Naruto said.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Hm how to explain... uh Itachi-sensei do you mind?" Naruto asked.

Itachi chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "Very well but if you mess up I will be waiting." he warned.

"Don't worry I know what I'm doing." Naruto replied and without a seconds hesitation slipped a kunai from the pouch strapped around his leg and tossed it straight through Itachi's heart aided with Fuuton chakra causing it to slice clean through the other side of his body.

"What the hell!" Kakashi yelled in shock.

"He's dead right? Sakura check him." Naruto said.

Sakura was shocked but did as she was told. "He has no pulse... you killed him, why would you do that!" she asked completely confused.

"Watch... Soul Retrieval." Naruto replied confidently.

The large king of hell statue opened it's mouth wide and a stream of green light engulfed the Uchiha's body and a second later Itachi sat up completely healed. "Gah that's no health spa I can tell you that, I don't want to die again for a awile if I can help it" Itachi said rubbing his chest where the kunai had pierced him just moments earlier.

Both Kakashi and Sakura watched wide eyed as Itachi stood up. Unable to help herself Sakura inspected the area where Itachi had been injured. "Impossible, he is completely healthy not a single thing wrong with him!" she gasped.

"And that's why I let everyone from Konoha fight the Oto ninja without my help. I wanted to see what they could do. Did you really think I would let comrades die just because I didn't feel like fighting?" Naruto asked.

"So that's how the bodies you defeated kept on coming back. Pein has the same ability and he uses it to heal his paths in the same way you just healed Itachi." Kakashi guessed.

"Exactly. Next time I fight him I need to defeat Naraka path, otherwise he will just keep coming at me until we are both out of chakra and that could take days." Naruto said.

Sakura was still struggling to comprehend what she had just seen. "Amazing." was all she was able to say as she continued to marvel at the jutsu.

Naruto dispelled the King of Hell statue and let out a sigh. "I don't know about you guys, but I could use some breakfast after that workout." he said with a smile.

"I think that's a great idea. I believe everyone is awake now anyway." Kakashi mused with a eye smile.

This comment reminded Sakura as to why she had ran out onto the lake in the first place but decided against confronting Naruto. 'He's so strong, to have power over life and death, mortals shouldn't have such an ability... just what is he?' she thought in awe as everyone walked back to the camp sight.

(**Meanwhile**)

In the Land of Tea, the members of the Yoinokuchi who had not traveled to the Land of Water appeared from a small passageway that led underground. "That damn snake wasn't there either. Just another bunch of weaklings!" Zabuza complained.

"There was also a distinct lack of research data. For someone like Orochimaru I would have expected more" Haku agreed.

"Chances are Orochimaru won't keep his best research in the Land of Tea. This is the official sight of Otogakure, because of that it would be a risk for Orochimaru to keep valuable information here. This operation is more about removing this country from his influence and hopefully discovering the locations of some of his others bases. We may not have found much yet, but there is still one more hideout to destroy, so let's get going!" Jiraiya said sagely.

**End Chapter! **

**Filler, focusing mostly on Itachi and Kakashi. Story didn't develop much but there was a bit of back story. **

**As you may have guessed from the ending that the next chapter will focus mostly on the group that isn't on the island although they will feature to some degree. On that note I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless of the fact it was mostly filler. **


	73. Capital Plans

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****3: Capital Plans**

"Man I hope that the final Oto base has stronger ninja than the last two! All I can say is that they seem to think that Orochimaru is going to jump out and save them, which makes for their stupidity to overtake bravery, none of them surrendered at all" Zabuza laughed as the the large group of Yoinokuchi ninja descended a small hill heading towards a large village.

"They are blinded in their trust in Orochimaru. I would bet that they believe that Orochimaru is a good leader. It just shows how easy it is to manipulate people who do not know any better. Most of the people we killed today were not all that older than myself." Gaara said.

"Kidnap victims and street urchins mostly, this country is full of them and has no organized military or police. Perfect for Orochimaru, no wonder he has three bases here." Jiraiya said.

"It's also a perfect arrangement for the Daimyo. He gets a hidden village and all of the unwanted people off of the streets. I remember how people used to look at me until Zabuza-sama saved me" Haku said with a slight frown.

"So you're saying that the Daimyo of this country knows about what's been going on?" Fuu asked in compete shock.

"Most likely, this country was always a hot bed for criminals and missing ninja that had no problems leaving orphans. After all it's a decent recruitment method, kill the parents and force the children into servitude. It's exactly the same thing that Orochimaru is doing now, only difference is he is on a completely different level to your average thug or runaway genin that villages don't care about." Jiraiya said darkly.

"I still don't get it why would the Daimyo allow this to go on?" Fuu asked.

"Simple, children living on the street are more often than not forced into crime, just to stay alive. Orochimaru takes the kids off the street and to the untrained eye of civilian traders the country itself appears far safer. Also with Oto appearing as a hidden village raiders and thugs will be less likely to attack. The Daimyo probably doesn't know exactly what Orochimaru is doing, and he doesn't care, as far as he's concerned this country is now more appealing and as long as the crimes are not able to be clearly seen he will refuse to acknowledge them. This is exactly how things started in Kiri with the bloodline wars, discrimination by officials against clans with Kekkei Genkai turned into murders that were hushed up. The only difference is the children being targeted in this case don't know how to fight back!" Zabuza said with a hint of disgust in voice.

"That's horrible! So the Daimyo here doesn't even care what is happening to his people, as long as it's not out in the open it's out of sight and out of mind." Fuu spat knowing exactly how it felt to be swept away as an unwanted problem by Taki.

"Exactly, and the worst thing is many of these children wont even know what they are getting into. Showing someone who knows nothing but neglect any decent amount of affection or understanding and they will follow. Although it worked out for me, I was the same, eager to do anything to help Zabuza-sama's cause." Haku sighed.

"I believe that may be why I decided to join this group. Naruto showed me a new way to live, where I didn't need to be alone. While I don not believe I was manipulated, having someone tell me that they wanted to be the friend of someone who was feared and hated made the decision to leave Suna that much easier." Gaara admitted.

"Are you regretting that you did?... I didn't have to think twice about following Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama out of Taki, they gave me my freedom!" Fuu said happily.

"No I have no regrets, before I came to live with everyone here I was consumed by my hatred, anyone who I saw as a threat I would try to kill. Now I have friends and people that I care about." Gaara replied with a small smile.

'_Seeing everyone here brought together, acting as a family, this is all because of Naruto. They don't care what villages they came from anymore, or even how they used to act, this is what true peace should be. If I ever had a doubt it's gone now, Naruto is the child of destiny, he has to be!_' Jiraiya thought with a smile as he watched the other members of the Yoinokuchi talk happily amongst themselves.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto, Itachi, Kakashi and Sakura had just arrived back at their campsite to find almost everyone outside. The fog that had appeared due to Naruto's intense training regime had now all but disappeared leaving a perfect blue sky in it's place.

"Wow I thought it was going to be a horrible day but look at the sky now!" Tenten said happily. The fact that they had lost the Sanbi was still weighing heavily on many of the group but the others seemed to be doing the best that they could to make everyone get over it.

"Indeed, the mist has cleared and the skys are now perfetly clear. Not only that but the tremors have stopped." Shino said in a matter of fact tone.

"Tremors?" Naruto questioned with a quizzical look on his face.

The Konoha ninja all turned to stare at Naruto like he was suffering from terrible illness. "How could you have not felt them? It felt like that Bijuu was back thrashing around the island causing a scene!" Kiba yelled in exasperation.

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't feel any tremors, maybe I was just too focused on my training." he mused.

"That or it was the fact you were causing the tremors, and the reason you weren't feeling them is due to the fact that they were echoing out from where you were manipulating the earth under the lake." Itachi explained.

"Oh... cool I didn't know I could do that." Naruto said with a happy smile causing everyone else to once more stare at Naruto this time with deadpan expressions. "What you gotta admit that's kinda cool, I can cause earthquakes just from excessive elemental manipulation." he said slightly less ecclesiastically.

"I don't think it's really an issue of how impressive the skill is Naruto-kun." Itachi assured the blond as one of only two people in the group not staring at Naruto.

"It's not?" Naruto asked slightly disappointed.

"Of course it's not! We were all worried that this island was about to erupt like a volcano, or be hit with a major earthquake! But instead you were just out training!" Neji yelled.

"Oh I see, um, sorry?" Naruto said with a sheepish grin.

The group collectively shook their heads and walked away in disbelief. Only Gai and Tenzo remained. "Yosh such is the power of Naruto-kun's flames of youth. To be able to effect such a large area with nothing but basic elemental manipulation is truly a magnificent feat!" Gai yelled in typical Gai fashion ending with a nice guy pose.

This time it was Naruto's turn to look deadpan. "Ah thanks Gai." he siad while trying to make any sense out of the spandex clad ninja's words.

"Yes even some master level Iwa ninja have trouble manipulating any earth that they are not touching let alone effect an entire island" Yamato complimented.

"It's a training method that Jiraiya-sama and the Toads developed in order to get Naruto-kun to meditate properly. He can be rather impatient at times." Itachi said.

"Really how does it work?" Gai asked eagerly.

"Well I guess I just sit and think about all the elements at work around me, then one by one attempt to activate and move them. It was really difficult to do until I mastered Sage Mode." Naruto admitted.

"So you manipulate the elements with nothing but thought? That shouldn't be possible!" Tenzo gasped.

"I didn't think so either until I saw it with my own eyes. Tobirama Senju was said to have a similar affinity with Suiton, so it maybe this is the next stage in elemental manipulation." Kakashi guessed.

"It's possible, however I have not been able to make much progress in this form of training and neither has Jiraiya-sama. It is possible that only Naruto-kun is capable of manipulation at such a high level. Although that would not explain Tobirama Senju's unique abilities in Suiton manipulation." Itachi suggested.

"Anyway I am nowhere near the Nidaime Hokage's level. The Nidaime could draw water from the air! I still need a water source nearby, so I still have a long way to go." Naruto said knowing how skilled the Nidaime was, despite not having his brothers Kekkei Genkai in terms of elemental manipulation no shinobi had ever come close to his skill, and only the Nara clan could match him for strategy.

"Maybe not, but he was much older than you are by the time he was able to reach that level, it is a sign of what is possible, and unlike Tobirama Senju you have six elements to train, he only had one main element, you are already at a disadvantage in catching him as you divide your training around all of the elements." Itachi said.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean that I am satisfied, I still need to become stronger, I need to free Sanbi and the other Bijuu after all. Pein said he was going to turn them into some sort of super weapon, I can't let that happen, but as long as I am able to fight he won't get his hands on Kyuubi, and as I am right now we are evenly matched, individually I am stronger, but with all of his paths I am at a major disadvantage." Naruto sighed.

"Yes Pein is a rather troublesome opponent, Jiraiya-sama should be informed as soon as we return." Itachi mused.

"They will probably beat us back, if the team from Kiri doesn't arrive soon" Naruto added.

(**Meanwhile**)

The other Yoinokuchi members had arrived in the large village that seemed to be incredibly busy with shoppers and tradesmen setting up market stalls.

"Wow this place is really busy, this is nothing like the shopping district it Kiri" Fuu said in awe.

"Of course not, this is a civilian village, not only that its the capital of Tea country so traders for the entire region come here." Jiraiya explained.

"Wow, I really want to look around. I have been saving some money for a katana made from Kiri's blacksmiths but some of the food and clothes here look amazing!" Fuu replied eagerly looking from stall to stall.

"Well, we could be here for a few hours so it won't hurt to have a look around, just don't buy anything that can't be sealed or carried easily." Jiraiya said.

"Alright, Haku-chan, Gaara are you coming?" the mint haired kunoichi asked eagerly.

"Sure sounds like fun." Haku said.

Gaara on the other hand shook his head. "I think I will sit this one out, usually when I am dragged out shopping I'm carrying the bags" he replied dryly.

"Aw Gaara-kun it's not so bad is it?" Haku asked.

"Yes" was the red headed jinchuuriki's only reply.

"Well see you girls later, don't get into trouble!" Zabuza mock warned waving them off.

"Who's he to lecture anyone about getting into trouble!, he carries that damn massive cleaver everywhere he goes practically begging for a fight!" Fuu whispered to Haku causing the Ice wielding kunoichi to chuckle. "Come on I saw some nice dresses a few stalls back." she said.

"I have a few nice dresses, and we are always working so why spend all our money on new ones?" Haku asked following the green haired kunoichi none the less.

"Because these are new, besides this will take my mind of man stealing bimbos" Fuu said a small amount of bitterness in her voice.

Haku remained silent, the last thing she wanted was to get in the middle of the increasingly one sided fight for a certain blonds affection, and Haku wasn't blind either she had seen how close Naruto and Akimi had become over the past few weeks ever since they came back from the Land of Water.

While the two kunoichi went for some retail therapy Jiraiya, Zabuza and Gaara continued walking through the streets aimlessly or so it appeared. When they arrived at in a completely deserted street they stopped. "Hey are you sure about the location of the final base?" Zabuza asked the Toad Sage.

"Positive, the only question is how many other people know about it" Jiraiya replied.

"If that's true then it is entirely possible that the Daimyo is not simply turning a blind eye to Orochimaru's dealings, but helping him." Gaara suggested.

"And why not? It get's the perceived trash off the street quicker. The Daimyo and the guards round up any trouble makers, and then hands them over to Orochimaru's men for what ever purposes." Zabuza guessed.

"I agree that is most likely what is happening." Jiraiya said with a slight scowl.

Sand rose up from Gaara's gourd and began to circle the jinchuuriki menacingly. "We can't let this continue! If the Daimyo is working with Orochimaru then just destroying the base will not be enough, they will just rebuild and to avoid Orochimaru's wrath the civilians will be targeted. He needs to die!" the red head declared, his face was an emotionless mask but the tone of his voice betrayed his fury.

"Think about what you're saying. Look this might seem out of character for me but killing the Daimyo would destabilize this entire region, we should do this without killing him." Zabuza said.

"And not killing the Daimyo hands this country over to Orochimaru, the people with it." Gaara retorted.

"You're right, but this could lead to a civil war over the loss of power. Don't get me wrong I want to kill the bastard just as much as you do, but I have seen this kind of thing before, hell I have caused a few by assassinating businessmen, and gang leaders. The subordinates all fall to in fighting." Zabuza said.

"But there is a difference. This country has no military. Also once it has been exposed what the Daimyo has been doing it is likely that the people will revolt if the Daimyo remains in power. The safest bet would be to remove the Daimyo and have someone to step in immediately to fill the void, preferably his son. If a legitimate heir there will be no power vacuum. The problem would be getting the Daimyo's son on our side. If that fails then I agree with Gaara, he has to be killed. In any case our destination is clear we have to go to the palace to get into Orochimaru's base anyway so we may as well pay the bastard a visit." Jiraiya declared.

"Should we go get Haku and Fuu then?" Gaara asked.

"No, I let them go for a reason, the same reason I didn't tell them the location of Orochimaru's final hideout. The moment we entered this village I am sure that someone took note, they wouldn't try and follow us due to the fact that I am one of the Sannin, but they would certainly be on guard. Fuu and Haku not knowing what's happening and shopping serves two purposes. It takes some heat off of us as they are currently looking like tourists, and secondly when we enter Orochimaru's base every Oto ninja and city guard will know. Having Fuu and Haku not participate in infiltrating the base leaves them to cover our backs when the fighting starts." Jiraiya explained.

"But leaving them in the dark could be dangerous." Gaara reasoned.

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure they receive a warning signal" Jiraiya replied confidently.

"This is starting to sound fun. So what's the plan?" Zabuza asked eagerly.

"Well first confront the Daimyo about what hes been doing... then let stuff happen." Jiraiya said.

"So basically we have no plan right?" Gaara asked.

"Well that really depends on your definition of plan." Jiraiya said.

Gaara shook his head slowly in slight embarrassment. "How is it you are considered one of the strongest ninja alive again?" he said with a blank expression.

"It's certainly not from over thinking things." Zabuza said with a laugh.

"I will have you know that I am an expert tactician! It's just in this instance I think taking a page out of Naruto's early play book will work best... we enter, raise hell then leave." Jiraiya said defensively.

"You know that does sound like a lot of fun, I'm in!" Zabuza said.

"I can see no other way to approach this without several days of preparation, so I agree." Gaara sighed.

"What are you complaining about, you wanted the Daimyo dead a few minutes ago, now it looks like that is more than likely going to happen." Zabuza said patting the red headed jinchuuriki on the back.

"True but I expected something a little more elegant and less obvious as to who killed him than just waltzing in to the palace and causing a scene." Gaara admitted.

"It can't be helped. The entrance to the Oto base is inside the palace grounds, only way we are getting in there is like this" Jiraiya said.

Gaara sighed in acceptance and the three ninja all began walking again, this time with a clear direction, the large palace at the far side of the village.

(**Elsewhere**)

Naruto was for the most part spending his day relaxing along with most the Konoha ninja. The most notable exceptions were Gai and Lee who apparently decided to use the time while they waited for Kiri to arrive in order to challenge Kakashi and Neji to challenges from a basic spar to a rock paper scissors duel.

Sitting watching the two spandex clad shinobi were Naruto, Itachi and Akimi. "You gotta admire the way that they persist despite being shot down time and time again" Itachi said with a slight smirk.

"Who do you think will fold first? Kakashi, or the Hyuuga?" Akimi asked.

"Kakashi. Neji won't break, he's to much like the other Hyuuga to crack, while Kakashi will probably agree to the first thing that doesn't involve him moving" Naruto chuckled.

Itachi was about to agree with Naruto but was cut off by Gai who began yelling about Kakashi's cool hip attitude. "I really wouldn't want to be on a team with those two." Akimi laughed.

"That may be, but you wont find a tougher team in all of Konoha, Kakashi and Gai when working together are as strong as any one, their teamwork is flawless." Itachi complimented.

"Heh it sorta works, one is lazy and often unmotivated, and the other is over enthusiastic, bordering on the insane. I guess they balance each other out." Naruto joked.

Akimi stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "I am a little bored. Naruto-kun, come help me with my Fuuton manipulation." she said happily.

"Sure why not, I got nothing better to do anyway." Naruto sighed before standing. "We don't have a river to cut but I guess you could try cutting a rock, it's not quite as difficult as a river which is constantly moving requiring sustained chakra flow to stop it, but it's definitely a step up from leaves." Naruto mused as they walked down towards the lake. When they arrived at the lakes surface Naruto bent down and pulled a rock slightly bigger than his hand out from the water. "Alright you know what to do, cut the rocks in half, you will need to use far more force than to simply cut a leaf. Think of the pressure you used to create the tunnel through the water then double it."

Akimi nodded and closed her eyes in concentration. "Okay here goes!" she said her face fully determined. For a moment nothing happened but then suddenly a deep cut appeared across the rock, however it did not split.

"Nice try, once you get this you shouldn't have to work on strengthening the power of your Fuuton anymore, only sustaining it and shaping it. Keep going once you finished that rock I'll get you another, we will keep it up until you can easily cut them in half in a single strike" Naruto said.

Akimi let out a sigh while concentrating on sharpening her chakra while isolating the Raiton element. The second time a deeper cut appeared but she had still not been able to completely cut through the rock. On her fourth attempt she finally managed to make it all the way through.

"So that's what we need to beat. Try and get this rock done in three." Naruto said lightly tossing another large rock to the kunoichi. Again it took four attempts to cut through to the other side, and a similar result for the next five. "Dammit I wasn't able to do any better. When I had to cut rocks during my Raiton manipulation training it was easy." Akimi said bitterly.

"You might not think so but there was improvement, this stuff isn't easy, also it's a lot easier to stone with Raiton than Fuuton, so it makes sense that this exercise will be harder this time round, you just need to increase the amount of Fuuton you can produce in a single burst, try doubling the chakra output that you used when cracking rocks with Raiton manipulation." Naruto said.

"Alright here goes!" Akimi said with a deep breath. A deep cut appeared on her new rock that went close to half way through the stone. "Wow I got half way in one go!" she said victoriously.

"That's great Akimi-chan you're almost there, once you can sustain the manipulation you're chakra output will be considerably less. But as we can't train in that here let's continue." Naruto said encouragingly.

(**Meanwhile**)

Jiraiya, Zabuza and Gaara stood in front of a large palace with twin gates that towered over the three ninja. "So this is it huh?" Zabuza said looking up at the gates.

"Yeah, I hope the Daimyo is expecting visitors" Jiraiya chuckled.

**End Chapter!**

**Action will pick up next chapter. I thought about adding some fights this chapter but decided to give some background into where Jiraiya's group were, and what they were doing first which I guess made the chapter slightly shorter than I would have liked but I would rather end it now than in the middle of a fight. **

**Anyway hope you liked it regardless of it being a shorter chapter than most. **


	74. The Daimyo's Disaster

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****4: The Daimyo's Disaster**

Jiraiya, Zabuza and Gaara slowly approached a large white gate with sharp spikes at its top that stood in front of one of the Daimyo's palace. They continued to approach slowly and were almost at arms length form the entrance to the complex when guards in dark green samurai uniforms seemed to appear from all directions, surrounding the three shinobi. "Halt! State your purpose for being here!" the guard in charge ordered of the three Yoinokuchi ninja.

"Well I would like to talk to the Daimyo about certain things that involve this countries security, I suggest that you let us in." Jiraiya said calmly.

The head guard didn't answer, his attention was focused solely on Zabuza's giant cleaver. "Looks like they are afraid of Kubikiribocho, I guess I can't blame them." the former Kiri ninja chuckled.

"Well it is an outrageously large sword, it is not very subtle." Gaara said understanding why the guards may fear having such an object in the presence of a Daimyo.

"Oh like you are one to talk about being subtle, you can't have a fight without leaving a mess of sand everywhere!" Zabuza replied.

"Look this isn't getting us anywhere. Just let who ever is in charge know that Jiraiya the Toad Sage is here and that one way or another I will be entering the palace to talk to the Daimyo." Jiraiya said making sure that the guards were aware that his treat was very real.

Murmuring erupted amongst the guards. "Did he say Jiraiya? As in the Jiraiya-sama of the legendary three ninja of Konoha?" one said.

"I think so, but why would he be here?" another replied.

"We better do as he says, there is no way we can fight against someone like him. Besides look at who he's with, the red head may not look like much but that guy in the mask with no eyebrows has a sword longer than his body! That takes more than a normal amount of strength to wield." one of the other guards reasoned.

"Look we don't have all day, so either send someone to go tell the Daimyo that we are coming and open the gates of we can bust them down." Jiraiya said confidently.

The head guard gulped loudly before turning to a short guard around the age of Gaara. "Y-You go tell Daimyo-sama and his personal guards th-tha-t Jir-aiya-sama of the Sannin is here to see him, and is on the way up to the palace!" he ordered as firmly as he could with a voice that was shaking due to being intimidated.

The short guard turned and disappeared through a reinforced door on the outer castle walls. After a few moments the head guard ordered two of the other guards to open the gates to allow Jiraiya's group to enter. Even then it took close to five minutes for the gates to be opened completely. "Gah it's about time." Zabuza scoffed before taking a few steps towards the now open gate.

"Wait a minute sir, we cannot permit you to enter with that sword, you will have to leave it with us." the guard head said with as much command in his tone that he could manage.

Zabuza stopped in mid step before turning to give the gate guard a look that promised the head guard a very painful death. "I don't hand over Kubikiribocho, not to you, not to the Daimyo, fuck I wouldn't even hand my sword over to the Mizukage. But I tell you what, if you are so determined to take it from me, you can take it from my cold dead hands!" the former Kiri ninja said in a tone fully reminiscent of his title as the Demon of the Hidden Mist, made all the more threatening as he gripped the handle of his large cleaver showing how ready he was to use the object at a moments notice.

All the guards backed off. "Very well, you may enter but once you enter the palace you will be under strict supervision" the guard said backing down from the killing intent radiating off of Zabuza who nodded before turning around at heading with the others into the large courtyard leading up to the palace.

"Do they think we don't know what they are planing?" Gaara asked somewhat surprised.

"They are not ninja, the fact that they took so long to open the gate was a big enough give away that they are planing a trap for us, but all traps can backfire if the prey knows they are being led in" Jiraiya said with a confident smirk.

"So how are we going to do this, if you want I could just bring down the entire palace by turning the ground into sand?" Gaara suggested.

"No I think we should at least talk to the Daimyo first, I want to find out what he knows about Orochimaru." Jiraiya replied. Gaara nodded in acceptance and the three ninja continued walking toward the palace.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akimi had began to fully get the hang of cutting rocks with Fuuton chakra, because of this Naruto was having to find larger and larger rocks for her to cut through to help increase her output a process that was becoming almost second nature to the dark haired kunoichi.

"Nice work, it should be easy for you to complete the training when we get back home now, once that's done we can start work on so me of your brothers black lightning jutsu, and increasing your Swift Release speed." Naruto said cheerfully.

"Sounds good, after my fight with that man from the Akatsuki that could turn his body to metal it's clear that I'm not strong enough. I don't have any powerful jutsu that can break through a tough defense like that." Akimi admitted slightly bitter about the situation.

Naruto smiled warmly at the kunoichi "It's fine, you are one of the strongest people I know. I believe you will become much stronger as well, that Akatsuki ninja won't stand a chance next time you see him!" Naruto declared confidently.

Akimi returned the smile to the blond jinchuuriki and returned to focusing on her latest task of cutting a rock around the size of her head. Before she could attempt to slice the rock however Itachi landed in a tree behind the pair. "A large boat with the markings of Kiri has arrived at the island." Itachi informed them.

"So there here, well we better go greet them then. I wonder who Mei sent, I hope they are understanding, I wouldn't want to get blamed for losing the Sanbi." Naruto said.

"Are you actually afraid of something Naruto-kun?" Akimi giggled.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed. "Not really, but this is the first time I have ever failed a mission so I don't know how they are going to react, I don't want to spoil our relationship with Kiri because we were careless." he admitted.

"Either way we should go greet them, Kakashi, Gai, and Shizune, have gone to the beach to give their report and greet the arrivals, we should hurry and meet up with them." Itachi said.

"Yeah alright, let's go. Kiri might take the fact that we lost Sanbi easier if it comes from us rather than ninja from a rival village anyway" Naruto sighed.

The three Yoinokuchi ninja took off, Naruto and Akimi following Itachi across the island, taking a shortcut over the lake. When they finally came to a stop it was on the edge of a large beach at the edge of the destruction caused by Naruto's Rasentsunami.

Standing near the water were eight Kiri ninja, Naruto automatically recognized three of them. The glasses wearing Chojuro, the tall and stoic Ao and finally standing between them was the Mizukage herself Mei Terumi. Across from the Kiri ninja stood the three from Konoha that had come out to greet them.

"Well at least Mei will be understanding." Naruto sighed as the three approached.

Once the three Yoinokuchi ninja walked closer Mei and the other Kiri ninja turned to see the new arrivals. "Oh my Naruto-kun, Itachi-dono, I was unaware that you were here. Is it true that the Sanbi was taken?" the Mizukage asked kindly.

Naruto looked down still clearly upset about the outcome of the fight with the Akatsuki. "I'm afraid so, we were careless I'm afraid. Itachi-sensei and I were focused on fighting members of the Akatsuki and forgot about our main objective of protecting the Bijuu, I'm sorry Mei." he sighed.

"Well then thank goodness you are all safe at least." Mei said kindly before giving the blond a hug which shocked the three Konoha ninja and greatly annoyed Akimi.

Naruto was stunned, he couldn't speak for a few moments after Mei broke the huh, he had not expected a response like that. "I don't understand. shouldn't you be mad? We lost Kiri's Bijuu after all." Naruto said.

Mei nodded yes, Sanbi was taken, but it would have been taken much easier had you not been here to aid in protecting the Bijuu, we came as soon as we could. You have done so much for Kiri, how could we ever blame you for something like this. I am just glad to see that everyone is alive. I also owe Konoha my thanks for your assistance. I will be sure to send Tsunade-dono a message when we return to Kiri." Mei said with a smile.

"What a youthful and Understanding Kage Kiri has now." Gai said with pride. His outburst was as loud as always, the other ninja looked at Gai quizzically but didn't say anything about his rather odd outburst.

"Well what will you do now? Will you be heading back to Kiri?" Itachi asked.

"I would like to have a look around first, while I do not doubt the tracking skills of those here I wish to see inspect the area myself, Naruto-kun would you be so kind as to escort me, having fought here you surely have insight into what happened. For example the jutsu that caused a portion of the forest to be leveled like this. A Bijuudama cannot be the cause of this, the plants have been flattened not completely destroyed after all." Mei said looking over the damage cause by Naruto's completed elemental rasengan.

"Uh that was me, my opponent was on a completely different level to anything that I have faced before." Naruto admitted sheepishly.

"Indeed, such tremendous power, I am shocked. I'm looking forward to hearing about what happened, let's go shall we." Mei said and grabbed Naruto's hand.

"Hey why are you only taking Naruto-kun? We all fought, wouldn't it be better to get a report from more than just one person?" Akimi said trying as hard as she could to keep the anger that she felt from having Mei flirt so openly with Naruto from her voice.

"Having to many people follow would make discovering clues as to where the Akatsuki may have gone difficult. I am sure that Ao is more than qualified to take the reports from everyone." Mei said with a smile.

'_Damn that sneaky bitch. I don't trust her, she might try something with Naruto-kun!_' Akimi fumed behind a fake yet surprisingly convincing smile while the Mizukage led the blond jinchuuriki over to the edge of the area of forest that had been destroyed.

(**Meanwhile**)

Jiraiya's group stood in the middle of a large white marble hall, tall pillars stretched high up to the ceiling around four floors up. There was no sign of anyone other than the three Yoinokuchi ninja who seemed completely out of place against the all white backdrop, even the light coming in from the large windows appeared to be blindingly light.

"Hey at least our cloaks will act as camouflage" Zabuza chuckled.

"I can assure you that will not be necessary." came a voice from above them. Turning in the direction of the voice the Yoinokuchi ninja saw an man around the same age as Jiraiya with long gray hair and a short beard. He wore long flowing purple robes with gold trim. "My palace guards tell me that you were very insistent on speaking with me, I do wonder why you are so interested in someone like me, I may be the Daimyo but this nation is small and has very few exports" he said.

"We are looking for someone, and you have been in contact with him." Jiraiya said.

"It would be an honor to help one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, who is it you are looking for?" the Daimyo asked.

"Orochimaru." Jiraiya replied calmly.

"I have not seen him, I do not know why you would think that I had." the Daimyo replied although a little stiffly.

"I know that you have, he is the leader of Otogakure after all, and that you have allowed him to kidnap the homeless people from this country for his own purposes." Jiraiya said sternly.

"Preposterous! How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" the Daimyo yelled.

"Don't bull shit me Daimyo-sama. I know the locations of the Oto bases, including the one under this palace. You have been letting Orochimaru's men take your so called unwanted people off the streets and in exchange you hide his men and let him do what ever sick experiments he wants. You disgust me!" Jiraiya declared.

The Daimyo went pale knowing he was caught. "You how could you know something like that?" he said still defiant.

"They call me a spy master for a reason. Do you think I wouldn't have people looking into my old comrade? Now I suggest you give up, we are going to destroy the Oto base which is the last one in this country. As for you, well we are currently undecided, killing you could cause problems for this country but is that any worse than what you have done?" Jiraiya replied.

"But you have said it yourself, you may be a legendary ninja, but there is a whole base full of ninja just below your feet! You won't be able to defeat them all!" the Daimyo said angrily. A move of his hand and walls all around the three Yoinokuchi ninja opened up and Oto ninja flooded into the hall.

"Game time boy's!" Jiraiya said already running through hand seals.

The three closest Oto ninja were caught in a stream of flames shot by Jiraiya and began screaming as they burnt. Zabuza had removed Kubikiribocho from his back and was making his way through a crowd of Oto ninja skilfully ripping through them while avoiding the counter attacks. Gaara on the other hand hadn't even moved his sand was just slowly circling around him as he stood staring at a group of Oto ninja that had stopped their advance upon seeing how the first wave had been dealt with by Jiraiya and Zabuza.

More and more Oto ninja flooded into the hall but Jiraiya and Zabuza were clearing them almost as quickly much to the displeasure of the Daimyo. "Gaara it's time send the warning to Fuu and Haku!" Jiraiya called out while kicking a Oto chunin into two others forcing all three to fly back into the closest wall.

"Very well... Sand Tower Jutsu!" Gara said darkly and lifting his hands above his head caused the ground around him to shake. Suddenly sand erupted from the floor beneath him surrounding the red head like a wall. This sand continued to grow shooting high up into the air smashing through the ceiling of the palace and out into the sky.

Outside Fuu and Haku were walking through the village looking at various market stalls when the massive pillar of sand erupted into the air from the palace. Immediately the two kunoichi froze. "That's Gaara kun's sand! What could be going on over there?" Haku said in wonder.

"Let's go check it out. Even if those three don't really need our help, Gaara used that jutsu for a reason." Fuu replied.

"Yeah lets go, it can't be anything good what ever it is." Haku agreed and the two kunoichi quickly set off towards the Daimyo's palace. They didn't get very far however before they were confronted by a group of Oto ninja. "I guess this explains why Gaara-kun is fighting." Haku sighed before forming ice senbon between each of her fingers.

"Well looks like they found the final Oto base then." Fuu said as a her Bijuu cloak began to form. Three tails were flailing around behind her. "Oto ninja, I'm so sick of them!" she fumed slightly effected by the Bijuu's influence.

Haku's tossed her senbon at the closest two Oto ninja, each thin blade of ice struck key areas of the ninja making them collapse. Fuu used her tails to swipe the rest of the group away sending them flying through several buildings. "Come on, I have a feeling that this is just the start, if it is we shouldn't fight in the middle of the village, lets get to the others quickly." Fuu said, her Bijuu cloak fading away.

The once white marble hall that Jiraiya's group was fighting in was no longer the unblemished white stone. Sand and blood coated the walls, parts of the ceiling had fallen to the ground and the bodies of countless Oto ninja were scattered around the area. Gaara's had his sand acting like a blade like whip, any new arrivals were taken care of with ease.

While Gaara was dealing with the last of the Oto ninja, Zabuza had gone to retrieve the Daimyo who was as pale as a ghost in fear of the three Yoinokuchi shinobi. "He was trying to escape down some secret passageway." Zabuza said while dumping the elderly leader to the ground and returning to fight with Gaara.

"Any sign of his son?" Jiraiya asked.

Upon mention of his son the Daimyo looked up clearly terrified. "Stay away from my son he knows nothing." he said weakly, almost pleading the Toad Sage.

"We weren't going to kill him, at least we hadn't planned on it. We just wanted to show him exactly what you have been doing to your people." Jiraiya said.

"I have been keeping them safe! Without me they would have nowhere near the security I brought in." the Daimyo declared finding a small sliver of courage.

"Keeping them safe? The wealthy maybe, but orphans, the homeless, and poor? I don't think so, they have been terrorized by you and Orochimaru. You made them about as safe as sleeping in a bed filled with poisonous snakes!" Jiraiya lectured sternly.

"You don't know anything! This place was a lawless wreck before Orochimaru-dono came here. So what if I let him get rid of our trash, at least he leaves our hard working citizens alone, unlike the bandits." the Daimyo said coldly.

"So basically you discard all those who are suffering. Most of those orphans and homeless are there because of your inability to protect them from the bandits in the first place, and at least the bandits only killed their victims, what Orochimaru does is so much worse. They aren't killed, they're experimented on, all so that snake can invent new ways of attempting to keep himself alive, and learn every jutsu." Jiraiya said angrily, his patients with the Daimyo running thin.

At that point Gaara and Zabuza returned "All gone, there was a lot of them, more than in any of the other Oto bases." Zabuza said returning Kubikiribocho to his back.

"That may not be all of them, it is still possible that inside the Oto base there are more ninja waiting for us. These ninja were no better trained than the others" Gaara added.

"Maybe, but as for finding stronger ninja, I doubt Orochimaru would keep anyone with any promise in this country. Konoha knows that Oto is here, for that reason Orochimaru wouldn't risk his best fighters, my guess anyone that has shown promise would have been taken from here." Jiraiya said.

"Sounds reasonable but who was left in charge. Surely Orochimaru would have left someone to oversee the bases." Gaara reasoned.

"Of course he's right here." Jiraiya said indicating the Daimyo.

"I see, it makes sense from here he can pass on orders to each of the bases, and inform the oto ninja where trouble in the country is occurring." Zabuza agreed.

"Now how about you answer my questions, how you answer will affect what exactly happens to you. If we are satisfied you will be allowed to continue on as the ruler of this country." Jiraiya said.

The Daimyo nodded in defeat. '_There is nothing I can do but agree, all that's left are my personal guards, and they are no match for these monsters_' "Very well I will tell you everything that I know." he sighed.

"First off when was the last time you saw Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked sternly.

"It's been about a year and a half, he came by to drop off some folders and he took away some objects." the Daimyo said.

"What kind of objects?" Zabuza queried.

"I-I don't know, I may have been put in charge of handling the Oto ninja here, but I never looked into what Orochimaru was doing personally, what he did was none of my business so I stayed out of it." The old leader admitted.

"Do you know where any of the other bases are outside of this country?" Jiraiya said continuing his line of questioning.

"No, I was never told anything." the Daimyo replied.

"That was a lie." Gaara said flatly.

"Don't think you can lie, now tell us what you know!" Zabuza demanded, gripping his large cleaver menacingly.

The Daimyo gulped at the sight and a small bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "Okay, I know of one, Orochimaru called it the northern base, I believe it was located in the Land of Lightning, but that's all I know honestly" he said in a panicked tone.

"Alright then, now we are going to go down and destroy this base, you have been helpful so your life will be spared for now, but if Oto comes back here and rebuilds I will know. And we will come back and finish you. You will have no more contact with anyone from Oto, if I hear anything about you working with them again you die, do you understand?" Jiraiya warned seriously.

The Daimyo nodded while cowering on the edge of tears. "Heh pathetic, for someone who was talking so big earlier you sure look like trash now." Zabuza laughed.

"Leave him, he's not a threat. We can get into Orochimaru's base through the hole made from my sand tower jutsu." Gaara said turning to the center of the hall to a large crater made when Gaara's sand erupted from the floor.

"He's right, lets go, there might be some more information inside." Jiraiya agreed.

The three Yoinokuchi ninja were about to jump down into the underground complex when Fuu and Haku arrived. "Hey why did you do this without us?" Fuu said angrily.

"Ah well truth is we wanted the Oto ninja to think that we didn't know where they were, leaving you two out of this made it seem like we were just passing through." Jiraiya said.

"Well we were attacked anyway, so it looks like your plan backfired." Fuu replied.

"Well that's good, if you were able to deal with what ever Oto ninja were out in the village then we may not have to fight anymore, and Orochimaru might not know that his last base in this country has been taken." Jiraiya declared happily.

"What ever, have you gone in yet?" the green haired kunoichi asked.

"Not yet we were just about to when you showed up." Gaara answered.

"To much talking, lets just go see what secrets are hidden in here. This base was hidden much better than the others so I believe that we are more likely to find something here than anywhere else." Jiraiya said and without waiting for a reply jumped down through the floor.

"He seems eager, well lets not him have all the fun, hell we could still find some ninja to fight down there after all." Zabuza said before following after the Toad Sage.

**End Chapter!**


	75. Revelations and a Letter

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****5: Revelations and a Letter**

Jiraiya's group landed in a dark corridor lit only by a thin dull light that stretched the length of the pathway. The walls were lined with cold metal giving the corridor a sterile look.

"Orochimaru isn't one for decorating, every base basically looks the same." Zabuza sighed looking along the pathway to where the corridor bent around to the left.

"Maybe he built them all together, besides I doubt Orochimaru would care all that much what his bases look like." Gaara reasoned.

"It doesn't matter, the only thing that does is finding whatever notes he has left here and destroying this base completely." Jiraiya said.

"He's right, anyway lets not waste time talking about Orochimaru's choice of color scheme when it comes to his bases." Haku sighed.

Nodding in agreement the five Yoinokuchi shinobi took off following the corridor around until they came to an intersection where the path forked.

"What do you think, should we split up and meet up in the main chamber?" Zabuza questioned.

"Sounds like a plan, You take the left path with Haku, and Gaara, while I take the right with Fuu." Jiraiya ordered before the groups split off down the separate paths.

Once they were a suitable distance away from the other group Fuu turned to Jiraiya. "Um Jiraiya-sama I have a question?"

"Really what is it?" Jiraiya replied

"It's about Naruto-kun, I want to know if he's really together with Akimi?" the teenage kunoichi queried.

Jiraiya nodded, the elder group of the Yoinokuchi had long known about the minor conflict between the two love struck teens when it came to the blond Rinnegan wielder. "Truth is I am not even sure, I think that they are heading that way. Those two have become spending far more time with each other." Jiraiya admitted knowing that wasn't the answer Fuu was looking for.

"So you think that they are in other words?" Fuu sighed sadly.

"Yes I do, unfortunately having raised Naruto means that he knows where I am likely to hide to try and catch them together so I have been unable to find anything concrete other than the fact that she ran to Konoha to see him when Akaru was killed. Sorry I couldn't be of more help." Jiraiya said consolingly.

"I see, thanks Jiraiya-sama. I think I know what I want to do now. Lets just keep moving, also if you could not tell anyone about me asking that, it would be great" she said her cheeks slightly red from embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, I won't tell anyone. But I do think that Naruto and Akimi see each other as more than just good friends, I just can't be sure of how far along they are." Jiraiya said.

"It's fine I will have to find out from the source when we get back home." Fuu replied.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto was busy showing Mei the damage caused to the island during the fight with the Akatsuki and Oto ninja. "Most of the fighting took place over the lake, the only noticeable areas are the crater caused by Itachi-sensei's brother and the strip of land leveled by my Rasentsunami." Naruto admitted as they walked through the long stretch of flattened trees that were once thick forest.

"Still from the damage caused it must have been a tremendously powerful jutsu, the Akatsuki ninja you were fighting must have really been something else if you were forced to use such a powerful attack." Mei said looking around clearly impressed by the damage done to the landscape.

"He was, not only skilled he also had the Rinnegan, and his mastery of it was at a different level to my own, if I didn't have the Rikudou Sennin's necklace I would have probably been defeated." Naruto sighed.

"The Rinnegan? A member of the Akatsuki has the Rinnegan?" Mei asked in shock.

Naruto nodded as he continued to walk. "Pein, the apparent leader of the Akatsuki. He used multiple bodies like puppets by channeling his chakra into them through chakra distribution rods identical to the kind that I can make." Naruto explained and formed a long black cylindrical spear like rod to emphasis the point.

Mei took the chakra distribution rod to observe, never having the chance to see any of Naruto's abilities up this close before she was genuinely surprised to see how he easy he could make the objects from thin air. "It's impressive, but why are multiple bodies so impressive? I have seen you deal with immense numbers before." She posed remembering back to that final battle where Naruto fought with Yagura.

Naruto sighed and looked into the sky, folding his arms behind his head. "It's not so much the numbers each body he controlled gained the Rinnegan, and one of his six paths allowing not only shared field of vision but increased strength and speed. At any one time I can only use one of my six paths, for example I cannot manipulate gravity and absorb chakra at the same time. By dividing the paths he can position his bodies in strategic positions to make the most of each paths abilities, like keeping the healer a decent distance from the fight making him all but impossible to defeat. Not only that there is also the question of locating the main body something that I was unable to accomplish. Pein was on a whole new level to anyone I had ever faced before." he admitted slightly downcast.

"Well then the next time you meet him be sure to have Itachi and Jiraiya with you, I am sure you will win then." Mei said attempting to comfort the blond.

"No, this is something I want to do alone." Naruto replied firmly.

"I don't understand, if he is so dangerous and powerful why would you want to do this alone when you have so many friends to help you?" Mei asked.

"Because of something Pein said. He told me he wants to bring peace to the world, his goal is not that of an evil man, but he believes the only way to achieve peace is through power and violence. His ideals are good but he is going about it the wrong way. I want to defeat him myself to show him that he was wrong, if I prove that I am stronger than the strongest of the Akatsuki he will have to give up on his quest to capture the Bijuu." Naruto said.

"You don't want to kill him, even after all the people he's hurt?" Mei asked.

"Awhile ago I would have said yes, however I met a man named Kakuzu, a member of the Akatsuki. He was a hate filled and money hungry person by nature, but at the same time highly respectful when it came to people with strength. He told me about his life and it became clear that he became who he was due to circumstance, a harsh life created the S rank criminal before me. I want to know why Pein is the way he is, his dream of peace is seemingly warped by a great hurt, even his name signifies that fact." Naruto sighed.

"So you wont kill him, because you want to know more about him? Is that it?" Mei asked somewhat dumbfounded that Naruto would even consider sparing the life of someone who was such a massive threat to him.

"If you were in my situation could you? For some reason, whatever it may be we have both been given the Rinnegan something only one other person has been blessed with in recorded history and even then most see the Rikudou Sennin as nothing more than a myth. I don't want to kill him when their must be some kind of connection between us. That said if I am given no alternative I will do what needs to be done." Naruto replied.

Mei nodded solemnly "I guess I see your point, there are still so many unknowns when it comes to the Rinnegan. Before I met you I only knew of the story about being able to control all forms of chakra, but I can see now that there is so much more to it. This Pein could hold answers, not just for you but about the Rikudou Sennin, and together you could lead the world to a better understanding of the nature of chakra. That said letting someone like him live when he is trying so hard to bring it into darkness is very risky I am glad you are prepared to kill him should it prove unavoidable." she sighed. '_I can understand Naruto-kun's situation, after the war there are very few bloodline users in Kiri and none with my duel bloodline status, it would tare me apart if I was forced to kill someone who was just like me. I do hope that he understands the position he is in however, if he doesn't kill Pein then he will become stronger, and eventually he will defeat Naruto-kun in one way or another. Then the Akatsuki will have the strongest Bijuu, and stopping them will be that much harder._' she thought slightly worried for the young jinchuuriki's safety.

"Should we head back the camp, there are two people I want you to meet who I think would make some great additions to Kiri, one has the Shoton bloodline" Naruto said remembering about Guren and Yukimaru who were probably at the campsite right now being introduced to Ao and the other Kiri shinobi.

Mei gasped and her eyes widened in shock. "Shoton! I thought that was extinct, it disappeared from Kiri long before the bloodline wars started." she declared.

"She was one of Orochimaru's henchmen, presumably Orochimaru went looking for rare bloodlines and found one. She has been with Orochimaru since she was a child but decided to leave in order to protect the boy she is with, Yukimaru. Orochimaru wanted him to become the jinchuuriki for the Sanbi as he appeared to have the power to not only summon the creature but also calm it slightly. But with Sanbi gone into the hands of the Akatsuki, Yukimaru would have been of no use to Orochimaru, he had no other great talents and didn't know how to fight, he would become nothing but a test subject for that snake and his equally creepy medic companion." Naruto explained.

"They sound like great additions to our village, we will be glad to have them." Mei said.

"I thought you would say that. On another yet similar note, Guren wont be forced into any strange hidden village policy type breeding program will she because of her unique bloodline?" Naruto asked slightly concerned knowing it had been the practice in some of the hidden villages in the past most notably Kumo who attempted to have Akimi placed in such a program once she reached came of age.

"Naruto-kun do you think I would allow something like that? If Kiri implemented such a barbaric procedure I myself would have been forced to take part. Don't worry I will make sure that they are taken care of in accordance to the agreement you struck with the two." Mei assured the blond.

"The agreement was to not kill them and let them go free in exchange for detailed information on where Orochimaru's bases are. I have already lived up to my end, they have gone free, I merely suggested that they could have a normal life with Kiri rather than spend it constantly on the run from Orochimaru." Naruto explained proudly.

Mei smiled at the blond warmly. "Then it appears that Kiri owes you yet another debt, returning a famous Kekkei Genkai to our village will be a great benefit to us. Now I think you are right, lets head to the camp, I would like to meet these two right away." she said happily.

Naruto nodded and began walking in the direction of the Konoha and Yoinokuchi camp. "Come on it's this way!" he called out before picking up the pace.

(**Iwa**)

The hidden village of Iwagakure was surrounded by sharp rocky mountain ranges giving the village the impression of an old stone stronghold. Waterfalls littered the village at various locations and long stone bridges connected various sections of the town. The building were comprised of rock and stone and each had the appearance of a small tower. Directly in the center of the village stood a tower far larger and grander than all the others combined and in the topmost room of this tower sat a short elderly man behind a large desk with papers scattered everywhere.

"Kami, why should I still have to do this damn paperwork, I'm old they should be more considerate!" the old man whined while marking his signature on yet another piece of paper.

On the other side of the desk a young woman stood in a very relaxed manner. She had short black hair and pink eyes which did not appear to have a pupil, her eyes were surrounded by dark eye liner. Her outfit comprised of red shirt with the left sleeve missing, a miniskirt that was the same color as her shirt, a long sash covered her left leg but her exposed right leg showed off her fishnet tights. Over the top of this outfit she wore a brown flack jacket along with shinobi sandals and gloves. "You know complaining about the paperwork isn't going to make it go away." she said rather wistfully as if she had heard it all before.

The old man grunted in irritation. "That's not the point Kurotsuchi-chan, if they just let me hand my paperwork over to others I would be able to spend my days relaxing." he complained.

"If you want to relax you could always retire? You don't have to be Tsuchikage forever you know." the woman named Kurotsuchi said cheerfully.

"Really and who would be able to take over. The only person even remotely capable of doing the job is Kitsuchi and he does not have nearly enough patients to sit still for days on end filling out these damn forms!" the old man replied.

The young kunoichi was about to retort when four shinobi burst into the room each wearing red outfits with brown flack jackets. "Oonoki-sama a message has just arrived from Kumo with some rather shocking information." a tall bald man with a very skinny face declared.

The Tsuchikage raised an eyebrow in interest. "That is weird, we have not had any direct contact with Kumo ever since that brat A took over as Raikage" he mused before continuing. "So what does he want?"

The bald Iwa ninja shook his head while handing a piece of paper over to Oonoki. "This didn't come from the Raikage, Oonoki-sama. It came from one of the village elders." he said urgently.

Oonoki was even more puzzled by this development, the village elders of Kumo only cared abut one thing, Kumo. Letting any information out to a rival village was completely unheard of. Nevertheless Oonoki opened the letter and dropped it the moment he read the first line.

_**Name: **Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze._

It was a bingo book entry. Regathering his composure Oonoki picked up the paper and reread the name at the top of the page over and over again. '_Namikaze? Is that even possible, could it be that that man had a child?_' he thought a small nerve being hit when he thought of the last Namikaze's name he had read in a Bingo book. The next line down had the confirmation of his initial thought a picture of a young man golden yellow locks that spiked out in all angles. '_They look the same, there is no doubt in my mind that this boy is his child! But his eyes have been blacked out, why black out something like that?_' Oonoki mused while glossing over the description. Then something else on the page caught his eye, the place where Kekkei Genkai status would normally be had been removed from this page. For a less experienced man this may have been ignored but Oonoki was not Tsuchikage just because he was old, he knew the moment he saw it that it was something that the elder that had sent the Bingo entry that had been altered. '_There is something that they do not want us to know._' he guessed correctly.

Kurotsuchi who had been watching the old Kage for a while now finally spoke. "So what is it Ojii-sama?" she asked respectfully.

"A bingo book entry." he replied calmly still going over every detail of the paper looking for clues that the elder who sent the note may have missed.

"Oh come on it has to be more than that, you dropped the letter a second after you saw it!" Kurotsuchi replied hoping to get something more from her grandfather.

"It's the Bingo book entry of a sixteen year old boy who has been given the highest bounty in Kumo's history including the legendary Gold and Silver brothers, and is wanted for apparently destroying a large section of Kumo." Oonoki said. '_What do I do, there is still a lot of animosity towards the Yondaime Hokage, this Bingo book entry could spark quite a few influential people in this village to call for blood. It is a shame, we should not punish the boy for what his father did in the name of his village, in the same situation I can say I may have done the same. On the other hand I would like to meet him myself, so I can know for sure if this really is the son of Minato Namikaze_' Oonoki thought.

"Wow that must be some kid, but who would be foolish enough to pick a fight with Kumo? If any village was stupid enough to do that wouldn't another war have started by now?" the kunoichi asked more interested than ever in the identity of the person on the page.

"He has no official connection to any village, although I am sure Konoha would know something about him, that slug princess always knows more than she lets on." Oonoki grumbled a small amount of bitterness having lost quite a few ninja to the members of the Sannin.

"Konoha? So a missing ninja then? Maybe Itachi Uchiha? Or the snake Sannin Orochimaru?" Kurotsuchi guessed.

Oonoki sighed knowing that his granddaughter was not going to give up. "Namikaze" he admitted weakly.

Kurotsuchi blinked several times as if stunned at what she heard. "Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief.

"A Namikaze, more importantly the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." Oonoki clarified.

"What but didn't you have all those spys look into Konoha searching for anyone who was related to the Yondaime Hokage after his death?" Kurotsuchi asked. While she had not been alive to experience the abilities of the Yellow Flash of Konoha, she had heard story's from those few who had faced the man and lived to tell the tale.

"Yes, from what I can gather from this Bingo entry, his name used to be Uzumaki alone, and he was unaware of his parentage with the village kept in the dark as well. At some point in time as a child he was taken from Konoha and didn't return, becoming a mercenary instead" Oonoki said paraphrasing the section on village loyalty that he had read moments earlier.

Kurotsuchi let out a low whistle to emphasize the size of this discovery. "What are you going to do? There are people in this village that would pay an awful lot of money for the kids head, and from the looks of it Kumo are willing to pay even more" Kurotsuchi said and although she would never admit it to her grandfather, the thought of meeting a relative of the man who almost singlehandedly won the third great shinobi war was rather exciting.

"I don't know, this is information that Kumo sent to us, it has been tampered with and is obviously sent for a purpose. I am betting they expect us to blindly chase after this boy because of who his father is, they want us riled up and to expend our forces doing something that they either do not have the resources for, which is highly doubtful with Kumo continuing to expand in military strength. Or they expect any confrontation would cost a high amount of lives and having us attempt this would be helping Kumo by weakening ourselves at the same time as removing one of Kumo's criminals. That said this information should be made public, he is an S ranked criminal in Kumo and I can only imagine is highly skilled if he was able to get in and out of Kumo unharmed. Our shinobi deserve to know about any possible threat they may encounter and this could be a big one." Oonoki sighed.

The old Tsuchikage scratched his head trying to think of an answer to this new revelation. Kurotsuchi on the other hand was reading through the Bingo book entry with great interest. "Hey is it common practice to black the eyes out on bingo book's?" she asked.

"No that is puzzling, but there are many things that seem off about that entry. The list of known skills is vague, no elemental affinity has been given and yet it says high level elemental manipulation and jutsu." we have not been given the whole picture, only what Kumo want us to know." Oonoki explained.

"Hm I wonder how tough he is? I wouldn't mind fighting him myself." Kurotsuchi said innocently.

Oonoki began to chuckle at this. "You really are my daughter. In any case I need to think on what to do with this, I will give my decision at the next head shinobi meeting." the old man said before standing up from his desk and walking out of the room completely ignoring the group of ninja who brought the letter and the still rather large stack of papers on his desk.

(**Elsewhere**)

Fuu and Jiraiya arrived in a large circular room. In the center stood several operating tables that looked as though they had not been used in quite awhile. "Looks like the Daimyo was telling the truth when he said it had been over a year since Orochimaru had spent any time here." Fuu said while getting a closer look at the operating tables.

"You're right, I don't think Orochimaru used this place for his experiments, this place may have a different purpose." Jiraiya replied.

"Like what?" Fuu asked.

Jiraiya shrugged. "To tell the truth I don't know, but that's what we are here to find out." he replied before walking over to a small desk and searching it only to find surgical supplies. "This room is empty, lets move on."

"Yeah, I'm not finding anything useful here" Fuu agreed.

At the far end of the room there was another door that opened to reveal a spiraling staircase that led deeper underground. "Well this is new. I don't remember any of Orochimaru's other bases being this deep underground, I wonder whats down there?" Jiraiya queried looking down the stairs but unfortunately he was unable to see the bottom.

Fuu was slightly put off by just how deep the drop was and stood back away from the door. "Could it be a trap? I don't think it's a genjutsu, but that doesn't mean Orochimaru hasn't put this here to lure people into danger." she asked still slightly back from the door.

"No his traps are usually more sudden this is leading somewhere I am sure of it" Jiraiya replied.

Fuu nodded in reply but didn't say anything, simply following after Jiraiya as he began to descend the steps slowly while carefully observing the walls for possible traps. Every so often he would jump over a step that seemed like it may be a trigger, further down he traveled the more often these trick stairs appeared. At the bottom of the spiral staircase there was a pit filled with sharp blades to prevent anyone from simply jumping down, the only safe area was a small path that stretched out from the bottom step that quickly bent around into a dark tunnel that had no lighting at all.

Jiraiya quickly performed a Katon jutsu and a small ball of fire took flight and hovered slightly ahead of the toad sages chest lighting the pathway enough for them to make out where they were going. "strange why has power been cut to this area?" Jiraiya questioned as he and Fuu slowly crept forward.

"Probably to prevent people from getting this deep into the base." Fuu guessed.

The pathway continued on for what felt like forever, the slow pace they were moving at became a necessity once Jiraiya accidentally set off a the first trap that they came upon. Jiraiya was able to escape unharmed from the flurry of shuriken that shot out of the walls, many ninja of lesser skill would have had no chance and been killed.

After around fifteen minutes of traveling along the darkened tunnel they came to large steel doors that had been reinforced. "Well now this looks like something important" Jiraiya said jumping forward to examine the obstacle that was blocking the way.

"I wonder what's in there. Can you open it?" Fuu asked.

Jiraiya tapped the door with his fists and a loud thud echoed back. "Not easily, this is made with some really heavy duty stuff, Orochimaru didn't want anyone to be able to get in here." he said.

"Hm well I could probably break through if I used Nanabi." Fuu said before walking over to inspect the door herself.

"Hm that would probably work, but it could also bring this tunnel down, Sage Mode is better suited to this. Give me a sec, I'm not as good at this as Naruto is." Jiraiya replied taking a seat and folding his legs in a meditative pose. Jiraiya sat still for close to five minutes before a change happened. The markings around his eyes widened and stretched out around his and half way down his cheek. His pupils became small and bar-like. "Alright now let's get through this door." he said hopping to his feet.

Jiraiya walked back to the door and in one swift movement punched right through the metal door which buckled before swinging open. Fuu seemed rather surprised by this development. "Hey if you were just going to bust the door open anyway, why couldn't I have done it with Nanabi? I mean how is that any safer to use in here than a Bijuu cloak?" she asked.

"Sage mode is easier to control for one. Secondly think of it like this, when trying to get a nut out of a shell what's better to use, a nutcracker or a sledgehammer?" Jiraiya replied.

"Well the nutcracker of course" Fuu answered.

"Well this is the same situation, a Bijuu's chakra would have opened the door no problem, however it would have also ripped out part of the wall with it. Using Sage Mode I am able to deliever a similar dosage of power only over a much smaller area saving the wall and stability of this tunnel." Jiraiya explained.

"Okay I get it, so basically the door is the door is the shell, and this tunnel is the nut, right? Just like if you tried to use a sledgehammer to crack the shell it would crush the nut in the process using Nanabi could collapse the tunnel while Sage Mode acts more like a nutcracker applying the pressure to the shell only." Fuu surmised.

"Yeah that's basically it. Now come on lets check out whats inside." Jiraiya replied.

The moment the pair crossed the door lights sprung on that almost blinded the pair having spent so long in the almost pitch blackness of the tunnel. Once they had adjusted to the brightness of this new area they found that they were standing inside a large room around the same size as the hall where Genin received their missions in Konoha. All along the walls there were tables that held hundreds of folders, each table had on it a label for the various countries in the elemental nations. At the far end of the room a large computer screen had sprung to life at the same time as the lights had come on.

"What is this place?" Fuu asked in wonder.

"I think it's where Orochimaru keeps copies of his research!" Jiraiya said in shock walking over to the table that was labeled '**Land of Fire**' in bold letters.

As soon as Jiraiya touched the table the large computer screen sprung to life. "_The Land of Fire, Hidden Village: Konoha, Clans of interest: Uchiha, Senju, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame, and Akimichi. DNA sample status... Complete_" the computer said in a oddly feminine tone.

Jiraiya turned to look at the computer screen which was listing the clans, along with Kekkei Genkai and known weaknesses like the small blind spot in the Byakugan's field of vision. "It's a complete dossier on Konoha's main clans weaknesses, can you imagine what would happen if this fell into the hands of some of the other Hidden villages." Fuu gasped.

"I know, we should seal up the hard copy's and take them with us, information is power, with this we can know more about what that damn snake has been up to, not to mention gaining valuable information on the other villages." Jiraiya said grabbing the first box upon the table grabbing the first folder out and seeing that it was information on the Yamanaka clan.

"So if that box has clan information then what's in the other box?" Fuu queried indicating the second box of files on the table.

"Hm I don't know lets see shall we?" Jiraiya replied and went to grab the second box on his table.

Once more the Computer sprung into life. "_Konoha's Famous Ninja DNA records. DNA has been stored for the following well known Ninja. Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Dan Kato, Hizashi Hyuuga, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Madara Uchiha. All desist. Wanted DNA samples, Jiraiya, Tsunade Senju, Shisue Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Asuma Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake. Priority Target, Naruto Uzumaki._"

"He has the DNA of all those people? What does he want with it?" Fuu asked in shock.

"I am sure he has his reasons, twisted experiments more than likely. More importantly why does he want the DNA of ninja who have no bloodlines? The fact that he has Dan's is no real surprise, it could be used as leverage against Tsunade-Hime, but the rest of us what does he want it for?" Jiraiya queried.

"Maybe he thinks there might be some biological reason you are strong?" Fuu guessed.

"This is something that Tsunade-Hime needs to know. But the real question is, where the hell did that snake bastard find the DNA of Madara Uchiha, he hasn't been seen or heard of since the battle at the Valley of the End. Surely there would not be any DNA of Madara's left there after so long." Jiraiya questioned.

"Also these records are a year and a half old if we believe the old Daimyo. There is no telling what other ninja he has found in that time." Fuu added.

"You're right, dammit Orochimaru look how far you have fallen, if only I hadn't been so weak and failed to bring you back to Konoha." Jiraiya said sadly.

"Hey look at that, there's another book on the table under that last box!" Fuu said pointing to a large brown book.

This time the computer didn't spring into a brief explanation upon Jiraiya moving the object. "This must not have anything to do with his research I guess." Jiraiya mused as he opened the book. His eyes widened upon reading the first page. "This isn't possible, information like this is classified on the highest level!" he gasped.

"What is it?" Fuu asked slightly worried about Orochimaru finding some sort of weapon that Konoha had hidden.

"It's a Bingo Book for all of Konoha's Anbu! Their abilities, roles, code names. There is only one way that Orochimaru could get something like this, someone from inside Konoha has been supplying him information. It's also interesting that there is no information on any Root ninja in this dossier." '_Danzo what the hell have you done!_' Jiraiya seethed.

"So that means Orochimaru knows basically everything that has been going on within Konoha? If that information is as classified as you say his spy must be pretty high up in the military side of the village." Fuu said hoping to help Jiraiya get some idea of who was responsible not knowing that he already had a strong suspicion.

Jiraiya stood for a few moments while his anger at Danzo slowly subsided eventually he let out a loud sigh before turning back to Fuu. "Let's get all of this stuff sealed up and get out of here I just want to blow this place to pieces as quickly as possible." he said darkly taking out several sealing scrolls enough for one scroll for every three countries with the five great nations having a scroll each.

Fuu nodded. "Okay I'll take care of the other side." she said before grabbing a handful of scrolls and heading over to the opposite wall.

(**Meanwhile**)

Akimi was not having the best of times, first she had been forced to watch while the Mizukage dragged her boyfriend away on a private walk around the island. Then when they got back Mei had dragged Naruto with her into a meeting involving her and the crystal user Guren. For this reason Akimi had left camp and walked out to the cliff where Itachi and Naruto had been watching the fight between Konoha and Oto.

'_That damn Mizukage, just what is she trying to do! She's too old for Naruto-kun anyway!_' the swift release user thought angrily as she kicked a small rock off the cliff into the water below.

"You do not seem to be in a very good mood perhaps I should come back later." came the voice of a mature woman from behind the fuming kunoichi.

Akimi spun around to find Mei standing there with a slightly amused look on her face. "What do you want?" she asked forgetting for a split second just who it was she had just snapped at.

"Oh my, you are in a bad mood, may I ask what happened?" Mei asked kindly.

"What happened? You happened! From the moment you showed up you have been dragging Naruto-kun with you everywhere, I don't know what you are trying to do but he is my boyfriend and that's not going to change just because you flirt with him!" Akimi snapped in reply.

Mei smiled warmly at the angry kunoichi. "You know you remind me a lot of myself Akimi-chan." she said.

Akimi was somewhat stunned, she had expected a different response to that. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You know what you want and once you get something you will fight to keep it. I will admit I was interested in Naruto-kun. However after the last time you all visited Kiri I realized it wasn't to be. I asked Naruto to show me around the island and tell me what happened for two reasons, as a powerful ninja he would have a better understanding of what actually happened here, and I wanted to see if there was any possibility of stealing him away. I do not believe that is possible at this point in time however. So I am willing to admit that you win this round and I would like it if we could become friends." Mei admitted.

Akimi was stunned, on the one hand angry that Mei had indeed been trying to find an opportunity to sink her teeth into Naruto. But on the other touched that Mei would so openly admit defeat and ask to be friends. Eventually she decided to give the curvacious Mizukage the benefit of the doubt, she knew that had it been her in the same situation she wouldn't give up on Naruto so easily. "Alright, I guess I can do that, I would love to be your friend Mei" she said returning the Mizukage's smile.

"I'm so glad, I do hope we can get along well, oh and if anything should happen and you two fall apart I will be there to steal him for myself." Mei replied jokingly.

"Yeah yeah, get in line." Akimi laughed in reply.

"Come on lets head back to camp, I would love to hear about some of the adventures you have had with Naruto-kun. It will be a good excuse to stay out here for a little longer, the sooner I go back the sooner I have to go back to being a responsible Kage." Mei said. Akimi nodded happily and the two kunoichi began to walk back to the campsite together.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry about the late update, I had to do family stuff this weekend so I had no time to write, but I hope this longer than average chapter makes up for it. Quite a bit happened this chapter to make up for a lack of fighting.**

**Anyway hope you like it and I'll try and get the next update up a little faster than this one, cheers.**


	76. Decisions

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****6: Decisions**

Jiraiya and Fuu finished sealing the files in the large room and Jiraiya summoned a small toad that was able to swallow all of the scrolls before disappearing again in a puff of smoke. "So now what? Do we just lay a bunch of timed exploding tags like the other bases?" the Kunoichi asked.

"Yes, but lay twice as many, I don't want this place to have any chance of being rebuilt." Jiraiya replied, his anger at his old teammate had yet to reside.

"Alright it's a good thing we have so many of these exploding tags, why do we have so many anyway?" Fuu asked as she began placing several tags at various locations around the room.

"Well I had started teaching Naruto fuinjutsu during our training trip, but we ran out of time. The first thing I taught him was the exploding tag, and made him replicate it hundreds of times over to emphasize how precise an art sealing was. The slightest mistake and the seal would malfunction. For that reason I made him repeat the exact same seal so many times in one sitting. I am glad I didn't do this before his sage training or he would never have had the patients for the task." Jiraiya said chuckling at the end.

Fuu nodded. "I see, well it has come in handy for this mission. Uh Jiraiya-sama can I ask, you were going to try and have Naruto-kun learn to use Kyuubi's chakra right? How were you planing to do that?" she asked.

"Hm well I was going to weaken the seal a crack and force Naruto to suppress the chakra by himself then have him slowly channel more and more. The effort of having to suppress the chakra consciously should help him control more of the Bijuu's chakra when he actively draws upon it." Jiraiya said.

"I see, that sounds similar to the training I went through although more extreme, I was forced to channel Nanabi's chakra until I could overcome the negative effects of the chakra, unfortunately this form of training only works until a point. There is a second Bijuu state that takes over once enough tails of chakra have been activated. Willpower alone isn't enough to control this second state. I have no idea how to control it, that was where my training stopped. I'd hoped you may have known something that would have helped me gain better control of my Bijuu, I'm not strong enough to fight up against the Akatsuki as I am, but maybe if I could use Nanabi better I could." Fuu said slightly disheartened.

"I believe that the elder Sage of the Toads knows the way to gain full control of the Bijuu, but he refused Naruto from taking on the training, saying that he wasn't ready" Jiraiya said slightly upset at the situation.

"Why would he say that? Naruto-kun is stronger than anyone, if he isn't ready for that sort of training then who is?" Fuu questioned.

"I don't believe it's simply a matter of strength, that Grand Geezer Toad can see things in the future, maybe he wanted Naruto to confront some hardships before gaining control of Kyuubi. Sarutobi sensei once told me that experiencing the pain of defeat helps us grow and become better people. I also believe in something similar. At Naruto's age he is still growing as a person. What type of man he will become will be determined by his experiences, as well as the fine upbringing I have given him. Still even after these years a major event can change someone. Orochimaru once loved Konoha, that was until his parents were killed during the war. My point is that sometimes achieving great power without having experience can be just as dangerous as fighting someone much stronger without it." Jiraiya said.

"I see... That Toad Sage must be really smart." Fuu said while still trying to fully contemplate everything Jiraiya had just explained.

"Are you kidding, he's a forgetful idiot! Can't even remember our names, hell he only remembers Fukusaku-sama's name is because he is the only one permitted to see him alone!" Jiraiya yelled in exasperation causing Fuu to giggle at just how flustered her leader had become.

"Well I think I have finished placing the tags in this area how long should we keep the timer on for or will we wait and set it off with the rest of the base?" Fuu still giggling slightly.

"A few hours I think, just for this room. Because it is so much lower than the rest of the base destroying the top levels may not trigger the explosions down here. At the same time we need to find the others and set the tags without the possibility of having this place explode bringing down the base above us." Jiraiya mused.

Fuu was about to respond but was beaten to it when the computer screen burst into life. "I should have known that you would find this place. I will have to make user to pick a more secure hiding place from now on." the smooth venomous voice of Orochimaru filled the room as his face appeared upon the screen.

"Orochimaru! What have you been doing here!" Jiraiya said glaring at the screen.

"Oh my, such an angry expression, aren't you pleased to see me again? I must say I seeing you here explains quite a bit. Recently the other bases within that country failed to report in, once I attempted to activate the cameras I had installed there to have a look around imagine my shock when I saw nothing!" Orochimaru said his smooth voice doing nothing to hide his rage at seeing Jiraiya within one of his most well hidden bases.

"I don't understand you at all Orochimaru, is there nothing you care for? Hating Konoha is one thing, but you have been kidnapping children and by the looks of things grave robbing from every country in the elemental nations... just what do you want!" Jiraiya yelled in rather uncharacteristic burst of anger.

"I want to learn every jutsu that there is, and understand the true nature of chakra itself. Something a simple minded fool like you could never understand." Orochimaru replied his usual cockiness returning once he saw just how angry he had made Jiraiya.

"Is that why you want Naruto's DNA so badly? The only way to control all forms of chakra is the Rinnegan!" Jiraiya said.

"Naruto is more of an oddity, the fact that he has the Rinnegan is more interesting to me than the Dojutsu itself. For me the first step to perfection will be obtaining the sharingan from dear Sasuke-kun. Just imagine what I could accomplish with the ability to copy the jutsu of an opponent and have no restrictions to using it with the power of the Rinnegan." Orochimaru taunted.

"We won't let you, I may not know where you are hiding right now, but I will find you!" Jiraiya declared walking up to the screen anger still etched on his face.

Orochimaru leered back at the Toad Sage confident that he was well hidden. "Big talk coming from you Jiraiya, you spent years looking for me so what makes you think this will be any dif-"

Orochimaru was cut off in mid rant as Jiraiya slammed his fist through the screen. "Because I know what I need to do now!" he declared, answering the snakes unfinished question.

Fuu was stunned she had never seen Jiraiya this serious before, hell she had never seen him be anything other than a lighthearted child in a similar sense as Naruto was, although rather more perverted. "Uh Jiraiya-sama, we should get moving to find the others." she said tentatively.

Jiraiya's face quickly turned back to that of the kind fool that Fuu knew and with a small smile he nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Set the timer for two hours and lets move." Fuu did as instructed and the pair made their way out of the room and back down the dark tunnel.

(**Meanwhile**)

In a dark room lit only by a single candle lay an unconscious Sasuke, the avenger had not stirred since he had been saved by Kabuto and they escaped the island with the help of the Akatsuki's timely arrival.

While Sasuke may have been out cold his mind was working in overtime, replaying every scene of his humiliating loss to Itachi. Sasuke wanted to think it was a close match, however the more he watched the fight the more obvious it was that he had been completely outclassed. '_He toyed with me from the start! Even if I had used the Curse Mark I had no chance, Orochimaru was supposed to make me strong enough to defeat Itachi, but its been three years of nothing but endless training and I am not even close to his level!_' Sasuke fumed in his still state.

Then the part of the whole ordeal that disheartened the young Uchiha the most played behind his eyes. Every time he saw the scene of himself being pierced through the shoulder and tossed aside like trash. "Never seek me out again I have no interest in you, you're a failure as an Uchiha and a failure as a brother." Itachi's words tormented the younger Uchiha and his body began shaking in anger and suddenly sat up in his bed as his curse mark spread across his face.

"Ah you're up that is very good, Orochimaru-sama would have been very upset had I been forced to return with you in that condition." Kabuto said flatly.

Sasuke didn't reply and felt the wound that Itachi had given him, it had almost completely healed no doubt thanks to Kabuto's skill as a medic, still there was going to be a scar he was sure of it. "Aghhh" he grunted in pain as he tried to move his arm.

"You won't be able to use that arm for a few more days, if I didn't get to it sooner I may not have been able to save it at all, Itachi burned the nerve supply to a crisp." Kabuto said with a small smirk of pride for his skill as a medic.

This little bit of information caused Sasuke's anger to reach a new level, Sasuke had seen arms replaced several times so having an arm cut off for a ninja was not the end of the world, but it always required a stable nerve and chakra supply. Itachi had been trying to forcefully prevent him from being able to challenge him again. "I will kill him, I swear if it is the last thing I ever do Itachi will die by my hands!" Sasuke raged.

"Really, and how do you plan on doing that? From the looks of things you were beaten pretty badly. Also do you think that Naruto-kun would have allowed you to close to killing him?" Kabuto questioned.

"He didn't care, that idiot only watched." Sasuke replied.

"Of course he did, he wasn't concerned about you killing Itachi at all, he knew the outcome of the fight from the moment you arrived." Kabuto said, then he decided to torment the injured Uchiha a little. "Do you realize just who you are up against in those two? Itachi is without a doubt one of if not the best Genjutsu user alive and Naruto-kun can counter any jutsu thrown at him and overpower any opponent, together they have no weaknesses. Then you can throw in the Toad Sannin Jiraiya, a man with skill and experience that many have said rivals Orochimaru-sama." he said although adding the part about Jiraiya rather dryly. there was no doubt in his mind that Orochimaru was superior to the Toad Sage.

'_And just what's so great about Orochimaru? He was supposed to train me to be strong enough to kill Itachi, but all he has done is talk. His training was useless against when we finally fought, why should I believe in someone that wouldn't be as strong as Itachi anyway? I need to find another way, there has to be a way to gain the strength to face Itachi one more time!_' Sasuke thought while grunting in response to Kabuto's taunting.

"You can't ignore the facts Sasuke, you are no match for them, the only chance you will have is with Orochimaru-sama's help" Kabuto lectured taking Sasuke's grunt as an act of denial.

Sasuke didn't reply, he simply decided to lay back down and once more fall into unconsciousness.

(**Land of Water**)

Naruto, along with Itachi, and Kakashi, were once more standing on the beach across from Mei and the group of Kiri ninja. They had spent a good portion of the day on the island, but as the Sanbi was no longer in the lake they needed to return to Kiri. Standing with the teams from Kiri were Guren and Yuikimaru after a short talk with the Mizukage Guren had become much more enthusiastic about joining Kiri she was also told that they had a small area of the village that was once owned by her clan that she could move into with Yukimaru and she would be given any records they had on her family.

"So it looks like this is goodbye for now Naruto-kun, but I expect you to come visit from time to time." Mei said with a warm smile.

"If we are ever in the area you can bet I'll stop by. I'm looking forward to putting the ordeal with the Akatsuki behind us. Have you had any luck locating the Rokubi jinchuuriki?" Naruto replied.

"No he has been proving to be extremely difficult to locate, we have teams searching all of the major islands in the country but as of yet there has been no sign of Utakata I am afraid that the Akatsuki may already have him but there is no way to be certain." Mei admitted.

"If that is true then they only have two areas to target now. Kumo and of course us, this in some ways makes things easier, we won't need to go looking for where they will strike next." Naruto said.

"Are you saying that Iwa lost the Yonbi and Gobi already?" Mei asked in shock.

"According to Jiraiya-sensei's spies, yes. Iwa has been trying to keep it secret that they have lost both of their Bijuu. I can understand the reasoning behind it, by keeping the loss of the jinchuuriki secret they can maintain the illusion that they still have a trump card to add to their military strength and therefore maintain the balance between the villages. That said, the balance was broken sixteen years ago when I was taken from Konoha." Naruto answered.

"It is understandable, within the five villages a sign of weakness could end in an attack, one of the one of the smaller hidden villages could make a play for power, or even one of the other major villages attempting to overthrow the weaker one. Konoha survived the loss of Kyuubi due to its position at the time of the strongest hidden village, along with the most ninja of S and A rank." Mei said.

"That may be true but at the time the only S ranked ninja within Konoha was Sandaime-sama. Jiraiya-sama and Hokage-sama were nowhere to be found.

"That is true, but you had enough top level ninja to more than compensate, yourself and Gai for one, then there was Asuma Sarutobi, Itachi, and Shisui Uchiha. Shikaku Nara. It would be foolish for a village to declare war on Konoha." Mei said her smile ever constant.

"Mizukage-sama we need to get moving." Ao said rather stiffly, he did not approve of Mei praising Konoha so openly even if he would never say anything in fear of being killed.

"Very well. It was a pleasure to meet you Kakashi Hatake, I am sorry that the mission ended in failure." Mei said happily before the group took off running across the surface of the ocean.

Guren had to piggyback Yukimaru who did not know how to walk on water yet and waited around for Mei to be out of earshot before turning back to the group. "Hey kid, I have some information for you, I withheld it earlier not knowing if you would uphold your end of the deal." she said stiffly.

"Huh, okay shoot what is it?" Naruto asked.

"Orochimaru, has been staying in the base within the Land of Earth, he's trying to avoid the Akatsuki and your little group at all cost. Because the Akatsuki have already captured the Bijuu from Iwa they are unlikely to go there, and the group you are in has a large number of former Konoha ninja that would be less than welcome within Iwa." she said.

"Interesting... I guess I owe you one. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy yourself in Kiri." Naruto said with a smile.

"I intend to, it's going to be interesting, living the life of a normal ninja instead of guarding Orochimaru's prisoners. I'll catch'ya later kid." Guren said and after hoisting Yukimaru onto her back she followed after her new leader.

Once they were gone Itachi turned to Naruto. "I think we should be heading back as well, I am looking forward to a few days of peace and quiet before Jiraiya-sama and the others return." he said plainly.

Naruto nodded in reply. "Yeah I need to help Akimi-chan finish her Fuuton manipulation training anyway... So whats the plan for your group now Kakashi?" he said.

"Well we need to head back now, our mission is over, plus Tsunade-sama will need to know about what happened here." Kakashi replied. The three ninja made their way back towards the camp in a comfortable silence.

Once back at the campsite Naruto brought down the stone house that he had made and summoned a large bird to carry them back to the Land of Fire. "Alright, I guess I'll see you all next time I decide to go see Baachan." Naruto chuckled as the majority of the Konoha shinobi came to say farewell.

"Naruto-kun are you ever going to stop calling Tsunade-sama that?" Shizune giggled knowing what the answer would be.

"I don't know is she ever going to bite the bullet and accept that she is an old lady?" Naruto joked in reply.

"I don't think so. Don't be a stranger Naruto-kun." Shizune said before walking up and giving the blond a hug along with Akimi, Itachi received a friendly smile and a nod. "You better keep him safe Itachi, otherwise Tsunade-sama will personally hunt you down." she whispered quietly so only the she and the Yoinokuchi ninja could hear.

"I will defend Naruto-kun with my life if need be." Itachi whispered in reply, embarrassing the young blond they were talking about.

One by one the group came up to say goodbye to the group. Most avoided Itachi but Kakashi shook the Uchiha's hand much to the shock of Gai who declared the act, "Most unyouthful" and put it down to Kakashi's "Cool hip attitude!" which the Copy Ninja ignored completely.

After that the trio from the Yoinokuchi jumped on Naruto's summons and they left, while the Konoha ninja began to head towards the boat they took to the island.

(**Meanwhile**)

Jiraiya and Fuu made it back to the point where they split from the other group to find them waiting there already. "What took you guys so long?" Zabuza asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"We found something that took awhile to go through." Jiraiya replied not wanting to explain everything that he found just yet.

"Sounds like they ran into better resistance than we did." Gaara said flatly.

"Wait you had to fight more Oto ninja? We didn't run into any!" Fuu said in shock.

"We had to fight a few, however the skill level of the resistance was of poor quality to say the least, genin to chunin level at best." Gaara replied.

"They were protecting the area holding most of the children that Orochimaru had taken from the village. Like you said most of them were orphans, however a few of them belonged to some of the poorer families of the village. Apparently if a someone was giving the officials a hard time or making life difficult for the Daimyo, he would have the children kidnapped as punishment." Haku added.

"What did you do with the kids?" Jiraiya asked.

"We set them free of course. I warned that spineless Daimyo that if they are harmed leaving the palace I would skin him alive and burn his home to the ground." Zabuza said a slightly satisfied smile playing on his face.

"Needless to say the children were allowed to leave without incident after that." Gaara said with a dry smirk. The former Suna jinchuuriki was not a fan of tormenting anyone, in fact ever since he met Naruto and joined up with the Yoinokuchi he had always looked for a way to end conflicts without killing or harming is targets if it could be helped. For Gaara who had been unwanted and had always suffered as a child himself, found it difficult to feel anything but contempt for the old Daimyo, even now he thought that killing him would be the best option to ensure this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

"Did you find anything else of interest?" Jiraiya asked curious to find out if Orochimaru had any other secrets hidden away deep under the capitol.

"No, it was all pretty basic other than finding the children, a few of the Oto ninja had curse marks but that was nothing out of the ordinary." Haku informed the Toad Sage.

"Alright then, are the exploding tags planted?" Jiraiya replied seemingly satisfied with Haku's assessment on the rest of the Oto base.

"Yeah we just have to plant the timed release seal as we leave. Have you done that side?" Zabuza questioned.

"Of course, now lets get out of here, we still have a couple of days journey home and I would prefer to stay in a village far away from this one tonight." Jiraiya answered.

The whole group agreed with Jiraiya's assessment of the situation and once the Toad Sage placed a large seal on the floor that started to slowly retract the moment it was finished the group made haste in heading to the entrance that Gaara had made when they arrived. "I won't be missing this place that's for sure." Jiraiya said to himself before jumping up to the ceiling and running along Gaara's sand made path back into the once white chamber of the Daimyo's palace.

"Ah Jiraiya-sama welcome back, I trust that everything went well." the Daimyo greeted upon the groups return.

"It went just fine. We're leaving this place, but if I find out about rumors of the children in this town going missing again, or Oto returning, trust that I will be back and if that happens I will not be sparing your life for a second time be sure of that!" Jiraiya warned.

"Y-y-yes it w-wont b-be an issue I assure you." the Daimyo stuttered weakly.

"Good see that is doesn't. Come on guys this place is putting me in a bad mood." Jiraiya said while turning his back on the defeated Daimyo and began walking briskly towards the exit followed closely by the other Yoinokuchi ninja.

(**Elsewhere**)

High in the topmost room of the tallest tower in Iwa the old Tsuchikage sat at his desk. In front of him were three sheets of paper, two of them seemed at first glace to be almost identical, with the face of a bright yellow haired shinobi appearing on at the same place. However there were some subtle differences. The two blonds had a difference in age, the faces while similar had slightly different shapes, finally and most confusing to the Tsuchikage, the younger blonds face had his eyes blacked out.

'_Without a doubt they are father and son. The more I look at them the more obvious it is. Why couldn't this have been a mistake, I need to give this to my shinobi as it has information on a S ranked ninja, but when I do there will be calls for his head. Do I damn the child just to spite the father? Someone as powerful as the Yondaime Hokage should be respected rather than this, while I too dislike the man for his efforts it would be a great dishonor to Iwa if we took out our frustrations on this boy just because we couldn't best his father_.' Oonoki thought in frustration. "Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze huh, if I am honest with myself I would say that I would like to meet you myself. Anyone who is able to give that damn Gaki of a Raikage the slip must be something special." he said to himself with a dry laugh.

Oonoki was brought out of his musings by a knock on the door. "Ojii-sama it's me, can I come in?" came Kurotsuchi's voice.

"Yes come on in," Oonoki replied not looking away from the two sheets of paper containing information on the Namikaze duo.

The door opened and in walked the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. Seeing the old man at his desk with a troubled look on his face slightly upset the young kunoichi who quickly made her way over to him. "What are you looking at?" she asked once she arrived.

"I am deciding what to do about the Namikaze boy. I know what the reaction of the village will be, but hunting him down out of revenge would be shameful, the great Iwa hunting a child to get revenge on a man who is long gone, its pathetic." Oonoki declared.

"I don't really get it myself, this Naruto hasn't been involved with Iwa at all, if he doesn't want to harm Iwa ninja then why go after him?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"True he may not consider us an enemy, but he is considered an S ranked criminal in Kumo, any S ranked ninja is highly dangerous and our forces need to be prepared. What if a group of our ninja run into the boy without any warning of his skill level, they could attack the brat and be killed." Oonoki said.

"I guess you are right, in the ninja world information is vital." the kunoichi replied.

"And knowing how to use it correctly is far more important than having it. Misuse of vital information can lead to a disaster, it can cause a thought out trap to backfire and turn into a massacre." Oonoki lectured.

"Well maybe instead of doing anything against the Namikaze, why don't we extend a hand of friendship instead. That way any misinformation you may have been given on his skill level or abilities can be reassessed and at the same time judge for yourself if he will be a danger or not." the young kunoichi suggested.

"Hm that might work, if I make it clear that no harm is to come to the boy until I have met with him then I may have more support the problem now is getting in getting this Namikaze boy to agree to a meeting, and finding where he is hiding, but that can be taken care of once I get the clans to agree that there will be no attempts to harm him unless I say so." Oonoki grumbled and finally picked up the final piece of paper that was on his desk. For the most part it was blank but had two large official seals at the top, one for the Land of Earth and the other for Iwa.

Taking out a pen the Tsuchikage frantically went to work filling out his plans on how best to deal with the revelation of Minato Namikaze's son that he would put before the other clans and ninja to assure that Naruto is left unharmed unless he gives the order. Kurotsuchi, seeing that her grandfather was no longer in a talking mood excused herself making sure not to make any noise while shutting the door on her way out. '_Wow all this fuss over a stupid teenager, seems a bit extreme to me, but I guess that is to be expected, when ever anyone talks about the Yondaime Hokage its always some story about how terrifying he was._' she thought while starting to descend the stairs leading away from the Tsuchikage's private chamber.

**End Chapter!**

**End of a rather long arc, second half I think I may have drawn out a little too long, it can be hard finding a balance between moving the story fast enough so it doesn't become boring and rushing through it without adding any depth to the plot. Sill I learn from my mistakes and they are bound to happen from time to time, I'm the first to admit that I am not a writer, just a guy with an overactive imagination and too much time on his hands because he only has to work three days a week.**

**On a different note, and I don't usually complain about the Cannon as for the most part it's awesome. But to me it's starting to feel like every time we see the Sharringan it has some new ability more powerful than the last, it might just be me but the Uchiha seem to be becoming more and more overpowered every chapter. Surely he can come up with some skills that don't require the Sharringan for once give Sasuke another move like Kirin instead of taking the easy way out and basically saying "his eyes did it." and on that note how can Itachi use Izanagi or Izanami anyway, don't they need Senju DNA as well as Uchiha? Sorry for the rant just wanted to get that off my chest.**


	77. Plots and Meetings

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****7: Plots and Meetings**

It had been a full day since Naruto, Itachi and Akimi had returned from the Land of Water. While the blond jinchuuriki had been keen to go out and finish Akimi's Fuuton elemental training the moment they got back, Itachi told the pair to rest for awhile so they could regain their strength.

Naruto was currently standing in a nearby field in a defensive pose. Although it appeared that he was alone the blond was keeping up a high guard anticipating an attack at any moment but still nothing came. A full minute passed and he still had yet to move when suddenly a large jet of water shot out towards the blond.

Naruto smirked before forming the seal for Doton, a large wall of mud shot up blocking the water. Then from the opposite side several bolts of lightning shot out of a nearby tree. Naruto flipped away from the first attack then blew the others away with a Fuuton jutsu. The assault didn't end there as a massive wall of flames shot forward towards the blond jinchuuriki. "Suiton: Toad Gun!" Naruto yelled in reply before spewing out a large ball of water that shot through the flames and raced towards the treeline where the attack had arrived from.

A split second before Naruto's jutsu hit Itachi launched himself from the tree line and high into the air while a clone launched it'self in the air at the other side. Racing through a set of hand seals Itachi and his clone both took a deep breath in and sent a jet of flames from their mouths towards Naruto, who quickly rolled out of the way. "The purpose of this training exercise was to learn how to use jutsu properly without saying their names, not proving that your jutsu are more powerful than mine." Itachi lectured the moment he landed, dispelling his clone at the same time.

"Sorry Itachi-sensei, just keeping quiet makes my jutsu much weaker, I get that being able to keep quiet will help me at times but it is frustrating to see my jutsu so weak." Naruto admitted.

"Well think of it like this, if you want to defeat Pein you need to be able to hide and attack from outside of his range of vision, which for someone with six sets of eyes will be difficult to say the least. Being able to use the majority of your jutsu arsenal silently gives you the option to hide from all of his paths and attack from a distance." Itachi explained.

"Yeah I get it, I will make sure I work on it so I don't need to say the name of any of my jutsu." Naruto replied.

"A nice idea but as you have said saying the name of the jutsu makes it stronger and allows you to focus the chakra better, not to mention some jutsu require the names like in summoning." Itachi replied.

"Still it would be a good idea to learn to use a large variety of wordless jutsu." Naruto said.

"True but in the end how much would that help you out really? Your time would be better spent increasing your elemental control or work on strengthening your paths." Itachi advised.

"I guess you are right, I will have to find a balance between the areas that I need to work on. Thanks for the advice Itachi-sensei." Naruto said happily.

"No need to thank me Naruto-kun. I believe that it is the job of a sensei to instruct his student after all. Anyway you should go check on your own student, she should just about be finished with cutting the river by now." Itachi replied.

"Hm you think so, I guess I'll go check on her then. Thanks again for the training session Itachi-sensei." the blond said before taking off in a blur in the direction of the river.

'_Looks like he is as enthusiastic as ever, but he need to be. Fighting Pein will be tough but then there is that masked man, I need to know who he is. His arrival at the lake is proof that he is highly suspicious, it's like he was testing us._' Itachi thought as he now stood alone in the clearing.

Naruto arrived at the edge of a large river to see Akimi panting heavily sitting with her back against a bolder, looking thoroughly exhausted. "You look like you have been through the wars." the blond joked taking a seat beside the exhausted kunoichi.

"You're one to talk, are there singes on your robes." Akimi chuckled weakly.

"Huh?" Naruto questioned but looking down he saw that there was indeed some damage to his Yoinokuchi robe that had been caused by Itachi's jutsu. "Ah man I thought I avoided all of his attacks perfectly this time!" he whined.

Akimi laughed while Naruto checked the rest of his robes for signs of damage. "Just goes to show that you're not perfect, no matter how strong you are Itachi has you for experience." she said.

"Ah I'll do better next time just you wait. This is all because of Itachi's new rule that I can speak when casting jutsu during our training sessions anymore." Naruto pouted.

"Well I guess he is just taking your training to a new level then." the speedy kunoichi proposed.

"I think it's just so he can enjoy the fact that he can do something better than I can. Well other than Genjutsu." Naruto said.

"Itachi wouldn't do that, besides when has he ever put himself out to be all powerful? Itachi is far to humble to do something like that. Now if it were me, I would be rubbing your nose in it." she said with a smirk at the end.

"You have a long way to go before you will be able to do that." Naruto replied with a smirk of his own.

"Well see, I am going to beat you sooner or later Naruto-kun." she teased enjoying Naruto's company so much she almost forgot just how exhausted she was.

"We'll see about that, first how did you go at cutting the river?" Naruto asked.

Akimi smiled triumphantly. "I did it! Just before you got here, but I'm so tired now." she sighed.

"You used too much chakra when you were training. Still that's alright, it means that you are able to produce a large quantity of Fuuton chakra without any Raiton, it's exactly what we were hoping for." Naruto replied with a smile.

"So does that mean I can go on to learning some Fuuton jutsu?" Akimi asked hopefully.

"No not yet." Naruto replied sternly.

"Why not?" Akimi asked clearly upset at Naruto's declaration.

Naruto smiled in response, he had known she would react in this way. "Because you are using too much chakra to complete the exercise, when you can do it without being exhausted we can move on. Now when you are ready lets get back to work." he said simply.

"Gah fine give me a little more time to rest then." Akimi sighed not willing to fight over something like how much training they should be doing.

"Alright, I need to start on my own elemental training so, when you are ready get to work, once you can cut the river ten times flawlessly in a row without needing to rest we can move on." Naruto lectured.

Akimi watched as Naruto stood up and walked over to the other side of the river before sitting back down cross legged. Moments later the blond began to levitate and small explosions from the various elements began erupting around him. '_Where does he get the energy for that, I bet they could feel that they can feel the chakra he is pumping out all the way in Konoha._' Akimi thought in wonder as she too stood up and slowly made her way to the edge of the river.

(**Unknown Location**)

Sasuke sat in a dark room his arm still in a sling as he recovered from his injuries. While he still had a few days before his strength would return enough for him to use hi arm properly again, the avenger had began training again by working on his ocular genjutsu.

'_This is pointless, I need my arm to get better. I will never forgive you Itachi! I need to get stronger, and Orochimaru isn't teaching me enough anymore. I would be better off on my own!_' the Uchiha seethed.

Sasuke sat there for a few more moments in silence until an unfamiliar voice filled the air. "Kami you're boring! The first person to find his way in here since that bastard finished his last rounds of experiments and all I get is you!"

Sasuke spun around and quickly scanned the room looking for the source of the person intruding on the Uchiha's contemplating. With the aid of his Sharingan Sasuke was able to see through the darkness and to a large cylindrical container filled with water. "Oh it's just you. I didn't see you in there, but then again who would, after all you can't escape your watery prison can you Suigetsu?" Sasuke smirked.

"Yeah yeah, just you wait, I'll get out of here sooner or later, then I am going to make that snake freak pay for what he has done to me here!" the water replied as a face slowly formed from within.

"Really? You want revenge on Orochimaru huh?" Sasuke asked quirking an eyebrow. '_Hm this could be the answer, there is no way Orochimaru would just let me leave, but if I could start an uprising, then I could escape, and take a few people with me, I will need a team capable of keeping that fool Naruto busy the next time I face Itachi after all._'

"Of course I do, wouldn't you want to kill someone who has spent years keeping you locked up and torturing you?" Suigetsu retorted.

"I can see your point. In that case, how about we cut a deal. I will free you, then you will follow join with me until I get the revenge I deserve for my clan." Sasuke proposed.

"Why would I follow you, after all you're all beat up." Suigetsu laughed.

Sasuke scowled at the water based ninja's taunt but didn't lash out. "Do you want to get out of there or not? We are staying here in this base only until my arm has healed, once it is I could let the prisoners and experiments out of their cells or I could go back to the Land of Earth and leave you here alone. What's it going to be?" he replied calculatingly.

"Alright, I'm in but you know Orochimaru will come looking for us, where are we going to go?" Suigetsu asked.

"I can't go back to Konoha, not until Itachi has been killed, if I do they may not let me out of the village again, hell for all I know I am a missing ninja with a bounty on my head now. We will put together a team, fighting off Orochimaru and his goons will make us strong and then once Orochimaru has been dealt with I will go after Itachi, and this time I will finish him!" Sasuke replied.

"So basically we just go on the run, how fucking stupid is that idea!" Suigetsu yelled back at the Uchiha.

"Well for one you wont be worse than a fish in a jar, and Orochimaru wont be able to try and take my body. This was his idea all along he would keep me weak, so when the time came he would have no trouble in taking my body for his own." Sasuke said bitterly.

"Well it sounds to me like you are bitter because you got all beat up." Suigetsu said knowing it would annoy Sasuke greatly.

"Orochimaru said that once my training was complete my brother wouldn't stand a chance as you can see that was not the case." Sasuke replied indicating his injuries. "But next time it will not end in the same way, I will kill Itachi and all of his friends in that group of his!"

"Alright I get it, I'm in. There is one thing I want however, I want to look for the seven great swords of Kiri." Suigetsu declared.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this. "That's an odd request, why do you want them anyway?" he asked.

"What does it matter! I want to have all of them that's all you need to know for now!" Suigetsu replied harshly.

"Hm alright fine. When I have healed in a few days I will make sure to release you... along with everyone else, that will keep that creep Kabuto busy for awhile while we get out of this place." Sasuke said calmly. '_Suigetsu will be a decent way to start but I will need more than one pawn if I am going to be able to stand against Orochimaru and Itachi._' he thought before exiting the room leaving Suigetsu alone in the dark once more.

(**Elsewhere**)

The Tsuchikage Oonoki walked into a large circular room filled with high ranking shinobi and a few important looking civilians. "Tsuchikage-sama it has been awhile since we have all been ordered to attend a meeting here, has something happened? Have you fond Han or Roshi?" one of the older ninja asked.

"I'm afraid not, in all likelihood Han and Roshi have been killed by now, the Akatsuki were never ones to do things by half measures." Oonoki replied grumpily.

"Well I don't get it, why do you need all of us here then?" an elder kunoichi asked respectfully.

"Well I am sure it is of great importance isn't it Oonoki-sama?" another added.

Oonoki nodded and let out a audible sigh. "Yes indeed it is. We received a message from Kumo about a wanted criminal in the Land of Lightning. Apparently this boy destroyed a small section of the village and fought with the Raikage himself before successfully escaping Kumo." he pronounced.

The room descended into chatter many people taking a guess at just who it was that had been able to achieve such a feat. "Could it have been Deidara? His clay can be quite powerful." A heavily scarred ninja wearing his forehead protector on his right arm suggested loudly.

There was a murmur of agreement at this suggestion. "Yes that would make sense, if Deidara attacked Kumo they would certainly come to us for information or blame us for the attack" a balding man with a red kimono rather than a jounin outfit said voicing his agreement.

Oonoki sat at the front of the room rubbing the bridge of his nose. '_Every time we have a meeting this happens! I tell them a small portion of what I need to tell them and then they go and get side tracked with what they think is happening rather than what actually is. The only surprising thing is that they haven't began drawing up any war plans to fight Kumo yet._' he mentally sighed.

As if on cue, "We should make plans in case Kumo attacks! If we do not have a defense strategy in place we could be finished!" a jounin said urgently.

"That won't be necessary." Oonoki said attempting to halt the conversation before it got any further out of hand.

"You hear that, Oonoki-sama already has plans in place, as expected of the Tsuchikage." another jounin called out.

"What are you all idiots! It isn't necessary because Kumo hasn't declared war on us, nor do they intend to, Kami I tell you we received information about a Ninja and you lot think we are being invaded!" Oonoki yelled causing the room to go dead silent. Oonoki stood glaring at the occupants of the room for a few minutes before he sweat dropped. '_I think I know why I am still Tsuchikage even after so many years, just the thought of having one of these fools running the village makes me shudder._'

"So wait we are not going to war with Kumo?" a heavy set man with a large nose asked.

"Of course not! I never said that we were!" Oonoki replied clearly frustrated at how the meeting was going so far.

"Uh then why are we all needed here then?" the heavy set man replied.

"Because of this." Oonoki answered and up on a large screen behind Oonoki, the bingo book pages for both Naruto and Minato appeared. "Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the son of Minato Namikaze. Kumo sent us this bingo book entry. I would normally have ignored this as a sign of Kumo trying to get us to do their dirty work. However as this is an S ranked criminal in Kumo and a potential threat I needed to inform everyone of the existence of this boy." Oonoki sighed.

"Th-that man had a son? We should hire a hit squad to take him out before he gets any stronger." the heavily scarred ninja suggested.

Oonoki shook his head. "That will not be happening, this boy has brought no harm to Iwa or our shinobi. Also the information Kumo has sent us is incomplete. Key areas have been left out. This indicates that this boy is far more dangerous than Kumo want us to believe. Next think about what could happen should we actually bring harm to the Yondaime Hokage's son. Konoha would be furious, even if he is not a shinobi of the village he would be known to them, I have no doubt about that. If we attempt to kill this boy we really could be facing war." Oonoki said.

"Well then what do you propose? We can't just leave this boy alone when we have no idea of his intentions for Iwa. He has been smart enough to stay off of our radar for this long. He could be building up his strength so he could eliminate us as a possible threat to him." one of the civilians said.

"I intend to invite the boy to Iwa and tell him that we mean him no harm." Oonoki stated loudly in response. Once more the Tsuchikage's statement sent the room into a frenzy of whispered conversations. Oonoki waited a few moments before interrupting them "I do this so we can gather vital information about the boy. We can judge his strength and skill, as well as deciding whether or not he has any ill will towards Iwa. Once we have accurate information we will be able to reassess this Namikaze as a threat and act appropriately." Oonoki answered.

"And how do you intend to find this him anyway? It says on the screen that he isn't a ninja of any village." a red haired ninja with a bushy beard asked.

"That has already been taken care of, I sent Kurotsuchi's team to the Land of Fire to speak with the Hokage and spread word that we request a meeting, and that he may bring up to four shinobi along with him as accompaniment to ensure his safety." the Tsuchikage answered.

"That could take an quite awhile, how will we know if he accepts anyway?" the bearded man queried.

"I have made a request to the Slug princess Tsunade-dono to allow Kurotsuchi to remain in Konoha for a few weeks while waiting for confirmation. I assume they will accept our request, having sent my own granddaughter I can assume that they will allow her to stay as long as she is chaperoned. Now I believe that is all, but I will leave you with one last word of warning. Should anyone try and harm the boy while he is here or until I say otherwise you will be punished severely." and after delivering that final warning Oonoki lef the room just as it descended into loud chatter once more.

(**That Night, Land of Fire**)

Akimi was laying across the floor in Naruto's room completely out of energy bordering on chakra exhaustion. "That training was more torture than anything else." she whined, gazing up at the ceiling.

Naruto who was siting on the edge of his bed shaking his head in amusement. "Hey you say that but at least you got it right in then end." he said happily.

"Oh shut up, it's not my fault that I don't have as much chakra to throw around as you, ya damn jinchuuriki." she scoffed jokingly.

Naruto chuckled and stood up from the bed. "I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?" he asked.

"Yeah, get me some of what ever you're having, oh and a drink of water." Akimi replied.

Naruto nodded and before he left the room stopped to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes." he whispered to her before standing back up and made his way down stairs.

'_I think I may have just ordered ramen, oh well I guess it cant be helped. Besides I am to tired to cook anything for myself anyway_' the exhausted kunoichi thought as she lay unmoving on the floor.

Indeed that was Naruto's intention and as soon as he went down stairs he put some water on to boil for his favorite food. How is Akimi, she seemed pretty out of it when you both got back." Itachi said entering the kitchen.

"She's fine, just a little tired. I guess I forced her to train a lot harder than I should have. I guess I forget that not everyone has the stamina of Jiraiya-sensei and myself." Naruto said showing the remorse he truly felt at seeing Akimi so spent.

"True but more importantly how did she go at completing the training?" Itachi asked.

"She did fantastically." Naruto replied beaming in pride. "She can cut through the lake every time like she's ripping through paper, couldn't do better myself." he added.

"Then it was all worth it, and how did your training go?" Itachi said calmly.

"I'm so close I can feel it, I have the transitions down seamlessly but manipulating more than two at a time is still just out of my grasp." Naruto answered slightly crestfallen.

"Don't worry, knowing you, it will come in time." Itachi replied.

By that stage the water had come to the boil and Naruto began preparing the bowls of ramen for his and Akimi's dinner. After finishing the ramen Naruto quickly grabbed Akimi a large glass of water and made his way back up to his room.

Upon entering the room Naruto found Akimi in exactly the same spot as he had left her. "So you're that tired huh, well its a good thing I am back, some ramen will get you back on your feet in no time." he said cheerfully.

Akimi moaned as she sat up. "I hope so, still now that I think about it I am hungry." she replied.

They ate in peaceful silence and had just about finished their meal when Jiraiya burst into the room. "Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to... wait you're not doing anything, never mind how was your mission?" he said.

"Wait what did you think we were doing in here?" Naruto asked rather suspiciously.

Jiraiya began to fidget slightly under Naruto's accusing stare. "Oh you know this and that, Itachi said you were both up here and I-"

"Wanted to catch us doing something else other than eating together am I right?" Naruto interrupted.

"Not at all, I just got home and came to see my favorite pupil, and this is how you greet me, oh how did I raise such a disrespectful brat." Jiraiya said dramatically making a show to overemphasize how hurt he was and leaving little doubt in Naruto and Akimi's mind that the blond had made the correct assessment.

"Sorry Jiraiya-sama but we have not been doing anything out of the ordinary, I suggest you try bursting into Gaara's room late at night, maybe then you will get some research done." Akimi said with a dry smile.

"Great you're just as bad as him! Oh what have I done to deserve such treatment." he wailed in mock indignation before turning deadly serious. "Itachi said the mission was a failure, what happened?" he asked calmly.

"A man named who called himself Pein happened. He had the Rinnegan, and far more experience in using it than I have." Naruto sighed the twinge of pain from recalling his loss was still quite sore.

"Another Rinnegan user, and in the Akatsuki? That is quite troubling." Jiraiya admitted.

"He was in charge or at least acting as the person in leader of the Akatsuki, said he wanted the Bijuu to create a weapon powerful enough to frighten all the countries and in his words bring peace." Naruto explained.

"That's not real peace though, all that is doing is forced cohabitation out of fear, and it will never work everyone would stand up against him." Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yes, and I think that is what he wants, he wants to use his weapon and bring everyone that opposes him to their knees, spread pain and suffering to the world so they would 'Know Pain!', as he would say." the blond said solemnly.

"That's insanity, who would think that mass genocide would be the answer." Jiraiya gasped.

"In a way I can understand his reasoning. There is hatred between nations and villages and after a time that festers and leads to conflict, by bringing a common source of unbearable pain for them to hate, past conflicts will be forgotten." Naruto said.

"It doesn't justify what he is doing, some horrible atrocities have been committed for what people have considered a greater good. In the end all they accomplish is spreading hate and pain to more people." Jiraiya said.

"I know, there is no way I will let the Akatsuki get there hands on any jinchuuriki or Bijuu that I have a chance to protect, should it come to it that I have no other option I would die before letting them take Kyuubi, that would at least delay them for awhile until it reforms elsewhere." Naruto said proudly.

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you, but we will make sure that it never comes to that!" Jiraiya replied.

"Thanks Jiraiya-sensei. So how was your mission?" Naruto asked with a warm smile.

"I'll tell you about it later, right now I think I will let you both finish your dinner." Jiraiya said and with one last wave left the couple alone.

A few minutes pass and Akimi and Naruto sat in silence just staring at their meals without moving. "Do you think I should lock that?" Naruto said eventually, nodding at the door.

"I think so, if you don't he will be back to try and catch us together again." Akimi said with a slight giggle.

"I was thinking the same thing." Naruto smirked.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry it's so late guys, it was double EXP weekend on CoD and I was sidetracked.**


	78. Iwa's Proposal

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****8: Iwa's Proposal**

"Kami we have been doing this for hours! What is this supposed to tell us other than Orochimaru is literally insane? We already know where he is hiding why don't we just go kick his ass?" Akimi whined, tossing aside a folder with the name of Mangetsu Hozuki and picking up Raiga Kurosuki's.

"We can't go, the base is far too close to Iwa, and our hideout in the Land of Earth is nowhere near there. For now we need to keep reading over these files, maybe they have some clue as to just what Orochimaru has been planing." Jiraiya replied.

"I'm with the girl, while I do find it irritating that Orochimaru has been collecting DNA from our villages and even more that he has all my fellow swordsmen, I would rather charge in there and kill that snake bastard than sit here reading about the skills and tests performed on dead people." Zabuza said bitterly.

"While it is tempting charging in to kill Orochimaru, attacking with limited knowledge of what he has been doing can be dangerous. This amount of stored information suggests that he could be far more dangerous than we first presumed, he was able to get hold of not only Hashirama Senju's DNA, but also that of Madara Uchiha, knowledge of my ancestors could be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands." Itachi said.

"Hey what's the worst thing that could happen? I could have killed Orochimaru three years ago if he didn't run away, Jiji and I had that bastard on the ropes, I agree with Zabuza, and Akimi-chan. We go in kick Orochimaru's ass and get out, simple." Naruto said confidently.

"Knowing you to save time you would just level the entire complex, absolutely perfect, apart from the quite obvious downside of an entire village of potentially hostile ninja that would just love to find the son of Minato wandering around their country." Jiraiya said.

"So what we just leave him do as he pleases?" Naruto asked.

"I didn't say that, but first we need a plan, and with any luck something in the information here will give us some clues." the Toad Sage replied.

The group fell into silence and eventually went back to work slowly going over the files in groups for each village.

(**Two Days Later, Konoha**)

Konoha had been quiet ever since the group returned from Kiri, news of what happened in the Land of Water with the Akatsuki had made its way through all the higher ups in the village and Tsunade was highly on edge. The Hokage was currently sitting behind her desk having given the elders a full report on the mission with the help of Kakashi.

"So it's not just Naruto-kun with the Rinnegan." Hiruzen said darkly.

"Indeed, and judging from the report this man is even more skilled than the boy. To be able to control six bodies at the same time is truly impressive." Koharu added.

"And Naruto was unable to locate which of the bodies happened to be the real one, it could be possible that none of them are. With something like the Rinnegan it appears that almost anything is possible." Kakashi sighed.

"So what dose someone so powerful want with the Bijuu, that is the question we need to answer." Homura said darkly.

"Kakashi you said something about a weapon in your report, what can you tell us?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm afraid that's all I know, they plan to use the Bijuu to create some super weapon to use against the ninja villages, at least that is what we were told, it could all be all a lie for all we know." Kakashi informed the group.

"He's right, as alarming as Pein's supposed plan is, we must assume it was misinformation until we receive some form of confirmation," Hiruzen spoke calmly.

The others all began to agree when Shizune burst into the room. "Tsunade-sama, sorry to bother you, but there is a group of shinobi from Iwa at the gate requesting to speak with you!" she said urgently.

"Iwa? What could they possibly want?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.

"I don't know, but they assure us it is nothing hostile." Shizune explained.

"Perhaps this may have something to do with the Akatsuki?" Kakashi suggested.

"Somehow I doubt it, Oonoki has far to much pride to ask for anyone's assistance in dealing with a threat, whatever they want I can assure you it will not involve asking for our assistance in something like that." Hiruzen stated calmly.

"That's true, but just the fact that Iwa would contact us is highly odd. Allow them to enter the village and bring them here." Tsunade ordered.

"Very well Tsunade-sama." Shizune answered respectfully and after bowing to the occupants of the room left quickly to send word to the gate.

At the main gate to Konoha Kurotsuchi stood with three chunin around her age. "Kami what's taking so long?" one of the chunin in Kurotsuchi's party asked.

"We are from a rival village Apachi, it is understandable for them to be weary of letting us into the village." Kurotsuchi said.

"Kurotsuchi is right, do you think we would let ninja from Konoha just stroll into Iwa?" a kunoichi with short rust colored hair added.

"I guess not, but we wouldn't keep them waiting this long." the chunin named Apachi pouted.

Out of nowhere four masked Konoha Anbu appeared. "Then perhaps you picked a bad time to arrive, the Hokage was in an important meeting at the time." one of the Anbu, wearing an eagle mask spoke calmly.

Kurotsuchi gave a small yet apologetic bow to the Anbu who had spoken. "I am sorry for my team members rudeness we are willing to wait until Hokage-sama is out of her meeting." she said.

"That won't be necessary, you are to come with us to the Hokage tower immediately." the eagle masked Anbu stated and without waiting for a reply turned and began walking into the village.

The Iwa shinobi followed suit drafted on either side and behind by the other members of the Anbu team that had arrived. As they walked through Konoha several shinobi looked in surprise at the arrival of Iwa ninja in their village. Many of the children however thought the commotion meant that they were some sort of celebrity and raced forward to get a better look at the people that had the shinobi of the village so interested.

Upon their arrival at the Hokage tower Shizune stopped them. "That will be all for now Eagle, you may return to your original assignment." she said.

"Are you sure we are not needed? This could be a trap." the eagle masked Anbu said.

"Tsunade-sama is accompanied by Kakashi and Hiruzen-sama, your assistance will not be needed thank you." Shizune said before turning to face Kurotsuchi and the other Iwa ninja. "Tsunade-sama is expecting you, but I will ask that you hand over all weapons for safe keeping as a precautionary measure." she said.

Kurotsuchi readily handed over her kunai pouch along with all other ninja equipment she was carrying in her jounin vest. The others in her group were less ready to trust Shizune to varying degrees, but after a stern glance from the Tsuchikage's granddaughter they all agreed.

"We were surprised to say the least that Iwa would send a team here, I am curious myself as to the purpose of your visit." Shizune said fishing for information.

"I can understand that, our villages have not exactly seen eye to eye in the past. I wish to keep the information in which we were sent here secret until I have spoken with the Hokage however." Kurotsuchi replied respectfully.

"Very well, that is a fair request." Shizune replied and they walked the rest of the way to Tsunade's office in relative silence.

Kurotsuchi had been told by her grandfather to expect to have a room full of ninja with them while she spoke with the Hokage but despite being told of what to expect she couldn't help but feel intimidated when the door opened on Tsunade Senju, one of the legendary three ninja of Konoha, Kakashi Hatake, the prized pupil of the Yondaime Hokage and Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man who's legendary skill earned him a name as the 'God of Shinobi'.

Hiruzen took a small draw from his pipe as he observed the new comers. "Interesting choice of a team for Iwa to send, I would never have thought Oonoki-dono would send his own granddaughter, he must be serious about this message." he said knowingly.

"Ah, um we are not here to deliver a message, it's uh, more of a request." Kurotsuchi said nervously.

"A request? I have known Oonoki-dono for a long time, and I have never known him to ask for favors." Hiruzen replied.

Kurotsuchi couldn't help but agree with the former Hokage, her grandfather had never once asked anyone for help for as long as she could remember. "I believe you may be right. In any case my Grandfather the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Oonoki of the Twin Scales would like to strengthen the relationship between our two nations, and requests an audience to assure there is now ill will between Iwa and one Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." she said formally.

You could hear a pin drop in the room it was so quiet, the moment Naruto's name was mentioned it was like the air had been sucked out. Almost a full minute passed with no reply, but eventually Tsunade leaned forward. "Konoha has no ninja in its military under that name." she said her voice ice cold.

"I am aware of this, we came here as a sign of good faith to assure you that we mean no ill will to the son of the Yondaime Hokage. Tsuchikage-sama merely wishes to speak with him and offer an arm of reconciliation in hopes of a peaceful relationship." Kurotsuchi explained.

Tsunade analyzed the kunoichi heavily before speaking, not to the Iwa ninja but to Kakashi and Hiruzen. "What do you think?" she asked.

"She's not lying, I can see that much." Kakashi said.

"I agree, I can sense no lying in her. Then it is possible that they do not hold any ill will towards Naruto-kun." Hiruzen added.

Tsunade nodded indicating that she too believed the Iwa kunoichi's request was legitimate. "Say we believe you're telling the truth, how do you plan on getting Naruto-kun to agree to go to Iwa? I can't even get him to become a Konoha shinobi." Tsunade said.

"He will be allowed to bring a group of up to four ninja with him as bodyguards to ensure his safety, and my team members minus myself will stay in Konoha as insurance." Kurotsuchi said.

"Interesting, so that must be why they have sent the grand children of the village elders and I am guessing the final members is someone important as well, I would say a clan heir ." Hiruzen mused taking a puff from his pipe.

The three other members of the Iwa team had been shocked at how quickly the Sandaime Hokage had picked up on their heritage but they remained silent. "That is indeed the case. The only problem we have is in contacting Naruto Namikaze. With no clear village to contact, getting a message about our offer to the him is proving difficult, we were hoping that you may know of a way." Kurotsuchi said.

"I may have a way to contact him indirectly, but may I ask why you won't be staying here with your team?" Tsunade replied.

"They will need a guide and someone to assure their safety on the way to Iwa, that is my role." Kurotsuchi informed the Hokage.

Kakashi lent in to whisper in Tsunade's ear "I say we let Naruto decide, give him the information. If he can take four bodyguards you can assume that at least Jiraiya-sama, and Itachi Uchiha will be with him, I doubt Iwa would be able to come out of a confrontation with those three without significant damage, any Kage would see it as too large of a risk. Also if they are telling the truth we can slightly strengthen the still strained relationship between Iwa and Konoha." he suggested.

Tsunade took that on board and quickly sped through a set of hand seals before slamming her palm onto the desk. Small puff of smoke filled the air and when it cleared a bluish green slug sat on Tsunade's desk. "Ah Tsunade-sama how can I help you?" it asked in a feminine tone.

"Tell me, can you contact the toads at all?" Tsunade asked the small slug.

"I believe so Tsunade-sama although it may take some time." the slug replied.

"Ah perfect, I need to speak with the toad elder, Fukusaku-sama about delivering a message to Naruto-kun" Tsunade said.

"I will begin work at once." the slug answered and closed it's eyes to concentrate.

Kurotsuchi watched in fascination as the little slug began to glow ever so faintly, nobody made a sound as the minutes passed. Suddenly there was a knock on the window and a green toad, around the size of a baseball hopped in holding a small scroll under one arm. The toad croaked merrily a few times as if it was saying hello to everyone in the room before unwrapping the scroll. The room looked on in wonder as the scroll unrolled to reveal an intricate seal.

The group had no time to marvel at the seal's complexity however because the moment that it had been fully revealed was the same moment that another burst of smoke appeared and then a short toad with gray hair and a battered old walking stick stood in the center of the desk. "Thank you for reverse summoning me Gamakato. Now Tsunade-chan what was it you wished to talk to me about?" Fukusaku said.

"Ah thank you for coming Fukusaku-sama, we are in need of the assistance of the toad's in locating Naruto-kun to deliver a message, I am aware that I should not be calling you for such a menial task but only you and Gamabunta have the authority to agree a request from someone who is not a toad summoner." Tsunade said.

"I do not think that Gamabunta would be to appreciative of being called here." Hiruzen said knowing of the toads legendary bad attitude.

"I see, I can arrange a messenger for you, but I can not give out the locations of any summoners." Fukusaku declared.

"That would be fine, thank you Fukusaku-sama." Tsunade said before turning to Kurotsuchi. "Do you have the request in writing so we can send it with the toads?" she asked.

Kurotsuchi who had been almost in a daze at the strange events on show quickly snapped back to reality. "Uh yes I do, here." she said handing over a very official looking letter. Tsunade gave it a quick read to make sure that what they were sending was indeed what Kurotsuchi said it was before handing the letter over to Fukusaku.

"Can you ask them to send a reply as soon as possible?" Tsunade asked the toad elder.

"Very well, but see that this does not happen too often, I may not be as helpful next time." Fukusaku warned and in another puff of smoke he was gone.

"Now that's taken care of, I suppose I should have some Anbu take you to where you will be staying. I can assure you that you will be able to go where you like for the most part, but you will have an Anbu escort at all times while in and around the village." Tsunade said and with a click of her fingers four Anbu arrived in the room, seemingly out of nowhere.

(**Elsewhere**)

Sasuke was laying on a table while Kabuto ran several diagnostic tests on his arms. "I'm telling you that I am fine, take this damn restricting sling off me!" he barked angrily.

"Now now Sasuke-kun, if I do that and you are not fully healed you could hurt yourself even more than before. You don't want to loose that arm of yours now do you?" Kabuto said smoothly.

Sasuke just grunted in response. '_The moment I am healthy again I am getting the hell out of this place, question is where do I do from here? I will need to find some useful allies. The question is what do I need? A medic will be important, if I am considered a missing ninja I can't go to any ninja hospitals. The best medic I can think of, well other than Orochimaru's lap dog Kabuto, would be Karin, and her skill as a sensor would be an asset. The problem there is that she is loyal to Orochimaru still maybe I can persuade her otherwise._' Sasuke's train of thought was broken when he felt a slight twinge of pain run down to his fingers on his injured arm. "What did you just do?" he asked angrily.

"So that hurt, that is good news, I was testing to see if the nerve supply to your arm had healed completely, I can now safely remove your sling and after a nights rest you will be almost back to one hundred percent." Kabuto said smugly.

"What do you mean almost?" Sasuke asked.

Kabuto laughed silently. "Your wounds may have healed but it will be a few more days before you are perfect again. Think of it like climbing a mountain, not every part is as easy as the other, the final assent to the peak can often be the hardest part and take twice as long. Right now it took me almost a week to return you to ninety percent, but it could take another week for your body to regain that final ten. But that will come with training and you're good at that so I would say two days rather than a week." he said while taking off the sling Sasuke arm had been in.

"So I don't need any more treatments right?" the Uchiha asked.

"No, just don't train for the rest of the day and you will be fine. I must say I impress even myself sometimes, I doubt many would have been able to save that arm of yours." Kabuto said patting himself on the back.

"Good." was all Sasuke said in response and after testing the mobility of his arm left the room. '_I'll rest for today, but I will make sure to wake up early, give Kabuto a little surprise when I'm gone and he has to deal with a bunch of rampaging prisoners. Now on another note, if I recruit Karin then I will need someone strong enough to pick up her share of the fighting, and I know just who to get, that psycho Juugo, he was always Orochimaru's favorite pet to test his experiments against, and his ability in a fight to the death is just the sort of thing I will need._' Sasuke thought with a small smirk once he had left the room.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout**)

Naruto collapsed into a chair with a loud sigh. "Three days it took for us to go through all that paperwork, and all we found out was that Orochimaru has been collecting DNA and experimenting on ninja with Kekkei Genkai and attempting to combine them. There was nothing on his plans or who he had working for him." he whined.

"Yeah I'm with you kid, we should have just gone to the Land of Earth and dealt with him, then and there." Zabuza agreed.

Jiraiya sighed in contemplation. "I still say it's too risky, that area could be very dangerous for us to be caught in, it's days away from safety." he said.

Suddenly there was a large puff of smoke and when it cleared Gamatasu sat in the middle of the room with a dopey look on his face. "Hi guys, does anyone have any snacks?" the toad asked.

'_Oh Kami, why the hell is he here?_' Naruto thought.

"Gamatatsu whats going on, why are you here?" Jiraiya questioned the large yellow toad.

Gamatatsu seemed to be stumped by this question. "Uhhhhhhhh, I was supposed to do something, but I can't remember what, maybe if I am given some snacks I will remember?" he said.

Jiraiya sweat dropped "Naruto remember when I said you were lucky to have two personal summons?" he said.

"Yeah?" the blond replied vaguely.

"Well I was wrong." the toad sage finished.

"Tell me something I don't know... Tatsu, why did they send you, where is Gamakichi?" Naruto asked.

"Oh pops was teaching him how to use a sword, so Fukusaku-sama sent me instead." Gamatatsu answered.

"Okay, but why did he send you!" Jiraiya questioned exasperatedly.

"I forget." the yellow toad replied.

"Sweet Kami, he's like a preschooler, they should have pinned instructions to his vest or something!" Zabuza laughed.

"Maybe we should summon Fukusaku-sama to find out what's going on?" Naruto suggested.

"Do you really want to summon him for something like that? Be my guest." Jiraiya said knowing the immense beating that the blond would receive for a pointless summons.

Naruto seemed to understand and thought better of it. Taking a deep breath in he turned back to the large toad "Okay Tatsu, did Fukusaku-sama give you anything for us, or are you supposed to tell us something?" he sighed.

"Ummm, oh yeah! Fukusaku-sama gave me something and told me not to eat it... here it is." the toad said taking out a rather official looking letter.

Jiraiya took the letter from his hands and began reading it. The more he read the wider his eyes became. '_Well trap or not this could be a decent opportunity._' "So who's up for a trip to Iwa." he said with a smirk.

(**The Next Morning**)

Sasuke walked into a darkened room alone, upon entering the room dull lights flickered on revealing a large computer terminal with dozens of screens each showing a different part of the complex. "I'll need to do this quickly. I can't get caught up fighting these freaks, besides I need them alive to cover my escape." he said as he began turning certain alarms off so that Kabuto and the other ninja loyal to Orochimaru in the base wouldn't find out what was going on before he was ready.

Sasuke took a deep breath in and pulled a large group of leavers down. On the screens the doors to the containment cells began to open one at a time. '_If I did it right they should open slowly enough for me to get to Suigetsu's water cell before they are all open and the alarms go off._' he thought while racing at full speed out of the room.

Thanks to the sharingan, Sasuke had managed to memorize all the passages around the maze like hideout meaning that not a single turn was wasted as he sped through the hallways. Finally Sasuke came to a large set of steel doors that Sasuke knew was Orochimaru's operating room where he performed his experiments and then at the end of the hall was the room that held Suigetsu. "I am making good time, but we will have to leave the moment the alarm sounds." Sasuke said talking himself through his plan as he approached the room and opened the door.

Suigetsu had been awake for a few hours, he had been waking up early for the past few days just in case Sasuke had started his revolt, and when the door opened for the first time in years the water based ninja could sense freedom. "You made it, hurry up and get me out of here!" he said wanting to be able to feel his feet on dry land again.

"Yeah alright, give me a second." Sasuke scoffed as he turned the lights on in the room so he could find the computer terminal so he could drain the water from Suigetsu's tank.

"What are you doing? Just smash it open and lets get out of here!" Suigetsu yelled impatiently.

"I can't, that would set off the alarm too soon and they would know where the alarm was triggered." Sasuke explained.

"Why the hell didn't you shut the alarms off!" the former Kiri ninja asked angrily.

"That's simple, I need the alarms to go off at a certain time to distract the guards and wake up the prisoners that are still sleeping. The alarm will sound once the final containment cell opens, everyone will be drawn to that location and we can slip out without Kabuto knowing, by the time he realizes we're missing we will be half way across the country." Sasuke declared smugly.

Suigetsu saw the logic in Sasuke's plan and decided to keep quiet and let him work. Eventually the water drained from his tank and the glass lifted freeing the tall boy around Sasuke's age with bluish white hair and shark like teeth. "Man it's good to be out of that glass jar... say do we have time for a trip to the armory? I need to find a sword." he asked hopefully.

"No time, the alarm will sound any second and we need to move as soon as it starts." Sasuke replied.

"Tsk, fine but we are going to find me a sword before I agree to do anything for you." Suigetsu said bitterly.

Sasuke was about to bite back and tell him he could stay behind if he wasn't going to follow orders but the moment he opened his mouth red lights sprung up all around them and a loud siren sounded. "No time, we will get you a sword as soon as possible, right now we have to go!" Sasuke ordered and took off.

"Hey wait up jerk!" Suigetsu yelled angrily before chasing after the Uchiha.

**End Chapter!**

**Man no Manga this week :_- ( **

**Sill I didn't really have high hopes for the next chapter anyway, it will probably just be more about Kabuto, hopefully this mini arc will end soon and we can get back to the good fights. Also is it just me or is Sasuke getting fully played by Itachi, if Kabuto ends the Edo Tensei then Itachi goes as well. **


	79. First Impressions

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 7****9: First Impressions**

"Uh Jiraiya-sensei did you just say Iwa? Why the hell would we be going there?" Naruto asked quirking an eyebrow.

Jiraiya chuckled and tossed the letter from Oonoki over to the blond jinchuuriki. "See for your self, that old man Tsuchikage want's to meet you, I guess it was only a matter of time before they found out who you were." he said calmly.

"Heh surely this is some sort of trap right? Iwa wouldn't just openly welcome Naruto." Gaara said.

"Yes I know that it sure seems like it could be a trap, but I think we may have found a staging area for taking out Orochimaru. Then there is also the possibility that it isn't, and they really mean Naruto no harm." Itachi said.

"Yes as well as an excuse to be in the country." Jiraiya added.

"But if it's a trap you will be no better off than if we had attacked Orochimaru from the start? In fact it will be even more dangerous because you will be inside Iwa." Haku reasoned.

"Ah yes but from inside Iwa we can cripple their military enough so they wouldn't dream of making chase, or hunting Naruto ever again for the matter." Jiraiya said confidently.

"Wasn't the invite for Naruto-kun, do you really think Iwa would ever willingly allow you to enter the village as well Jiraiya-sama?" Akimi asked.

Naruto chuckled at this. "That's the best part I can bring four ninja along with me as bodyguards. Imagine their faces when I show up with Jiraiya-sensei and Itachi-sensei if they do have a trap planned for me, that alone would throw a major obstacle for them to overcome." he said.

"Wait only four! There is no way I am missing out on this kid, Orochimaru has gone grave robbing and dug up my former comrades in the Seven Swordsmen, you better take me along!" Zabuza demanded.

"So that's three, we just need one more." Naruto said.

Akimi was about to put her hand up and demand that she go too but Jiraiya silenced her. "We could be up against an entire village of ninja, if that's the case Gaara is our best choice." he declared.

"I agree, Gaara is certainly the best choice. Sorry Akimi-chan looks like you will have to sit this one out, sorry." Naruto said.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" the speedy kunoichi asked clearly upset that she wouldn't be following Naruto on his trip.

Jiraiya hummed in contemplation. "Normally I would tell you to take a paying mission, but with the Akatsuki as active as they have been I don't think that it is such a good idea. Think of this as a mini vacation and take some time off and relax." he suggested.

'_How am I supposed to relax when Naruto-kun could be in serious danger, to make it worse he doesn't seem worried at all, doesn't he realize how risky it is? This isn't like in Kumo where we had weeks to prepare they are expecting our response at Konoha as soon as possible._' Akimi worried while Naruto and the others talked merrily about the trip.

"So i'll send the response back to Tsunade with a toad, Naruto any chance I could borrow Gamatatsu?" Jiraiya asked.

"Huh why would you ever want to use him? Unless you have snacks he is completely useless." Naruto replied.

"Exactly, it would be a good way to torment Tsunade-Hime and the old man." Jiraiya chuckled.

"Too cruel Jiraiya-sensei, nobody deserves that kind of punishment." Naruto said.

"Come on Naruto-kun, sure he was a little slow but I am sure he is useful sometimes." Fuu said.

"Well I guess one time he took the blame for us when Jiraiya-sensei and I stole Gamabunta's pipe and Sake, but I think that may have been because he didn't understand what was actually going on." Naruto said stroking his chin in contemplation.

This peaked Itachi's interest. "How do you steal something like that? they would easily be bigger than a house each." he asked.

"It wasn't easy, but Sage mode gave us the strength we needed, and Kami it was so worth it. When Bunta went to have a drink and his Sake was missing, then his pipe. We thought he was going to destroy all of Myobokuzan he was so angry." Jiraiya answered fondly.

"It took Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama to calm him down in the end, then I convinced Gamatatsu to take the fall by giving him a few cup cakes." Naruto laughed.

"He was probably lucky that he was Bunta's son or I doubt that angry toad would have let the poor boy live." Jiraiya chuckled.

"Remember when we put all that dye in his hot spring, he was bright blue for days." Naruto said still laughing.

"Is it really wise to annoy the boss toad so much?" Gaara asked curiously.

"Well not if we get caught, otherwise we would get flattened." Jiraiya said merrily.

'_Great, here I am worrying about Iwa, when it turns out a simple training trip is potentially just as deadly when those two are involved_.' Akimi thought shaking her head while still somewhat amused by Naruto's antics.

In the end Naruto agreed and for the second time in as many days the large yet small minded Gamatatsu sat in the middle of the room. "Hey there, do you have any snacks Naruto?" he asked immediately.

"In a minute Tatsu, first I want you to listen, Jiraiya-sensei has a job for you, then I will give you some snacks." Naruto said slowly enough for the young toad to understand.

"Uh alright, but you then can I have some snacks?" the toad asked.

A wicked grin formed upon Jiraiya's face as he thought of a plan. "I need you to take a message to Tsunade-Hime, the Hokage. Once it's delivered she will give you all the snacks you can eat." he said.

'_Ouch, toads can eat a lot and quite frankly Tatsu and Kichi are complete pigs, the Hokage tower won't have any food left_.' Naruto thought with a grim chuckle.

(**Elsewhere**)

Kabuto had been having a bad morning. First he awoke to the sound of sirens, then he finds out all the prisoners were out of their containment cells. '_Most of these experiments were harvested during the early parts of the Kiri civil war, many belong to clans that are nearing extinction. Orochimaru-sama would be rather upset if I kill all of them_' Kabuto thought as he and a large group of loyal Oto ninja stood across from a slightly larger group of rebellious escapees.

"What are your orders Kabuto? Do we kill them?" an Oto jounin asked.

"No you are disable them, do not kill them!" Kabuto ordered before activating his chakra scalpels and charging forward.

While Kabuto was busy dealing with the prisoners Sasuke had arrived at the exit to the Oto hideout, Suigetsu following closely behind. "Where here. There is a small town close by where we can get a boat out of the Land of Water, let's go." the Uchiha ordered.

Suigetsu was about to argue about being forced around by Sasuke but as he opened his mouth the ground began to shake. "What the hell was that!" he yelled forgetting his previous disenchantment with the Uchiha.

"I think that means that Kabuto and his lapdogs have encountered the escapees, they wont keep him busy for long, but still more than enough time for us to be long gone." Sasuke smirked.

"Alright let's go but once we get away from here we are finding me a sword right away." Suidetsu demanded.

"Yeah whatever, you will get your damn sword, come on lets go." Sasuke said already walking in the direction of a small village off in the distance.

'_It's not like I have much choice, still if its a matter of staying here and waiting for that freak Orochimaru to do more experiments on me, or follow Sasuke in some quest for revenge, Sasuke wins hands down.'_Suigetsu thought as he began to follow Sasuke once more.

For close to an Hour Kabuto and the loyal Oto ninja continued fighting away, only killing the escapee's that proved to be impossible to capture. In the end everyone in the base was completely exhausted from the fighting. '_How did this happen, our security is first class, how did all the prisoners escape without anyone noticing or the alarms going off until they were all free. Uh maybe Sasuke will know be able to use his Sharingan to get something out of the prisoners we captured._' he thought leaving the detention area and heading straight for Sasuke's room.

(**Yoinokuchi Hideout**)

It had taken several attempts for Jiraiya to pass on his instructions to the dim witted toad, much to the amusement of Naruto and the others. However Naruto's laughter was soon dulled when Jiraiya pointed out quiet accurately that Gamatatsu was his personal summons.

The rest of the day had been taken up mostly with the group heading to Iwa packing to leave the next day. Most of the group busy trying to guess just what it was that the Tsuchikage had planed for the group and talking about what to expect should a fight come up. Jiraiya who had the most experience in fighting against Iwa ninja was more than willing to recount some of the encounters he had with Iwa shinobi in the past.

"Man I really looking forward to seeing what Iwa is like, Kiri and Kumo were so different from Konoha, I bet Iwa is just as unique." Naruto said with an air of anticipation in his voice as he sat on his bed that night watching Akimi practice some Fuuton manipulation exercises.

"Probably nothing worth getting killed over." Akimi said slightly bitter.

"Huh? Do you have that little faith in me?" Naruto asked in mock hurt.

"It's not that I don't think you are strong, I have never seen anyone who could fight you one on one as you are now and stand a chance at winning." She replied seriously.

"Uh what about Pein, I believe we had a draw, and he had a better outlook of winning that fight, at that point in time as well." Naruto said semi serious.

"Shut up I am being serious! Iwa hated your father with a passion, no matter what that letter says, the animosity between them and your family will be present, and you won't be facing up against one ninja, more like between fifteen and twenty thousand. It's far too dangerous to try and take on those numbers, even for the likes of you and Jiraiya-sama. The worst part is you know it, that's why you are taking Gaara and Zabuza while leaving me at home, am I a burden to you?" She yelled tears forming at the side of her eyes.

Naruto's carefree expression dropped and his face turned uncharacteristically serious. "It's not that you are not strong enough, and I would never think of you as a burden. I just couldn't stand to put you in that type of danger willingly, just the thought of it is painful. If anything happened to you I wo-"

"And how do you think I feel, having to sit here waiting for some kind of sign, that you will make it back safe to me!" Akimi yelled interrupting the blond.

"I'm sorry, I hope I won't be gone for too long. Unfortunately the truth is we need this trip if we are going to take Orochimaru out. If I don't come back, I'm sure you will find someone else." Naruto said trying to lighten the mood at the end.

Akimi on the other hand was not going to take his bait. "No, I'm yours, and that's it, whatever!" she declared.

Naruto couldn't help but smile while he stood up from the bed and walked over to the still teary eyed kunoichi. "If that's the case then I guess that means that, I'm yours, and that's it, forever." he said leaning down to lightly kiss her lips.

Akimi didn't reply for a moment, with so many different emotions running through her mind. '_Damn it Naruto-kun this is cheating, I am supposed to be mad at you._' she thought weakly as she slowly began deepening the kiss.

Reluctantly Naruto broke away from the kiss to gaze into the still worried eyes of his girlfriend. "I promise you, I won't be killed, I will crush Iwa to the ground and make it's people nothing but a memory before I fail to come home." he whispered softly his eyes showing just how determined and confident he was in his words.

"You better, if you die I will make you pay!" Akimi replied before closing the distance between their lips and passionately pulling the Naruto down to the ground with her.

****Lemon****

Naruto adjusted himself as he was guided to the ground by Akimi, so that he pinned her underneath his arms when he landed. Wasting no time the blond quickly deepened the kiss and probing his tongue forward into the kunoichi's mouth earning a soft moan for his efforts.

It didn't take long for Akimi to rediscover her competitive side and fought Naruto's tongue back before starting her own exploration of the blonds mouth.

"My aren't you aggressive today, I can't say that I don't like it either, maybe I should risk my life more often." Naruto joked playfully once Akimi eventually came up for air.

"I think you do that enough, now shut up and kiss me." the kunoichi ordered while removing Naruto's cloak.

Naruto had no problems complying with Akimi's demand laying another kiss on the dark haired teen. The blonds right hand slowly moved from holding Akimi's sides gliding up and under her top all the way to her large chest before beginning to kneed her breast over the top her bra.

Akimi purred for Naruto to continue as she finished removing the blonds cloak and tossing it aside neglecting the extra weight that smashed the unsuspecting bedside table the cloak crashed into. "Oops," she said with a small giggle as Naruto began tracing light kisses along her cheek and neckline. Naruto let out a irritated grunt in response. "It's only a small table, I'll buy you a new one if you are that upset." she scoffed but any chance of showing irritation was discarded when Naruto began to lightly yet passionately bite down on an extra sensitive part of her neck causing her to moan out in pleasure.

"To many clothes." Naruto grunted slowly lifting Akimi's shirt over her head, not even caring the slightest bit about the pile of kindling where his bedside table once stood.

"Oh," Akimi giggled realizing that she had misinterpreted his annoyance.

Once Akimi's shirt had been removed Naruto wasted little time in eliminating the thin bra granting him direct access to her soft yet firm chest.

Naruto's attention returned to placing small light kisses on Akimi's neck as he softly kneaded her breast, changing sides at regular intervals.

While Naruto was preoccupied enjoying her chest Akimi began removing the belt from Naruto's pants to slide her hand inside and grip his semi erect member. Naruto gasped as she slowly began rubbing the tip with her thumb while stroking his tool. She continued her ministrations until Naruto was rock hard and trapped tightly within the confines of his boxers.

Skillfully even if somewhat clumsily Naruto managed to removed his pants without taking any attention away from Akimi, and even managed to guide his free hand down to undo the button on her tight pants. The blond then slid his hand down the kunoichi's slender stomach and slipping his fingers under the fabric of her panties began tracing her southern lips with his index finger every so often gliding lightly over the slit teasing her entrance.

In response Akimi increased the speed that she stroked Naruto's member, and after a few minutes both teens were softly moaning in ecstasy between heated periods of making out.

Naruto soon became bored with his teasing and drove his middle finger into his girlfriend's now dripping sheath and began massaging her inner walls using her moans as a guide for where she was extra sensitive.

"Naruto-kuuuun, mo-more, pl-ease give me more" Akimi begged weakly as all thoughts were blown from her mind, her pride and competitiveness overcome by the feelings of lust and love that she held for the blond.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Naruto whispered in reply before adding a second finger into her folds and increasing the rate that he pumped into her.

Akimi's moans grew louder and louder until she almost screamed in pleasure when Naruto rubbed his thumb over her clitoris forcing her to the edge of madness. "I'm close, don't stop." she panted weakly. Naruto replied with only a pleased smile and once more quickening his pace.

The pressure had been building up in Akimi, like a spring that had been recoiling and Naruto's latest assault had pushed her over the edge. Her mouth opened to scream out but before any sound could escape she consciously bit down on Naruto's shoulder to stifle the majority of the noise.

"You look like you enjoyed that Akimi-chan, but you forgot all about me." Naruto whispered in her ear as she continued to bite down on the blond albeit far lighter than she had done initially. Naruto was of course right, the moment Naruto had guided his first finger inside her now overflowing honey pot she had completely forgotten that she still had her hand down the blonds boxers. Mustering what strength she could, Akimi wrapped her slender hand back around Naruto's shaft and began to slowly pump him. Naruto however gripped her arm to stop her almost immediately. "Enough appetizers, I'm ready for the main course." he swooned quickly removing his boxers, and in one swift movement Akimi's remaining articles of clothing before picking her up bridal style and tossing her gently onto the bed.

Naruto crawled onto the bed and slid in between her legs, positioning himself at her dripping entrance. "Wait Naruto, I just came if you do that I'll -" Naruto cut her off by thrusting his full length into her sheath sending her screaming back into another orgasm immediately.

"Kami, Akimi-chan you're so tight." Naruto moaned in pleasure while her juices coated the head of his large tool inside the kunoichi.

"That's... no fair..." Akimi gasped trying to catch her breath as she came back down to earth. "You need to give me time to recover before doing something like that." she moaned weakly.

"But I couldn't help myself, you looked just far too delicious for me to resist." Naruto teased before claiming her lips with his own in a passionate embrace.

While Naruto had yet to start moving his hips ever miniscule movement sent small jolts of pleasure to both teens. They both stayed unmoving yet still connected for a few minutes until Akimi wrapped her legs around Naruto's waist and bucked her hip to encourage Naruto to continue.

Picking up on what she wanted right away Naruto began smooth stokes into he at a gentle pace that was matched by Akimi as they both stared lovingly into each others eyes. Very slowly Naruto increased the pace while their frequent moans were nearly always muffled due to the pair almost constantly locking lips.

Once more the pressure began to coil up and Akimi could feel the steady approach of another release. "I'm close Naruto-kun." she gasped as he penetrated her still deeper.

"So am I Akimi-chan, just a little longer, we will cum together." Naruto moaned. His pace remained steady for a few more thrusts but then became faster and harder, trying to reach as deep into Akimi as he could.

Akimi screamed out in pleasure and dug her nails into Naruto's back as his head kissed the entrance to her womb, the added stimulation was too much for the poor kunoichi and after a few more thrusts she climaxed far harder than she had experienced before, it was as though she was having both previous orgasms all over again.

Akimi's sudden orgasm caused her to clamp down tight on Naruto's member as she attempted to milk him of his seed and once her fluids began to flow over his shaft the blond too was thrown over the edge. "Kami, so amazing, I'm cumming Akimi-chan!" he moaned loudly before with one final thrust his semen shot out coating her insides in his seed.

Amazingly the added sensation of Naruto's ejaculation sent another wave of intense pleasure through Akimi's body and she shuddered in ecstasy no longer able to move, it felt as though her body was made of jelly and any attempt to move was futile. '_Amazing, I could get used to this._' she thought with an expression of shocked bliss on her face.

Naruto readjusted himself and Akimi so that he was spooning her while using a medical contraceptive jutsu. "Goodnight Akimi-chan." he whispered gently pulling her closer into his chest.

"I'm still mad at you." Akimi replied softly with no malice in her voice at all.

Naruto chuckled lightly and kissed the back of her head in a sign of affection. "Please don't worry about me, I promise I will come back safely." he said while pulling up the blankets to cover the young couple.

"You better, if you don't I'll kill you myself!" she scoffed lightly while her eyes were beginning to close as she fell asleep in Naruto's arms.

** **End Lemon** **

(**The Next Day, Konoha**)

Kurotsuchi was standing in Tsunade's office along with Kakashi who had been the Iwa kunoichi's escort while in Konoha. "We received word form Naruto, that he accepts your offer, however he did not leave a time at which to expect his arrival in Konoha." Tsunade said calmly.

Kakashi chuckled slightly at this piece of information causing Kurotsuchi to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "I don't getting it, what's so funny?" she asked.

"Well, it's just that's so much like Naruto to do something like that, in truth I am surprised that he even told us that he would come at all." Kakashi explained.

"So what, he just does what ever he wants?" Kurotsuchi asked seriously.

"Not exactly, more like he prefers to be unpredictable, he's becoming more and more like that troublesome sensei of his." Tsunade explained.

'_Sensei? I wonder who that is?_' Kurotsuchi thought in wonder.

"I'm not that bad am I?" came a gleeful call from the window. But when everyone spun around to look at the window there was Naruto leaning against the windowsill looking somewhat bored. "What, are you guys really that surprised? I told you I was coming didn't I?" he asked.

'_How is it possible that I didn't sense his presence, he's so close yet nobody knew he was there!_' Kurotsuchi thought in shock.

"Naruto, still using the Chameleon jutsu to sneak into Konoha without anyone finding out I see." Tsunade said through gritted teeth.

"Well it's easier than putting up with the gate guards Baa-chan." Naruto said offhandedly as he jumped into the room. He watched in amusement as Tsunade suppressed the urge to yell at him for calling her old again then attention was then drawn towards Kurotsuchi. "So I guess you are supposed to be my escort I take it?" he queried.

"Ah yes, I'm Kurotsuchi, Jounin of Iwa. You must be Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, it's a pleasure to meet you." she said offering Naruto a hand. Naruto shrugged and accepted the hand shake without much thought. '_What's with those eyes, I have never seen anything like them before, they don't look anything like his fathers, but the hair and face is unmistakable, although slightly rounder than the Yondaime Hokage's._' she thought.

'_Well she doesn't seem hostile, still I can't let my guard down._' Naruto mused as they ended their handshake.

"Naruto, where is the team accompanying you? You can take Kakashi along if you want." Tsunade offered even though she knew Naruto's response before he even spoke.

"Nah sorry, I have a team waiting outside of the village, the old pervert wanted to come say hello, but if he did it could be days before we could leave." Naruto said with a smile.

Tsunade smirked slightly even though she had been slightly surprised, Naruto had always refereed to Jiraiya as his sensei and with great respect. '_It must be to hide the identity of Jiraiya from Kurotsuchi for as long as possible._' she guessed. "Then it sounds like you made the right choice leaving them outside of the village. I take it the group you chose are capable of keeping you safe?" she asked in more of a show to Kurotsuchi than actual concern.

"Don't worry Baa-chan, I'll be fine. I trust the others with my life." he smirked.

This time Tsunade was unable to prevent her irritation from showing. "You damn brat how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that! Were you hit on the head as a child or something!" she yelled in frustration.

"Uh... Well now that I think about it yes I was... often by you." Naruto said scratching his chin in contemplation.

"You weren't supposed to answer that." Tsunade replied with a deadpan expression.

"Then why did you ask?" Naruto said with a sweat drop.

'_I don't get this guy at all, is he strong, or just an idiot?_' Kurotsuchi thought in wonder as she watched Naruto interact with the Hokage. "Um, if I may ask, if you have left your guards outside of Konoha does that mean you are looking to leave soon?" she questioned.

"Haven't really thought about it, depends on how much fun I can have around here." Naruto replied with a friendly smile.

'_Yep, definitely an idiot, I can't believe that this guy can be considered a S-ranked criminal anywhere. Then again Oji-sama is always complaining that Iwa's council is full of complete idiots that could never run a village, and there are some of the strongest shinobi in Iwa on the council._' Kurotsuchi mused.

'_Interesting, it seems she is trying to decide how much of a threat I am, I wonder what she comes up with._' Naruto thought as he subtly observed the Iwa kunoichi. "Anyway I don't think there is any need to stay here in Konoha for all that long, the sooner we get going the sooner I can get back home." he said with a warm smile.

"I understand, I am prepared to leave at once, but I require an escort out of the village." Kurotsuchi informed the blond.

"Well I can handle that, can't I Baa-chan?" Naruto asked Tsunade.

A tic mark appeared on the forehead of the Hokage but was able to bite back an angry retort this time. "Yes I believe that even you are capable of that." she said cooldly.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean? I am capable of lots of things!" Naruto yelled in reply.

Tsunade smirked in reply. "Like what, other than getting into trouble you have no official accomplishments." she teased.

"You want to go, you old bat!" Naruto said with a smirk of his own.

"Anytime Gaki, you're not a Konoha ninja so I have no problem with kicking your ass!" Tsunade replied. They both stood glaring at each other for a few moments before they each broke out into a chorus of laughter. "Stay safe Gaki, and you need to drop in on the way back so we can arrange a safe return of the Iwa ninja left in our care." she said with a motherly smile.

"Sure thing." Naruto said kissed Tsunade on the cheek shocking Kurotsuchi and to a lesser degree Kakashi. Naruto payed no attention to the stunned faces of the pair and jumped back onto the windowsill. "I'll meet you downstairs, don't take too long." he informed the kunoichi before waving to the others in the room. "See ya later, Kakashi, Baa-chan." and with that Naruto jumped out of the window and down to the entrance below.

"Well, I think you should probably get going Kurotsuchi. There is no telling what that idiot will do if he gets bored waiting." Tsunade said staring out the window where Naruto had just exited.

"Uh of course Hokage-sama, thank you for allowing my presence in Konoha over the last few days." Kurotsuchi said with a respectful bow before leaving the room.

Naruto was leaning against a wall facing the Hokage tower entrance when Kurotsuchi came out with his arms folded. "What took you so long?" he asked with a slightly bored look on his face that was mostly for show. Naruto was still trying to decide if Kurotsuchi knew anything about what Iwa had planned for him and the others.

"I left right after you did, surely you couldn't have been waiting all that long." she replied calmly.

"You should have just followed me out of the window, it's much faster." Naruto scoffed.

"It's also highly disrespectful, something that I would be foolish to do in a village I don't belong to." Kurotsuchi replied.

"Kami you sound just like Baa-chan. A window is the same as a door only with better access to get outside." Naruto explained.

'_This kid is a fool, and apart from being able to suppress his chakra levels to such a degree that he is almost impossible to detect even at close range I don't think he is all that special, that's probably how he was able to escape Kumo so easily, he could have just ran way hiding his chakra signature._' "Look how about we just get moving, this will be a long trip if we begin arguing about every little thing." she said sighed.

"Oh you're no fun. Fine lets go." Naruto replied with a smile and began walking off towards the village gates.

'_He was doing that on purpose to get under my skin! What a asshole!_' she thought getting slightly flustered before following after the blond.

**End Chapter!**

**The next update may not come out this week sorry. I have a lot of work coming in at the moment life of a session musician, weeks with nothing then in one week I end up booked out. I will do my best to get it out as soon as I can. I added the lemon to break up what has been a few duller chapters while introducing this Arc, but things will pick up from now.**

**Until next time, enjoy.**


	80. The Trip to Iwa

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****80: The Trip to Iwa**

"How far out from Konoha did you leave your escorts? It feels like we have been walking for miles." Kurotsuchi asked Naruto as the pair walked along a large dirt road that led away from Konoha.

"Huh what was that?" Naruto asked in a teasing manner.

Kurotsuchi sighed, she was fast getting sick of Naruto's playful attitude. "I asked how far till we get to the team you have guarding you." she said making extra effort to be sure her words were clear.

Naruto shrugged and looked up into the sky. "Um... I don't know, I'm sure they're around here somewhere." he said wistfully.

"Wait so you don't even know where they are?" Kurotsuchi asked impatiently.

"Well something like that." Naruto replied.

"What does that mean?" the kunoichi said clearly becoming flustered.

"Well I have a vague idea of where they are, but I could always be wrong." Naruto answered.

"Seriously, are you an idiot! You leave your team behind to come to Konoha, then you forget where they are! What kind of shinobi are you!" Kurotsuchi yelled.

"Looks like I win Itachi, she didn't make it to the first town before snapping at the kid." rang out Zabuza's voice from the trees above them.

Kurotsuchi spun around just in time to see Gaara and Zabuza drop from trees behind them. "What the, what's going on here?" she asked raising her guard in case of an attack.

"We were testing to see how long it would take Naruto-kun to get under your skin, a cruel experiment, yes, but it was rather amusing." came Itachi's voice from another tree before dropping down beside Gaara and Zabuza.

"It-achi... Uchiha! What's going on here!" Kurotsuchi asked frantically.

"Hey looks like she knows who you are, I guess I'm just not famous enough in the Land of Earth." Zabuza mused.

Naruto smirked and moved in between the Iwa kunoichi and his team. "Kurotsuchi, I would like you to meet the group that will be coming with me to Iwa. Itachi-sensei you appear to already know, and the others are Gaara Subaku, Zabuza Momoichi an-"

Naruto was cut off before he was able to introduce the last member. "Wait Subaku and Momoichi... you two are missing ninja from Suna and Kiri. That red hair, you are the definitely the son of the Yondaime Kazekage, and Zabuza Momoichi, the Demon of the Bloody Mist!" Kurotsuchi gasped recognizing the two other members who had shown themselves.

"Hey look she does know who we are." Zabuza said rather cockily.

"How could I not, you are both famous ninja that haven't been seen for years." Kurotsuchi said.

"No they have been seen, we just make sure that the word doesn't spread through the underground when we are. We have a sort of agreement with the black market in the Land of Fire." Itachi said with a slight smile.

"An agreement?" the kunoichi queried while attempting to regain her composure.

"Yeah, basically they ignore everything that we do and any sightings of us, and we allow them to exist." Zabuza chuckled.

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding. Then she realized something. '_That idiot was playing with me all this time! He knew that his team were following him!_' she thought until something else caught her attention. "Wait there are only three of you, where is the fourth member?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh he's over there." Naruto said, casually pointing to a large rock where Jiraiya suddenly materialized after using his chameleon jutsu.

"What a horrible introduction!" Jiraiya yelled disapprovingly.

"Tha-that's Ji... Jiraiya of the Sannin, the legendary Toad Sage." Kurotsuchi stuttered suddenly feeling rather insignificant.

"Now that's an introduction. You could learn a thing or two from this one kid." Jiraiya cockily informed Naruto.

'_This is insane, at least two S ranked ninja, Zabuza was considered an A rank when he was being hunted by the previous Mizukage, and Gaara Subaku is the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi, he was considered a genius despite being unstable as a child. This is a group of monsters rather than bodyguards._' Kurotsuchi thought as she scanned the group that appeared completely relaxed at the situation.

"Well it looks like you know everyone, that saves time." Naruto said happily keeping up his childish attitude.

'_I still cant get a read on this guy, is he actually strong, or does he just have strong allies?_' Kurotsuchi thought in frustration. "Uh I guess I should introduce myself... I'm Kurotsuchi the granddaughter of Oonoki the Tsuchikage." she said weakly attempting to maintain some form of composure in front of the group of famous shinobi.

"Nice to meet ya little lady. I hope our arrival wasn't that big of a surprise. I'm sure who ever you were expecting it wasn't us." Jiraiya said with a friendly smile.

"Uh.. no it's alright, I wasn't expecting this it seems that Naruto has some powerful allies." Kurotsuchi replied calmly.

"This is boring, let's get moving already!" Naruto whined.

"I have to agree, it will take a few days to get to Iwa so wasting time standing around here is not productive." Itachi added with a small smirk at what Naruto was doing to conceal his strength and have Kurotsuchi underestimate his ability.

"Uh yeah of course, we should get going. I was just stunned by the groups sudden arrival." the kunoichi agreed.

(**Elsewhere**)

"Have you found Sasuke-kun yet?" Orochimaru said, his face staring down at Kabuto from a large computer screen.

Kabuto shook his head. "Not yet Orochimaru-sama, we have teams out looking at the moment" he said.

"Do you really think a couple of teams of men will be able to bring Sasuke-kun back? Get out there yourself, and find him! I need to change body's soon. I never should have let him out of the base to go on a mission this close to my need for a new body."

"Very well, I will begin my search, we believe he has headed for the Land of Lightening." Kabuto said with a bow.

"Good get going immediately. You have one week to find him then you can come back, and I will look for him myself, with the curse seal I should have no trouble locating Sasuke-kun. Still I am too weak at the moment to leave this base, so that means I will have to pick a new body before that." Orochimaru said a hint of anger in his eyes directed at Kabuto.

"I understand Orochimaru-sama. I will do everything in my power to locate Sasuke before the time comes, you have my word." Kabuto replied confidently.

"Good see that you do, make sure that you don't disappoint me Kabuto." Orochimaru ordered before his face flickered off of the screen.

Kabuto walked out of the room and was greeted by three jounin level Oto ninja. "What are Orochimaru-sama's orders Kabuto-sama?" one of the jounin asked.

"I am leaving immediately to join in the hunt for Sasuke-kun. You three will accompany me, so meet at the entrance to the base in no more than thirty minutes, if you're late I will be leaving without you." Kabuto said before pushing past the three jounin. '_Damn I will make that Uchiha pay for this. Angering me is one thing, but now he has brought the rage of Orochimaru-sama down onto him. Still looks like he is no longer going to be Orochimaru-sama's little pet._'

Thirty minutes later, Kabuto and the group of jounin were all standing at the entrance to the Oto base looking out towards the same small village that Sasuke and Suigetsu had ran to upon fleeing. "So where are we heading?" one of the jounin asked.

"The closest port, that would be the village down there." Kabuto said pointing at the village. "Sasuke would head for the Land of Lightening to avoid detection from Konoha, so the quickest way to locate him is to head for the closest port town above the Land of Fire." he added with a small smirk.

(**Iwa**)

Oonoki of the Twin Scales, was currently siting behind his desk dwarfed by piles of paperwork, that had become an unwelcome symptom of his decision to offer a hand in reconciliation to the son of Minato Namikaze. For a few days after the announcement things had remained silent, but after the second day he started receiving complaints and requests to deny service to Naruto from various stores in the village. "These people have some insane requests, do they really expect me to allow them to cause harm to the boy if he enters their store? Request denied!" he grumbled loudly putting his seal on yet another request by the population that harbored ill feelings toward the young blond.

A tall woman with short rust colored hair wearing a red kimono entered the room with a piece of paper in her hand. "Oonoki-sama, a letter from Konoha has arrived." the woman informed the elderly Tsuchikage.

"Is that so, please hand it over Hanoki." the Tsuchikage asked eagerly.

The woman named Hanoki walked over and handed the letter with the symbol for the Land of Fire and Hokake stamped at the top. "Do you think it has something to do with the young Namikaze boy?" she asked before Oonoki have even began to read.

"I assume so but, lets not get ahead of ourselves." Oonoki answered steadily.

Oonoki read through the letted quickly, ignoring all the formalities that come with letters between Kage and came to the one important part of the letter. _Naruto and Kurotsuchi have left from Konoha today heading toward Iwa, you should expect their arrival in three to four days. _

Oonoki continuously scanned over these lines reading them over and over again as if looking for somehting that wasn't there. "Three days... I never expected them to be able to find the boy so quickly, nor for him to decide to accept our offer so quickly. We have a lot of preparing to do." he said to himself oblivious that his assistant was still in the room.

"Three days! That is incredibly soon the ninja forces on patrol will need to be told that they are coming!" the Tsuchikage's assistant gasped.

Oonoki nodded in agreement. "I also have to give another strong warning to the clan heads that I will not allow any harm to come to the boy unless I say otherwise or he attacks first. Call a council meeting there is much to prepare." he ordered before jumping from his chair and landing lightly in the middle of the room.

(**Elsewhere**)

Orochimaru was not having a good week, first he discovers that Jiraiya, his old team member from Konoha had broken into and destroyed three of his bases including one that he thought was impossible to locate. Then finds out that of the teams he sent to the Land of Water, only Kabuto and Sasuke returned, and last but certainly not least Sasuke leaves taking one of his most promising test subjects along with him.

The Snake summoner sat in a tall backed chair seething at the damage that had been delt to his ambitions over the past week. 'Not only Sasuke-kun but also Guren and Suigetsu, the next obvious choices for my body switching jutsu. Kimimaro is in stasis because his body is dying so he can't be used for my next body, and the rest of the Sound Five do not have anything that I find unique.' he thought bitterly.

The other members of the so called sound five stood behind Orochimaru each with a box of files in their hands. "Orochimaru-sama we have the files on all currently marked Oto ninja for you, as requested." a silver haired ninja said.

"Thank you Sakon, have you separated the members with Kekkei Genkai as I asked?" Orochimaru questioned.

"Of course Orochimaru-sama. We also brought the files of those who scored highest on the physical examinations we had to take." the silver haired man named Sakon informed the Sannin.

"Why is are we doing this anyway? Aren't you using Sasuke for your next body?" a tall chubby man asked.

"Jibobo you fucking fat idiot, don't talk to Orochimaru-sama like that. What he want's these file for is his own business!" the red haired kunoichi yelled.

"Shut up Tayuya, it's not like you yelling like that is any less rude." Jirobo replied angrily.

"Enough, you idiots, if you must know, Sasuke has fled from our base in The Land of Water, I need to find a new body to transfer into." Orochimaru seethed.

"He what! After all that effort we put into getting that pick? We could have been killed on that mission. Let us go bring him back, it would feel good to kick that smug bastards ass!" Tayuya said, the annoyance she felt towards Sasuke clear for all to see.

The other members of Orochimaru's bodyguards murmured in agreement but Orochimaru cut them off before they could ask for permission. "Didn't you lot learn last time that you four fought Sasuke-kun? All of you together were no match for him, maybe with Kimimaro you would win but he cannot travel he is only still alive for added protection should Iwa find this location, his bone jutsu would be able to take out any small army that was sent after us, although it would probably kill him in the process." he mused.

"Then we can go with some of the other top ninja, what about Guren?" the final member of the group suggested.

"Guren is dead, fell a foul of Konoha ninja and Jiraiya's damnable group." Orochimaru said, not knowing that Guren was indeed alive and now living in Kiri.

"So there is nobody left? What about Kabuto, he was with Sasuke?" Sakon asked.

"Kabuto has already gone after Sasuke-kun, but I need to change bodies in a week so the chances of him finding them without me are slim to say the least. Everyone else can't be spared from where they are, I can't afford any more setbacks." Orochimaru said bitterly.

(**Two Days Later**)

Naruto and the group decided to stop that night for the first time since leaving Konoha, at a small village a short ways inside the border of the Land of Earth. The blond had spent the best part of the last few days irritating Kurotsuchi in anyway possible, usually by acting like a childish idiot. The other Yoinokuchi members found his behavior slightly annoying, but at the same time very entertaining once they saw Kurotsuchi's reactions.

As for Kurotsuchi she was seriously starting to question if the blond jinchuuriki was even at genin level. At one point during the second day he overshot a jump between branches and slipped out out of the trees, falling down to the floor of the forest. '_Every way I look at it, this boy is just an idiot, I can't believe I wanted to meet this guy. I guess it's my fault for thinking that he would have to be powerful because of who his father was._' she thought as the group stopped in front of a rather large building that appeared to be a tavern.

"This looks like the best place to find a few rooms for the night." Jiraiya said happily.

"Ah you just want to stay here so you can get drunk and hit on women!" Naruto pouted.

'_On top of everything, how con someone like him be so disrespectful to someone like the Toad Sage, Jiraiya._' Kurotsuchi thought in shock.

The Iwa kunoichi's shock was skyrocketed moments later however when Jiraiya replied to Naruto's taunt. "Well now that you mention it this place might be a good spot for some research for my books, I bet the women here will be weak at the knees in the presence of the great Jiraiya-sama!" he said with a perverted grin.

_'He is a pervert! I thought Oji-sama was lying when he told me the stories of the three legendary ninja from Konoha. Does that mean that Tsunade is really a horrible drunk with a gambling problem as well? And now that I think about it Kakashi Hatake was openly reading smut in public... Do all great shinobi from Konoha have mental issues!_' she thought weakly.

"While I agree that Jiraiya's decision to stay here screams of his personal goals, we are extremely close to Iwa now and will be there by midday tomorrow. With that in mind stopping for the night would be wise, get our energy back in case there is any hostility shown towards Naruto-kun." Itachi suggested.

"That absolutely will not happen." Kurotsuchi assured the group.

"While you do appear to be quite honest in your belief, you must also respect that we need to be prepared for anything." Itachi replied.

"Naruto's safety is our top priority, I agree that we should rest here tonight." Gaara added calmly.

"Very well, as his guards it's your call, still I would of liked to have told everyone that I was able to get from Konoha to Iwa in under two days, something like that could increase my chance of promotion, being able to get to and from missions quickly can be vital at times after all." she said adding an explanation at the end for the question Naruto was undoubtedly about to ask.

"But if I am not mistaken you are wearing a Iwa jounin vest, for your age that is already a great accomplishment. I believe Konoha only have two jounin that are still in their teens at the moment." Jiraiya said.

"Well I'm twenty actually, but I'm ready to take the test to become an elite jounin and earn a place on the village council." Kurotsuchi answered.

"Wait you need to take a test to get that rank? I thought it was just given to the best shinobi based on mission success rate and skill." Naruto said, this time genuinely.

"That's how it works in Konoha, but each village has it's own system." Itachi informed the blond.

"Yes in Iwa to be promoted you need to be able to hold your own against at least four jounin level ninja. Ojii-sama has not allowed me to take the trial for the last two years but this year I know I'm ready." the kunoichi said hungrily.

"The role does come with greater risks though, Elite Jounin are expected to lead themost dangerous missions that a village receives, and a rank doesn't mean anything. In the ninja world even a Kage can be taken out by a genin." Itachi warned.

"Yes but I want to be Tsuchikage one day when my grandfather finally retires, and that means taking risks like this." Kurotsuchi explained proudly stating her goal.

"I think the test sounds like fun, fighting against four Iwa jounin would be tough." Naruto said happily.

"Of course it's tough, and that means that the Elite Jounin must be noticeably stronger than average to make that level." Kurotsuchi snapped slightly, taking Naruto's enthusiasm as ignorance.

Naruto was all to eager to play along. "I wonder if they will let me see one of the trials while I'm in Iwa? That would be awesome!" he said eagerly with childlike wonder.

"It will depend if any run during your stay, they are usually open for the public to watch so its a possibility." Kurotsuchi answered honestly.

The group continued to discuss the process of promotions in Iwa as they entered the Tavern. They had a peaceful stay, they had all been exhausted from running non stop for close to two full days so it was not long after they had a large meal that everyone returned to their rooms.

The next morning they left at dawn and by ten they found themselves navigating large maze like mountain peaks. "Kami you could get lost in here easily." Naruto said in amazement.

Jiraiya nodded. "These mountains provide a natural defense for Iwa, allowing them to use the high ground to detect any intruders and take out the roads easily to deter any invading forces. It's one of the reasons that Iwa is considered the most difficult of the hidden villages to attack." he lectured.

"You are well informed Jiraiya-sama." Kurotsuchi said slightly impressed.

"Well I was Konoha's spy master after all, background information is a vital thing to have on any potential enemy." Jiraiya replied.

"So we must be pretty close to Iwa by now then?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Yes, we should be there within the hour." Kurotsuchi answered.

Sure enough fifty minutes later the crossed over a peak and were looking down at one of the strangest villages Naruto had ever seen, the village itself seemed to be built into small mountainous peaks that were connected by bridges that stretched extreme distances to the next large part of the village. Waterfalls cascaded everywhere around the village and far below the water crashed into a raging river system. "Now that's impressive." Naruto said his eyes wide taking in the scene.

"We shouldn't waste time here, Ojii-sama is surely expecting us." the kunoichi said as she made her way towards the closest bridge leading into the village.

Kurotsuchi was greeted at the bridge by a massive group of heavily armed shinobi as well as the short Tsuchikage who was hovering at the forefront of the group.

"Hey check it out that old guy can fly." Naruto chuckled still too far away to make out any detail of who he was talking about, unfortunately his voice did travel.

"Obviously he is not one for first impressions." Oonoki grumbled loudly staring at the boy and the more he looked at him the odder he seemed the closer he came. Until he finally saw the boys face in detail. '_It can't be! Those eyes are nothing but a myth, surely it isn't the Rinnegan? Still if it is it may explain why Kumo kept it a secret, something like that would be a major asset to any village, or a threat should it come to that_.' he thought to himself not allowing his face to show any shock at the sight of Naruto's eyes. "So you must be Naruto Namikaze then." he said extending an arm while hovering up to Naruto's height.

Naruto smiled sheepishly and accepted the offer to shake hands. "Uh yeah I guess you must be the Tsuchikage?" Naruto asked despite being told by Kurotsuchi just moments earlier.

"Indeed I am. You travel with some interesting company it seems, I had thought you retired Jiraiya?" the old Tsuchikage said.

"Well from active service in Konoha maybe." the Toad Sage replied.

"Still a cheeky little brat it seems. Look who else is here Itachi Uchiha, now this is an unlikely partnership, Jiraiya, one of Konoha's greatest Ninja and the Uchiha who killed his entire clan, one of the most Notorious Criminals from Konoha." Oonoki mused.

"Well I guess it's a good thing non of us are Uchiha then." Jiriaya replied.

Oonoki couldn't help but laugh at this. "Yes quite lucky I assume." he chuckled. "Oh and look who else is here, Zabuza Momoichi and Gaara of the Desert, Suna would pay a lot of money for you my boy." Oonoki said.

"I didn't know you were so interested in the people I brought with me, I thought you wanted to discuss a non hostility agreement." Naruto said suddenly serious shocking Kurotsuchi somewhat.

"Oh of course, don't fret boy, your allies are of no interest to me. Still it is best that we continue this talk else where, if you would follow me we will head to the Tsuchikage Tower where you will be staying as my guests for the remainder of your stay." Oonoki replied.

A large group of the Iwa ninja seemed to be particularly weary of this arrangement, they were clearly not happy at allowing four potentially hostile ninja that close to their Kage. The group followed closely as the Tsuchikage led the way through the village growing as more shinobi caught sight of the new arrivals. Naruto smirked slightly as he heard people whispering about him and his group and by the time they made it to the Kage tower the group was openly discussing Naruto as though he couldn't hear them at all.

"You will be staying in the guest quarters on the second level but first lets go up to my office." Oonoki suggested.

The others just nodded in agreement and followed the short elderly man up a spiraling staircase to what appeared to be the top level. "So Tsuchikage-sama how do you want these talks to work? If you are just looking for assurance that I mean no harm to Iwa then mission accomplished. As long as you lot don't attack me I am essentially harmless." Naruto assured the Tsuchikage.

"I assumed so, otherwise we would have heard of your existence before now. I asked you here for several reasons, I wanted to meet you for myself and this was our best option. I also wanted to gather information, we were given a dossier from Kumo but it was incomplete, it did however classify you as a S ranked criminal. Iwa policy is that we inform our shinobi of any S ranked threat. I knew that should I do that it would mean my ninja attempting to take action, if we sign a non aggression pact my shinobi cannot touch you without breaking Iwa law." Oonoki said.

"And why exactly would you try and protect Naruto-kun? Surely you hold some ill feelings towards him and his father." Itachi asked.

"While it's true I hated the Yondaime Hokage, I also respected him, he did what anyone would have done in a time of war. Attacking his son would be a disgrace to Iwa, we couldn't defeat Minato so going after his son for revenge is sad and pathetic. However there is something that I want from asking you here, I would like to assess your skills, if you will allow it I will arrange a exhibition match for the public and allow you to show your skills." Oonoki informed the group.

"Oh I want to take the test that Kurotsuchi told me about, the Elite Jounin test." Naruto said eagerly.

"Wait a second that's for the best of the best, there is no way you would be able to do that, I bet you wouldn't even stand a chance against me." Kurotsuchi said.

"Well how about a test then. I'll take on Kurotsuchi in private then you can put up a test based on my level of skill. That way you get more information and then you can choose a test suitable for my level, everyone wins." Naruto said happily.

"Hm not a bad idea, we can have Kurotsuchi administer the test in my private training area in the basement of the tower. Please make your way there at your leisure." Oonoki said. The others nodded and began to leave the room. "Kurotsuchi wait a moment please, the test can begin when we arrive but I would like to hear your mission report first." he said.

Kurotsuchi nodded and waited while Naruto and the others left the room. "Our mission is not completed until the others return, but as you can see so far the mission has been a complete success." she said upon the others leaving.

"That's fine, tell me what you make of the boy?" Oonoki asked.

"All that I have seen indicates that he has low skill levels but a high chakra capacity. He is also to be frank an idiot." Kurotsuchi replied.

"Is that so, and in that case tell me, what do you make of his eyes, they do not seem normal do they?" the Tsuchikage mused.

"Well at first I thought there might be, but his mother also had purple eyes, still from my interactions with the boy there is nothing special about him." Kurotsuchi said.

"Well then I have just one last thing to ask. What have you heard about the Rinnegan?" Oonoki queried.

"Wasn't that the supposed dojutsu that the Rikudou Sennin is famous for? It's just a legend. Why is that important now?" Kurotsuchi replied.

"Perhaps it isn't. Anyway we should be going, we don't want to keep the boy waiting when he is so eager for a fight." Oonoki said thoughtfully.

**End Chapter!**


	81. The Test

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****81: The Test**

Naruto descended the stairs from the Tsuchikage's office with the other Yoinokuchi members. The more Naruto looked around the grander the Kage tower seemed, there was gold and marble on almost every surface, even the stairs were made with stunningly elegant materials. "This should be interesting, how long do you think she will last?" Zabuza chuckled as they past the second floor where they would be living.

"It really depends, she did seem like a capable shinobi, anything could happen. She could even win." Naruto replied.

"So in other words you are going to toy with her, ending in a humiliating defeat." Gaara reasoned.

"Well, when you say it like I'm a jerk, I prefer to think of it as teaching." Naruto chuckled.

"If that's how you teach, I'm glad that I am not your student then." Gaara replied with a smirk.

They continued their descent until they came to a large set of steel doors that seemed to open by itself as the group approached. The room inside was a massive dojo far larger than any Naruto had seen before. "Now this is a training room! Iwa sure don't do things half way huh." Naruto said in wonder.

"Iwa don't have the same training fields that Konoha and many of the other hidden villages have due to the unique way it has been built, so they often have to build training facilities inside keeping the few outdoor training grounds for special events and training exercises." Jiraiya lectured.

"Still isn't this kinda dangerous? Training inside could damage the buildings." Naruto queried.

"Indeed it would be, but the the walls are all made with chakra absorbing materials that have been greatly reinforced. Even I would struggle to destroy this room." came Oonoki's voice which rang out from the doorway.

"Wow awesome, we should find out what it's made of it would make training indoor much easier." Naruto said eagerly.

Oonoki let out a small laugh. "It wouldn't help you even if you knew, the material only comes from the mountains around here. So acquiring enough of it for your purpose would be horribly difficult, and transporting it would be close to impossible." Oonoki said.

"This doesn't matter, lets just get this match over with." Kurotsuchi said walking into the center of the room.

"Wow you seem really eager, well I guess I'm ready when you are." Naruto said casually before signaling for his bodyguards to move away.

Kurotsuchi slipped into her stance while Naruto still stood completely relaxed. "Alright on my signal... GO!" Oonoki said loudly dropping his hand to signal the start of the match.

Kurotsuchi took off immediately trying to end the fight quickly but just has her kick was about to make contact with Naruto's head he bent down and began stretching. After readjusting herself she dropped a leg attempting to hit the back of Naruto's neck, however at the last second Naruto stood up and started stretching his back. "Stop messing around and fight." she yelled in frustration.

"Huh, oh right." Naruto said with a small smirk before sliding out of the way of a fist aiming at his face and bringing a palm up into Kurotsuchi's stomach sending her rolling back across the ground.

Kurotsuchi readjusted herself out of the roll and stood up seemingly unharmed. '_What the hell was that, he was able to read my attack perfectly and slip through my defenses to counter attack, did I miss read this guy!_' the kunoichi thought urgently.

"Lesson One, taijutsu." Naruto said with a small smile.

"Huh what are you talking about?" Kurotsuchi asked. Her question was answered seconds later however when Naruto disappeared in a blur shooting towards her. Acting on instinct she jumped back and raised her arms to block while trying to track the blonds movements. As hard as she tried Kurotsuchi couldn't keep up and was only holding on on instinct guessing where Naruto would strike more often than being able to track his movements. 'What the hell is this, I need to do something quick or I'm going to be finished!' she thought in desperation jumping high into the air. "Yoton: Quicklime Congealing Jutsu!"

Thick globs of white corrosive quicklime shot towards Naruto who froze in place. "Hey we haven't started on Ninjutsu yet... Preta path." as Kurotsuchi's jutsu struck Naruto's body it was absorbed leaving Kurotsuchi stunned.

Kurotsuchi had never seen anything like that before. She hadn't expected her jutsu to finish Naruto, but at the same time she couldn't believe her eyes, the Yoton jutsu that she had expected to at least surprise the blond had been absorbed as though it were nothing but a nuisance. "What the hell was that?" she managed to ask eventually although still stunned.

On the sidelines Oonoki was just as shocked. "That boy, is no normal shinobi, and those eyes are not normal either." he said analytically, studying Naruto's every move.

"Well I am not surprised you were able to see that so quickly. But your granddaughter has been played, she stands no chance in a one on one fight against Naruto." Jiraiya said flatly.

"Yes I can see that. He has been toying with Kurotsuchi from the start." Oonoki grumbled.

Meanwhile Kurotsuchi was staring down Naruto who was standing with no stance at all. 'I don't get it, he's full of openings but when ever I move to strike they just disappear, I don't get it at all, is he using some sort of genjutsu? No, I have taken enough hits that any genjutsu would have dispelled by now, I have to keep on the offensive, I can't let him get in my head any more!' she thought before charging full speed at Naruto and began unleashing a torrent of vicious strikes at the blond.

"Not bad, above average speed, the precision of your attacks are almost perfect as well." Naruto complimented as he slipped in and out of Kurotsuchi's strikes, blocking those he couldn't dodge.

"If that's so why can't I hit you?" she said kicking out at Naruto's ribs.

Naruto caught her leg and tossed her to the far side of the room. "You can't hit me because you thought I was an idiot with no talent, and now you can't get the idea of me being a competent shinobi in your head. Because of that you expect straight forward, head on attacks to hit me, right now you are treating me like some genin." Naruto lectured.

'_He's right, it so obvious that he is far stronger than I initially assumed yet I still haven't been taking him seriously I only changed to attempt to deal with his speed not his skill. I haven't taken him seriously this entire match and because of that he got in my head so easily._' Kurotsuchi thought.

"Now shall we go again? Lesson one isn't over yet." Naruto asked this time slipping into a defensive stance.

"Alright, let's do this!" Kurotsuchi said taking off towards Naruto but rather than another head on attack she feinted and darted around behind Naruto attempting to chop the back of his neck.

Naruto spun around blocking Kurotsuchi's attack and kicking her away forcing her to readjust in mid air to land back on her feet. "Much better, now you're talking me seriously. To bad you fail taijutsu." Naruto smirked.

Kurotsuchi quirked an eyebrow "Huh I'm just getting star-" before she could finish her sentence Naruto disappeared in a blur and with a single punch sent her flying into the wall.

Kurotsuchi landed in a heap but to her credit began to stand. "Your easily distracted, due to inexperience against superior opponents. For all of your skill you were beaten by a trick as simple as '_look, a distraction!_' that is why you fail." Naruto lectured as Kurotsuchi made it to her feet wiping a small amount of blood away from the side of her mouth.

'_Dammit what incredible speed, I could barely follow his movements, just what is this guy? Anyway I won't be able to beat him with Taijutsu, I need to try ninjutsu, that absorption technique he used before must have some limits_' the kunoichi thought. She very discretely began forming hand seals carefully hiding them from Naruto's sight. "Suiton: Water Trumpet!" holding a hand up to her mouth she spat out a torrent of water towards the blond.

In response Naruto formed the seal for Fuuton and wordlessly blew a gale of wind sending the water off course. "Phew that was a close one." he sighed while still smiling.

"A single seal for a jutsu that powerful? The boy has tremendous chakra control." Oonoki complimented from the sidelines.

'_Fuuton huh, well in that case._' "Katon: Blazing Spear Shot!" Kurotsuchi yelled and two large spears made from fire appeared from her palms careening once more towards Naruto.

"Suiton: Toad Gun," Naruto called out in reply before spewing two large balls of water out to intercept the flaming projectiles.

Kurotsuchi bit her lip in frustration as she stared Naruto down. She performed a single hand seal and three stone clones appeared at her side. Two of the clones rushed in to attack Naruto each feinting a frontal assault.

Naruto ducked under the first attack before rolling out of the way of another. The clones didn't stop there however as they continued their relentless attack. '_Oh I see what she is doing here. It's a nice plan, lets see where this goes._' Naruto thought and continued to allow himself to be herded by Kurotsuchi's clones.

While her clones were keeping Naruto preoccupied she and the last clone moved to opposite sides of the room and began forming hand seals before waiting until the perfect moment. They did not have to wait long as Naruto purposefully rolled into the middle of the room.

The second Naruto stopped moved to mammoth waves of Kurotsuchi's Lava came cascading down upon him. "Shinra Tensei!" Naruto said sticking his hands out to his side. The ground around the blond cracked as the force of his gravity jutsu rippled outward stopping Kurotsuchi's jutsu in its tracks before sending it flying back the way it came.

Kurotsuchi was able to roll out of the way in time but her clone that had used most of its chakra in the jutsu was dispelled by the Lava attack. He other two clones had also been caught in the shockwave of the Shinra Tensei, and were thrown like rag dolls into the wall, where they were now nothing more than crumbling piles of dirt. '_What amazing power!_' she thought wide eyed while staring at the blond.

"Wow this stuff is strong, I barely cracked the floor at all." Naruto said in amazement as he looked down at the large dent in the otherwise perfect floor that he was standing in.

Oonoki couldn't believe what he had just seen, even his Jinton jutsu had trouble damaging the floor and walls of this room, yet Naruto had just cracked a large section with a single jutsu. "Is the the power of the Rinnegan?" he gasped mostly talking to himself.

"Nah, Naruto hasn't even broken a sweat yet. That was just an average powered Gravity jutsu." Jiriaya answered.

"So his eyes really are the Rinnegan? In all my years I never dreamed I would see those eyes. I always just assumed they were a legend." Oonoki said.

"Well legend or not Naruto-kun has the Rinnegan." Itachi said with a small smile enjoying the look of shock on the old Tsuchikage's face.

Kurotsuchi was panting heavily, she had used a lot of chakra and gotten nowhere in her fight with the blond who didn't have a scratch on him.

"That was a nice move, you definitely pass Ninjutsu. Three elements and a sub element is really impressive. Shall we move on to lesson three?" Naruto asked.

'_Damn I want to shut him up so badly right now!_' she thought, and was about to start running through hand seals for a jutsu when the ground beneath her seemed to turn into liquid and she sank neck deep before it solidified. "A genjutsu like this wont work on me, I may not be a Genjutsu type but I can still get out of them... … Kai!" she declared breaking free from the ground and shooting towards Naruto who just stood there as she thrust her fist into his face.

Rather than collapse or even stagger back, the moment her fist made contsct Naruto dispersed into the wind like mist, reforming behind the kunoichi. "A frontal assault? You must be getting tired." Naruto said calmly.

Kurotsuchi spun on the spot into a roundhouse kick that was a hairs length from hitting Naruto once more before the blond dispersed into mist again reforming in a seated position a few feet away.

"A duel layed Genjutsu, she sees the boy in one spot allowing him to move elsewhere, and when she breaks one layer the next appears showing him somewhere else, such an ingenious technique." Oonoki complimented.

"It's one of Itachi's, the only way to break out of it completely is pain." Jiraiya said.

"While it is based on my genjutsu, Naruto-kun's is slightly different. I burst into crows, I am well known for using crow clones so it is more effective for me to use that way. Still Naruto-kun's version is quite impressive as well." Itachi said with a hint of pride in his usually stoic voice.

Kurotsuchi had several times tried to dispel Naruto's genjutsu but due to the multiple layered effect every time she dispelled one layer Naruto would add another. "You're not even attacking what's the purpose of this!" she yelled in frustration.

"Well I am waiting to see what you will do when confronted with a hopeless situation... so far you could be doing better." Naruto said while Kurotsuchi continued to attempt to hit the blond only to have him dispel before she cold make any contact.

'_I know what he wants me to do, but I never expected that I would actually have to do this._' she thought while taking out a kunai. She paused for a moment before digging the blade into her leg instantly dispelling the genjutsu. Instantly Kurotsuchi began searching for Naruto but couldn't see him anywhere.

Kurotsuchi was not the only one, Oonoki and the Yoinokuchi members had all lost track of the blond. "He really has taken your chameleon jutsu to a whole new level Jiraiya." Itachi said passively activating his Uzugan to search for Naruto.

"Well it's the perfect jutsu for him, he can completely hide his chakra signature so in essence only people with the Byakugan or Sharingan should be able to stand a chance at seeing him." Jiraiya lectured.

"A very useful jutsu indeed, still there must be some restrictions." Oonoki grumbled.

"Yes there is, But telling you everything would not be wise." Jiraiya replied.

"I guess not." Oonoki grumbled.

Back in the center of the room Kurotsuchi was still searching aimlessly for Naruto. "What is this another genjutsu?" I should have dispelled them all when I stabbed myself." she asked lightly cutting herself again to check for another genjutsu.

"Yes and no, it is a genjutsu, but one cast on myself, so pain won't help you this time." Naruto called out, his voice appeared to come from every corner of the room, leaving Kurotsuchi more confused than ever.

'_Damn, I cant see him, and I can't hear him!... I got it!_' "Suiton: Sudden Downpour Jutsu!" he said confidently. Water flooded out of specific areas of the wall and ceiling and gathered in a large ball above Kurotsuchi's head. Before expanding and sending water cascading in all directions drenching everything.

Oonoki quickly put of a wall of stone to protect himself and the others watching the fight. Naruto allowed the water to him him however and soon the water stuck to his body began to change color making him and his despite being invisible the water sticking to him gave his position away. "Clever a simple genjutsu combined with a low ranked Suiton jutsu, I must say I don't know if I would have thought of that." Naruto complimented. As he stepped forwards dropping his chameleon jutsu.

Kurotsuchi slid into a defensive stance but if she was honest to herself, she was spent while Naruto still looked completely relaxed, not even breathing heavily despite this she began running through hand seals. "Katon: Fla-" she was cut off suddenly when she felt a strong pain in her stomach. Looking down she saw Naruto's arm holding a spinning ball of chakra, a jutsu that all shinobi in Iwa feared.

"Rasengan." Naruto said quietly before pushing the jutsu forward and releasing it causing Kurotsuchi to be sent flying into the wall before loosing consciousness. Naruto quickly went to check on the fallen kunoichi and began administering some first aid.

"She should have stood down, it was clear that she was out matched from the start." Oonoki grumbled approaching the pair.

"Maybe, but she was determined to show what she was capable of. Besides giving up without a fight would have been even more humiliating, also as your granddaughter I am sure her pride wouldn't allow it." Naruto said.

"You are no ordinary boy that's for sure, I will give you a match... Against four of the best shinobi in my ranks, from what I have seen just now it shouldn't completely overwhelm you." Oonoki declared.

"Sounds like a challenge, I look forward to it, but first we should get Kurotsuchi to a hospital, she will be fine after a rest, but she has a small case of chakra exhaustion and some minor injuries." Naruto said.

"Indeed, the damage would have been far more sever if you had used any real amount of power in that final jutsu. It seems as though you are just as dangerous as your father was, I will have to keep that in mind." Oonoki said honestly. The Tsuchikage then performed a Jinton jutsu to levitate Kurotsuchi behind him. "I will take her to the hospital, feel free to go out into the village and see what Iwa has to offer." he said before leaving, Kurotsuchi floating behind him.

"Well that was fun, I needed some training after three days of nothing but running." Naruto said happily.

"Well, it's good you had fun. Still did you really need to toy with her that much?" Itachi questioned.

"She will become a stronger kunoichi because of it. Naruto tested and exploited her weaknesses and forced her to find solutions to the problems that she faced, although I am sure her ego will be hurting for awhile after declaring that she would win." Jiraiya said defending Naruto's actions.

"Well either way lets go check out Iwa, I bet there are some cool things to see around here." Naruto said eagerly.

(**Meanwhile**)

Kurotsuchi had regained consciousness while Oonoki was transporting her to the hospital. "Ugh where am I?" she queried.

"So you're awake. I'm taking you to the hospital to get a proper check up after you lost your fight." Oonoki answered.

"My fight? Oh right. He's strong Ojii-sama. I stood no chance from the start, I lost completely." the kunoichi said, slightly depressed.

"Yes you did, still I doubt anyone within Iwa would be able to defeat him One on One. We didn't even scratch the surface of what he is capable of." Oonoki added.

"How is that possible, he is so young!" Kurotsuchi asked before coughing lightly from her injuries.

"For one he has been taught from a young age by both Jiraiya and Itachi Uchiha, they were his sensei. Not only that his eyes are indeed the legendary Rinnegan. The power of those eyes is said to be unmatched, and after seeing a small sample of its power it may be hard to argue with." Oonoki mused.

Kurotsuchi sighed while enjoying the feeling of weightlessness caused by Oonoki's Jinton jutsu. "I see, I was so sure he was weak, everything he did since we met screamed of inexperience and low skill." she sighed.

Oonoki huffed in disappointment. "Then you failed to remember what a shinobi's greatest weapon is... Deception! You were played from the start, if we thought the boy was weak then any attack planned on him would be less thought out and easily defeated, any assassins would not be as careful. He acted the fool to make give you a specific perception of him as weak and talentless and in the end you were defeated easily by the same person." he lectured.

"I was careless, it will never happen again." the kunoichi declared.

"That is likely, we all learn from our mistakes, luckily for you this time your mistake was not fatal. Underestimating an opponent has cost the lives of some great shinobi. That was a lesson taught to you today and it will save your life one of these days. If you replay the fight in your mind it was not so much a fight as a lecture." Oonoki explained.

"Huh what do you mean?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"He never attacked first, you made all the fist moves and he just reacted to them, quickly studying your movements and style. Information gathering is vital in a fight. A common tactic in Konoha is to use shadow clones to fight an opponent while hiding as that particular clone retains memories after being defeated, thus learning any weaknesses before fighting for real. It was a favorite move of Hiruzen Sarutobi." Oonoki lectured.

"Huh, well I that is a good strategy. So what else am I supposed to learn from that fight?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"I am not going to give you all the answers, there are things you must discover for yourself. Replay the fight in your mind and think rationally of what you did wrong and where you could improve. Being told the answer will not have the same effect as realizing it yourself." Oonoki said.

Kurotsuchi pouted in response but didn't complain. '_He's always being like this! What I did wrong... What did I do right? I didn't even lay a single hit on him, I did better in ninjutsu, but I don't think he was struggling with my jutsu. Ahhhhhh this is going to drive me insane!_' she thought as the pair approached the Hospital.

**End Chapter!**

**Bit shorter than the last few chapters but I wanted to end it here without going onto the next part of the Arc. That way we don't get another cliffhanger. **

**Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one should be up early next week so until then, peace out.**


	82. A Trap Built for Two

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****82: A Trap Built for Two**

Naruto had not expected a universally warm welcome in Iwa but he hadn't expected this, everywhere he went people would stop just to glare at him. "Can you feel the love?" Naruto joked as he walked through the streets unaccompanied.

Of course Naruto while not at the present time accompanied by his bodyguards he was by no means alone, four Iwa Anbu had been with him since the moment he left the Kage tower. Despite knowing that he was being followed the blond just casually continued with his exploration.

'_Hm where should I go? This place seems rather hostile so I don't think I will spend too long around here, if I'm not lucky they might attack me. Maybe the younger generation are less judgmental of me because of who my father was._' the blond mused as he crossed a bridge to another section of the village. "Hm I wonder where the Academy is, the Anbu will probably know." he asked himself before puffing into smoke.

The Anbu stopped suddenly. "A Shadow Clone! Then where is the real one?" a Anbu asked in shock. He was wearing a red mask with three vertical white lines running down the center, one over each eye and the final in the very middle of the mask..

"Oonoki-sama is going to be horribly mad at us, we lost him within an hour." another added. He was also wearing a red mask however his mask only had one white stripe located in the center of the mask.

Little did the Iwa Anbu know, Naruto was currently sitting on top of a building just behind them. "Why all the gloomy faces, you guys look like you have lost something." the blond called out.

All four Iwa shinobi spun around drawing kunai ready for an attack. "What the, how did you find us?" the ninja in the red mask with three white lines asked.

Naruto took in group and guessed that the number of stripes on the mask indicated the rank and as all of the groups masks were red that was a symbol for a branch of Anbu. "Actually I have been following you this entire time, I sent my clone out first to see what kind of reception I would get in the town, then when I saw you lot following me I decided to follow you instead." he explained with a friendly smile.

"Then why show yourself now? Surely it would have been to your advantage to simply ditch us." one of the other Anbu queried.

"Hm maybe, but the way I see it, you guys are following me for two reasons. One to make sure I don't try and uncover village secrets, something I have no interest in at all. Secondly to make sure none of the other less open minded villagers attack me something which I must say is a possibility. I don't want to cause a scene so I decided to show myself besides you guys know this town way better than I do so you will make decent guides." Naruto said jumping down from atop the building to stand with the Anbu ninja.

While the Iwa shinobi did not approve of being referred to as tour guides they couldn't help but think it would make keeping track of the blond far easier. "Very well we will show you around Iwa. Is there anywhere in particular that interests you?" the leader of the group asked.

"Yeah, the ninja academy. I would like to see how the younger generation reacts to my presence. I want to see if they show the same animosity towards me as most of the village seems to." Naruto answered.

The Anbu ninja paused again, assessing the risk of allowing someone not from Iwa into the Academy, "We will show you the way, but we will require to accompany you wile inside, we are talking about allowing a potential threat into the training center for the next generation of our village after all." their leader proclaimed.

"Sure, sounds good to me. So which way are we heading?" Naruto asked cheerful as always.

"The academy is a short way north of our location two sections of the village at the border of town to make use of one of the few outdoor training areas in Iwa." one of the single striped Anbu said.

"Then what are we waiting for lets go." Naruto said.

(**Kumo**)

A was sitting behind the desk in the office when the door burst open and Bee charged in. "What's the meaning of this Bee!" the Raikage yelled.

"You gave a mission to Yugito! Mr Nine said it was a no go!" Bee said angrily.

"I will not listen to a warning from a boy who attacked our village. Yugito asked for a mission and she got one." A replied.

"It was was a dangerous decision yo! If she is unlucky Yugito will be the next to go!" Bee rapped.

"The last time I checked I was the Raikage, not you! Now if you are so worried about Yugito you can go after her! If not go to your training ground and stay there until I send for you." A ordered angrily.

"I will go train, but if Yugito is taken it will be a major pain." Bee rapped angrily before storming out of the room.

(**Elsewhere**)

Sasuke and Suigetsu walked along a dusty road while the Uchiha was in his usual dark mood the former Kiri ninja was testing out his new Katana that he had taken from a Oto ninja that had caught up to the pair.

"Why are we still heading north? What could be gained, there is nothing of interest up this far." Suigetsu asked.

"There is a base or should I say a prison where Orochimaru keeps his more hostile experiments and prisoners. I want someone to come with us he will be useful to me probably more so than you, after all you did lose the last time you met." Sasuke said with a small smirk.

"Wait you can't mean... please not him, he will kill us in our sleep." Suigetsu said with a deadened expression.

"Juugo is unstable but he can be controlled, it just so happens that I have the key to doing just that." Sasuke replied.

"That freak only listens to Kimimaro." Suigetsu replied.

"Kimimaro is as good as dead, his heart has less than a day in it once he unfreezes. But even then Orochimaru keeps him close due to his fear of Itachi's little apprentice. Lot of good it will do him, I couldn't follow his movements even with my sharingan eyes. You call Juugo a freak, if that is indeed the case then Naruto Uzumaki is a demon." Sasuke said.

"It almost sounds as though you fear this Naruto." Suigetsu smirked.

"I fear nobody. Let alone a runt like that Uzumaki, he bleeds like anyone else and shall die as will any reminder of Itachi's life." Sasuke seethed.

Suigetsu simply shook his head and followed after Sasuke who had picked up the pace drastically.

For several more hours Sasuke and Suigetsu ran north until they came to a a large yet well hidden valley. At the far end of the valley there stood a large set of steel doors carved into the side of the cliff. "Where here." Sasuke said with a small smile quickly approaching the doors.

Pushing them open Sasuke already had his blade drawn ready for a fight but the room was empty. Suigetsu followed close behind eagerly readying his new blade. "What the fuck? Why is there nobody here?" Suigetsu asked.

"I don't know" Sasuke answered. '_This isn't right the scouts should have seen us from a few miles away. Surely word would have traveled that I have escaped by now. They should be lining up to capture me._' he thought. "Juugo is still here, moving him would be far too dangerous.

(**Meanwhile**)

High above Orochimaru's hide out stood the masked Akatsuki ninja although it couldn't be seen he had a large smile on his face. "Oh Sasuke-kun walking into a trap so easily, or is it that you are expecting a fight and are running in, either way I hope you will survive it would be such a waste for you to die now." he said to himself.

Suddenly from behind the masked ninja Zetsu rose up from the ground. "_How is Sasuke coming on?_" the white half asked in curiosity.

"He's almost ready, I just want to see who he chooses as a team, then I will tell him the truth, and gain a fine weapon." Tobi leered.

"_**How do you know that you can control him**_, _he does seem unstable_." Zetsu replied.

"Its that instability that I am hoping for. I will turn his rage on my targets in one way or another. that's the thing about Negative emotions, people who are twisted with there darker emotions are so easy to control. Take the fool Nagato, a boy with a dream of peace warped by the pain of loss and then twisted around my finger." Tobi said gleefully.

"_**If you think it can be done then who am I to argue.**_ _Still I hope Sasuke is easier to control than he appears_,_** if not it could cause us trouble later on**_." Zetsu reasoned.

"If that comes to pass then I shall kill him myself. Now why is it that you're hear anyway Zetsu?" Tobi asked.

"_I bring news_, _**firstly it seems that Orochimaru may be in a bit of trouble perhaps he is about to die**_. _After the Sanbi was taking the Kyuubi boy spared one of Orochimaru's top shinobi and she gave the boy the locations to almost all of Orochimaru's bases_,_**including Iwa where Orochimaru is in hiding**__._" Zetsu reported.

"Is that so, a wise choice I must say. Hiding in the one place Jiraiya, Itachi and that troublesome boy would be weary of going." Tobi mused taking a seat just as a explosion shook the cliff side. "Looks like Sasuke-kun has found what he was looking for." he chuckled.

"_Yes Iwa does seem like a good choice_, _**however it is not all that safe**_. _At this current moment the Toad Sage,_ _**the Uchiha Genius**_, _and even the Kyuubi brat along with the Ichibi boy are all in Iwa as guests of the Tsuchikage_. _**I believe with the intention of going after Orochimaru.**_" Zetsu informed the masked Akatsuki ninja.

"Really now, that is interesting. While Nagato has us chasing the Nibi and the Rokubi. It appears our our enemies are about to go to war with one another. What ever the result it ends up in our favor. Orochimaru has been allowed to hide away and plot for far too long, maybe that brat of an Uzumaki will make himself useful for once." Tobi smirked.

"_There is one more piece of information that you should know._ _**The Nibi has left Kumo.**_ _A mission in the south of the country,_ _**she will be gone for close to a week.**_ _You should be returning to Deidara,_ _**I doubt you will get a better chance to capture Nibi,**_ _it has been awhile since she left the confines of that village after all._" Zetsu informed Tobi.

"That is indeed good news, I am beginning to like this day more and more." Tobi said with an unseen smile as another explosion rocked the mountain side. "My my what ever you are after in there must be putting up one hell of a fight Sasuke-kun." he said to himself.

"_**If I may ask, how will we deal with the Kyuubi boy and their little group?**_ They pose a bigger threat to us than Kumo or any of the villages." Zetsu asked.

"The Land of Fire is indeed a problem, the biggest of which is we do not know the jinchuuriki's hideout. The first step is to get free roam of the Land of Fire. That means that I get to see Konoha burn, or crushed, whichever Pein feels best. Still that can wait until after we capture Nibi and Rokubi." Tobi answered.

"_**Remove Konoha from the equation and the Land of Fire becomes all but lawless,**_ _the Daimyo's guard and eight wandering shinobi couldn't hold the country together._" Zetsu reasoned.

Far below a crowd began gathering upon the walls and at the front of the Oto prison and at the front of the gathering crowd stood Kabuto. "Oh it looks like the show is about to start. This should be entertaining." Tobi said

'_Sasuke-kun your little rebellion ends now._' Kabuto thought as he stood watching the doors waiting for them to open.

Seconds turned into minutes and the minutes ticked over till almost all of the hour past until finally the great doors opened and out walked Sasuke and Suigetsu. "So this is where you were all hiding. I missed the welcoming committee, where did you hide the prisoners?" Sasuke said.

"Well I guessed this is where you were coming Sasuke-kun, it was easy to overtake you when you have your own ship. Try as you might getting off at the first port and running is never as fast as a boat. As for the prisoners, why would I let you come here and raise an army, I don't think so Sasuke-kun." Kabuto said with a sneer.

"So the fly's are caught in the spiders trap. Unfortunately you didn't move all the prisoners out did you, you left one behind, one that was said to be quite mad." Sasuke said with his own smirk.

"Juugo? You think he would listen to you? Only Kimimaro can calm that monster." Kabuto leered.

"Well lets just say this appears to be a trap set for two... Its two bad that there are three of us." Sasuke replied.

The moment Sasuke finished talking stone erupted from above them and a man with bright orange hair burst out, his body contorted and dark marking spread across his face and arms. If the men down below were shocked before they were even more shocked when he rained what appeared to be a powerful blast of chakra down upon the men below.

At that moment Sasuke and Suigetsu took off Sasuke jumping int the air with lighting dancing around his hand. Sasuke quickly began ripping through the men before they could recover from Juugo's shock arrival.

Kabuto's forces where in disarray by the time they had recovered from the surprise attack by Juugo, Sasuke and Suigetsu had already taken out a third of the men stationed at the post. Kabuto just stood and watched as his men were butchered, his smug smile still in place despite the fact that his trap had been completely ruined.

The Loyal Oto ninja continued to fight but could not get a foothold, the moment any group gathered together for strength in numbers Juugo would scatter them with powerful attacks.

High above Tobi chuckled gleefully. "What an interesting boy Sasuke has chosen, such a delightfully twisted aura that young man has, he will fit in perfectly." he said to himself as the three escapee Oto ninja tore through their would be captives.

In the end it only took five minutes for Sasuke and the others to wipe out everyone except Kabuto. "Did you really think these untrained whelps could stop me?" Sasuke said landing in front of the Snakes medic.

"I must admit I had hoped for a different result." Kabuto replied with his usual smirk.

"If Orochimaru's men were no match for the fools that I graduated the ninja academy in Konoha with, what made you think they could even scratch me?" Sasuke taunted.

"Like I said, I had hoped for a different result. But do tell, what do you plan to do with me? If you were going to kill me why didn't you just do it from the start?" Kabuto answered.

"You're right I'm not going to kill you, because I want you to take a message to Orochimaru for me. Tell him that no matter who he sends I will send them back to him in a body bag, if he wants my body for his own he will have to come and take it himself, no doubt it will take over a week to get back his hiding place, it is on the other side of the elemental nations after all." Sasuke leered.

"You are really ready to bring the wrath of Orochimaru-sama down upon you?" Kabuto queried.

"Wrath? The great and powerful Orochimaru-sama wont leave the Land of Earth out of fear, and while he sits in the dark waiting for his time I become stronger and stronger." Sasuke taunted with a confident smirk.

"Very well, I'll deliver the message. But don't think this is over, we will meet again." Kabuto said before turning to walk away from the corpses that littered the ground around the hidden prison.

"Are you seriously just going to let him go like that? He was the bastard that performed most of the experiments on me and the others." Suigetsu asked.

"He is nothing, but Orochimaru's pet. Let him go." Sasuke replied.

(**Iwa**)

"Here we are, Iwa's ninja academy." an Anbu shinobi said.

Naruto stood at the edge of a large platform that stretched for close to a mile where it came to a seep incline that bordered the village. In the middle of the platform stood a large stone building that had the symbol for Iwa. "It's a little smaller than the Konoha's." Naruto mused.

"Shall we take you inside?" the Anbu leader asked.

"Yeah I want to see around some of the classes." Naruto replied.

The Anbu leader nodded and the group headed inside. The door opened on a very official courtroom where a short woman in her mid twenties, and wearing a long burnt red dress in the color of Iwa's standard uniform and thick glasses, sat behind a desk. "Oh my what's going on here?" she asked in surprise.

"We are here to escort Namikaze-san around the Ninja academy." the Anbu leader said.

"Nam-ikaze... you mean the s-s-son of the Yondaime Hok-age? He's here!" the woman stuttered.

"That would be me." Naruto said stepping forward. "Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. A pleasure to meet you." Naruto said with a slight bow and a warm smile.

"Oh my, it really is you, you look very much like him." she said.

"You met my father?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yes, although I was very little at the time towards the end of the last shinobi world war." the woman replied.

"Is that so, I can't imagine you were fighting at the time, how is it that you came to meet him?" Naruto asked.

"Oh it is not all that interesting I would hate to waste your time." she replied.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Well then, I guess it is a good thing that I have time to waste then isn't it, miss?"

"Oh how rude of me, I'm Haioki Yataka. If you insist I will tell you. It was towards the end of the war, I was only a little girl of five living in the country side a long way from Iwa. I had heard that a group of ninja were coming through and I wanted to go see them, as a young girl living on a small farm seeing shinobi was a rare thing so I ran off towards the village to find out when they would be arriving and I was in luck just as I made it to the village gates eight Iwa shinobi were coming out. Stupidly I decided to follow them and eventually they came to clearing and in the center lay a dead Iwa shinobi, it must have been someone important because the group I was following became very nervous. My curiosity got the better of me and I attempted to move in closer to get a better look when one of the ninja noticed my movement and before I could scream that I was harmless, a hail of kunai were flying towards me. All I could do was close my eyes and hope for the best... That's when your father showed up, he just appeared beside me and in less than half a second we were gone. When I finally opened my eyes he was sitting on a log beside me, and the Iwa ninja were nowhere to be seen. I don't remember much afterwords other than him taking me home, but I do remember his smile, a smile that you share." Haioki said.

"Sounds like you do not resent my father like many in the village do." Naruto said relieved to find at least one person who didn't hate him.

"No far from it, your father inspired me to become a ninja, although I am nothing more than an academy sensei, I haven't been out of the village on a mission in years." Haioki replied.

"It's not like just anyone could do that job. The Sandaime Hokage once told me that the Academy sensei are the most important Ninja in the village because they are in charge of the development of the next generation of shinobi... Although he may have just said that so that I would stop pulling pranks on them." Naruto said with a small chuckle at the end.

"Namikaze-san we should really be moving on if you wish to see the rest of the Academy." the Anbu leader said at this point.

"Oh right we should keep moving, it was nice meeting you Haioki Yataka." Naruto said.

"Likewise Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." the woman replied and with a wave the blond and his escorts were leaving the room heading up a flight of stairs.

"Ah this one should be perfect, it's this years graduating class." the Anbu commander said opening a door once they made it to the top of the stairs. "Sorry to disrupt your class Kazuya sensei." he said upon entering the room mid lecture. The room was shaped in a long oval and multiple layers rose up like theater seating. The sensei was an older man with short gray hair yet a kind face that suggested he had not seen combat in many years.

"Not at all, in fact this is a good chance to teach. Okay kids who can tell me what these red masks mean in Iwa?" the sensei asked the class loudly.

A young kunoichi to be raised her hand. "The red masks of the Anbu indicate that they are Village security in charge of fighting off the strongest ninja that ever attempt to attack Iwa. The lines on their masks indicate rank. One line for regular, two for captain, and three for commander, this characteristic is the only similarity in the Anbu masks of the other divisions." she informed the class.

There were small coughs of know it all and show off muttered around the room to which Naruto smiled. "Very good Akisuchi. But the real question is why are you here... oh my is that!" the sensei said his eyes widening upon seeing Naruto's face.

"Namikaze-san requested to see the Academy." the Anbu commander replied answering both questions.

The children once more erupted into hushed conversations. Some along the lines of who's that while others seemed to begin shaking in fear. "Oh well in that case, it appears that we have a guest, now does anyone know who this is." the sensei said grabbing Naruto's arm and dragging him to the front of the class.

Once more the young girl raised her hand although this time several others did as well, some with looks of fear on their faces while others ranged from interested and although rare one or two looks of disgust and hatred. "He's the son of the Yondaime Hokage." one of the kids said.

"Ah very good, and why does that make him an important person?" the sensei added.

"The Yondaime Hokage is credited for almost singlehandedly turning the tide in the last shinobi world war and was said to have been able to take out an arm of men by himself." the girl Akisuchi said confidently.

"Yes very good, and can you tell the class what made him so fierce in battle?" the sensei posed.

The girl nodded her head and continued. "The Yondaime Hokage was a master in almost every aspect of combat but he is best known for a time space jutsu called the Hirashin earning him the nickname of the Yellow Flash of Konoha."

"Hey she's good." Naruto complimented.

The sensei nodded his head in agreement before speaking. "There is one other jutsu that in Iwa is feared almost as much as the Hirashin. This jutsu was also invented by the Yondaime Hokage, together with the Hirashin the Yellow Flash was indeed able to take out hundreds of men single handed and brought an end to the last great war. This jutsu was th-"

"Rasengan!" Naruto said holding his hand out to show off the spinning ball of chakra perfectly formed in his palm.

"Oh my yes indeed that is it, I never thought I would ever see the jutsu performed." the old man said in shock his eyes wide in awe at the jutsu in Naruto's hand.

"It doesn't look so powerful to me! I bet this guy is nothing but a fraud!" one of the braver kids said. The children that were scared at the sight of Naruto were now terrified. No doubt these children had been told about Minato Namikaze and also the Rasengan, so to see the jutsu being performed so freely by his son had them shaking.

Naruto laughed. "I like this kid, he will make a great shinobi... Or a bad one I was never good at judging potential. True this jutsu may not look like much but maybe a demonstration would change your mind. Well that is if it is alright with your sensei, I would like to see the students Dojo and training areas so that would be a decent treat." Naruto said turning to the old sensei for confirmation.

"Yes that sounds like a splendid idea, I too must confess to being interested in the Rasengan." the sensei replied acting as though he was about to receive a once in a lifetime gift. "The training dummies in the Dojo would be best, they were designed to perfectly replicate a human body in terms of strength and durability." he informed the blond.

"Sounds perfect, well kid looks like you get to see what all the fuss is about." Naruto said with a small smirk as the class began to file out of the room.

**End Chapter!**


	83. Tobi vs Nibi

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****83: Tobi vs Nibi**

Naruto stood in a field while the class from Iwa began to spread around into a large circle taking a seat for a a good view. "There are a few special traits about the Rasengan that make it a unique and powerful jutsu." Naruto lectured.

"Why! Its a spinning ball of chakra, big deal." a relatively tall boy covered in muscles said cockily.

"So I suppose you can do it then?" a girl taunted the boy.

"I bet I could if I tried, it cant be that difficult, I mean look at this guy he doesn't look strong to me." the boy replied.

Naruto was content to let the children bicker as he always found that type of thing somewhat amusing. However the sensei of the class did not feel the same way. "Quiet both of you, if you listen and watch you may just learn something!" he snapped loudly. "Go on Namikaze-san."

"Ah right, as I was saying the special traits of the rasengan are... actually can anyone here tell me what they might be... watch closely." Naruto said holding his hand out in front of his chest and slowly forming a rasengan. "Now why is this different from most jutsu?" he asked.

There was silence for a short while until a small boy shakily put up his hand. "Um, you di-didn't use an-y hand seals." he stuttered.

"Very good which means what?" Naruto questioned.

There was silence, the academy class was stumped. Finally the old sensei decided to answer. "It means that it is made with pure chakra manipulation." he said.

Naruto nodded his head. "Exactly, pure chakra manipulation, no seals for shape or even an element. But because of this it makes the Rasengan a very difficult jutsu to master. Once chakra leaves the body it becomes highly unstable and is always trying to expand and escape the compression adding to the jutsu's strength, therefore a small amount of additional chakra can add far greater strength, but it also becomes that much more difficult to keep compressed." Naruto lectured.

"Are you going to show us what it does or just talk about it." the dismissive student that had initially questioned the strength of the Rasengan asked loudly.

Naruto didn't reply instead took off in a blur and slammed a rasengan into a training dummy. The spinning ball of chakra ripped the dummies chest apart before Naruto released his control of the jutsu which tore the training dummy from the ground and sent it flying until it finally hit a large wall, the impact was so powerful that a large crack could be clearly seen as the now broken piece of training equipment fell to the ground.

The class was in a stunned silence, the children that had questioned Naruto's strength and the power of the Rasengan could only stare wide eyed and open mouthed, not that those who knew of the jutsu's ability were coping in anyway better.

"The jutsu damages in two ways, the first of which being able to rip the body apart and rearrange organs. The second is a large bust of power when the jutsu is released caused by the destabilizing chakra, that pressure sends the body of the target flying with great force." Naruto lectured while walking over to pick the remains of the training dummy up.

There were loud gasps as Naruto held the remains up for the class to see the potential of the Rasengan. What had once appeared as a close to lifelike human for students to practice Nin and Taijutsu, now looked like a deformed mess. It's chest had been both caved in and ripped apart simultaneously as the damage rippled out from the epicenter of the attack. "Satisfied now, there is a reason that the Rasengan was feared in battle." a wannabe kunoichi said trying to sound less stunned than she really was.

"That's right, at full power a hit by a Rasengan is fatal." Naruto added.

A small boy raised his hand tentatively but waited to speak until Naruto noticed him and gave the boy a quick nod of encouragement. "Have you ever killed anyone with the Rasengan?" he asked almost fearful of the answer.

"I am a shinobi, killing is part of my life no matter how hard I try to avoid it. So to answer your question, yes I have, many times." Naruto answered.

"Have you ever killed an Iwa ninja?" another boy asked.

"No I haven't. But in my time I have fought and killed ninja from Kiri, Kumo and even Suna, from Genin to the elite of the villages." Naruto answered.

"Who was the strongest person you have fought against?" a girl asked.

"Now that's a tough question. Strength I not something that can be easily judged. In genjutsu and mental strength my sensei Itachi Uchiha has no equal that I have met. My other sensei Jiraiya of the Sannin has such knowledge and experience that a fight with him becomes more dangerous the longer it lasts, you could fight for days on end and he would never put a foot wrong. In terms of physical strength and skill in taijutsu I would say that the strongest person I have had to fight would be the current Raikage, his speed was inhumane. But even then I would say that he wouldn't be the toughest fight I have been in, that honor goes to a man from the Amegakure, a man named Pein." Naruto answered.

"Why was he tougher than the Raikage? Aren't the five Kage supposed to be the strongest in the elemental nations?" the girl asked curiously.

Naruto chuckled. "Yes the Kage are all tremendously skilled shinobi, but they only come from the five great shinobi villages. There are many amazingly skilled ninja that live outside of these villages. Then you need to take missing ninja into account. Take Konoha for example, Orochimaru a missing ninja, is said to be on par with the current Hokage Tsuande-Baachan." he explained.

Once more the children were shocked, not because of the information Naruto had given the class but because of the way Naruto referred to Tsunade as his grandmother. Once the shock wore off one of the children finally spoke. "You say that you fought with these people, does that mean that you are as strong as any of the Kage's?" a boy asked.

Suddenly two new arrivals made their presence known. "I would say that's a fair assessment." Itachi said from the edge of the building while Jiraiya landed on the large wall that had been cracked when Naruto had used the Rasengan.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"We decided to come check on you, left alone there is no telling what damage you could cause." Jiraiya joked before hopping down from the wall and walking over to where Naruto was standing.

The sensei to the graduating class was almost beside himself with excitement at the sight of these new arrivals. "Class does anyone know who these two are?" he asked barely containing the impulse to greet the two legendary ninja. The class remained silent, cautiously eying the new arrivals as though they were some sort of questionable foreign delicacy that they couldn't decide whether to eat or not. After deciding that nobody was going to answer the sensei couldn't contain his excitement any longer. "Standing here before you are two of the most feared shinobi to come from Konoha, Jiraiya the Toad Sage one of the Legendary Sannin, and Itachi Uchiha, a man with skill that was unparallelled within his clan and also a man who singlehandedly killed the entire Uchiha clan."

"You are well informed." Jiraiya complimented, despite being slightly weary of the man who seemed to be acting like a love struck fangirl, he couldn't help but grin at the level of respect shown.

"I am one of Iwa's top historians, it is important for me to gather information. Although I must say I am curios as to why one of Konoha's greatest Hero's is so friendly with one of their most notorious villains?" the sensei asked.

"Oh I have nothing against Itachi, the way I see it he is only disagreement was with his clan, as I am not an Uchiha I am confident that he is no threat to myself or Konoha." Jiraiya said simply.

"Why are you guys here anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Oh yeah, the Tsuchikage sent us, we're invited to a dinner with the clan heads tonight, so we need to get ready." Itachi informed the blond.

"That kinda sounds boring, I would rather stay here and show these kids some things." Naruto replied.

"Boring or not we are guests here and it would not go down well to not show up for a dinner that has been put together for you." Jiraiya lectured.

Naruto let out a sigh and nodded his head in defeat. "Okay I get it, sorry kids looks like this is where the show ends for today, but I believe I am supposed to be fighting an exhibition match in a few days, it would be good to see you all there if your teacher allows it." Naruto said knowing that being able to watch a real shinobi match and the possibility of not doing any school work for a few hours would lead to the children almost begging the teacher to come. "Anyway, thanks for letting me come say hi to you guys." and with a final wave the Yoinokuchi group were gone.

(**Elsewhere**)

"I don't get it, that was a simple target elimination mission, why send two teams of jounin? Surely Yugito could have easily done this herself." a Kumo Jounin mused as a group of eight jounin walked along a narrow road at the bottom of a deep gully between two large cliffs that seemed to ascend almost vertically giving the jounin a very limited range of vision.

"It was a precautionary measure, we were given a report that they had several highly trained ninja as guards, that did not turn out to be the case." Yugito lied. She knew what the real reason for the over the top group accompanying her, despite the Raikage's stubborn refusal to keep Yugtio in the village for safety he was not going to just ignore a potential threat. Then there were the unexplained happenings of late, you would have had to have been living under a rock not to have heard of the small war that appeared to have erupted in the Land of Fire, and the only thing that they could determine for sure was that Konoha was not involved. '_Could it have been that kid? From what I saw he is certainly powerful enough for the task, but who was he fighting against? The Akatsuki? A-sama said they were nothing more than a mercenary group full of criminals that did jobs for weak villages_.' Yugito thought.

Unfortunately the blond kunoichi was so engrossed in her thoughts she did not notice a large bird certainly not native to the Land of Lightning fly over top. "Well what do you know, Zetsu came through the Nibi is there with very limited defenders." Deidara said.

"Zetsu-sempai is the best spy after all, I bet he is really strong as well" Tobi said in his childlike manner.

"Pfft, he's a talented spy I will admit that, but I have never seen that coward fight in my life."

"Pein-sama says that those who do not fight often are the most dangerous because their tactics and moves are completely unknown." Tobi replied cheerfully.

" Whatever, That damn plant wouldn't last five minutes against the beauty that is my art." Deidara scoffed before becoming rather silent in contemplation. "Hey why don't you take out the Nibi chick, I'll practice my Art on her bodyguards." he said after a few moments.

"Really you are going to let Tobi fight?" the masked Akatsuki ninja asked hopefully like a child begging to stay up for a few extra minutes.

"Yeah why not." Deidara replied.

"Thanks Deidara-sempai! And don't worry Tobi will win, because Tobi is a good boy. But why don't you want to fight? Surely you would like to capture your jinchuuriki as soon as possible." Tobi queried happily.

"I have unfinished business with the Suna kid who holds Shukaku the Ichibi." Deidara said darkly remembering the stalemate he had with Gaara that ended in Sasori's death and having to retreat when Itachi appeared.

"He must be really strong if he is able to fight against you Deidara-sempai." Tobi complimented.

"He will be the perfect candidate for me to show off some of my better pieces of art." Deidara said with a confident smile.

The bird continued to fly alone the deep narrow valley until the road widened and stetched out into a large open area with a raging river flowing through the middle. "Oh this looks like a good place to fight!" Tobi cheered happily.

"Really? We should just ambush them in the valley, that way the woman can't transform into the Nibi, if she did it wouldn't be able to move." Deidara suggested.

Tobi shook his head in denial. "That's not fun, Tobi wants to show what he can do, fighting the Nibi will be tough but Tobi can win because Tobi is a good boy!" the masked ninja said in typical childlike fashion.

Deidara shook his head at Tobi's childish behavior. '_Why did Sasori-sama have to die! If he was still alive I wouldn't be stuck with this... this infant!_' he thought while Tobi appeared to scream in glee as the clay bird that they were riding on descended quickly to the base of the valley. Upon landing the clay bird broke up into hundreds of smaller birds that flew over to take up positions within the valley road where Yugito's team were due to arrive from.

"Oh we should hide then jump out to surprise the Kumo ninja, they will be so surprised to see us!" Tobi suggested eagerly.

"Does it really matter? They have nowhere to run, going back along that path would be complete suicide, a confined area would put them at a large disadvantage. They will know that the only way out is to fight." Deidara said still quite annoyed Tobi hadn't decided to confront the group inside the valley in the first place.

Tobi lowered his head in disappointment. "Aw you're no fun Deidara-sempai." he whined.

Deidara let out a frustrated sigh. "Just shut up they're here." he said using the device over his usually covered eye to see far into the darkness of the mountain path.

Sure enough less than a minute later the eight Kumo shinobi appeared from the pass and within a few steps came to a halt. "Hello!" Tobi called out waving like he was greeting a long lost friend.

Yugito's eyes widened as she took in the two shinobi standing before her. '_Black cloaks with red clouds... Akatsuki!_' she thought with a small sense of dread.

The other Kumo shinobi on the other hand seemed to be confused, thinking these arrivals were nothing more than travelers. Without much regard for the two Akatsuki ninja a short heavily tanned kunoichi with snow white hair stepped forward to greet the pair. She made it around half way across the gap before the others found out something was wrong. Several white stones that had been scattered around the field began to grow insect like legs and move to surround the kunoichi. Unfortunately by that time it was already to late. "Look ou-" one of the other Jounin began to yell but before he could finish his warning the insects jumped forwards and clung to the kunoichi's robes.

"Katsu!" Deidara said with a slightly twisted smile. The explosion rocked the clearing, several small landslides were triggered from the explosion that seemed to last an age, and when the smoke finally cleared there lay what was left of the Kumo kunoichi who was now unrecognizable. "Wow what a blast, such a fine piece of art." Deidara said happily.

"Impressive as always Deidara-sempai." Tobi said clapping for his partners handiwork.

"What the hell was that!" one of the Kumo ninja asked his guard raised and looking around for more of the clay insects.

"That was my art." Deidara answered simply.

All seven of the remaining Kumo shinobi glared at the Iwa bomber. "Is that what you call that? You're twisted!" A tall man with long black hair scowled.

"You don't seem pleased? Looks like I will have to show you all that art is a fleeting thing, that lasts for only a few seconds. After all my art is a blast!" Deidara said and the moment he finished speaking the clay birds that he had sent into the valley all shot out from where they were hiding zooming towards the group of Kumo ninja.

Yugito sensed the danger first spinning around. "Shit, everyone Move!" she urgently warned the group.

Quickly everyone scattered as the clay birds crashed into the ground causing a series of explosions. Straight away Deidara created a large bird from his clay and took off into the sky. Tobi on the other hand arrived several feet from where Yugito would land less than a second later. "Hello miss Nibi, I am here for your Bijuu." he said in a friendly manner.

"There is no way I would ever give Nibi to you lot!" Yugito replied and in the blink of an eye flung a kunai straight at Tobi's head.

Tobi screamed as if expecting the kunai to be the last thing he would ever see, however the blade passed right through him and his scream then turned into a happy chuckle. "That was a mean thing to do, Tobi is a good boy and doesn't deserve that." he said with a mocking whine.

Yugito was wide eyed trying to dispel a genjutsu that just wasn't there. '_What the hell, the blade passed right through his body, and no matter how hard I try I cannot sense any genjutsu. Just what type of jutsu does this man use?_' she asked herself as she stood staring at the masked man before her.

"Well now that you have gotten that out of your system how about you come along with us? We only want your Bijuu, you are of no interest to us at all." Tobi asked hopefully.

"Go to hell!" Yugito yelled broken from her stunned trance by Tobi's rather ridiculous question. This time Yugito jumped forward to strike a physical blow on the masked Akatsuki ninja. Yugito had planned a feint but the moment she moved Tobi began to cower and protect his vital spots. 'Is this guy really a ninja?' she thought as she spun in mid air to kick the cowering Tobi in the ribs but hit nothing but air as she passed right through the masked Akatsuki ninja.

"That was naughty, you should be more like Tobi, Tobi is a good boy, he was told to capture the Nibi and that is what he will do." Tobi said.

'I don't get this guy, nothing hits, it's like he is made of nothing but air. If that's the case then I will just have to set him up in flames.' Yugito thought as she quickly began racing through a set of hand seals. "Katon: Blazing Inferno!" she yelled before slamming her hands onto the ground. The instant they struck the ground erupted as flames shot up from under the earth all around Tobi almost like a volcanic eruption with the flames shooting so high into the air that they almost struck Deidara's clay bird.

"What a great show, what brilliant art." Deidara said admiring the show Yugito was putting on, while his clay explosive creatures kept the other jounin completely distracted.

The flames died down and much to Yugito's horror there stood Tobi, completely unharmed from the jutsu without even a singe from the flames. "Wow that was amazing! If I wasn't careful I could have been roasted." Tobi said still refusing to break his childlike persona.

"How is that possible? He had nowhere to run to!" Yugito gasped vocalizing her shock. '_No I refuse to lose like this, I will not give up without a fight!_' she thought as a blue flame like cloak of chakra began to form around the kunoichi.

"Oh my, I think I made her mad, this could be bad for Tobi." the masked ninja said pretending quite believably to shake in fear. 'Oh how easy this is, if she fully transforms into the Nibi it is over, but until she losses control I won't be able to control the Bijuu at all." he thought seriously.

The chakra cloak finished forming around Yugito as two cat like ears and a tail formed. "You want Nibi? Come and get her!" she hissed, her voice distorted slightly from the Bijuu's chakra flowing through her at an accelerating rate. It was not just the chakra cloak that had a felien appearance, Yugito's hair had torn free of its usual tightly wrapped ponytail and was singing behind her in a show of intimidation. Her eyes had changed to light blue and had slitted pupils. Finally her fingernails had lengthened and become razor sharp, in short she was the embodiment of a large deadly Lioness about to pounce on her prey.

In the blink of an eye Yugito took off she bolted forward like lightning and grabbed the neck of Tobi's robe and was just about to throw him across the clearing with great force when at the very last second the masked Akatsuki ninja became intangible and her arms that had just a moments earlier had Tobi pinned passed right through him causing her to stumble forward.

"You're speed increased dramatically, Tobi needs to be carful now." Tobi said still as cheerful as before the fighting started. All around him was carnage, Kumo ninja skillfully avoiding Deidara's explosives, yet despite this Tobi had been able to keep up the act of being a fool.

Yugito recovered from her stumble and spun on the spot before releasing a cat like hiss and racing through a set of hand seals. "Katon: Mouse Hairball!" she snapped spitting out dozens of small balls of flame that took the form of mice before homing in on Tobi.

Unsurprisingly the mice just passed right through the masked ninja however before they could hit any walls or dispel the mice turned and shot back towards Tobi.

"Homing jutsu, impressive." Tobi complimented as several more mice passed though his body.

"That's right, I don't know what type of jutsu you are using but it has to have a weakness. If I am right you can't attack while your body is intangible, in that case there must be a limit to how long you can stay in that form, I am just going to have to wait and see what that is." Yugito said glaring at Tobi with hatred.

'_Clever girl, it seems I may have underestimated her slightly. She is still level headed, even with the amount of Bijuu chakra in her system, I am going to need to push her to the next level it seems._' Tobi thought as two more flame mice flew through his chest which gave Tobi the opening he needed. Quickly re solidifying before disappearing in a spiraling vortex.

Yugito's flaming mice were running around in confusion still searching for their target and found it seconds later as Tobi reappeared behind Yugito quickly grabbing her arms to prevent escape or canceling the jutsu. The mice all shot forward together without regard for the trapped kunoichi who cast the jutsu.

'_No way it can't be, I'm going to be killed by my own jutsu unless I do something quickly!_' Yugito thought desperately but time was not on her side, she had less than a second to think before finally making up her mind.

Beneath his mask Tobi couldn't help but smile as he felt the sharp blast of chakra that rocketed out from the Kumo kunoichi. Almost instantly her body began to change forcing to let go and phase out of existence just as the flaming mice all crashed into Yugito together causing a huge explosion and a smoke to fill the entire area. "Game over." Tobi said to himself as he waited for the smoke to clear.

Tobi was not left waiting long as the smoke was blown away in an instant by a mammoth tail from the now fully formed Nibi.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, even Deidara's explosives seemed to be in a stunned sense of amazement at the giant two tailed cat now filling the valleys clearing. They were soon shocked back into reality however as the Nibi released a roar that sent a wave of blue fire directly at Tobi who phazed right though the jutsu. Unfortunately the two Kumo ninja at the far end of the valley were not so lucky and were burned in an instant.

"Rather than suffer a defeat and had over the Nibi, you allowed the Bijuu to take over your body, it's such a shame that, that was what I had been hoping for all along." Tobi said quietly. '_She has completely lost herself, all that's left is the Bijuu, now all I have to do is capture it within my genjutsu and my job is done._'

As if to emphasize the fact that Yugito was no longer in control, Nibi was now rampaging around like a mindless beast. unsure as to why it was awake and for the time being, outside of Yugito's seal. The distraction gave Deidara the opening to kill two more the Kumo shinobi leaving only two more and the currently out of control Yugito. "This is insane, Yugito is lost already, Nibi is free, we need to get out of here!" one of the remaining Kumo shinobi called to the the other survivor.

"You're right, one of us needs to get back to tell A-sama what has happened. We can't fight against these guy's they are just too good. You have to go, I will keep that explosives user busy,The both of us will never get away, you're faster than I am so don't argue, just run and don't stop until you get to Kumo." the other man replied and without waiting for his comrade to reply picked up a large stone and tossed it as hard as he could at the confused and angry Nibi. His aim was perfect and hit the two tailed cat in the side of the face giving the Bijuu its first target.

Nibi let out a loud roar that rocketed a few loose stones into the side of the mountains before shattering from the force. The large cat then turned its head upwards while facing its new target and compressed chakra began compressing more and more until a mammoth ball of chakra was floating above its head.

Knowing he had to move quickly the Kumo jounin ran up the side of the closest mountain before once he was at the right hight jumping. 'I may not be able to hit that clay bird with my jutsu but there is no way he will be escaping this.' he thought making sure to position himself expertly between Nibi and the clay bird that Deidara was riding on at the exact moment Nibi released the Bijuudama.

The blast tore a massive chunk of earth from any mountain unfortunate enough to be caught within the range of Nibi's attack and when the debis finally cleared there was no sign of Deidara or the Kumo shinobi.

"Deidara-sempai was careless, if it wasn't for Tobi then Deidara-sempai would have died." Tobi said apparently to thin air but a second later Deidara appeared from a vortex emanating from the eyehole in his mask.

"I didn't expect him to kill himself like that, yeah" Deidara said breathing heavily from the near miss and double checking to make sure that everything was still in place. "Now what are we going to do about that thing!" he asked pointing at Nibi once satisfied that he was indeed still alive and in one piece.

"Tobi has taken care of it, because Tobi is a good boy." the masked ninja said.

"What do you mean, it's going crazy!" Deidara replied.

"That's because Tobi told it too." Tobi explained.

"Oh I ge-... Wait, what does that mean!" the Iwa bomber asked more confused than he was before.

"It's under Tobi's genjutsu, Tobi had the Nibi captured the moment it was released. That's why the Nibi never attacked Tobi. See look Nibi is going to sleep!" the childish Akatsuki ninja said happily as Nibi appeared to collapse and after a few moments there lay the unconscious Yugito. "Tobi did it! Tobi captured a Bijuu!" he cheered.

'Huh he can cast a genjutsu onto a Bijuu, maybe there is more to Tobi than the childish idiot.' Deidara thought in wonder before a new more pressing thought hit him. "Wait if you had control of the Nibi why did you let it almost kill me!" he demanded.

"Tobi thought you would escape. Tobi meant no harm, and Tobi saved you." Tobi said defensively.

"Che whatever, don't do that again yeah!" the former Iwa ninja ordered. The pair walked over to Yugito who was completely unconscious wiped out from having completely transformed. Not wanting to risk having her wake up and escape Deidara wrapped the kunoichi in a cocoon of his clay before tossing her on the back of his clay bird. "We better get this to the sealing sight, no telling what could happen if she wakes up before the sealing starts." he said.

"Don't worry Deidara-sempai, she won't be waking up anytime soon." Tobi said happily before the pair jumped onto the back of the bird and they left, flying off into the distance.

**END CHAPTER!**

**Sorry about the late update, been a hectic week and just haven't had any time, still hope you enjoyed the chapter, and are not too mad that it took so long. **


	84. Sasuke's proposal

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****84: Sasuke's Proposal.**

Naruto stood outside of the Tsuchikage tower wearing a long black cloak with red flame around the base and hems of the arms over a tight button up white shirt and black pants. Next to him stood the other members of the Yoinokuchi each wearing dress clothes. "Kami I hate wearing these things." Naruto whined.

"Quit complaining. You only need to wear a shirt and dress pants for a few hours, get used to it!" Jiraiya said sternly.

"But why the shirt, if I am in my sage cloak I shouldn't need the shirt." Naruto complained.

"Your dislike of shirts is as unexplainable as your irrational dislike of doors." Gaara said flatly.

"Hey it's not irrational, doors just don't make any sense when you can use a window. You never have hoards of angry people waiting on the other side of a window, only doors." Jiraiya said defensively.

Gaara and Itachi shook their heads at Jiraiya still not understanding the pairs unique behavior. "We should get going, Oonoki said that the dinner was going to be held at the village counsel hall." Itachi said flatly.

"Yeah the quicker we get there, the sooner it will end and I can take this damn constricting stuff off." Naruto added.

The group walked across a nearby bridge leading to a large single level building in a circular shape with a perfectly flat roof contrasting with every other building in Iwa that was far taller and shaped like mountain tops in order to blend in with the surrounding environment.

"This must be the place, they said we would be able to tell which building was the village meeting hall." Jiraiya mused taking a few steps towards a set of large golden doors each engraved with the symbol for Iwa.

Upon opening the door they were greeted by two kunoichi in dark burnt red dresses each with long black hair and black eyes. "Ah Jiraiya-sama, and you must be Namikaze-san." they both said in unison slightly freaking they Yoinokuchi shinobi out slightly.

"Uh call me Naruto." the blond jinchuuriki said wearily.

"Very well Naruto, please follow us." they both said once more in perfect sync.

'_Well these two are something else, first thought was it was a genjutsu, but no they are actually talking in perfect harmony with each other._' Naruto thought as he followed the two kunoichi ignoring Jiraiya's obvious perverted glances at their well shaped behinds.

They walked along a long corridor before coming to the very end where a large archway opened up into a grand dining room filled with happily chatting important looking shinobi all wearing expensive looking dress robes. "We introduce, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and his guard." the two kunoichi said together.

"Iria, Olga, would you stop doing that, it's freaky." a auburn haired man said approaching the group. "So you must be the Namikaze, somehow I expected more from the son of the Yellow Flash." he said.

Naruto smirked slightly. "It's good to know I don't live up to your expectations, after all having your opponent underestimate you makes the fight that much easier." he said.

The man began laughing uncontrollably. "Smart boy, Irian Oogal, head of the Oogal clan these two are my daughters and they have a rather unique way of displaying our clans Kekkei Genkai." he said holding out a hand to shake Naruto's hand.

Naruto readily accepted. "Their ability to mirror each other perfectly is a Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto said astonished.

"Our clan have the ability to communicate with one another telepathically, for that reason our clan operate together in groups and the more skilled can communicate over long distances for relaying messages silently across a battlefield. Iria and Olga are twins so have a incredibly strong bond allowing them to know what the other is thinking at almost all times, allowing them to mimic one another although I must say that they make even me uneasy at times." Irian said.

"Yes the Oogal clan were quite a problem for Konoha during the last shinobi war." Jiraiya said.

"Not nearly half as bad as the trouble you caused us." the clan head said with begrudging respect.

The group entered the room and Naruto was not all that surprised to see that the majority of shinobi avoided the group as much as they could until they made it to a large oval table, that had been sectioned off with the names of clans as a seating arrangement. At the head of the table sat three people, Oonoki, a man that was far taller than him but had the same large nose, and finally Kurotsuchi still looking slightly worse for wear after the incident earlier that day. "You're late." Oonoki said upon seeing Naruto's group.

Itachi bowed slightly. "We had some difficulties locating Naruto within the village." he said respectfully.

"It's fine, take a seat and we can get started. Oh and as a matter of interest, you will find that the shinobi chosen to fight against you in two days time are all here tonight." Oonoki informed Naruto.

"Two days huh, sounds good to me. So who am I fighting?" Naruto asked.

"Now why would I go telling you that boy, it should be a surprise. But don't worry I will make it tough enough, I wouldn't want you to defeat your opponents too easily now would I." Oonoki said as the Yoinokuchi group took their seats next to Kurotsuchi. The Tsuchikage called for the room to be seated and at the same time groups of genin came in carrying drinks and plates of appetizers for the clan heads and top ranking shinobi attending the dinner. Everyone sat in perfect silence waiting for the Tsuchikage to speak but nothing was said until the last of the genin had finished serving and left the room, before using his Jinton release to hover just off the ground, high enough to grab everyone's attention. "Okay, now that we are all settled, I would personally welcome Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze to Iwagakure. Also I would like to thank him for accepting the offer to come to Iwa for talks regarding a non aggression pact between us." he said. A few people clapped politely but it was clear that the majority of the room was less than impressed at Naruto sitting amongst them not to mention someone like Jiraiya.

Naruto gave a nervous smile. "Uh I guess I should say thanks for having me, and I would like to let everyone know that I do not harbor any ill will towards Iwa or any of its people." he said honestly.

"And we are just supposed to take the word of a boy who abandoned his own home? A shinobi without a village is just a glorified mercenary your word means nothing." a dark haired man scoffed.

"I never abandoned Konoha, I may not live there nor am I a shinobi under the command of the Hokage, but it is still my home and is important to me just like Iwa is to all of you." Naruto replied.

"You don't represent Konoha, in the end you are nothing, a wandering ninja with a bunch of missing ninja as allies." an elderly kunoichi said bitterly.

"Enough!" Oonoki ordered. "These are peace talks, hostility based on your biased opinions will not be tolerated, you dismiss the boy without knowing him just because he was Minato Namikaze's son, taking your aggression out on him because of his fathers actions is cowardly to the extreme. And you have the gall to call that boy nothing someone who wields the Rinnegan. I saw his strength with my own eyes when he defeated my granddaughter Kurotsuchi with ease." he added.

A stunned silence followed, a large group seemed to be holding their heads in shame having been guilty of exactly what the Tsuchikage had accused them of. But the one thing that was a constant, everyone was currently looking at Naruto for some kind of confirmation that what they had been told about the Rinnegan was true. "Kami it is the Rinnegan! His eyes, they're just like the descriptions of the Rinnegan in the record chambers." an elderly bald man gasped.

(**Elsewhere**)

"What the hell are we doing here? This is just a medical research facility." Suigetsu asked, scratching his head with the tip of his katana.

"The person in charge has some unique abilities that will help us, she is the best sensor ninja I have ever met." Sasuke answered.

"Wait a sensor... you don't mean Karin do you?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yes I take it the two of you have met before?" Sasuke assumed.

"You could say that. It was that bitch who found me when Orochimaru was trying to capture me for his experiments." Suigetsu spat less than impressed with Sasuke's choice for their next companion. "Besides she is completely loyal to that snake freak" he added as an afterthought.

"She will leave Orochimaru and side with us, I have no doubt about that." Sasuke said with a knowing and confident smirk.

"Well I am glad you are confident but seriously that bitch loves Orochimaru." Suigetsu said.

"Sasuke seems to be confident, if he believes that we can convince her to join us then we should at least give it a shot." Juugo said with a very passive and relaxed way.

"Whatever, just don't expect to get my help!" Suigetsu scoffed as the group dispelled a genjutsu covering a very small metal trapdoor.

Karin was a relatively tall kunoichi for her age, she had red eyes and her hair matched perfectly. She wore a pair of thin circular brown glasses and was currently in a large lab coat that she wore over the top of a lavender outfit that was common attire for Orochimaru's subordinates.

It had been having a quiet night for the Kunoichi, she had finished all the work Orochimaru had left for her the last time he was in contact so she decided to sit back and read a book, that was until the alarm on the perimeter went off, just as she opened the first page. '_Intruders! There is nobody here who fights. I am the only one with any real ninja training, and in a fight I am not much better than a chunin._' she thought desperately as she jumped up from the lounge chair she was sitting in and raced for the surveillance room at the end of the hall. "Kami, what if its the same people that destroyed a bunch of other Oto bases not too long ago, I don't want to die." The kunoichi almost begged as she entered the room.

Karin just made it to a large computer screen so she could find the intruders on the monitor they found her. "Hello Karin, you should be at the control room by now, be kind and unlock the doors, I wouldn't want to be forced to break them down." Sasuke's voice called out from a nearby speaker.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin said in shocked glee as she quickly opened the doors.

Sasuke wasted little time leading the others to where he thought Karin would be and he was not disappointed. "Hello Karin, it has been awhile." he said with a slight smile.

"Sasuke-kun!" she said happily, bounding over to his side, it was at that point she noticed the other two and her attitude changed completely. "What do you want? And why are Suigetsu and Juugo here? He is supposed to be locked away." she said dismissing the Uchiha as though he wasn't important.

Sasuke smirked at the memory of how he had defected from Orochimaru's base. "I liberated them." he said proudly.

"Huh what are you talking about? Also where is Orochimaru-sama I finished all the experiments he gave me and I am just waiting for the results they should be done in a few minutes." she said now looking around for the Hebi Sannin.

"He's not here, he's hiding like the coward that he is and I have no more use for him. I will not sit and rot in a cave waiting to be taken as Orochimaru's next body, not that he would be able to take it. I am putting together a team to take out my brother and his friends, I want you with us." Sasuke declared.

"What are you saying... Orochimaru-sama will hunt you down, this is suicide." Karin stated plainly.

"I am aware of Orochimaru's intentions and I also know for a fact that he needs me alive, I am his precious next body after all. Regardless of that Itachi is stronger than Orochimaru, he could be a decent warm up for the tougher fights that are to come." Sasuke said.

Karin shook her head in disbelief. "Idiot, you won't be able to defeat Orochimaru-sama in a fight it's impossible for anyone to win." she said refusing to doubt the strength of her master.

Sasuke chuckled at this. "Really, is that why Orochimaru is hiding out in the Land of Earth scared to leave in fear of a childish fool no older than I am? Orochimaru is weak and his time is short, the question is what will you do? Come with me, or Die along with Orochimaru?" the Uchiha questioned the red haired kunoichi.

Karin took a step back in surprise. "Wh-at are yo-u s-s-saying" she stuttered not liking the line of questions at all.

"Simple, I am going to destroy this base with Kirin as a means of sending a message to Orochimaru, you can either join me or if you are so inclined try and stop us." Sasuke said.

"You, are asking me to betray Orochimaru-sama, he would kill me, but I guess I am doomed either way, I already know that I can't fight you... fine I will join you but first I need these two to get my stuff from my room, it's down the hall on the left, if they do that I will come with you." Karin sighed in defeat.

"Hey don't tell me what to do!" Suigetsu yelled.

"Then I guess I am not coming then, you are going to need to find a new sensor and medic, sorry Sasuke." Karin huffed dismissively.

"That's fine with me, why would we want a domineering bitch on our team anyway!" Suigetsu yelled back.

"Suigetsu, just do as she said, we need her. Shes the best sensor type shinobi in all of the Oto bases after all." Sasuke said.

Suigetsu was about to argue but a glare from Sasuke and a kind pat on the shoulder from Juugo changed his mind and he left with the orange haired ninja while grumbling about good for nothing red head kunoichi and threatening to leave the group if they pick up anymore useless dead weight.

Upon their leaving Karin once more changed her personality and moved to stand extremely close to Sasuke. "So Sasuke-kun, how did you even know that I was here, I only transferred from the southern base recently." she said a thin pink hew gracing her cheeks.

Sasuke was unmoved by Karin's closeness and remained calm. "I remember Orochimaru was going to move you here from the southern base as you were not capable to defend it should it be discovered. I guessed that he had already completed the transfer so that's why I came here. I really must thank him, keeping both Juugo and yourself in the same country really made things easy for me." he said with a smirk.

"So, Sasuke-kun, where are we going from here?" Karin asked.

"I need information, there is a hidden Uchiha clan compound located in a bordering country, the guardians should be able to tell us at least something about Itachi's movements and if we use it as a base of operations we should be able to find out about Orochimaru's movements." Sasuke said, finishing just as the door reopened with Juugo and Suigetsu carrying a large bag.

"Here's your stuff, now lets get out of here Sasuke, before she decides that we need to salvage anything else from the shit hole." Suigetsu said. Sasuke nodded and began to walk out of the room. Karin paused for a moment having few final misgivings about what she was doing but in the end grabbed her pack and followed the others out of the room.

(**Kumo**)

A messenger hawk flew at full speed over the gates to Kumo, it's goal immediately obvious as the tall building with a large kenji for Lightning at the top. The bird flew with tremendous speed and precision right through an open window before coming to a complete stop on the edge of a desk.

"What the hell is this!" A roared in indignation as the messenger hawk stuck its leg out to the Raikage demanding him to take the letter. '_It must be something very important if it is coming straight to me._' he mused while taking the letter and reading it. Anger began to fill his face as he continued to read and by the time he had finished the small piece of paper he was sparking with static electricity. "Get me Darui, Shee and Bee!" he yelled so loudly that people blocks away could hear him.

Angrily he gazed down at the paper before him, it was rather simple message with only five actual words. The majority of the message was a map with locations marked below it were coordinates and finally the short hastily written message that had made the Raikage so very angry. '_**Yugito captured! Six dead... Akatsuki!**__' _A spent what felt like an age reading and rereading the same line his anger not subsiding.

Finally the door opened and in walked a very tanned relaxed looking shinobi with shaggy white hair, and a tall blond man. "You needed us Raikage-sama?" the blond man asked.

"Yes, Shee but we need to wait for Bee first, I do not want to repeat myself because time is of the essence." A replied trying his best to remain calm.

Once more the door burst open and this time in rocked Killer Bee. "Yo bro, whats the go? I was writing my rhymes and going with the flow, ready to put them in my next show." he rapped.

"Bee shut up this isn't the time for your stupid rapping. Yugito has been captured!" A yelled.

"She's been what!" Darui asked stunned.

"Was it those Akatsuki tools? I told you this would happen we were warned but were made look like fools!" Bee rapped although angrily.

"What are we going to do, we should set up a search party at once." Shee suggested urgently.

"That won't be necessary, one of our ninja was able to survive the Akatsuki's assault, he is currently following them and sent this message, we have their location but it will take at least three days to get there, which is why we are leaving at once!" A yelled.

"We? You mean you are coming too?" Darui asked.

"Yes of course, I want to make these Akatsuki bastards pay for what they have done." A said slamming his fist thorough his desk. "Now we need to go immediately, there is no time to waste!" he added before breaking through the wall to jump out into the village.

Bee jumped after him with a excited yell. "Did they know the window was open." Darui said lazily, pointing to the large open window the messenger hawk entered through, right next to the hole made by the Raikage seconds earlier.

"I don't think it matters all that much, come on lets get going, if we are late those two will kill us." Shee said running off after the Raikage and his brother.

Darui let out a sigh. "I was going to relax today." he bemoaned before jumping out the Raikage sized hole and out into the village.

(**Iwa**)

Naruto had been rather pessimistic about the thought of a dinner with a group of people who would more likely than not rather see him dead in a gutter than sharing a table but as the night wore on he began having more and more fun. The revelation that he was a Rinnegan wielder had earned him a small amount of respect from even the more aggressive of the Iwa shinobi present.

As the night drew on the blond learned more about how Iwa differed from the other villages. The most interesting in Naruto's opinion was the way they promoted shinobi, Naruto had heard most of what he needed to from Kurotsuchi earlier but they covered it in more depth. The fact that only Elite jounin allowed on the council and should a clan at any point not have a elite jounin in their ranks they risk loosing their vote. "That's not all, as Tsuchikage I can only choose my successor from the current batch of elite jounin when I do decide to finally retire." Oonoki informed the blond as they walked back to the Tsuchikage tower still discussing the differences between Iwa and the other villages.

"Is that really all that different from Konoha? I mean I don't really think they would ever let some Genin take the role." Naruto asked once Oonoki had finished explaining the selection policy.

"Actually Konoha is very different, the Hokage cannot choose the successor himself although his choice is weighted heavily." Jiraiya said.

"Oh who else is qualified to choose, the protector of the village should know who is best suited to take over the task." Naruto said.

"That may be, but in Konoha the choice is voted on by all the elders with the Hokage allowed an three votes, the others belong to the village elders. Finally unlike all of the other great nations the Fire lord is given the final say." Itachi lectured.

"That's not all that separates Konoha from the other villages." Oonoki interjected.

"Huh what do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You do not need to be a serving Konoha shinobi to be Hokage... Tsunade-dono was retired when she became Hokage. The other members of the five great shinobi villages a successor can only be chosen from the active role of shinobi." Oonoki said.

"Well what do you know, it's not to late for you to be Hokage Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto chuckled.

"No chance that will ever happen kiddo, I would be a horrible Hokage." Jiraiya laughed.

"I can't see much of a difference between having you as Hokage and Kakashi, either way Konoha would end up like a scene from one of your Icha Icha books." Naruto chuckled.

"Kakashi huh, you think he will be the next hokage?" Jiraiya queried.

"Of course, he is the best qualified, apart from Tsunade." Naruto said.

"True, he would be a favorite for many people." Jiriaya mused in agreement.

It did not take long before the group were heading inside the Tsuchikage tower and up the stairs to their bedrooms. "One last thing Naruto, you can have tomorrow to train for your match, you may use the training facilities downstairs." Oonoki said.

"Awesome thanks heaps old man." Naruto said with a warm smile.

Oonoki was about to say something about being called old but decided to let it slide. "Just don't destroy my training room to badly boy." he grumbled with his own slight smile before leaving the Yoinokuchi shinobi to head up to his own chambers for the night.

**End Chapter!**

**Well another chapter done. I found it really difficult to write a decent dinner scene, problem I found was there isn't enough information on Iwa shinobi and I didn't want to flood the chapter with OC's so I semi scrapped the idea and moved on to the other side plots that I had up.**

**I am glad they are finally done with Kabuto's back story but I am pissed that the Sharringan gets yet another ultimate form jutsu. Come on Kishi you can do better than that, it's every time something happens another sharingan jutsu comes along, and we haven't even seen what Tobi's can really do yet. I wouldn't mind so much if it was an amateur fanfic but no this is the cannon. It just seems like slack writing to me, maybe he's running out of ideas?**


	85. Battle of Iwa's Elite

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****85: The Battle of Iwa's Elite**

Jiraiya was having a relaxing morning, he had begun writing the first chapter of his next Icha Icha book. He would have been lying had he said that he didn't have the urge to go do some research while in Iwa, this was one of the few times he had a chance to observe kunoichi from the Land of Earth without being involved in a fight to the death. Still with great self control the Toad Sage resisted the urge to go researching as he thought it could be bad for Naruto to be beaten up in the middle of Iwa by a bunch of angry women.

Speaking of Naruto it had just occurred to Jiraiya that he hadn't seen the blond all morning. Looking up from his desk he found Itachi resting in a long arm chair reading a book on Iwa's history and culture. "Hey have you seen Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

Itachi looked up from his book. "He went downstairs for training really early this morning, seemed rather eager to get to work for some reason. I guess even for one of us wining against a group of elite jounin is no easy task." he answered calmly.

"Yeah I guess that's true, he must just really want to prepare for tomorrow. Still we should stop him soon, he won't want to be too tired to fight at full strength tomorrow. After all we don't even know who his going to be fighting." Jiraiya mused.

"You're right I will make sure he stops in a few hours if he isn't done by then." Itachi assured Jiraiya before attempting to to go back to his book.

Once more however a question came to Jiraiya. "What about Gaara and Zabuza? Gaara is always calm but you know Zabuza, he likes nothing more than to get into a fight over nothing." he said quite seriously.

Itachi paused for a moment, actually I haven't seen them." Itachi admitted.

(**Downstairs**)

"Again, my fights tomorrow and I want to win,." Naruto said while panting very lightly.

"Damn it kid do we have to, you should be able to win with this, and I am sick of getting knocked around!" Zabuza whined rather uncharacteristically.

"It's true besides while I may have a large chakra supply I think even I am almost at my limit." Gaara said in his usual calm voice despite breathing very heavily.

Naruto relaxed his stance and took in the other two who looked as through they had certainly seen better days. Zabuza's shirt was torn missing a diagonal section over his left arm, the only thing keeping his top on was the ragged remains of his right sleeve that was protected by Kubikiribocho. Gaara on the other hand was only ruffed up, with no real damage done to the former suna ninja thanks to his sand but at the same time his Suna armor that normally covered his body perfectly, protecting the Ichibi jinchuuriki from physical harm was starting to crack and small areas of vulnerability were beginning to show. "Alright, I guess we can give it a rest, I am going to keep going though." Naruto agreed.

"Why did you ask us anyway? wouldn't Jiraiya-sama and Itachi have been a better choice?" Zabuza queried.

"Maybe but I want to surprise them with my new jutsu tomorrow, but even then I don't want to show them when it's not complete yet that's why I need to keep going." Naruto explained.

"So you want to give those two a show huh, they probably will be expecting you to win so this might make it memorable for them." Zabuza chuckled.

"Yeah that's the plan, but I am not expecting this to be easy, and it would be too risky to perform this in a proper fight unless I am one hundred percent sure I have it down, it hurts a lot when it backfires after all." the blond said grabbing a small cut on his arm that was slowly healing thanks in part to Kyuubi's chakra.

"I don't think they would just assume that Naruto-kun would win easily, four elite jounin hand picked by the Tsuchikage is nothing to scoff at it will be a tough fight and that should be memorable enough as it is." Gaara said calmly.

"Yeah I don't expect it to be easy, really I just want to go out there and have some fun." Naruto said with a smile.

"Fun this is Iwa kid, it wouldn't surprise me if they really tried to kill you, I am sure most of them want to see it happen. Don't get too comfortable because the old man Tsuchikage seems to have taken a liking to you." Zabuza warned.

"You're right, but I don't need you to remind me that I am unpopular, every time I leave this palace I see people glaring at me. Still I think I have earned some respect from the jounin if only because I have the Rinnegan." Naruto said calmly.

(**Elsewhere**)

A large cream colored bird was gliding over the top of a mountain before coming to a rest in front of a large cave. "Well were here, lets get her inside and start the sealing yeah!" Deidara said while hopping off the bird with Yugito hung over his right shoulder her long blond hair only just missing the ground.

Tobi nodded eagerly and jumped down to join the Iwa bomber. "Okay let's go Deidara-sempai. Be careful not to hurt the Nibi jinchuuriki pain could wake her from Tobi's sleeping genjutsu." he said in glee.

"Yeah don't worry about it, yeah. I am not going to hurt her." Deidara scoffed.

"But Deidara sempai removing the Nibi will kill her." Tobi replied.

"I didn't say that I wouldn't kill her, did I? Yeah." Deidara explained with a smile before the pair walked into the cave and almost immediately a large statue appeared before them and a spectral presence of the other Akatsuki ninja appeared.

"Tobi caught the Nibi see! Because Tobi is a good boy!" the masked ninja said happily greeting everyone with a wave.

"Very good Tobi, we are now one step closer to our final goal." Pein stated in a monotone voice that seemed to echo around the room almost as a show of power.

"_**I am sorry to say this Tobi**_, _but it appears that you were followed by summoned creature_, _**a sparrow if I am not mistaken**_." Zetsu informed the room.

"It can't be Tobi is always super careful." Tobi said in disbelief.

"It doesn't really matter does it? By the time anyone from Kumo gets the message and gets here it would be too late, Kumo is several days away from us here." Kisame said.

"_That may be true_, _**but it will take several days to seal Nibi as well**_. _There is a chance that Kumo could arrive before we finish_." Zetsu warned.

"We will have to make sure that we finish early then." Pein said before he started the process involved in sealing the Nibi away.

"Well four down five to go, the real problem is what are we going to do about the Kyuubi's little group. I mean they have three Bijuu safely hidden away somewhere in the Land of Fire, combined with Konoha it would be foolish to attack them as they are." Deidara said once the sealing was underway, Yugito's body suspended in mid air in front of the Gedo Mezo statue while a steady stream of chakra flowing into the giant statues mouth.

"_**The main problem would be Konoha**_. They have teams out scouting at all times. _**Our presence within the Land of Fire would be known as soon as any fighting started,**_ _particularly now after the disastrous events of the last time we entered into that country in search of the Bijuu_" Zetsu informed the group.

"Konoha are a problem that will be dealt with but only after we have captured the Rokubi at the least." Pein said.

"Easier said than done, we have been looking everywhere but still no sign of the Rokubi jinchuuriki, he's been hiding from Kiri for around ten years so I guess it's no real surprise he has become adept at the process." Hiruko said flatly.

"Regardless having a Bijuu hiding without a village or support system will only make him harder to capture if we destroy Konoha first. It is likely that the other villages will move to claim the Land of Fire and a new shinobi war will begin... and once we h ave the final Bijuu we will end it." Pein said with finality.

(**The Next Day**)

Naruto had been forced to stop his training in the early afternoon the day before, much to the displeasure of the blond and was now feeling slightly tense as he stood in the center of a large arena, the stadium floor looked almost like a maze of tall building high rocks and rapidly flowing rivers. 'This terrain will suit the Iwa ninja, they would have been brought up fighting in this terrain, just like Konoha and it's forests. Still in a four on one situation this is ideal, far better than fighting in an open area.' he mused while high above in great stands that circled the grounds shinobi and interested civilians began flooding into their seats.

It was not long before the stadium was packed and the Tsuchikage called for silence, a request granted immediately as a sign of respect and emphasizing the amount of power that he held within Iwa. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen, today we are given a rare opportunity to see five elite shinobi compete. First off allow me to introduce the son of the yellow flash, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." Oonoki's introduction caused a rather indifferent reaction. Several people clapped respectfully while others showed open hostility, the majority however remained silent. "And today his challengers are, My son Kitsuchi, my own personal bodyguard Akatsuchi and, Iwa's jounin commander Irian Oogal." he declared loudly.

Naruto waited but the fourth name never came. "Hey what's the deal, you said I would be facing four shinobi!" Naruto asked loudly.

"Indeed I did, and you will get your fourth competitor, that is if you can defeat the three you have been given. The final competitor asked to fight you one on one personally. And I figured you would like the challenge of a one on one fight after a three on one." Oonoki spoke loudly leading the crowd to roar in approval, both at the outlook of having two fights and also at how out numbered the blond was.

Naruto smiled in anticipation. "Then what are we waiting for? Lets get this started!" he declared confidently.

High in the stands Itachi smiled at his students attitude. "I wonder if Oonoki briefed them on Naruto-kun's skill level" he mused.

"We will have to wait and see, I can't imagine the Tsuchikage selecting ninja and putting them into a fight with someone like Naruto blind. That may be why this is the chosen environment for the fight." Gaara observed.

"Also the selection of the Oogal clan head cannot be a coincidence, he told Naruto-kun of his clans ability to level the playing field in his eyes." Itachi agreed.

Finally a short balding shinobi landed atop one of the tallest rocks. "I will be your proctor for this match. Ready... Start!" he yelled.

'_Alright first I need to find them_' Naruto thought but before he could even move his opponents obviously had found him. One of the closest rocks suddenly grew out into a thin rod that was quickly towards the blond. Naruto quickly ducked to avoid the attack but soon had another pillar of stone rocketing towards him. Once more Naruto rolled out of the way.

The crowd was cheering every move, anywhere Naruto went the earth would move around him to attack while the jutsu caster was nowhere to be seen.

"Kami damn it, how does he know where I am all three of them are on the other side of the arena for fucks sake!" Naruto yelled to himself while flipping over another Doton pillar. 'Wait it's that Oogal guy, his clan must be helping him with that Kekkei Genkai of theirs, so no matter where I run to he will know. Well then in that case I gotta give them something else to look at.' he thought before seallessly creating six clones that shot off in all directions. "Now lets see how good your jutsu and Kekkei Genkai really are."

On the other side of the arena the three Iwa shinobi stood one had his eyes closed in concentration while holding a hand seal. "Ah he's figured out how I am tracking him and has created clones to split up. I can't keep up with all of them." Irian Oogal said still in deep concentration not wanting to give Naruto a rest.

"We can deal with the clones!" a rather large dopy looking shinobi said happily.

"Akatsuchi is right, you just keep the real one busy, we can't let this guy get a foot hold you saw the recording of what he did to my daughter." Kitsuchi said.

"You don't have to tell me, even on the defensive this kid is formidable, I haven't been able to so much as scratch him." the Oogal clan leader said stiffly.

Without wasting any time the two other Iwa elite jounin shot off in opposite directions around the arena. Kitsuchi was the first to meet one of Naruto's clones but was surprised to see it unmoving while standing atop a tall peak simply watching in the direction of where the real Naruto was still expertly dodging Irian's relentless Doton jutsu. '_A shadow clone? If I defeat it he will know where I am, but at the same time it is necessary_' the Iwa jounin thought before launching himself towards the clone making sure to come in from Naruto's blind side with his arm cocked for a powerful strike.

At the last second Naruto's clone raised his arm to block the strike not even looking away. "That's not very nice, attacking when my back is turned." the clone said flatly.

Kitsuchi's eyes widened in surprise. '_How did he see me, my chakra signature is completely suppressed and I attacked from behind!_' he thought in shock. Quickly regaining his senses Kitsuchi spun in the blink of an eye attempting a leg sweep.

Naruto reacted just in time, his body went limp and he fell sideways over the sweep lifting his legs at the perfect moment to avoid being hit vaulting himself up perfectly before landing this time facing the jounin. "Impressive speed, any of the other clones and you would have had me for sure." Naruto admitted with a smile.

"What are you talking about? How are you different from the other clones?" Kitsuchi asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Like this, Shinra Tensei!" Naruto replied before blasting the Iwa Jounin away.

Kitsuchi flew through a massive rock before crashing into a second and coughing up a small amount of blood. "That's going to hurt tomorrow." he coughed opening his eyes to see Naruto's clone once more standing facing his main body.

By this time Akatsuchi had arrived to find his first target almost directly opposite from the one Kitsuchi was facing. "Suiton: Water trumpet." he yelled causing the Naruto clone to spin around.

"Hm what interesting luck. Preta Path." Naruto said absorbing the jutsu.

"Wow is that one of the Rinnegans abilities?" Akatsuchi asked with a friendly smile.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Well you're an interesting one aren't you? To answer your question, yes, it is one of the paths of the Rinnegan, this clone is the Preta Path clone." Naruto explained.

"Amazing, but why is that clone only that one path?" the chubby shinobi asked.

"When I make a clone they gain one path's abilities unfortunately I can only make six clones because of this otherwise I suffer from quite a bad case of information overload." Naruto replied.

"Does that mean that there are six paths?" Akatsuchi queried once more.

"Yeah that's right, six clones for six paths, now shall we continue, I am a support type clone rather than offensive so I do not have the speed advantage of my Deva path nor the offensive capabilities of Asura or Animal path, but I can still put up a good fight." the Preta clone said.

"I'm ready!" Akatsuchi said jumping forward eagerly with surprising skill and speed.

Despite this fact the portly Jounin couldn't land a hit, every time it appeared that he may have the clone it would slip out of the way. A problem that Kitsuchi and Irian Oogal were also experiencing. '_I don't get it every attack misses, its like he knows before an attack comes in, it's uncanny_' the Oogal clan head thought while silently sending a message to his clan members in the audience to figure out why.

The three jounin continued to struggle without hitting Naruto or either one of his clones. "It appears that they haven't figured it out yet. But it shouldn't take them long, these are elite jounin after all." Itachi said to himself intently watching the real Naruto duck and weave through the continued volley of stone pillars.

"Why hasn't he attacked yet? All he has done so far is dodge." Zabuza said in frustration.

"For the same reason that his clones have not been defeated despite being exponentially weaker than he is, they are still testing each other out, this fight hasn't begun to get serious yet." Itachi said.

"Well I hope it picks up soon, all this running around is getting boring." Zabuza said flatly.

Fortunately for the Demon of the Mist, he did not have to wait all that long. As inside five minutes a member of the Oogal clan sent a message to his clan leader. "So that's it, they all share the same line of sight, three fighting and four are covering their blinds spots. Well in that case I need to change my target." Irian said with a smirk.

Naruto stopped for a short moment he had been anticipating to have to jump away from another attack but nothing came. Then he saw all four of his observing clones puff out of existence as stone spears shot out from behind each of them. The shock gave Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi the opening that they needed to each strike a blow on their clones dispelling them. '_looks like they figured it out, well I have enough information on their styles to press on, a long range jutsu user, and two close range fighters to keep me busy._' Naruto thought juping quickly to the top of the tallest rock that was close by. "Well that was a decent warm up, what do you say we get to the main course!" he yelled out making sure that the three other shinobi heard him.

The response came in the form of three Doton jutsu flying towards Naruto from three different angles. Naruto wordlessly formed the seal for Doton before slamming his hands to the ground wordlessly forming a massive wall of stone around him. Loud gasps could be heard from the stands. "Impossible a stone wall so large, and he did it wordlessly." a group of jounin voiced loudly in disbelief.

"Looks like Naruto-kun has been practicing." Itachi said impressed himself by Naruto's justu.

The stone wall did not prove to be strong enough however as the combined pressure of the three Doton jutsu crushed the wall and continued to fly toward the blond. "Man I should have just spoke the Jutsu's name." he sighed as the Iwa shinobi's attacks grew ever closer. "I guess it can't be helped. Shinra Tensei!" the force of Naruto's gravity manipulation shattered their jutsu and all the rocks around him.

In response Akatsuchi raced through another set of hand seals. "Suiton: Water Whip!" from far below two thin strands of water shot up slicing through rock after rock on their way towards the blond. At the same time Kitsuchi began heading as fast as he could in the direction of Naruto, hopping from rock to rock for better speed.

"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto yelled dispelling Akatsuchi's Suiton jutsu. Just as Kitsuchi arrived on the scene. '_Ah shit, these guys are well organized._' "Shinra Tensei!" he said again blowing Kitsuchi back.

Oonoki's son slammed into the ground with such force that he felt a rib crack from the pressure. "Damn that's some jutsu" he admitted coughing up a small amount of blood.

"Interesting, if he could just blow everything away why did he use a Fuuton jutsu against Akatsuchi?" Irian mused. '_There must be a time limit, that Jutsu repels everything, it must have a weakness. It must have a recharge time._' he thought.

'_First I need to get rid of the long range fighter, as it stands I will need to keep using Shinra Tensei as long as they keep coming in waves like they have been._' Naruto thought as he took off toward the Oogal clan head.

"Oh shit he's heading towards Irian, and hes way too fast for us to catch, Akatsuchi slow him down, anyway you can!" Kitsuchi yelled knowing how important their long range specialist was to their hopes of winning.

"Okay I'm on it, Suiton: Water Wall!" Akatsuchi said loudly and right in front of Naruto water rose up blocking his path.

Naruto formed the seal for Katon before blowing a stream of fire through the water blasting his way through. "Damn looks like it's my turn. Doton: Stone Serpent." Kitsuchi said loudly. Causing a giant snake made from rocks to grow out of the ground nearby that began to circle around Naruto.

Once more Naruto shattered the Doton jutsu with a Shinra Tensei. "Now hit him with everything you can!" Irian yelled loudly casting jutsu after jutsu.

Stone spears shot towards Naruto forcing him to jump away. Meanwhile Kitsuchi sent a massive wave of flames towards Naruto while Akatsuchi sent a high pressured jet of water.

Naruto stood in the center of the three jutsu counting the seconds. '_Fuck I don't have enough time to repel this._' "Preta Path!" he yelled as each of the jutsu struck.

A loud cheer went up from the crowd as the three jutsu slammed into the blond, however their cheers soon turned to silence as the Jutsu cleared to reveal Naruto standing with only a few minor singes and the stone from the Doton jutsu stopped in its tracks less than an inch from his chest. The last of the flames and water getting absorbed into his body.

Instantly Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi charged forward from each side. 'I don't have time to waste on these two just yet.' Naruto thought before blowing them away with yet another gravity jutsu.

"He's over using Shinra Tensei, if he's not careful he could lose." Itachi said critically.

Naruto again began heading towards the Oogal clan head but once more found himself pinned back by the three Iwa shinobi combining their jutsu. 'This is insane, I can't get close to that long distance fighter, he's coordinating them. I need to hold these guys back for justa few seconds, and this terrain isn't helping.' "Okay that's it I am doing this one last time... SHINRA TENSEI!" Naruto yelled this time there were no jutsu to repel but instead the ground around Naruto began to shake then one second later the mammoth rocks that were scattered around the area were blown away smashing into the borders of the arena shattering on impact. The three Iwa jounin had to act quickly to avoid being caught in the shockwave by each tunneling under ground.

Smoke filled the area and obstructed all view for almost a full minute when the smoke cleared the once rough terrain was now perfectly flat, the rocks that had survived the power of the attack were all against the edge of the large ring. "Wow if he extended the field of that jutsu down more we would have been dead for sure." Kitsuchi said panting in relief while double checking that he was still in one piece.

"No time to rest, we need to keep up our attack or we are done for! He just used that gravity jutsu so it will be awhile before he can use it again. If we are going to win this we will need to go for the kill, he is far too strong to think we stand a chance of winning unless we go for the kill." Irian said.

"Agreed, this kid is throwing around powerful jutsu like its nothing. So lets show him one of our own lets use the sandwich technique, even if he absorbs the chakra from the attack Doton is solid so he can't fully absorb it and he will be trapped." Kitsuchi said.

"Alright lets do this... Doton: Sandwich Technique!" Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi yelled at the same time.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as two halves of a giant rock moved to crush Naruto between the pair. "Raiton: Kami's Call!" he yelled in desperation. A massive bolt of lightning shot out of the sky before splitting in the air above Naruto's head with the lightning creating a cage around Naruto before extending out turning the giant stone bolder into nothing but rubble. "Phew that was close, looks like I need to keep my guard up more." he sighed in relief.

"Damn what is this kid? Nothing works!" Kitsuchi panted in disbelief.

"We should try taijutsu, fighting him in Ninjutsu isn't getting us anywhere." Akatsuchi agreed before charging forward along with the Tsuchikage's son.

Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi arrived at the same time one went high attempting a punch to the side of the face while the other went low trying to take out Naruto's legs. Naruto blocked both attacks but the follow ups to his ribs each connected, if only lightly and Naruto was sent tumbling away but managed to roll up to a standing base before coming to a halt.

'_I need to go on the attack, no more defending I am drawing a line here!_' Naruto decided before taking off in a blur. Naruto slammed a knee into Kitsuchi's chest but found his attack blocked. Not to be downhearted Naruto planted a leg and spun around bringing the back of his heal to the side of the shinobi's head that was once more blocked but the force behind the attack still sent Kitsuchi rolling away.

Akatsuchi moved to take advantage of Naruto being distracted by Kitsuchi and charged him from behind. But Naruto felt his presence and spun out of the way. 'He's gotten faster? No, he is using elemental manipulation to increase his speed for close combat. It's obvious that in a one on one situation none of us would still be standing against this kid. I guess he really lives up to his families name." the heavy set shinobi thought in awe. As Naruto slipped through his defenses and hit him in the side of the face sending him careening into Kitsuchi who had just made it to his feet.

"Doton: Leveling Bolder." Irian yelled forming a massive compressed stone bolder and launched it once Naruto was clear of the other Iwa shinobi.

"I am sick of you putting me on the defensive." Naruto said as he held a hand up and a ball of spinning chakra formed in his hand.

"Rasengan!" came several hushed whispers from the crowd.

Naruto channeled extra chakra into it and ran forward. "Oodama Rasengan!" he yelled before smashing though the bolder and continuing forward at top speed. '_All out attack, I need to end this here!_' He thought as he sped across the field.

Irian saw Naruto heading toward him and began running through another set of hand seals but then paused as Naruto's speed increased exponentially. '_What the hell!_' he thought before spinning around in time to see Naruto's fist slam into his face knocking him in the air. Naruto's attack didn't end there as he jumped into the air high above the Iwa shinobi before spinning around bringing his leg down on the Oogal clan heads ribs.

"My gravity manipulation is back." Naruto said with a smirk as Irian who had not seen Naruto's full speed up to that point, and was now close to loosing consciousness.

"You made yourself lighter to increase your acceleration and speed. Clever boy, you're to much. Truly you are your fathers son, I yield." the Oogal clan head said.

Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi who had just go to their feet looked around for the blond finding him standing over the top of the Oogal clan head. "Let's go, we need to do this together!" Kitsuchi said and the two shinobi shot toward the blond together.

"You both have gotten much slower." Naruto said as he slipped in between the Iwa ninjas attacks.

"He's right... I'm almost out of chakra and our injuries are restricting our movements, we've lost. But I'm not going out without a fight." Kitsuchi said.

"I'm right behind you. This kid is strong but this has been really fun." Akatsuchi added.

Once again the two shinobi charged at Naruto, however for every blow that they managed to land they were hit six. To their credit they lasted close to five minutes before Naruto was able to land the finishing blows. Kitsuchi was struck with a knee to the stomach causing him to double over before a chop to the back of the neck left him unconscious.

Finally only Akatsuchi remained. "You're tough, looks like I loose." he said with a friendly smile.

"You guys really pushed me, I haven't had a fight like this since I fought with the Raikage." Naruto admitted while forming a rasengan in his right hand. "This is it for you, but I would like a rematch one day... Bansho Ten'in!" Naruto said extending his free hand causing the portly Iwa jounin to fly towards the blond. "Rasengan!"

The proctor landed in the center of the arena and checked on both close range fighters. "Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi are unable to continue, and with Irian Oogal's withdrawal the winner is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!" he called out.

The crowd was stunned and completely silent at the scene before them until Oonoki began clapping, then slowly the stadium erupted into cheering at the show that had been put on for them.

Once the cheering had died down Naruto turned back to look up at the Tsuchikage. "So who is my final opponent?" he asked.

The answer came not from above but the far end of the stadium. "That would be me."

"Oh well this is going to be difficult." Naruto sighed with a weak smile.

**End Chapter! **


	86. You're Opponent, Is Me!

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****86: Your Opponent, is Me!**

Naruto stared wide eyed at his final opponent in disbelief. '_You can't be serious, how am I supposed to fight him in a place like this._' he thought desperately.

'Now this is rather unexpected." Gaara said in surprise up in the stands.

"Well the Tsuchikage did promise Naruto-kun a tough fight, and it doesn't get much tougher than this." Itachi agreed. '_This is going to be interesting, I wonder who will win after all this time._'

"Hey old man Tsuchikage, what gives? You said I would be facing Iwa shinobi!" Naruto yelled.

"Did I say that? In any case he came to me and requested to be your final opponent." Oonoki replied calmly.

"What's wrong? don't tell me that your scared?" Naruto's opponent spoke with a chuckle.

"You wish Jiraiya-sensei. But isn't having Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama with you cheating, hell you're already in sage mode." Naruto said his attention drawn to the two small toads sitting on his sensei's shoulders.

"Don't whine Naruto-chan, if you are going to defeat Pein first you must defeat Jiraiya-chan!" Fukusaku lectured.

"So that's it huh, a training exercise?" Naruto asked.

"Not at all, this is..." Jiraiya took off in a blur before finishing his thought. "A Fight!" he yelled appearing above Naruto dropping his leg. Naruto rolled out of the way just in time for the moment he struck the ground it exploded with force.

'_Phew I can't get hit with that, Jiraiya-sensei is serious!_' Naruto thought wide eyed. He came out of his daze just in time to spin out of the way of a powerful punch from Jiraiya raiding his guard at the same time for the extended range of the Frog Kumite that blasted Naruto across the field regardless of blocking. Jiraiya attacked again however this time Naruto reacted. His eyes widened signaling the use of a silent Shinra Tensei.

Jiraiya was ready for this however and the moment he saw the ground begin to rocket away from the blond Fukusaku and Shima shot their long toad tongues into the ground as an anchor until the jutsu had passed him by. "Nice try kid, I took the idea from your little girlfriend, the way she used those chained blades to avoid being thrown away by your gravity manipulation, I figured if it works for her it will work for me." he said.

Naruto smiled before ripping off his jacket and tossing it to the side, landing with a loud thud and cracking the earth beneath it. "Oh look Jiraiya-chan he has increased his weights be careful, he will be much faster now." Shima said.

"Don't you think Jiraiya-chan knows that, you daft woman. Jiraiya-chan was the one who designed his weighted clothes after all." Fukusaku said.

"Don't call me daft you forgetful coot!" Shima replied and the pair descended into complete bickering that sounded like high pitched croaks while Jiraiya and Naruto both had a deadpan look on their faces.

"Some things never change huh." Naruto sighed with a chuckle once the bickering died down.

Jiraiya shot forward engaging Naruto in a violent exchange of taijutsu, Jiraiya's senjutsu overpowering Naruto even with his Rinnegan enhanced strength. On the other hand Naruto was far faster than the Toad Sage and despite not getting any meaningful hits in he did manage to get the better of their first encounter with a swift back hand to the side of Jiraiya's face that caused him to jump back.

"Toad art: Sea Foam Jutsu!" Jiraiya yelled. Immediately Jiraiya and the two toads each ran through hand signs. Fukusaku released a stream of fire, Shima spat out water, and Jiraiya supplied oil. The three combined and soon the arena filled with boiling foam.

Naruto activated Preta Path and began absorbing the jutsu. What he didn't know is that was what Jiraiya had expected and the second he finished absorbing the jutsu he had thousands of hair needles heading toward him. Forming the seal for Fuuton Naruto took a deep breath and blew the needles away only to have Jiraiya appear behind him. He was able to block just in time but was still sent tumbling from the force behind the strike.

The crowd were yelling in approval of the show they were seeing. It was on a new level to the fight they had seen before to the point that many of the shinobi could not keep up with the pairs movements.

'_This is insane, I need some time to regroup at least get into sage mode, I can't use my elemental rasengan properly without it and if things keep going like this I will need it._' Naruto thought while quickly jumping away from another powerful strike of Jiraiya's.

Naruto created six clones and had them spread out before charging forward to throw a punch at the Toad Sage only to pull out at the last moment as a fake before spinning to kick Jiraiya in the side of the ribs. Jiraiya had reacted on instinct to keep up with Naruto's speed, his experience in training Naruto made his movements slightly easier to read but Naruto's unpredictable nature always had kept the Gama Sennin guessing before and this was no different.

As soon as Naruto felt Jiraiya block his attack he made his body go limp falling toward the ground, just as he was about to hit the ground he shot his hand out before pushing off with great force and at such a great speed that it slipped through Jiraiya's defense and both feet made contact with his chest, sending Jiraiya flying.

"Lucky I was in Sage mode or that would have shattered my ribs." Jiraiya said to himself as he looked out across the field to where Naruto was standing his guard completely up.

"We should act as one Jiraiya-chan, you attack with the Frog Kumite and Ma and I will cast jutsu, Naruto-chan can't absorb our jutsu and fight you off at the same time." Fukusaku said.

Jiraiya and Shima both nodded before Jiraiya pushed off toward Naruto who stood focused but un moving as he watched Jiraiya jet closer to him. Naruto blocked the first strike with ease but Jiraiya used the power behind the attack to pivot himself behind the blond and went to kick Naruto in the back of his head but the jinchuuriki ducked just in time thanks to his clones covering his blind spot.

Naruto spun on one leg to attempt a leg sweep but quickly needed to kick away as a jet of fire shot out from Fukusaku's mouth that was so powerful that the rocky floor of the arena melted from the heat. '_Shit they are serious, one wrong move and I could die_' Naruto thought as Jiraiya shot forward once more. However he didn't quite make the distance before Fukusaku and Shima sent a Fuuton and Suiton jutsu at the blond that combined in mid air tearing the ground up. Naruto hands out and sent a gravity jutsu to blast the group back.

Jiraiya saw the toads jutsu being repelled and realized that they couldn't anchor him this time. '_It's up to me this time._' Jiraiya thought before his hair extended crashing into the ground just as the jutsu hit.

"Well done Jiraiya-chan!" Fukusaku complimented.

'Now's my chance!' Naruto realized and pushed off high into the air. "Suiton: Water Dragon!" he yelled and a giant dragon shot up from the river that was flowing through the stadium it circled the arena once very quickly before heading towards Jiraiya and the toad elders that were still anchored against the Shinra Tensei.

"Toad Oil Gun" Jiraiya yelled spewing forth a powerful jet of oil. Fukusaku knew what Jiraiya needed and supplied a burst of fire.

With the combined strength of the fire and oil Jiraiya's jutsu shot through the water dragon and straight to where Naruto was beginning to fall. Shifting over to the Preta Path Naruto absorbed the jutsu. '_That should be enough time._' Naruto thought dispelling one of his clones instantly his eyes began to change to a golden color.

"Jiriaya-chan look out he's in Sage Mode!" Shima said.

If that wasn't enough of a warning the bell like screech that soon filled the arena was. "He's going this far?" Gaara questioned in shock as he gazed down at Naruto holding a Rasenshuriken high above his head.

"Neither of them are going to lose this fight without going all out, in a way this is what Naruto-kun needs. When it comes to experience and skill Jiraiya-sama has no equal. I do not doubt that he would defeat me, only Naruto-kun stands a chance against him." Itachi said flatly.

"You're selling yourself short Itachi, you're skills in genjutsu are unmatched, you could give those to a run for their money." Gaara replied.

"Maybe if they are not in sage mode, while they are one with nature like that there are very few Genjutsu that would be effective and the ones that can have rather drastic side effects. I would only use Tsukuyomi and Naruto-kun can break out of it now." Itachi said dismissively.

"Fuuton: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto said loudly yet calmly as he finished forming the massive spinning disk of Fuuton chakra. The wind coming from the jutsu was enough to toss dust and small rocks around like they were nothing. Naruto allowed a small smirk at the gasps of shock coming from the crowd before throwing the jutsu towards Jiraiya.

Fukusaku saved Jiraiya by using his tongue to pull the the self proclaimed super pervert out of the way before the jutsu expanded encompassing close to a quarter of the arena. "How did Naruto-chan get into Sage Mode? We haven't given him the chance to collect Senjutsu!" Shima asked.

"He must have figured out a new way to collect Senjutsu chakra, allowing him to continue fighting even without us. We could never fuse with his body so he began using his chakra absorption technique. He must have figured out a new way on his own." Fukusaku said quite proud of the blond jinchuuriki.

"It's the clones" Jiraiya said looking at the five remaining clones standing around the arena. "He's collecting senjutsu with some of them while the others act as his extra eyes. He knew that without wither of you there was no summons that could collect senjutsu for him so he's having them collect it for him." he explained.

"Clever boy!" Shima said in realization.

"He just despells them as he needs more senjutsu, it's ingenious." Fukusaku complimented.

"Hey you never say that about anything I do." Jiraiya whined.

"That's because you never do anything!" Fukusaku replied befor striking the Sannin with his walking cane. "Now focus or you will lose this."

"Fine!" Jiraiya replied and began racing through hand seals. Naruto recognized the seals immediately and began racing through his own. "Summoning jutsu!" they both yelled at the same time slamming their hands to the ground. Jiraiya now stood atop Gamaken while Naruto summoned a large rhino that charged straight for the Giant toad.

"You're not the only one who knows the others moves sensei." Naruto declared as the Rhino slammed into Gamaken's shield with a deafening clang.

Jiraiya smiled in pride before kicking off as fast as he could. "Same plan as last time, I'll focus on Taijutsu and you attack with Ninjutsu." Jiraiya said as he ran at full speed toward Naruto who kicked off as well to meet his sensei half way.

The two clashed the power behind their senjutsu powered attacks forcing both back however Jiraiya was sent a little further thanks to Naruto's Rinnegan enhanced strength and chakra control. No sooner had Naruto landed than he had to jump high as a thin yet incredibly powerful jet of water ripped through the ground toward him as if the ground was nothing but paper. In the air however he couldn't move out of the way of Fukusaku's Fuuton jutsu and was forced to cancel it out with a Katon jutsu wordlessly blowing a large ball of fire toward Jiraiya and the toads.

The fact that the Katon and Fuuton jutsu canceled each other out was credit to just how strong the small grey haired toad really was. By the time Naruto had landed Jiraiya had recovered from the precious encounter and shot forward to strike at the blond again this time having the momentum advantage was able to push Naruto back but once more the blind side attack failed.

Realizing his Senjutsu chakra was running low Naruto dispelled a second clone. Jiraiya who had not stopped his momentum from the previous attack jumped high into the air and formed a Gargantuan Rasengan. "Cho Odama Rasengan!" he yelled slamming the jutsu down at the blond.

'_Oh shit! That's big!_' Naruto thought impressed by the sheer size of Jiraiya's rasengan. But still managed to swich to Preta Path to absorb the jutsu before it struck. Naruto had almost completely absorbed the jutsu when he felt something move behind him. His clone quickly searched the area but couldn't see anything until Jiraiya appeared from his his shadow. "A clone!" he said in surprise unable to move as Jiraiya's clone kicked Naruto in the ribs sending the jinchuuriki careening into the arena wall.

Jiraiya's clone was struck with what was left of his own jutsu but it was a small price to pay. "Since when do you allow people to sneak up on you? With your skill that should have never happened!" Jiraiya lectured trying not to show just how exhausted he was.

'_He's right, I was too focused on avoiding Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama's attacks that I didn't even see Jiraiya-sensei create that clone much less worry about sensing movement from anywhere other than sensei. Looks like I have no choice but to try the move I have been working on, I cant use it while I am in Sage Mode yet though._' Naruto thought as he staggered to his feet holding his ribs where Jiraiya's clone had just hit him. Suddenly he held both hands out to his side and began channeling chakra into his palms. Two Rasenshuriken came into existence.

"Now that's some fire power." Zabuza chuckled.

"Jiraiya-sama won't be able to dodge both of those, he will need to either stop them from getting near him or prevent Naruto from using them." Itachi mused.

"What's he doing? That will exhaust his Senjutsu chakra and from the looks of it the other clones are not collecting any." Jiraiya questioned.

"A win or lose play perhaps?" Shima guessed.

"Naruto-chan is not someone to lose just because his Sage Mode has run out, nor would he use an attack like that without confidence that Jiraiya-chan could escape it, my guess is that he is planning something." Fukusaku said rubbing his chin in contemplation.

"No time for that I have to stop these Rasenshuriken before they get close." Jiraiya said quickly racing through hand seals as fast as he could. Naruto let the two spinning disk's of wind fly and they quickly began soaring towards the Toad Sage. "Sage Art: Doton: Supreme Fortification!" Jiraiya yelled slamming his palms to the ground before a massive wall six foot thick shot up across the center of the arena just before the Rasenshuriken hit.

Naruto's jutsu struck the wall with such force that the wall exploded into thousands of pieces that shot in every direction dispelling not only Naruto's clones but also both Summons that were both still fighting for dominance in a battle for strength that ended abruptly when they were struck with a massive bolder.

When the smoke cleared only the edges of wall remained and on either side both Jiraiya and Naruto were breathing heavily. "It's no use, You know all of my moves." Naruto panted.

"Does that mean you're giving up?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled at his sensei's optimism. "No it just means I have to do something that you haven't seen." Naruto replied before forming two hand signs and disappearing."

'_What tha?_' Jiraiya thought before Naruto appeared standing next to him then he realized a sharp pain in his stomach and looking down saw Naruto's fist deeply embedded in his gut. "That's new. He thought as he stumbled back clutching his midriff.

"So he decided to use that move huh." Zabuza said wincing from the memory of helping the blond perfect it.

"It would appear so, but he has not completed it yet, this was a desperation move." Gaara observed.

"Amazing, he combined Raiton, Fuuton and his Gravity for unparallelled speed. I knew he could do it." Itachi said allowing a rare smile to grace his usually stoic face. 'His movements were impossible to follow even with my Uzugan I only saw brief glimpses of it!' he thought amazed at the power of Naruto's new technique.

Jiraiya straightened himself up. "Did either of you see him move?" he asked the toads.

"Just a brief glimpse, it was complete speed. If not the only thing that it can be compared to would be the Hirashin." Fukusaku said in awe.

"Theirs something different about him through look." Shima said pointing at Naruto. It was subtle but she was right, wind was constantly circling around the blond causing his hair to be lightly thrown around, small cracks of lightning would shoot into existence for the briefest of moments, barely visible to the eye unless you knew where to look for them. Finally his muscles seemed to be more defined than before as if working at a higher rate.

"So you finally were able to combine three elements huh, it only took you, ah how many years was it?" Jiraiya chuckled.

Naruto smirked in reply. "Yes but the longer I hold this form of elemental manipulation for the more damage it causes to my body, my muscles are already under strain, so how about we finish this?" Naruto said his voice sounding more powerful than usual due to the Raiton and Fuuton chakra flowing in and around his body.

"Don't think you have won just because of this, I fought with your father you know." Jiraiya said.

"I know that's why I am going to give this everything I have got!" Naruto declared before vanishing with only a spark of lightening to indicate that he had moved.

Jiraiya acted on instinct guessing where Naruto would strike and got lucky, he felt the impact before he saw it blocking the initial attack that would have struck his ribs. However he was not so lucky with the follow up, a kick to the back. Fukusaku then kept Jiraiya in the fight by using his tongue to deflect a finishing blow.

'_No good, my muscles are too sore from yesterday, I only have one or two moves left before my muscles start to tear._' Naruto thought decreasing the amount of chakra he was using. '_It's all on this attack._' he thought before launching himself forward.

"This is it, it ends now!" Jiraiya thought going for a calculated strike with the Frog Kumite. Both attacks hit head on kicking up a massive cloud of dust and when it cleared Naruto was standing while Jiraiya was on his back.

"Not bad kid, if you hadn't over done it in training yesterday you would have won." Jiraiya said standing up at the same time that Naruto fell to his knees. "You hit, but you're body gave out before then, and you lost the power in your attack." Jiraiya lectured as Naruto looked up at him.

"Who says it's over?" Naruto replied before exploding in a hail of Lightning paralyzing the Sannin.

"A Raiton Shadow Clone? When?" Jiraiya questioned as Naruto appeared from the ground ending his Chameleon Jutsu.

"Just before I hit. I knew that with Senjutsu that a single hit wouldn't have put you down for long so I ended my combination jutsu once I saw that you had committed to your attack. Replacing myself with a Raiton clone. I know my body Jiraiya-sensei, so I knew that should I have followed through with that attack that I would have been defeated. This was the only way for me to win." Naruto said forming a Rasengan.

"Yeah you got me, I concede defeat." Jiraiya said with a smile of pride in his student. '_He truly has surpassed me now, I gave everything I had and he still won, I bet you're loving this aren't you Minato-gaki._'.

"The winner... Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!" the proctor said slightly stunned and unsure as to what he had seen. The same could be said for the crowd, they had been in complete silence ever since Naruto used the twin Rasenshuriken attack but now the fight was over they erupted in cheering unable to hide their appreciation for the show that they had just seen.

Oonoki himself looked on wide eyed at the blond. "To think he would be able to defeat someone like Jiraiya-dono at his age, three high A ranked shinobi and a Kage level with out a break, and he still won amazing."

back on the stadium floor Jiraiya's paralysis had worn off and the master and student shook hands as a sign of respect. "You won and was able to hide a few of your skills, good job it's never wise to let anyone know everything you can do." Jiraiya said.

"Yeah well if I didn't risk using that jutsu at the end you would have won, I still have a lot to learn. The techniques I didn't use were because they wouldn't have worked." Naruto sighed.

"Don't sell yourself short, I was able to fight you on even ground because I trained you, anyone else wouldn't know what hit them." Jiraiya assured the blond in a fatherly fashion.

"We'll see, I need to defeat Pein, I still need to get stronger." Naruto said bitterly.

"Knowing you, you won't be happy until you are strong enough to be comparable to the Rikudou Sennin." Fukusaku chuckled.

"I only need to be strong enough to keep those that I cherish safe, until that day I will keep getting stronger. Plus if I don't try I will never find out my full potential." Naruto replied.

"A scary thought." Jiraiya replied as the pair began to exit the arena.

"Anyway, we should go Jiraiya-chan. I need to get the dinner on and it can be rather difficult to capture all the caterpillars I need for my soup at this time of year." Shima said.

Naruto and Jiraiya both shuddered from the though, neither were fond of Shima's uniquely Toad style of cooking to say the least. "Well then I won't keep you. Thanks for the help today Fukusaku-sama" Jiraiya said with a small bow.

"Yeah thanks for nearly killing me several times." Naruto scoffed jokingly.

"Don't be a smartass!" Fukusaku yelled smacking the blond with his waling stick causing Jiraiya to snicker, only to be given the same treatment.

"Ouch." Both Naruto and Jiraiya complained rubbing their heads.

"Quit complaining. I am glad to see that you have progressed so well Naruto-chan, you may well be the child of prophecy that the grand old geezer toad saw all those years ago when Jiraiya appeared in Myobokuzan." Fukusaku said proudly.

"It would be nice to see a change to this world. But I can't do it alone." Naruto said honestly.

"We'll see, great people are capable to change the world. You have a strong group of friends that will stick by you through what ever may come, with them anything is possible. I think it's time we left so this is goodbye at least until next time" Fukusaku said before disappearing in a puff of smoke along with Shima.

They made it to the exit where they were greeted by the other members of the Yoinokuchi group and Oonoki along with the three shinobi that he defeated in the first half of the match. "Well you certainly proved just how strong you are out there boy. Perhaps now some of the more disagreeable members of Iwa will think at least twice before campaigning to have you killed." he said bluntly.

"Uh thanks I guess." Naruto replied rubbing the back of his head unsure how to respond to the Tsuchikage's glaringly honest statement.

"Yeah you're really something, I hope I don't have to fight you for real any time soon." the dopy looking Akatsuchi said shaking Naruto's hand.

"Indeed he really is something special, much like his father was." Kitsuchi added stiffly.

"Oh relax a little will you Kitsuchi, no need to be so formal, it's probably off putting for the kid." Irian Oogal joked patting the Tsuchikage's son on the back. Before turning to the Yoinokuchi group. "It was a great fight, you are both clearly at the highest level. Although I found watching the fight to be less troublesome than participating." he said with a smile.

"I hadn't expected Jiraiya-sensei to be my final opponent, that really took me by surprise. I could really use a rest." Naruto said, exhaustion was finally starting to set in now that the adrenalin from the fight had slowed.

"Yeah to be honest I could use a rest as well." Jiraiya admitted.

"Yes we can finish the talks for the non aggression agrement later after you rest up." Oonoki said allowing the Yoinokuchi shinobi to leave.

"So what do you think? Is he a threat to us?" Kitsuchi asked once Naruto and the others had left.

"Yes he is, but only if we are a threat to them. That gravity jutsu of his could level this village and kill everyone should he use it at full power and I have a feeling he hasn't shown us everything he is capable of." Oonoki replied.

"So we go ahead with the signing?" Akatsuchi asked.

"Yes, to be honest it is the only option that I can see we have. It would be foolish to make an enemy out of that boy." Oonoki replied.

"That's true, even if we ambushed them with everything we have I could still see us losing a good portion of our ninja forces, crippling us in the process." Irian agreed.

"I will inform the council once the agreement is finalized I count on all you for support in this matter." Oonoki said.

"Of course, Oonoki-sama" the three chorused before eventually parting ways.

**End Chapter!**

**Just to let everyone know, should this fic be taken down I will re-post it and my other fan fic on Adult Fan Fiction . Net (not an affiliate) and maybe Deviantart. If anyone knows of another fan fic site that allows more mature fiction I am willing to upload there as well.**


	87. Reactions

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****87: Reactions**

Naruto woke after a long sleep, although he would never show it his fight with Jiraiya had taken a lot out of the young shinobi. '_Kami that Raiton, Fuuton Gravity combo is still not perfected yet. I can only use it in open areas, a sharp turn could potentially tear my leg muscles in two, I also can't use any jutsu while using it._' he thought.

Naruto entered Sage Mode to help remove the remaining fatigue he was feeling before heading down stairs once the Senjutsu chakra had left his system. "Well well looks who finally woke up." Zabuza smirked upon Naruto's arrival in the large living area of the second floor of the Tsuchikage tower. In the room Gaara and Zabuza were sitting around a large circular table while Jiraiya and Itachi were nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah well I was kinda low on chakra." Naruto said with an embarrassed smile.

"Understandable, even for a jinchuuriki you used an immense amount of chakra and some frighteningly powerful justu." Gaara observed.

"I guess. So is Jiraiya-sensei up?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I believe that he went out with Itachi some time ago. They should be back soon." Gaara said.

"Well, I'm absolutely starving, I hope there is a ramen bar in Iwa. I'll be back later." Naruto said with a friendly wave before leaving.

Naruto made it downstairs to the entrance when the door opened and in walked Jiraiya and Itachi. "Oh Naruto, perfect timing we need you to come upstairs with us." Jiraiya said upon seeing the blond.

"But I am hungry." Naruto whined.

"Don't complain we have been keeping Oonoki waiting for long enough, your stomach can wait Naruto-kun." Itachi said.

"Aw come on, just let me get something to eat first." Naruto begged.

Jiraiya whacked the blond upside his head. "No, now come on the sooner we go see Oonoki the sooner you can eat." he said assertively.

"Fine!" Naruto huffed in disappointment before turning to walk back upstairs. Jiraiya and Itachi followed him and soon the trio were standing outside of the Tsuchikage's office. "Why do we need to have sit down talks for this, shouldn't we just agree to not try and kill each other, seems pretty straight forward to me." he said.

"Mostly yes, however there still are things to iron out, as in acceptable reasons that the non agression pact may become void." Itachi explained.

"Ah but that could take forever, I'm hungry now." Naruto whined.

"Oh shut up will you, lets get this over with, then you can go find a place to eat." Jiraiya said before knocking on Oonoki's door.

The door was opened by Akatsuchi who smiled dumbly at the trio. "Oonoki-sama Naruto-sama is here." he said happily.

'_Sama? When did I earn that honorific?_' Naruto questioned himself.

"Well then let them in I don't have all day after all." Oonoki's voice came from the other side of the half opened door. Akatsuchi move out of the way and allowed the three Yoinokuchi shinobi to enter the room. Naruto saw Kurotsuchi sitting beside her grandfather who was busy filling out mission statements for the shinobi of his village. "Ah I trust you are well rested?" he asked upon looking up from the stack of papers.

"Well I'm a little hun-" Naruto was silenced by a elbow to his ribs from Jiraiya.

"We are both fine" the Toad Sage said calmly.

"Good to know. Now shall we begin?" Oonoki questioned.

Oonoki stretched an arm out and grabbed a blank sheet of paper and a long elegant quill with a feathered end that bore the symbol for Iwa and beneath it the kanji for Earth. This confused Naruto as there were perfectly good pens sitting on the desk. Naruto tried to ignore the rather unique choice of writing implement but soon his curiosity got the better of him. "Uh why are you using that to write?" he asked bluntly grateful to see that both Jiraiya and Itachi seemed to be equally confused.

"Oh this old thing? Well you see this quill uses a special type of ink that can only be written in with this exact quill. All of Iwa's laws a written down in this ink as it is used as added proof that the law or treaty was handed down by the current or a past Tsuchikage." Oonoki explained.

"I see so in addition to your mark and symbol you use a special writing tool, clever." Itachi mused.

"Indeed it is. Now let's begin, first I would like to ask if there is anything that you want from Iwa in these negotiations?" Oonoki queried.

"You mean apart from not being killed right?" Naruto replied.

"Yes of course." the Tsuchikage answered.

"Well I wouldn't mind some ramen." Naruto said before receiving a smack on the back of the head.

"He means do you want to receive anything like jutsu or money idiot!" Jiraiya said the frustration clear on his face. "Stop thinking with your stomach and focus!" he ordered.

"Fine, then no I don't want anything from Iwa, I think a even trade of not killing each other should be enough. I do not need any new jutsu and I would like to keep my signature jutsu classified if possible." Naruto said finally answering Oonoki's question.

Itachi smiled knowing that Naruto had seen through a potential stumbling block in handing Iwa information on jutsu that could eventually come back to haunt them. '_For someone who is still young he is handling this sort of situation in an exemplary manner. He would make a good Kage himself one day._' he thought proudly.

Oonoki nodded slightly disappointed that Naruto didn't want anything. 'It will be harder to get the council to quietly let this treaty pass quietly if they get nothing from these talks.' he thought realistically. "Very well I will agree to no exchange of knowledge or wealth. Now onto the terms, This is not an Alliance and as such you will not have free entry to Iwa with and as you please, now will you be allowed to freely roam the Land of Earth." he said stiffly.

"I guess that's agreeable." Naruto said looking to Jiraiya and Itachi for some guidance. Jiraiya nodded to mark his agreement.

"Are you saying that we cannot enter the Land of Earth?" Itachi queried voicing a small concern.

"Not at all, you may enter but should you plan any missions in he Land of Earth you are to send the information to myself for approval. My shinobi deserve to know if and when you plan to be operating inside this country." Oonoki explained.

"That could be a little counter productive, the more people that know what we are doing the more chance there is that information would leak, also we often work as silently as possible. Although we have not taken any missions inside the Land of Earth for several years letting your shinobi know what we are planing to do could work against us." Itachi said.

"My shinobi will not be told of what you are doing, only that you will be in the country and an estimated amount of time it should take. If you agree to that none of my shinobi should bother you." the Tsuchikage said.

"That doesn't sound so bad, I guess. Alright I guess the only thing that I can think of saying is that in the event of my friends being targeted or Konoha that would be a deal breaker for me." Naruto said.

"Of course this is a non aggression pact not an alliance. Should allies be targeted on either side then the agreement is void. Think of it as extra motivation not for us to attack Konoha." Oonoki said.

Naruto nodded in agreement and understanding. "Fair enough. I can agree with that." he said.

"Now there are the shinobi from your group and Konoha, is there anyone else that should be added to your side of the agreement?" Oonoki said scribbling down Naruto's terms.

"Uh I guess Kiri, I was made an honorary Kiri shinobi by Mei Terumi." Naruto said.

Oonoki grunted in surprise. "It's not like Kiri to grant a honor like that on an outsider, then again I guess you are not any ordinary kid." he said. '_This might work, he cannot do as he pleases in this country and as long as we leave Konoha and Kiri alone we are fine. Then there is the fact that if we do kill him it seems that Konoha and Kiri would both have cause to go to war with us, and given Suna's relationship with Konoha three hidden villages. Easily enough to scare even the more aggressive of shinobi in the village._' he thought calculatingly.

"So do we need to add anything else to this, or can we get it signed?" Naruto asked.

"I believe that is all." Oonoki said in deep thought while writing out the last few lines. "Yes it's done. Just sign here, and Jiraiya-dono beside as Naruto's adviser" Oonoki said handing the paper and a different pen over to the blond.

Naruto paused for a moment reading over the document, once he was satisfied that everything was in order and there were no hidden loopholes in the agreement that unfairly favored Iwa he signed at the bottom of the page where instructed. "Here you go." he said handing the scroll and pen over to Jiraiya who repeated the process before handing it back to Oonoki.

"Very good, Akatsuchi if you could act as witness for my signature?" he said calling the elite Iwa Jounin over to the table as he added his mark and seal with the long quill. Akatsuki signed last of all and Oonoki offered Naruto a hand which the blond shook readily.

Naruto released the Tsuchikage's hand and looked around waiting for someone to speak. "Uh are we done?" Naruto asked tentatively, not sure if there was some other part to the meeting that he didn't know about.

"No we are done, you can leave." Oonoki said flatly.

"Yes I can finally go get some food, do you have a ramen restaurant around here?" the blond asked.

Oonoki and Kurotsuchi were both speechless at how quickly Naruto was able to switch from serious to that of a lighthearted fool. It was Akatsuchi who had been less surprised answered first. "There is a ramen stall in the shopping district that is rather popular." he said happily.

"Awesome, uh which way is that again?" Naruto queried.

Oonoki sighed and turned to his granddaughter. "Kurotsuchi, please show Naruto the way. Last thing we need is him getting lost and stumbling into a clan compound or Anbu headquarters." he sighed.

Kurotsuchi gave a small disapproving grunt but noded all the same. "Verry well, follow me." she ordered the jinchuuriki stiffly.

'Hm Kurotsuchi seems far less friendly than before. Did I upset her somehow?' Naruto thought as he followed the kunoichi out of the room. They walked out of the building in complete silence, Naruto still puzzled over Kurotsuchi's behavior.

As they walked Naruto noticed people would instantly turn their heads in his direction and follow his movements until out of sight. However it pleased Naruto that the harsh glares of outward hatred were replaced by what seemed like stunned disbelief bordering on respect. "The show you put on yesterday has clearly had an effect on the village, civilians and shinobi alike." Kurotsuchi said coldly.

"Uh yeah it seems like it." Naruto said slightly hesitantly, the added attention proving to be quite embarrassing to the blond. "Hey is something wrong? You seem to be upset." Naruto asked finally deciding to voice his concerns.

"No I'm perfectly fine." she snapped making it perfectly clear to Naruto that she wasn't.

"You're going to need to be a lttle more convincing than that. You can talk to me, who am I going to tell, I don't even know anyone?" Naruto replied.

"Fine!" she snapped spinning on the spot to stare at Naruto. "It's you!, you made me look like a complete fool. For days you had me thinking that you were nothing more than an idiot then defeat me with ease. Then if that's not bad enough you put on that display yesterday that proved that you didn't even take me seriously at all, you went easy on me!" she yelled in anger.

Naruto had a puzzled look on his face unsure of what he did wrong. "Um I don't ge-"

"No of course you don't get it, you don't care that you embarrassed me in front of my grandfather, but then for me to find out you didn't even have to try! You could have easily defeated me in one blow but you wanted to embarrass me, to show how weak I am!" Kurotsuchi explained angrily.

"That was not my intention, all I wanted to do was show you where you could improve. Defeating you in one hit would not have done that, you needed to have someone show you your weaknesses in order for you to fix them, something that as the 'Granddaughter of the Tsuchikage' you would never have had any other way. Your grandfather knows that as well, but rather than accept that you are not perfect, you would rather attack me for the manner that you lost." Naruto said calmly.

"Don't lie!" Kurotsuchi demanded.

"What possible reason would I have to lie? Ask yourself honestly, what you were able to learn from your fight with me, and what would you have learned if I ended it as quickly as I could? You will become far stronger if you take the lessons you picked up from our fight to heart and work on what you need to improve. I am sorry if you think I deceived you by playing the fool but at the time I was still unsure if this was just a trap to lure me to Iwa or not." Naruto said.

Kurotsuchi's glare stayed firm for a few moments but softened once she had time to think about what the jinchuuriki was saying. '_He's right, if he had gone all out on me I would have lost so fast that I may have thought it was a fluke. I may have been embarrassed but at the same time what he said is the truth, he told me what I need to work on, rather than be angry I should really be thanking him._' she thought. Although her pride would never allow her to actually thank Naruto for the manner in which she lost she was at least willing to apologize for treating him so coldly. "I guess I did not think about it like that, I am sorry for the way I acted it was rash and not becoming of a jounin of Iwa" she admitted.

"Don't worry about it. I should have explained why I have acted like a fool before this and for that I am the one that is sorry." Naruto assured the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. "How about we just forget about all of this and I'll treat you to some ramen?"

"That sounds acceptable to me." Kurotsuchi replied, quite happy that Naruto hadn't taken her less than kind attitude to heart.

(Meanwhile)

Jiraiya and Itachi had yet to leave Oonoki's office. "I take it that you have something that you wish to discuss with me not involving the non aggression agreement?" the Tsuchikage guessed as the three men stared at each other.

"Well it's a bit of both. It sort of involves the agreement now, but we were going to come here anyway." Jiraiya said casually.

"Is that so, does that mean that you were planning a mission in the Land of Earth before you even came here?" Oonoki questioned.

"Indeed, in all honesty one that is not all that far away from Iwa." Itachi answered flatly.

"What could you possibly have to do close to Iwa? There have been no complaints nor has anything out of the ordinary been happening in or around Iwa." Oonoki replied.

"Well that's because the person we are going after works quite well in the shadows. In all probability he has spy's inside Iwa to track your movements." Itachi said in his usual stoic nature.

"Enough of this tell me who you are going after!" Oonoki ordered.

"It's my old teammate Orochimaru. He has a hideout in the mountains around Iwa. We have it on good authority that he is staying there in order to avoid Naruto and myself." Jiraiya explained.

"Orochimaru! This could explain some things. There have been a few genin going missing on their first mission. We have been assuming that they ran into unfoseen difficulties as they never happened within the same year but some notable clans have had genin taken." Oonoki mused.

"Which is why we are going to take him out, once and for all." Jiraiya said.

"Very well, if you know where he is feel free, but make sure that you destroy the base before you leave I don't want anyone Orochimaru or anyone else for that matter to use it again." Oonoki stated authoritatively.

"We plan on it, there is also a chance that some of your kids are still being held there as hostages. They will of course be returned if we find any." Jiraiya said with a smile.

"Good I take it you are planning to do this after you leave here." Oonoki guessed.

"Yes, that was indeed our goal." Itachi said.

"Then I will aprove it, once the non aggression pact is finalized." Oonoki agreed.

(With Naruto)

The blond jinchuuriki and Kurotsuchi arrived at a small cafe style restaurant that seemed to be rather busy. "This place has the best ramen in Iwa, I'm not a fan of it myself but one of the members of my Genin team loved the ramen here." Kurotsuchi said as they approached.

"Well the local's would know better than a tourist." Naruto mused.

As they approached the counter more and more of the locals began whispering loudly. "Oh Kami it's him!" one woman gasped.

"Did you see what he did in that exhibition match? I couldn't even follow his movements he's so fast." a chunin said.

"What about those jutsu he used, they leveled a massive wall that one of the legendary three ninja of Konoha created." a kunoichi replied.

Kurotsuchi shook her head in embarrassment. "You would think that they thought you were deaf." she sighed.

Naruto laughed. "Well it's a whole lot better than the glares I was receiving before." he chuckled.

"I guess it would be." Kurotsuchi said as a young man in his early twenties came over to take their order.

"Kurotsuchi-sama how wonderful it is to see you here and you brought a date." the room fell deathly silent the moment the man finished talking.

The silence seemed to ring on louder than Miteo Gai and his mini look alike, Lee, getting pumped up for a training session, until at the exact same moment both Naruto and Kurotsuchi bust out laughing. "This isn't a date, don't you know who this is!" Kurotsuchi asked in hysterics.

Naruto was not coping any better. "Kurotsuchi was just asked to show me to a nice place to eat by the old man Tsuchikage." he laughed before turning to Kurotsuchi. "Does this happen often?" he asked finally getting a hold of himself.

Kurotsuchi face palmed and let out a sigh of frustration. "More often than I care to admit." she answered.

Meanwhile the man working behind the counter seemed to have finally recognized just who it was that Kurotsuchi was with. "Oh Kami yo-u you're Nami-ka-ze... the son of the Yondaime Hokage!" he said in horrofied realization.

"Yeah that's me." Naruto said offhandedly.

"Forgive me I did not recognize you." the man stammered.

"It's fine, can I just get some miso ramen." Naruto replied.

"And I'll have some chicken ramen." Kurotsuchi added.

The server took their order down on a notepad before disappearing out the back to begin cooking the ramen. At this stage Naruto became rather aware that the whole restaurant was still in silence, every eye gazing toward him as though he were about to attack. '_What do they think I am going to do? Attack that poor guy just because he didn't recognize me?_' he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

The silence stretched on and neither Kurotsuchi or Naruto wanted to draw attention to it both attempted to ignore it by chatting amongst themselves but every time there was a small break it became more and more obvious that everyone else had seemed to forget about their own meals and was focusing on Naruto and Kurotsuchi. Eventually the server came back with two large bowls of ramen and Naruto payed the man. "Thank you for your business, Namikaze-sama." he said shakily.

Naruto had to rub the back of his neck to hide the embarrassment, he was never comfortable with people giving him a high title when he hadn't done anything to earn it. "That sounds way to formal for my liking, just call me Naruto." the blond said with a smile.

"If you wish, Naruto" the man replied and Naruto was pleased to see he had become somewhat more relaxed.

"Come on let's take this back to Ojii-sama's tower, it feels like I am in a zoo here." Kurotsuchi said loudly enough that everyone could hear her. Immediately the occupants of the restaurant turned back to their food in a vain attempt to hide the fact that they had just spent the last five minutes or so gawking like childen stuck in front of their favorite television show.

Naruto chuckled at the response before nodding his head. "Sure, I bet Jiraiya-sensei and Itachi-sensei have finished talking to the old man by now anyway." he said as the pair began to leave the restaurant.

"What did they want to talk to Ojii-sama about?" Kurotsuchi questioned.

"Well before we came to Iwa we received information on the location of a man who needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. He has been hiding out in the mountains around Iwa for quite some time apparently." Naruto explained.

"Really, who cold survive out in the mountains for long?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Orochimaru for one." Naruto said darkly.

"What! Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, really!" Kurotsuchi asked in shock.

"Yes, he has been hiding out in secret for quite some time, but he has escaped justice for long enough." Naruto replied.

"Well normally I would say you must be insane for going after someone like him but I have seen enough of you fighting to know better." Kurotsuchi said.

"He is not someone that anyone can get an easy win against but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do something just because it is risky." Naruto said with a smile before his face turned stoney and unforgiving. "Besides last time we met that damn snake fled before I could finish him with Jiji, this time I won't let him get away!" he declared darkly.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry this update is late, been away for a short holiday and I have only been able to write late at night before bed, next week might take awhile as well but should be back to normal after that. Sorry for the wait but I hope you enjoyed it even if it wasn't some of my best work.**


	88. A long Awaited Confrontation

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****88: A Long Awaited Confrontation**

Naruto and Kurotsuchi made it back to the Tsuchikage Tower at the same time that Oonoki was making his way out along with Akatsuchi. "Ojii-sama where are you going?" the kunoichi asked while respectfully gliding out of the way to allow the Tsuchikage to exit the building.

Oonoki quirked an eyebrow surprised to see that his granddaughter's mood had become far brighter than before she left. '_Looks like she has worked through her anger with the boy. But even then it can be almost impossible to calm Kurotsuchi down at times._' Oonoki thought quizzically. "I need to call a meeting to inform the village on the outcome of our talks earlier." he informed the kunoichi grumpily slightly feigning the irritation as he did not want to show his surprise to see Kurotsuchi so quickly back to her normal, happy self.

"Sounds horrible, really being a Kage must be the worst, you're stuck in the village all the time, never get to go on any missions, and to top it all off they get all the paperwork." Naruto said.

"I hear that, he's just like his beloved sensei. Why do you think I turned the job down and stuck Tsunade-Hime with it?" came Jiraiya's voice from behind the group before sticking his head out from behind a rather lage pole.

"Reckless fools. They really are quite alike." Oonoki muttered to himself.

"What are you doing out here sensei? I thought you already had something to eat with Itachi-sensei earlier." Naruto asked mildly suspicious of his father figures less than noble hobbies.

Jiraiya scratched the back of his neck and looked off to the side as if to avoid eye contact. "Oh you know, just wanted some fresh air." he said rather unconvincingly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes to glare accusingly at the elder sage but waited before speaking as if giving Jiraiya time to come clean about his real objectives. "Come on Jiraiya-sensei, I know you better than that, what were you really up to?" he questioned seriously.

Jiraiya shed fake tears, pretending to cry. "Oh Minato, your son has become so disrespectful to his sensei, I tried raising him as best I could but I must have failed you." he cried.

Naruto, Kurotsuchi and Oonoki were all looking at the mock crying man with a deadpan look of disbelief on their faces while Akatsuchi had the same dopey smile that he always wore. "You were trying to spy on me and Kurotsuchi weren't you?" Naruto said expressionlessly.

Jiraiya immediately stopped crying and had a look of mock indignation on his face. "Why I have never been so insulted in my life." he declared.

"So even though there was no way that this was a date you are still trying to spy on me?" Naruto replied not buying his sensei's antics.

"Why you're..." Jiraiya paused mid thought his face angry but the longer he paused the softer his face became until he couldn't help but deadpan. "Essentially accurate." he admitted almost jokingly, causing everyone to face palm.

"It wasn't a date. Hell it wasn't even an arranged meeting, Oonoki asked Kurotsuchi to show me to a place where I could get some ramen that's all." Naruto said shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Inspiration comes in many forms Naruto,who knows what I could have come up with." Jiraiya said.

Kurotsuchi seemed highly confused at this point. "I don't get it why would you follow us anyway?" she asked Jiraiya tentatively.

"I'm glad you asked little lady, you see I am a famous author, as well as a world class shinobi." he said smugly.

"Author?" Kurotsuchi questioned disbelievingly.

"Yes I write fine works of literature that are sold all over the elemental nations." Jiraiya said pompously.

Naruto snorted stifiling a laugh. "Fine works of literature, more like glorified smut." Naruto replied. Although if he was perfectly honest he had enjoyed several of the books Jiraiya had written as they had a decent story line not to mention the fact that they had helped quite a lot with the more intimate times with Akimi.

"What!" Kurotsuchi asked rather dangerously.

"Jiraiya-sensei writes those little orange books you see in all the bookstores in the adult section. They are best sellers with shinobi in fact the only one that isn't smut, doesn't sell, but in truth it is easily his best work." Naruto said.

"You mean you write those perverted Icha Icha books that Ojii-sama and my father read!" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Oh I didn't know you were a fan of my work Oonoki-dono." Jiraiya said pleased.

"Fan is a stretch. All of the books were gifts." Oonoki said flatly.

"Yeah a gift from you to you." Kurotsuchi scoffed causing Naruto and Akatsuchi to chuckle.

"Enough of this I need to get going, I still need to call all essential members to the council hall, and they're not going to gather themselves." Oonoki replied slighly flustered. "Akatsuchi let's go!" he ordered before stalking off.

"I think you made him mad." Naruto chuckled.

"Oh he's always too serious, still I bet I am going to get some horrible assignment because of this." Kurotsuchi admitted with a resigned sigh accepting her fate.

(**Meanwhile**)

There was another kunoichi preparing to accept her fate. Fuu the short mint green haired kunoichi had spent most of the time since Naruto and the other Yoinokuchi shinobi had been gone building up the courage to confront Akimi over her relationship with the blond jinchuuriki. The problem was, when ever she seemed to have gained the will power to question her fellow kunoichi, Akimi was nowhere to be found.

'_Damn it, where is she!_' Fuu thought in frustration as Fuu checked her room only to find it empty. Deciding to look elsewhere Fuu made her way upstairs to the living area but Akimi was not there either. "She's not here either." she sighed looking around the room.

It was at this moment Haku made her presence known. "You looking for Akimi-chan I take it?" she questioned.

Fuu nodded. "Yeah I've been looking everywhere for her all day, she's not in her room or in the training fields, I need to ask her something." she admitted.

"Oh" Haku replied guessing what it was that the green haired jinchuuriki wanted to ask. "Akimi-chan has been using Naruto-kun's elemental training room upstairs. Naruto-kun has been teaching her how to use Fuuton manipulation properly so I would try there." she said with a solemn smile.

"I see, I'll go check there then. Thanks Haku-chan." Fuu said before making her way towards the stair up towards Naruto's room. Not a sound could be heard and Fuu thought she must have hit another dead end until she opened the door and the hall filled with the sounds of wind and lightning slamming into the walls of the training ground in the next room.

Fuu opened the door and found Akimi standing in the middle of a large room panting heavily. Akimi spun on the spot surprised to be interrupted during her training. "Oh it's just you Fuu." she panted showing signs of fatigue.

Fuu seemed a little puzzled at this. "You were expecting someone else?"

Akimi shook her head. "No I guess not, just kind of surprised to see you up here that's all." she admitted while still catching her breath.

"I wanted to talk to you." Fuu declared taking a few steps into the room.

Akimi gave a puzzled look feeling slightly uneasy due to the stern commanding tone of Fuu's voice. "Uh what about?" she asked fearing the worst.

"Naruto-kun." Fuu replied walking towards the tired Akimi. "More specifically, I want to know if you are in a relationship with him."

Akimi didn't answer. '_I'm too tired to fight if this turns south. But I will not lie to her._' she thought calmly.

Fuu waited for her answer but the longer she waited the mere impatient she became. "Damn it just tell me!" she yelled. "I can't stand it, holding onto some foolish hope that Naruto-kun rejected you and that I still have a chance to be with him, the chance that was taken from me when he chased after you in Kiri! You took my happiness from me before I even had a chance to fight for it. So tell me! Tell me the truth, are you seeing Naruto-kun!" she spat glaring at Akimi.

"Yes" Akimi said weakly stunned by Fuu's boldness. Akimi had expected many things but an angry outburst from the normally withdrawn and shy Fuu was not one of them.

"Yes what!" Fuu ordered the rush of blood to the head that sent her into this rage pushing her on.

"I told Naruto-kun that I love him and he accepted me. He is mine, and I am his, forever." Akimi said starting to get fed up with the jinchuuriki's attitude.

"I see... It's all your fault." the jinchuuriki said darkly as a small amount of Bijuu chakra began leaking into her changing her eyes making her eyes begin to change, the whites of her eyes became all but non existent as the bright orange pigment of her eyes expanded making her look almost insect like.

"Hardly." Akimi scoffed, "You knew how I felt about Naruto-kun and I said I was going to tell him." she continued. Despite realizing the situation that she was in at that point in time, she would not allow Fuu to label her as the criminal.

"I won't forgive you for this." Fuu said under her breath barely audible.

The quiet tone of Fuu's voice, mixed with the demonic chakra of the Bijuu caused Akimi to double take, but at the same time becoming annoyed herself at Fuu's attitude. "What was that?" she asked sternly.

"I said I will never forgive you for this!" she yelled as the Bijuu cloak spread almost instantly with two winglike tails buzzing behind her.

Akimi didn't have time to react as she felt a fist made from the Nanabi cloak smash into her chest throwing her to the far side of the room. Her back hit the wall with enough force to crack the wall before she fell face first to the ground. '_Damn, I'm too tired to put up a decent fight, I am almost out of chakra as it is._' she thought as she began to stand. She made it to her knees before having to roll out of the way for another fist of chakra flying from Fuu.

"I hate you." Fuu said darkly, the chakra from the Nanabi making her voice harsh before she took off charging toward Akimi.

The swift release kunoichi activated her Kekkei Genkai and was just able to avoid the onrushing Fuu but her chakra exhaustion was catching up with her and after one move was forced to end her swift release and fall to her knees. "I can't fight, not as I am right now Fuu. So what will you do? Kill me?" Akimi said her frustration with herself evident in her voice as she dropped her arms to her side.

A hand of chakra shot forward and slammed Akimi into the wall pinning her there unable to move. Fuu stalked closer to the immobile Akimi until they were face to face. "Killing you would not solve anything, but know this as far as I am concerned you are dead to me. I will not do anything to sabotage your relationship with Naruto-kun, but not all relationships last forever." she declared.

"If you are going to try waiting for him you will only end up disappointed. I have already said, I am his and he is mine... forever!" Akimi said defiantly.

"Then so be it." Fuu said before bringing a fist up into Akimi's stomach causing Akimi to gasp in pain before passing out. Fuu released Akimi from the wall and watched with some interest as she collapsed in a heap onto the floor before stalking out of the room her anger slowly residing. And by the time she made it to the door realization of what she had done was beginning to set in. '_Oh Kami what have I done! I just attacked Akimi what was I thinking?_' she thought turning back to where the dark haired kunoichi was still unconscious, however upon seeing the defenseless kunoichi who had just begun to regain consciousness and her sympathy faded, replaced by a grim sense of satisfaction. "Let this be a lesson to you. Just stay out of my way and we won't have any problems." she warned before leaving, closing the door behind her.

(**Iwa**)

Oonoki stood at the front of the large Iwa counsel chambers that had been slowly filling over the past few minutes.

"I take it this has something to do with the Namikaze boy?" a old shinobi around the same age as Oonoki asked once it had appeared that everyone had taken their seats.

"Indeed it does." Oonoki replied.

"So how do you suppose we deal with the boy then." the old ninja replied.

"I have reached an agreement with the Namikaze boy, and we have both signed the non aggression pact." Oonoki declared.

It was obvious to the Tsuchikage that his declaration was not met with universal approval. "What is the reasoning behind that!" one man yelled in anger. "You saw his fight earlier, if we leave the boy alive he will only become stronger, he could become our downfall."

This was met with a roar of both approval from one group and disapproval from another. "Yes we did see the fight and it is clear that the boy is strong enough that a fight against him is not one that can be won without casualties. Also are you forgetting that he has the Rinnegan Kekkei Genkai? He could be the reincarnation of the Rikudou Sennin and you are suggesting that we kill the boy, who has not caused us any harm." a dark haired kunoichi said loudly.

"He is a threat that should be delt with before it comes back to haunt us, I would rather put down a wolf as a pup rather than when it is trying to rip out my throat." a balding man replied.

"Enough!" Oonoki ordered loudly and the room fell so silent that you could of heard a pin drop. Oonoki glared at everyone sternly for a few moments until he was satisfied that the silence would hold. "I made a choice for Iwa to sign this agreement. The only one that would guarantee our survival. To mark Naruto Namikaze as a enemy and attempt to kill him would be as good as signing a suicide note in our own blood. Not only would Konoha retaliate the boy is an Honorary Kiri shinobi named a hero of the Land of Water by the Godaime Mizukage, Mei Terumi." he declared.

"So you're saying that to kill the Namikaze boy would result in Konoha and Kiri declaring war upon Iwa?" the dark haired kunoichi asked.

"Indeed but you are forgetting of Konoha's friendship with Suna, we would not only be facing Konoha and Kiri but also the Land of Wind, three shinobi villages, not something that we could ever hope to survive." Oonoki answered.

"A valid point, besides he has not done anything to harm any Iwa shinobi those of you who are out for his blood are holding onto your anger for his father. He is not his father." Irian Oogal said loudly.

"Your clan lost just as many clan members as anyone, and you are just saying that you are not angry about that?" a dark red haired kunoichi asked.

"Angry? It was a war there were casualties on both sides I killed my fair share of Konoha shinobi, and and so have a lot of you, do you want your children to be hated by Konoha because of what you have done in your life? So why take out your anger at Minato Namikaze on his son who has not done anything to Iwa?" the Oogal clan head asked.

"I guess that is true. I still don't like the boy." the kunoichi replied.

"Then it is a good thing that I am not asking you to like him, just not kill him." Oonoki stated.

"So what did the boy want to agree to the non aggression pact?" one of the village elders asked.

"He didn't want anything, however we also will not receive anything." Oonoki answered.

"You weren't able to get anything out of him." the elder asked incredulously. "That boy has vast knowledge of powerful jutsu, just look at the show he put on against Jiraiya-dono. Even a single one of those jutsu would have been a great asset to the village." he added.

"That is true, but something is not given without compensation, and the boy's jutsu consist of many personal creations, had he agreed to trade any they would come at a high price. He asked for nothing, and that we ask for nothing in turn. But I was able to put some restrictions on his movements, his group cannot freely roam within the Land of Earth, entry will be granted upon request and they cannot operate in this country without informing us first, and even then, only in the area they have stated they will be working." Oonoki declared.

"I approve of the agreement. If nothing else the Namikaze child has earned some respect from his show yesterday, and while I do see that he could become a potential threat it is not our way to kill those who have done no wrong certainly not when they have been invited to our village and have not done anything out of line." an elder said haughtily.

"Gah fine, I agree to not harm the boy." a bald man said slightly dismissively.

One by one more and more people agreed and in the end every Iwa member on the council agreed. "Good that will be all, I will go inform our guests of the final decision." Oonoki said breathing a sigh of relief that it went so smoothly. "Akatsuchi let's go this room is boring me." he said before heading towards the exit, wanting to get out as soon as possible to avoid any possible complaints about the agreement with Naruto despite everyone agreeing to uphold it.

Akatsuchi followed Oonoki out of the building and back towards the Kage tower when suddenly a thought sprang to mind. "You didn't tell them about Orochimaru?" he said.

Oonoki stopped walking able to tell from the inflection in the large shinobi's voice that he was asking why. "Orochimaru is a snake, he has been for years now. Towards the end of the last war he took great pleasure in watching our shinobi die. While most people feared Minato Namikaze in the last war, and rightly so, I would have rather been killed by him one hundred times over than have been subjected to some of the deaths afforded to those unfortunate enough to run into Orochimaru in the final days. One of his favorite tools was psychological warfare. He used spy's to plant misinformation, commit murders on key personnel at strong points. He would wait until our troops were paranoid wrecks sometimes at the point of killing each other before he would strike feeding our men to his snake Manda as an offering." he said in reflection. "If you want to know why I didn't tell them. It's because the more people who know the higher the risk that Orochimaru will find out himself. I am not fool enough to think that he does not have people within my village, if he did not how would he know where our teams were headed when we lost members of several Kekkei Genkai wielding clans. I agreed to let Jiraiya-dono's group take care of it, and I will stand by that statement." he declared.

Akatsuchi nodded slowly taking in all that his Kage had said. "I get it, besides having Naruto kill him will mean that our shinobi are not put in danger." he said.

"Not entirely, I am sending Kurotsuchi with them. She needs to go back to Konoha to retrieve her team, this way they can mask them leaving the village as heading back to Konoha. If the mission is a success I will inform the other councilors." Oonoki replied.

Akatsuchi smiled in understanding as they began ascending the stairs the floor where Naruto and the others were staying. "They will be able to do it I fought Naruto myself and know just how strong he is." Akatsuchi said confidently when they arrived at the door to the unit the Yoinokuchi shinobi were staying in.

(**Elsewhere**)

It had taken Akimi a long time to get over the attack she had received from Fuu. '_Damn she sure did a number on me._' she admitted as she made her way towards the door using the wall to help her maintain her balance. Once the swift release kunoichi stammered through the door only to fall once more from exhaustion.

Haku was rather puzled, Fuu had been in a foul mood for when she returned from speaking with Akimi, but she had a satisfied smirk on her face. '_Maybe I should go ask Akimi-chan what happened._' she thought as she began to make her way upstairs Naruto and Itachi's training room. She made it to the floor where Naruto's bedroom was located and was about to head towards the training room when she noticed Akimi on the floor barely moving. "Oh Kami Akimi-chan! What happened?" she asked concern clear on her face.

"It was Fuu, she snapped and attacked me." Akimi coughed.

"What? Why would Fuu-chan do something like that, she has always been so kind." Haku said in disbelief.

"It's because..." Akimi paused not having told anyone that she was going out with Naruto other than Fuu. "It's because of my relationship with Naruto she was angry at me, because he accepted me before she told him how she felt." she admitted.

"Come on let's get you to your room and I will take a look at your wounds. Then I will go talk to Fuu-chan, it is probably for the best if I talk to her first, we don't need this to happen again." Haku said helping Akimi to her feat before supporting her as they walked back down to Akimi's room. 'This is horrible we can't be fighting amongst ourselves like this I need to get these two to make up before the others get back.' she thought a slight hint of worry in her mind as she dumped Akimi onto her bed and began performing some first aid.

**End Chapter!**

**Another chapter done. Back from my holiday now so hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next update.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	89. The Late Arrival

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****89: The Late Arrival**

Haku spent several hours patching up Akimi's wounds. She had a severe amount of fatigue, partly caused by her forcing herself to try and move while injured, not a good idea at the best of times but when already drained of chakra it worsened her condition considerably. "How are you feeling now? I patched up the wounds but I would still take it easy for awhile Akimi-chan." she said as she noticed Akimi begin to stir.

"No need to tell me that Haku all my arms feel like they're on fire, that Bijuu chakra is no health supplement that's for sure." Akimi joked weakly.

"Still youself despite what happened it seems." Haku replied with a warm smile pleased to see Akimi was able to joke about the situation. "I should probably go look for Fuu, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." she sighed standing up from the bed and walking to the door of Akimi's room. 'Now where to start, I guess her room is as good of a place as any... I wish Gaara-kun was here his sensory sand jutsu would let me find her in a heartbeat.' she thought once she left the room and turned in the direction of Fuu's living quarters.

Haku was to be disappointed however as Fuu was not in her room, in fact Fuu was no longer inside the Yoinokuchi complex. Once her adreniline had worn off the full weight of what she had done hit her and the young mint haired kunoichi had fled not wanting to face Haku and certainly not Akimi. "What have I done, she 's my friend... or at least she was, I knew how she felt about Naruto-kun I had no right to blame her for anything and then to make it worse, I attacked her... Hell I almost let Nanabi take over. She was exhausted from her training and couldn't even defend herself." she thought out loud as she ran.

Fuu knew quite well it was not safe for her with the Akatsuki still lurking around but she just couldn't stay in the Yoinokuchi head quaters she needed to get away from the others until she could get her head on straight, but that didn't mean she was going to be reckless, she left a note at the entrance that would tell Haku exactly where she would be after all it was the Yoinokuchi home away from home, they were always welcomed guests of the Hokage in Konoha. In truth she knew that Tsunade would ask some questions she did not want to answer but if there was any place safer than her home it was Konoha with Tsunade and the Sandaime who had welcomed her and Akimi with open arms when Naruto was away.

(**The Next Day, Iwa**)

Naruto and the other Yoinokuchi shinobi packed early, knowing that it could be a rough trip back to the Land of Fire, not to mention the small issue of Orochimaru's hiding location that still had to be dealt with.

They had a large breakfast and were about to leave when the door opened and Oonoki walked in along with Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi. "Ah I see that your preparations are complete. While it was a pleasure to have you here and it made for some rather entertaining days, it will be nice to have some peace and quiet again after all this time." Oonoki said.

"I guess that's fair enough, we will be out of your hair soon and send word on our mission involving Orochimaru." Itachi said respectfully.

"That will not be necessary as Kurotsuchi-chan will be accompanying you." Oonoki repled.

"What?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"I do not recommend sending her Oonoki, it is a highly dangerous mission and we cannot guarantee her safety." Jiraiya said.

"I am aware of this, but Kurotsuchi needs to return to Konoha anyway in order to retrieve the shinobi left in the Hokage's care as insurance of your safe return. Besides I want a detailed account of what happens with Orochimaru and I would rather not trust that task to outsiders who do not work for me." Oonoki declared.

"Well it's your call, still this will be a very dangerous mission, I hope you're up for it." Jiraiya said calmly yet serious enough to to show the gravity of the position Kurotsuchi is getting into.

"Thank you for your concern Jiraiya-sama but I am a Jounin of Iwa, and it is my duty to do as I am ordered, I can assure you I will not slow you down and if I do, I don't ask for any assistance. I am a kunoichi and I know the risks of all missions, this one is no different." Kurotsuchi exclaimed confidently.

"Heh, she knows the risk, hell I bet that is part of the reason she wants to go, who wouldn't want to take on someone like Orochimaru or at least be able to watch the show." Zabuza leered, finding the thought of the impending fight rather mouthwatering.

"If Orochimaru really is there then you better get ready for a fight, because he will have his best men with him." Jiraiya added.

"Hm that reminds me. Itachi are you going to kill off that brother of yours thing time?" Zabuza asked.

"I would rather not think about it. If Sasuke-kun is smart he will leave when he finds out we are attacking." Itachi replied.

"Oh please, is Sasuke was smart he wouldn't have run from Konoha to join up with someone who wants to wear his skin like a full body suit." Naruto chuckled.

"Well... I can't deny that." the Uchiha sighed.

"I feel like I am missing something here." Kurotsuchi said arching an eyebrow in interest.

"Itachi-sensei's brother is a missing ninja from Konoha who joined Orochimaru despite knowing that Orochimaru wanted him for his next body." Naruto answered flatly.

"Next body? What does that mean?" Oonoki asked.

"Orochimaru, has a rather twisted fear of dying... as such he has been spending every moment since he lost his parents attempting to become immortal. His great idea has become stealing the life force from other people taking their physical abilities for their own, which is why he is after Itachi's brother." Jiraiya explained.

"I see, the Sharingan huh... it is one of the most formidable Kekkei Genkai I have ever faced, so I can understand why he would convent it." Oonoki replied.

"The thing is it has already been three years. Orochimaru could have changed bodies already." Naruto said calmly.

"I take it that's the limit Orochimaru has in each body." Oonoki guessed.

"So far yes, but I would bet anything he has been working to extend the length he can last in each skin." Jiraiya said darkly.

"The longer we stand around talking about it the more time he has to harm people, we need to get going." Gaara said.

Itachi and Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "He's right, we can't stay here talking all day." Itachi said calmly.

"Very well allow me to acompany you out of the village." Oonoki replied.

They didn't speak as the whole group began to file out of the room and out of the Kage tower, in fact barely a word was spoken their whole trip to the main entrance to the village even as more and more people came out to greet Oonoki or gawk at the group of famous shinobi that made up the Yoinokuchi group. Finally they made it to the exit and Naruto turned to say a final farewell. "Looks like this is goodbye for now, old man Tsuchikage."

Oonoki grunted in fake anger. "You should really work on your manners gaki." he answered supressing a smile that was threatening to creap onto his face. Oonoki was as level headed as they came but even he had to admit he had come to like Naruto somewhat during his stay, his relaxed almost carefree attitude reminded the old Kage of a time when he wasn't seen as superior to everyone and he found that refreshing. "Don't take this the wrong way but I do hope it is some time before we see each other again." he added.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh, he knew as well as the Tsuchikage that the only reason they would be out this deep into the Land of Earth would be for a dangerous mission. "We can only hope." he chuckled rubbing the back of his head unsure what to say next.

Luckily for the blond jinchuuriki, it was Oonoki who made a move extending his hand out. Naruto smiled and shook it without hesitation. "Keep yourself safe boy, I am expecting great things from you, and I don't like being disappointed." he whispered loud enough for only Naruto and those closest to him to hear.

"Well I better not let you down then." Naruto replied with a weak smile of embarrassment from being praised by the old Kage.

They broke their handshake after that and following brief farewells to the other Yoinokuchi shinobi the same group that had arrived from the Land of Fire earlier that week was making it's way down the road leaving Iwa far in the distance. Once the village was long out of sight Kurotsuchi turned to the others. "So which way is it to Orochimaru's little hiding hole?" she asked.

"We need to go about ten miles north, and we will need to move quickly, he will know we are coming once we are inside the perimeter." Jiraiya said while taking out a large scroll that happened to be a rather detailed map of the area.

It didn't take Kurotsuchi long to notice five crosses marked on the map. What are they?" she asked already guessing the answer.

"The various escape routs that Orochimaru might take. We are going to enter one each... sort of a race to see who gets to the snake first." Jiraiya said.

"You're going to take him on in a one on one situation!" the kunoichi asked in disbelief.

"We don't have much choice in the matter, we cannot risk him escaping, if we had our other members hear then it would not be so risky." Gaara said in his usual flat tone.

"Alright I guess it can't be helped so whats my job?" Kurotsuchi asked.

Jiraiya paused for a moment and pointed to the southern most cross. "You will be with Zabuza, having to attack head on is not his usual style, preferring the silent kill approach. There is a chance that Orochimaru will know this, targeting him as a possible escape rout you will act as a deterrent. It's not possible to get past Gaara's sand in an inclosed area so that leaves him to either target Naruto Itachi or myself." he said while showing each person their entrance point.

"He will have his perimeter protected by a sensory seal, so once we cross that line we need to get to the entrances as fast as we can." Itachi said pointing to a thin line that extended a mile out from each marked entrance.

"Then the best way to do that would be to split up and enter at the same time." Kurotsuchi observed.

"Exactly... we have radios to communicate when to start the attack. unfortunately they will not work once we get into the deeper parts of his lair, so once you're inside you will be on your own." Jiraiya pointed out.

"Then I guess we should split up, good luck everyone, radio in when you get into position." Naruto said boldly a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Hey how did you get this information anyway?" Kurotsuchi asked clearly impressed with the amount of detail they had on the external defenses that the former Konoha ninja had in place.

"We received the information from one of Orochimaru's generals who surrendered to us." Naruto said.

"But how do you know that the information is accurate?" the kunoichi asked.

"Don't worry about that, I am confident it's accurate. Guren didn't lie, it's not possible to lie to Itachi-sensei and if I didn't believe her I could have extracted the information a different way." Naruto answered making reference to his Human paths ability for mind reading along with soul removal.

The group quickly ran Kurotsuchi through the basic layout that Guren had given them of Orochimaru's base and then split up everyone heading towards their assigned entrance.

(Meanwhile)

Another group was fast approaching a hideout. The Raikage and Killer bee along with Shee and Darui were speeding from tree to tree at an incredible rate, they were going so fast that the two brothers were fast leaving the others behind. "Yugito is near yo, we don't have a long way to go boy-o" Bee rapped as they landed in a small clearing before the pair cleared it in the blink of an eye.

"Bee this is serious, we don't have time for your retarded rapping!" A replied loudly.

"Don't blame me, you sent out miss Nibi." Bee replied in true rap fashion.

"Shut up, we are getting close the summoned bird is slowing down it must be near here." A said ignoring his brothers attack on his decision to send Yugito out on a mission.

A was in fact correct, they were indeed close to where the Akatsuki were currently sealing the Nibi, however he did not know that the Akatsuki knew of their impending arrival. "_They are here!_" white Zetsu exclaimed once he felt A and Bee enter the area.

"What how did they get here so fast?" Deidara asked in shock.

"_**It seems like the Hachibi jinchuuriki is here along with the Raikage and at least two others**_. _It does not look like a fight that can be easily won._ _**We should focus on sealing the Nibi,**_ _Deidara and Tobi will be able to escape,_ _**thanks to Tobi's transportation jutsu**_." Zetsu answered.

"Well that explains why they were able to get here so fast, the Raikage is supposedly the fastest man alive." Hiruko said flatly.

"Zetsu's plan sounds good, and it is indeed the safest move for now as there is no back up available. While I have little doubt that defeating the Raikage and Hachibi jinchuuriki would be possible, Deidara and Tobi are not suited for the task." Pein said stoically.

"So we retreat? But the sealing of the Nibi is incomplete." Kisame queried.

"We have the Bijuu's consciousness and most of its chakra. If we stop now we will need to wait awhile before we are able to seal the next Bijuu." Pein answered.

"Do we stop the sealing now or wait until the others are closer?" Hiuko questioned passively.

"Wait for a few more moments, every minute we get to seal more of the chakra, will reduce the cool down time by days if not weeks." Pein replied.

In the end they only managed two more minutes before Killer Bee and A landed outside of the caves they had been using for the sealing. "It's time, let's go. We don't need shinobi discovering all of our identities at the moment. Especially when Kumo still have a Bijuu we will need to capture later." Pein stated calmly.

Outside the cave Killer Bee and A stood in front of a massive rock that was covering the cave. They're in there?" A asked, activating his Raiton armor. The summons he was following flew over to the rock and began pecking at the rock.

Without any thought A charged and slammed his fist into the rock but rather than crack the rock exploded outward, showering Killer Bee in rocks and covering the area in smoke. "A!" Bee yelled in concern running forward looking for his brother in the rubble.

The Hachibi jinchuuriki raced half way before A burst out from the ground his Raiton armor still on and without a scratch on him. "Wow he's really tough... I guess that's to be expected." came a confident slur from inside the cave.

"Who's there!, If it's the Akatsuki you better hand over Miss Two or I'll hunt you anywhere!" Bee rapped loudly.

"Oh you mean the Nibi jinchuuriki? Oh you can have her although I don't know how much good it will do." the man behind the smoke said as it cleared to reveal Tobi sitting high up atop the giant Gado Mezo statue with his legs crossed looking on in amusement.

A began shaking in anger, his lightning armor flaring aggressively. "Akatsuki!" he yelled before disappearing in a blur heading straight towards Tobi. However rather than slam his fist into the Akatsuki ninja's face as predicted he shot right through crashing into the wall.

"Now that's not a very nice way of saying hello." Tobi pouted standing up and turning around to face the Raikage as he picked himself up, supported by the large crater he created with the force of his attack.

"Where's Yugito!" Bee yelled temporally forgetting to rap.

"Hm oh she's down there." Tobi said casually pointing to the floor in front of the statue where the seemingly lifeless body of Yugito lay.

Bee ran over to check on the fallen kunoichi just as Darui and Shee arived at the scene. "What have you done? Seeing her like this ain't no fun!" Bee rapped but even his poor rhyming could not hide the anger in his voice.

"Oh I thought you would have known what we were doing, that's why you and the Raikage came." Tobi said passively while lazily becoming intangible to avoid another attack from A.

"They removed the Nibi from Yugito? Then we're too late." Shee said in shocked disbelief.

"Well that's a matter of opinion." Tobi replied in his child like tone jumping from the statue to land a good distance away from the group of Kumo shinobi. "I like to think of it as you were early, we are going to need to wait for the remainder of the Nibi's chakra to passively drain from the girl now... If you think of it in terms of inconveniencing us, then your timing was good." Tobi chuckled darkly.

"You son of a bitch, are you just here to gloat!" A roared angrily deciding against attacking Tobi once more, or at least until he figured out how the masked Akatsuki ninja was avoiding his attacks.

"Well I do like gloating." Tobi admitted casually. "But no, I wanted to talk for awhile and offer you the opportunity to hand over the Hachibi." he added.

"You..." A was shaking in anger so hard he couldn't even finish his own thought and the ground around him was beginning to crack under the force of the chakra he was pumping through his Raiton armor.

"Am I to take that as a no?" Tobi mused switching once more to his childlike persona.

"I'll kill you all before you even get close to taking Bee... your little group is finished." A threatened darkly struggling to contain his rage.

"Very well then, I am sure we will see each other again some time." Tobi said in a friendly tone that somehow held more menace and threat behind it that if he was screeming for blood or promising vengeance, like A had done just moments before.

Bee saw Tobi take a few steps towards the exit of the cave and clenched his fist. "You think you're gonna go? Killer Bee says No!" he rapped before sending out one of the Hachibi's tentacles to wrap around Tobi effectively trapping him.

"My my, killing the messenger, how barbaric." Tobi said and you didn't need to see his face to know that the man behind the mask was smirking.

"Shut up yo! Bro the lariat, let's go!" Bee rapped and A began to run quickly towards the restrained man.

'_Well I've seen enough of this._' Tobi thought before he disappeared completely through a vortex that appeared to appear from the eye socket in his mask.

The odd scene caused A to stop his charge before looking around in disbelief once he realized Tobi was gone. "Where did he go!" A roared in anger before racing to the caves entrance and looking around almost expecting Tobi to be sitting on a tree branch laughing at him.

For the other three shinobi, their attentions had turned to Yugito who had as of yet failed to stir. "Is she..." Shee couldn't bare to say the word 'dead' out of fear that it may be true.

Bee however knew what the elite jounin was asking and bent down to check on Yugito's condition. She was warm to the touch, a good sign but she did not appear to be breathing. The Hachibi jinchuuriki grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse. Darui and Shee watched on in silence as bee searched for a pulse. Their hearts stopped when Bee dropped her wrist and went for the side of her neck knowing that he couldn't find the pulse in her wrist. An age seemed to pass, when really it was little more than seconds before Bee looked up. "She's alive, but her pulse is slow, she needs a doctor ain't no time to go with the flow." Bee rapped urgently.

Bee's statement snapped A to attention and passed the distance between himself and Yugito in an instant. "The best ninja hospital in the Land of Lightning is not too far from here, we need to get going quickly, we don't know how long Yugito has left!" the Raikage said in an authoritative tone. "I will take her, you three head back to the Kumo, and Bee, you are on lock down within the village. Shee, when you get back send team Samui to me, I have a mission for them." he declared ominously before scooping Yugito up in his arms and taking off at full speed south.

"To think they would be able to capture Yugito and put her in that condition, even when she had two teams with her... the Akatsuki are certainly not to be taken lightly." Darui said in begrudging respect.

"Yeah, and if that's the case, then we shouldn't waste any time, and hurry to get you back to Kumo Bee." Shee agreed.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto was sitting alone in a tree simply waiting. '_Come on Gaara, you're the last one to get into place._' he thought impatiently.

As if the Gaara had heard Naruto complain his radio sprung to life. "In position, ready to go whenever you are." he said calmly.

"Alright that's everyone, let's go." Jiraiya said confidently.

At the same time the six shinobi kicked off heading toward their target while passing through the detection barrier that Orochimaru had set up. At that moment the Orochimaru was lying in bed when alarms sprung to life. "What the hell?" he coughed weakly.

Several seconds later two Oto ninja burst into the room. "Orochimaru-sama, intruders... six shinobi approaching from five different directions!" they said urgently.

Orochimaru began to sat up and moved his hand over to a small table that had several buttons in bedded in the cold steel. After a few moments a large screen descended from the ceiling and the pictures of the approaching Yoinokuchi ninja appeared on the screen. 'No, how did they find this place!' he asked in shock before coughing up a bile due to his body starting to reject him. "Go fetch me a the captive from Iwa that we kept alive." he ordered.

"Of course Orochimaru-sama, and what should we do about the approaching shinobi." one of the Oto ninja asked.

"Inform the Sound four and wake Kimimaro, they know what to do. Now go we don't have any time to waste." Orochimaru said his anger at having Jiraiya and the others discovering his base evident from his tone. '_Someone must have given me up... but who, Sasuke-kun? No, his hatred for Itachi means he would never give them information... it must have been Guren, that bitch, if I survive this she will die! Now I can't wait for Sasuke-kun and Kabuto to return anymore, I need a new body, if I have any hope of surviving._' he thought, while up on the screen the doors to the base were opening allowing the intruders entrance to his hideout.

Naruto stood in front of a long and dark corridor with a grim smile on his face. "Looks like this is it, after today you won't be hurting anyone else Orochimaru." he said darkly before walking forward into the base.

**End Chapter!**

**So there we go second half of the Land of Earth Arc starting. So who do you think should get to Orochimaru first? I have an idea of what I want to do but as always I am willing to listen to suggestions. **


	90. The Hunt Begins

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****90: The Hunt Begins**

Naruto walked through the dark corridors of Orochimaru's base, slowly edging himself forward carefully scanning the floor ahead of him despite the poor light to make sure not set off any traps that may have been set by the snake sannin. "Can anyone still hear me?" Naruto asked activating his radio. He was not surprised to hear nothing but static in response. '_Guess I have moved to far into the base to still be in contact with anyone._' he thought he moved a few more feet forward before another thought crossed his mind. '_Shouldn't I have at least run into some Oto peons by now?_'.

Little did the blond jinchuuriki know that the same thoughts were racing through the minds of the other Yoinokuchi shinobi at that same moment. "I don't get it if Orochimaru is really here shouldn't he have people here with him as bodyguards?" Kurotsuchi questioned Zabuza.

"Yeah something ain't right here, maybe they're all waiting up ahead to ambush us, hm could be fun." Zabuza replied, gripping Kubikiribocho in expectation. "Or maybe they are all hiding out with the snake waiting to make a stand together." he said eagerly.

"You're a rather odd man aren't you?" Kurotsuchi asked curiously.

"I like to think of it as complicated." Zabuza replied with a chuckle.

"Still I think I am starting to see just why you are known as the Demon of the Bloody Mist." the kunoichi said with a small shiver. "How did you end up with the others anyway? No offense but you seem a little more aggressive than the rest of your group." she asked trying to keep a conversation going to take her mind away from what she considered the obvious trap that they were walking into.

"Hm it was a pretty straight forward choice really, they needed someone with a grudge against the Mizukage at the time, and I didn't want to be killed by Kakashi Hatake. I was the key to getting into the resistance movement in the Land of Water and getting earning their trust. In the end I liked what they were doing, and it's much more freedom than being cooped up in a village, so I decided to stick with them. Anyway where else could I get to work with three jinchuuriki and a bunch of S class shinobi?" Zabuza said.

Kurotsuchi nodded her head, she had to admit that would be surefire way to become stronger. "Wait three jinchuuriki? I know Gaara is supposedly the Ichibi jinchuuriki but who are the others?" she asked in sudden realization of what he had said.

Zabuza gave a short bark of laughter in disbelief. "You mean you don't know! That old man figured it out straight away, I can't believe he didn't tell anyone!" he said still smirking.

Kurotsuchi had a puzzled look on her face not knowing what to make of Zabuza's comment. "Know what... wait you don't mean!".

"Yeah that's right, the kid, he's the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." Zabuza chuckled.

"But that's..." Kurotsuchi seemed lost for words as she stammered unsure how best to respond to Zabuza's declaration. "Not once during his time in Iwa since we left Konoha has any Bijuu chakra been coming from him... even during his fight with Jiraiya-sama!" she said in shock. She was not angry that Naruto had not told her, more stunned that he was a jinchuuriki. "Wait so if Naruto is the second Bijuu who's the third?" she asked recalling Zabuza's original statement.

Zabuza chuckled. "Don't worry it's not me, and it certainly isn't Jiraiya or Itachi." he said while thinking about the green haired kunoichi that he trained

(**Meanwhile**)

Said kunoichi had just arrived at the front gates of Konoha, although she had been there several times before she had never gotten over the grandeur of the place, it was larger than both Kiri and Kumo by her estimate and the large stone faces of the previous Kage that gazed out over the village gave it a feeling that Fuu struggled to describe almost like a sense of invulnerability, Konoha was far older than she was and would be around for many years after she had left this world. "I hope Tsunade-sama isn't busy." she said to herself as she approached the large gates.

Izumo and Kotetsu were known around Konoha as the eternal gate guards, despite being jounin in their own right and skilled shinobi it seemed to be a passing game from Hiruzen to Tsunade to ensure that they were on guard duty almost all the time. They were often seen complaining about how boring it was but they were also pleased that they were not given any of the more dangerous assignments that were often passed to the other jounin even if they were somewhat envious of the top shinobi in the village. They did not have Kakashi's skill, nor Miteo Gai's speed and strength, and Shikaku Nara's intelligence and planning was legendary. No they were just your run of the mill Konoha jounin given easy tasks to help keep the village safe in there own way, but that didn't stop them from complaining. "Damn it I'm sooooo bored!" Izumo sighed loudly resting his head on his arms as if to emphasize his point.

"Yeah tell me about it, nobody has come along this road in two days." Kotetsu replied lowering his head to join his partner.

They rested their heads at the wrong time however because it was at that moment that Fuu appeared jumbinh down from a nearby tree. '_Are they sleeping?_' she thought in mild amusement as she approached the desk. "Ahem" she coughed lightly, but there was no response. "Ahem!" she coughed again louder this time.

"Hey if you're going to cough at least face away from me Kotetsu!" Izumo sighed.

"It wasn't me, I thought it was you." Kotetsu replied indignantly.

Fuu face palmed in disbelief. '_They have been here so long they bored themselves into retardation._' "Um It wasn't either of you." she said with a small pitying smile.

The guards bot immediately sat up straight trying to act as though they hadn't just been half asleep. "We know, uh, we were testing you." Kotetsu said looking to his partner for help.

"Ye-ah we, wanted to see if you would try and break into Konoha without stopping at the gate first, a serious crime." Izumo added coming to his friends rescue.

"Hm Naruto-kun must get into a lot of trouble then, he always breaks into the village." Fuu mused.

"Naruto?" both guards said in unison as if trying to remember who it was. Then they took in the kunoichi's attire. "Oh hey look it's a member of Jiraiya-sama's group!" Izumo said in stunned realization.

"Oh yeah I remember you. You came and received training from Tsunade-sama in basic field first aid with two other kunoichi about a year ago." Kotestsu added.

"Yeah that was me, I would like to see Tsunade-sama if that's alright." Fuu said calmly.

"Well we can let you into the village, as for seeing Tsunade-sama, I would take that up with Shizune." Izumo replied with a friendly smile.

"I'll do that then, thanks." Fuu said before turning to enter the village. '_Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama just jump in through the window maybe I should just do that?_' she thought but the longer she focused on it the less confident she became. '_I better not, Tsunade-sama doesn't know me as well as Naruto-kun, I don't want to make the Hokage mad especially not when I am going to ask to stay here for at least a few days._'

(**Meanwhile**)

"Kami why the fuck do we have to wake this guy up, we should be out killing the intruders not sitting around waiting for Kimimaro to unfreeze!" A foul tempered red haired kunoichi yelled bitterly as she and thee other Oto shinobi walked along a wide passageway.

"We don't have to stay there till he's completely thawed, we just need to start the process. Then we can go get into place and wait for the unlucky bastards that come across us." A man a few years younger than Itachi, still in his late teens said with a smirk.

"Oh really, and what if it's that brat that prevented Orochimaru-sama from killing off that old Hokage, I doubt we could stand a realistic chance against that little freak kid." The kunoichi replied.

"Whatever, we still have that freak of an experiment that Orochimaru-sama has created to deal with that guy. Still, although I hate to admit it that kid with the freaky eyes had our number four years ago and you can bet he has become much stronger now." the tallest member of the group said. He had dark hair pulled back into a ponytail but the most shocking thing about this man was the fact that he had six arms.

"What you can't seriously say that Orochimaru-sama plans to release that thing! It's a mindless zombie, just as likely to kill us as the enemy." the final member of the group said. He was a tall stocky man with a small tuft of orange hair that seemed to make him seem larger and slightly dimwitted.

"He has no other choice Jirobo, with all the experiments done on his little pet he should be able to hold his own, at least for a little while. Orochimaru-sama even considered the freak a possibility for his body, it has proven resistant. After all it is still alive, despite all that thing has been through." the man with six arms replied.

The four Oto shinobi continued to walk along the passageway that seemed to extend for an eternity, lights flickered as they walked and every so often they could hear a siren sound as a new section of the base was infiltrated by the invading shinobi. "We need to pick up the pace or they will get to Orochimaru-sama before we even start defrosting Kimimaro." Jirobo said impatiently.

"Shut up Fat boy they still have a whole heap of Oto ninja between them and Orochimaru-sama and besides we can't stop all of them." the red haired kunoichi snapped.

"Call me fat again and I will kill you in the most painful way possible, Tayuya!" Jirobo replied angrily.

"Both of you shut it, we're here." the gray haired shinobi said suddenly.

Sure enough the silver haired shinobi was right, the Sound Four now stood in front of a large set of steel doors. Ice had formed in parts and steam was rising indicating just how cold the metal was. Two large handles made of wood stretched out a fair ways to avoid being frozen. "Well you better open it Sakon." Tayuya said looking at the door with apprehension.

"You don't order me around Tayuya, remember who Orochimaru-sama left in charge. Jirobo you open it" Sakon ordered.

"Ah fine, lets just get this over with." the stocky man replied stepping forward towards the door.

Kidomaru stood stood back far further than Tayuya and Sakon while Jirobo approached the door, all six of his arms folded. '_These fools, so keen to rush off to die. The way I see it we die today. Five S class ninja are not something we can hope to defeat yet my so called team are so keen to find our opponent._' he thought.

The moment Jirobo touched the door a cold chill spread throughout the hall and the moment the door opened a gust of cold air slammed into the four sound shinobi that almost knocked them over as well as freeze them solid. The air was thick with with a fog of mist that began billowing out of the door, however they still couldn't see inside. Once the fog cleared however the four peered into a large room that looked closer to a walk in freezer than anything else, the walls were thick with frost and covered over several screens that were all flashing with the words 'Intruder Alert' referencing the Yoinokuchi ninja who were currently edging their way through the outer pathways.

In the very center of the room a large coffin rose up from the floor covered in ice, Sakon approached it tentatively and scraped the layer of ice from the top to reveal a glass surface. Inside the coffin lay a tall man in a gray cloak that perfectly matched the color of his hair, he had two very distinct markings on his body, the first of which were two perfectly round circles on his forehead while the second was a mark dead center on his chest, this was the mark that Orochimaru had given him, the curse seal.

"You don't look so tough at the moment Kimimaro, hell you have been frozen for three years I don't see what Orochimaru-sama see's in keeping you anymore you haven't improved at all, while we have all gotten stronger, you probably couldn't even defeat one of us anymore." Sakon taunted the frozen man.

Tayuya, who was shaking and rubbing her arms from the cold didn't care much for Kimimaro but at the same time had clearly had quite enough of this room. "Dammit Sakon just start the fucking process already!" she yelled her breath steaming with every word.

"How many times do I have to tell you three that I was put in charge, and you don't order me around!" Sakon replied yet walked over to a rather large computer to begin the thawing process none the less.

Sakon spent a few moments punching orders into the computer and steped away. Almost instantly the whole room began to seem warmer, a thin orange line appeared that circled all the way around the coffin that was holding Kimimaro and the ice melted beneath it in an instant. "It's done?" Kidomaru questioned.

"Yeah now let's go get into position we can't expect those damn peons to hold out for long." Sakon answered before stalking out of the room.

"Who are we going up against anyway?" Kidomaru questioned hesitantly not sure he even wanted to know.

"We're going to wait at the southern training rooms, it will be Zabuza Momoichi that should reach that location first." Sakon replied.

Kidomaru moved one arm to rub the back of his neck after all it was one of Zabuza's favorite places to cut. '_Great a sword wielding psychopath. Still I was expecting Jiraiya or Sasuke's brother, wouldn't Orochimaru want to send us up against one of the the top three and challenge Zabuza, or that Suna demon kid himself?_' he contemplated while slowly following after Sakon and the others who seemed to be more eager than ever to fight the Demon of the Mist.

(**Meanwhile**)

A ran as fast as he could manage, each step he took covered the same range most shinobi could manage in ten and taking half the time. His goal was a small military outpost in the southern regions of the Land of Lightning where he knew they had a field hospital set up for his shinobi that are injured on missions. In his arms he held a kunoichi with long blond hair that was pale and cold as ice yet still clearly breathing. '_Those Akatsuki bastards, they will pay for this! I won't stop until everyone of them is held accountable._' he seethed as the outpost came into view.

After crossing the remaining distance in what seemed like an instant several shinobi stood at the entrance in shock to see the Raikage this far from Kumo. "A-sama what brings you out here?" a jounin asked in shock.

"Yugito needs help, I need to get her to the hospital!" A replied although in his typical fashion he basically yelled it so loud that half the camp could hear him.

"Oh kami that's Yugito Nii!" he said finally seeing the woman in his Kage's arms.

"I know who it is, she needs a doctor now or I will have you taching the remdial class at the academy within a week!" A threatened angrily.

"Ah.. ye-s right away. Send word to the hospital we have a priority patient Kage's orders." the Jounin said assertively to a nearby chunin who nodded and left without a word, mostly to avoid another aggressive outburst from the Raikage. "Don't worry A-sama we have some of the best Medi ninja's in all of the Land of Lightning" he said once the man was gone.

"See that she does, now show me to the Hospital." A ordered.

"Right this way A-sama." the Jounin said calmly and ushered A into the complex. The complex was seen as a military outpost but it was around the same size as a small village and around one hundred shinobi were posted there at all times meaning that several stores and even a large bar were staffed for comfort. The biggest building by far however was the hospital, it simply dwarfed the other buildings, a large red cross that when lit could illuminate the whole village if need be was clearly evident at the top of the hospital, put up to show the way to any shinobi in need of assistance.

They opened the door and a middle aged kunoichi was already waiting with a movable bed for Yugito. She had long dark brown hair that was tied up into a tight bun with two free strands framing her gentle face. She wore a yellow top underneath a white doctors robe and black shinobi pants. "A-sama we got word of your arrival, please place Yugito-san down so I can start the diagnosis." she said respectfully.

A wasted little time and placed Yugito on the bed surprisingly gently considering the Raikage would rather break through a wall than use a door if he is in a rush. They all folowed as the the doctor pushed the bed into a nearby room while starting a diagnostic jutsu. "A-sama maybe we should wait outside?" the jounin that brought A to the hospital suggested.

A was just about to agree when the medic gasped in horror and shock. "What is it?" A ordred.

"Her chakra system has been torn to shreds, it's being held together by a small amount of foreign chakra that I would say must be from the Nibi but even then the quantity seems to be diminishing very slowly." the kunoichi replied.

"Is there anything you can do?" A asked a small hint of worry in his usually powerful voice.

"I can stabilize her chakra system and slow the loss of chakra but that is only a temporary measure and should she attempt to use any chakra it will almost certainly kill her. Even then should all of the existing the Bijuu chakra become exhausted before she can replenish it her chakra system will collapse." the medic said weakly.

"So you're saying she is going to die!" A questioned his anger building.

"There is nothing that I can do, the only person in all of the elemental nations that has knowledge in extensive chakra system restoration is Tsunade Senju but even then it would be almost impossible. How could something like this happen what technique has this sort of ability? She has no physical damage at all." the medic said looking down at the unconscious kunoichi with a look of sadness almost pity on her face.

"She had the Nibi ripped from it's seal and stolen they must be still siphoning off the remaining energy from the Nibi as fast as they can." A said bitterly.

"Oh Kami, once it is gone she will and you're saying she only has what little chakra she has remaining. At least she shouldn't be in any pain, physically she is healthy." the kunoichi replied stifling a sob.

"Could the Slug Princess save her?" A asked, he had no desire to ask anyone for help least of all one of Kumo's rival villages, still Tsunade had been somewhat helpful when they asked for information and cooperation in giving them information on Itachi Uchiha.

"This could be too much even for someone as skilled as Tsunade Senju, she would have to completely restore Yugito's chakra system before she runs out of chakra. She would almost certainly die on the operating table." the medic admitted solemnly.

"But there is a chance?" A replied.

"Yes I believe so but only someone of Tsunade Senju's quality could ever hope to successfully save her, we just don't have the knowledge of healing that the Senju clan has. It was said that Hashirama Senju's healing ability was so great that all wounds he received healed instantly." the medic replied unable to hide the admiration and respect from her voice.

A grunted at this. "Yes I believe the Slug Princess has a similar ability." he said offhandedly. Turning to the jounin A quickly made his mind up. "Get me the fastest messenger Hawk you have here and a blank scroll I need to send a message to Kumo I was going to wait for a team to get here but now it appears that we have a time limit." he ordered.

"Of course I will go immediately, and I will also make arrangements for a place for you to stay while here at our camp." the jounin replied before leaving the room.

"So how long do you think she has?" A asked turning back to the doctor.

"As it stands she would be fortunate to last a month. If I stabilize the chakra flow I would say a month and a half, two if we're lucky." the kunoichi replied.

"Do it then. Oh and will she wake?" A queried.

The kunoichi paused on this question. "I believe she will once I stabilize her chakra but I will have to seal off several points to prevent her from actively using chakra. Even a simple substitution jutsu would certainly kill her." the doctor replied.

"I see, still that will make transporting her far easier at least. Thank you doctor I will let you get to work, and I will be back to check up on her later." A replied.

(**With Naruto**)

The blond jinchuuriki had just finished dispatching two Oto ninja that had attempted to ambush him on the other side of a door that had led into a large room that in the end was little more than a relaxation room, several chairs with a large screen that seemed to be playing a movie about some shinobi that was charged with protecting a princess. Leaving the room Naruto continued on down the corridor checking each room for anything of interest only to find nothing time and again and the more he thought about it nowhere near as many shinobi as he was expecting. '_Sure there are five of us attacking but I haven't run into anyone over chunin level and it's been almost an hour._' he thought as he came to a door at the very end of the corridor. '_Maybe they're all waiting in here?_' he thought as he readied himself once more for an onslaught.

Naruto opened the door and what he saw made him double take. Oto ninja were indeed inside but how many he couldn't tell all he knew was that there were more than ten judging by the separate body parts that still lay around the area. Blood drenched the walls and up onto the ceiling, it was almost like a river of blood.

"What the hell happened here?" Naruto said in shock. As he inched into the room not sure what to expect.

"Gruesome isn't it." came a smooth sickly voice from all around him.

"Orochimaru!" Naruto said in a low hiss. "Why kill you're own people? Never mind I don't want to know what's going on in that sick head of yours just show yourself so I can kill you!" he said angrily.

"Oh I would Naruto-kun, but I am still far from where you are. You are looking at the work of a failed experiment of mine." Orochimaru replied.

Naruto who had been looking around for where Orochimaru may have been hiding found a camera and several speakers and realized that Orochimaru must be watching and listening to him through them. "What do you mean a failed experiment, these kills are fresh, less than ten minutes, the blood hasn't even begun to clot yet." Naruto questioned.

"Oh I released him for you to have some fun with. He was once a promising clan member from Iwa. You see I wanted to create an army of soldiers to protect myself, well against you. It was going so well until I attempted to counter that soul removal jutsu of yours." Orochimaru answered.

Naruto couldn't see his face but he could tell from the sound of his voice that the Snake Sannin was smirking. "What did you do." Naruto said in mild interest fighting back his anger.

"I attempted to seal his own soul into his body through Fuinjutsu." Orochimaru replied proudly.

"Prevent the soul from being sealed or ripped from the body by anchoring it to itself huh?" Naruto guessed.

"Precisely and I am proud to say it worked as well." Orochimaru gloated.

"Then what went wrong?" Naruto asked edging into the center of the room looking for whatever caused the bloodshed.

"Ah well it turned him into a vegetable, he didn't speak, didn't move. I thought he was dead until I had someone check up on him. The moment the door opened and he saw someone he tore them apart with his bare hands and everyone that tried since has met the same fate. It was almost a shame, he would have become a useful body for me, he survived so many experiments and my new one is not what I had hoped for." Orochimaru said.

"What Sasuke a tight fit?" Naruto chuckled lightly while scanning the area.

"I'm afraid Sasuke-kun made a run for it, your attack forced me to choose a lesser body for my new host." Orochimaru replied.

"Well I would say that I am sorry, but we both know that would be a lie." Naruto taunted.

"Indeed, well I will be interested in seeing how you do, he didn't even break a sweat in killing those peons and the more he kills the stronger he gets." Orochimaru said and then just as the snake finished talking the wall seemed to open up from nowhere at the far end of the room and standing covered in blood was a completely bald man with glazed over pupil less dark blue eyes. Veins along his body were visible and blackened, he looked more like a dying patient in a hospital rather than a mindless killer.

Slowly the man raised his head and tilting it slightly as he contemplated Naruto standing in all white in the center of the red room and a sinister snarl escaped his mouth before the creature charged.

**End Chapter!**

**Phew that one took awhile, I have been really busy and haven't had much time to write, still I am doing my best to get the chapters out as quickly as I can.**

**Should be at least two chapters of some action now, sorry to keep people waiting, having three plots going at the same time is tough and managing them all tougher. Obviously I want to focus on Naruto's plot more but there were questions on what was going to happen to Yugito that I wanted to answer as well as Fuu's arrival at Konoha which will be continued to a degree next chapter. Then I have to think about what the Akatsuki's next move will be. This was a lot simpler pre time skip lol. **


	91. Difficult Encounter

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****91: Difficult Encounter**

Naruto rolled out of the way, the mindless freak crashed head first into the wall behind him. "Wow he's fast." Naruto thought out loud to himself as he stood, his once white Yoinokuchi robe now painted with blood.

Orochimaru's experiment let out a sickening roar as it turned to face the blond his glazed over eyes seemed to be drawing the jinchuuriki in and a small amount of drool was traveling down his chin as he stood open mouthed exposing his crooked yet evidently sharp teeth. "I hope you didn't think he would be finished just from something like that Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru's voice taunted from the speakers.

Naruto shifted into a defensive stance and waited not wanting to make any unnecessary moves until he knew just what he was up against. "Wouldn't dream of it, if he could be defeated without lifting a finger one of your men would have put this thing out of it's misery by now, can't you see that he's in pain?" Naruto said indicating the expression on the mindless mans face.

"Oh not at all, you see he can't feel pain, that's why he made such a brilliant test subject, often my little pets would kill themselves to end the agony I put them through but this one is different." Orochimaru explained.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but had to close it quickly as the man shot forward mindlessly. Naruto pivoted on one leg avoiding the strike before bringing his other up to kick him in the side of the head. The blonds mouth widened in shock as his neck seemed to elongate and stretch while his body stayed where it was. "What are you, made of elastic?" Naruto asked as the experiments neck returned to it's normal size.

"Kill" the bald man whispered barely audible.

"What was that?" Naruto asked surprised that he was able to talk, he had seen dead bodys that looked healthier than this man.

"Kill, kill, kill" he said getting louder and louder. Naruto took a few steps back studying the man who seemed to be going through a gastly transformation. His arms were growing longer, they now looked too long for his body which seemed to bloat out yet remained well defined with large muscles all the while his chanting was getting louder and louder.

"Wow you are one ugly man, I don't know if I should fear or pity you." Naruto said still holding a defensive stance.

"Kill, Kill, Kill!" the man bellowed while the blackness that was once isolated to his veins and Artery's began to spread until only small area's of the man's pale sickly skin remained. "KILL!" he let out a final roar before his arms rocketed out of his joints like kunai attached to a rope or chain.

Naruto flipped away just as the hands struck the ground behind him shattering the floor. By this stage his arms were fully black and almost looked like stones. '_I have heard of a clan from Iwa with a technique like this, they can turn their arteries and organs to unbreakable stone making them far more durable and some of the best front line fighters in the elemental nations._' "You stole this man from Iwa didn't you!" Naruto yelled calling out to Orochimaru.

"Very observant Naruto-kun, this is indeed a lesser member from one the clans in Iwa. The unique ability they have to prevent damage to their vital areas was not something that I could leave alone I even improved it wouldn't you say, he can now cover seventy five percent of his body in a stone so tough that kunai just bounce off broken." Orochimaru replied.

'_Kami that's not good, if Orochimaru is telling the truth killing this guy might be harder than I thought, this area is too small to safely use an elemental rasengan and Human path won't work because his soul has been sealed into his flesh._' Naruto thought while the former Iwa ninja's arms retracted back into his shoulders.

Once more the deformed mans arms seemed to detach from his torso and he flung them straight at Naruto.

This time the blond was prepared however. '_Shinra Tensei_' he thought while extending an arm out. His eyes rippled and a wave of gravity shot out towards the mindless zombie, his arms were sent off course and crashed into opposite walls before his body was picked up and thrown right through the wall behind him and into a large corridor. Deciding that he couldn't take Orochimaru's experiment lightly created two shadow clones to begin collecting Senjutsu.

(**Meanwhile**)

Fuu had made it to the large Kage tower and was about to enter when she heard a roar of anger. "Where is it!" came Tsunade's angry voice from her office high above.

"Ah maybe I should come back later." Fuu said weakly taking a step back away from the Kage tower.

"Mah but then you would miss the show." came the calm voice of Kakashi Hatake from behind the young kunoichi.

Fuu jumped in surprise and spun around and found the copy ninja sitting on a high wall behind her his nose firmly planted in his little orange book. "Kakashi-san I didn't see you there. By the way what do you mean miss the show?" she said inquisitively.

Kakashi chuckled and looked up to where he knew Tsunade's office was. "Every month at around this time Shizune steals Tsunade-sama's Sake in a feeble attempt to make her catch up on paperwork that she has neglected." the copy ninja explained as a chair flew out of the window high above and splintered into a thousand pieces of wood on the ground below. "Then of course Tsunade-sama destroys her entire office until she finds where Shizune has hidden her precious alcohol." he chuckled before hopping down from the wall.

"And you actually watch this?" Fuu asked.

"Well normally no, although whenever Tsunade-sama does find where Shizune has hidden the Sake she always makes a point to take the rest of the day off in celebration which can be quite amusing. No I am here because of you. I heard that someone from Jiraiya-sama's group had arrived in Konoha and I thought that it may have been Naruto returning from Iwa, I came here because this is where Naruto would come first." Kakashi said his eyes turning back to his Icha, Icha book.

"Oh is there something that you want from Naruto-kun?" the mint haired kunoichi questioned in a friendly manner.

"Not as such, but I mostly want to make sure that he is alright." Kakashi answered.

"Oh, why do you care so much anyway?" Fuu pressed, she didn't know Kakashi Hatake all that well but she knew that he was a famous shinobi and Naruto, Jiraiya, and Itachi all thought very highly of him.

"Hm well I guess if I had to answer that I would say it's because he's my sensei's son. My father died when I was very young and Minato sensei was the closest thing I had to a father after that. When he died I was too young to look after Naruto and even if I wanted to Sarutobi-sama forbid anyone from adopting him to keep the fact he was both the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and Minato sensei's son a secret. Still I looked after him as best I could as an Anbu captain. Itachi did as well still it was not enough to protect him from everything, and in the end I failed to protect another person I cared about." Kakashi said, a sombre look appearing in his one exposed eye.

Fuu guessed that there was a meaning behind what Kakashi had said but didn't not want to push for information on what could be a sore topic for the copy ninja so instead settled upon asking a different question. "Um when will it be safe to see Tsunade-sama?"

"I'm sure it's safe now, you're a highly competent shinobi you will be fine. But if I may ask, what brings you here in the first place?" the silver haired shinobi queried.

"I um" Fuu paused it seemed embarrassing to tell such a famous ninja that she needed to spend a few days in Konoha because she had a fight with Akimi over Naruto. "I wanted to ask Tsunade-sama if I could stay here for a few days to um... train and ask for some help with medical ninjutsu." she said deciding to use the same reason that she came with Akimi and Haku two years ago.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow knowing that the young kunoichi was not being entirely truthful but also that she didn't mean any harm to Konoha, so he let it slide. "How about I escort you to Tsunade-sama's office." he said before beginning to walk towards the entrance.

Fuu thought about it for a moment before deciding to follow Kakashi, trying rather hard to ignore the sound of what must be another chair being shattered in Tsunade's anger.

(**With Naruto**)

Naruto stood with his clones on either side gathering Senjutsu. 'He's been down for awhile, there's no way he is out cold, what's he playing at?' he thought taking a few steps forward. Suddenly he felt something move beneath his feet and jumped just in time to avoid one of the former Iwa shinobi's rock hard arms shoot out of the ground and continue to travel upwards crashing through the roof. "How the hell can his arms stretch out like that?" Naruto questioned jumping back to avoid the same arm coming back down from the ceiling. "What the Hell, how stretchy is this guy?" Naruto said in surprise as his arms continued to grow longer and longer, almost forming a web to trap the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.

"Thanks to my experimentation with other Iwa bloodlines his body has become like rubber." Orochimaru swooned over the radio.

Naruto let out a sigh as he dodged out of the way of another strike. "Don't you have anything better to do than answer my rhetorical questions?" he asked.

"Oh plenty of things, but you have me quite expertly blocked in... I must say I am looking forward to a reunion with my old friend, although judging from the pace in which you parasites are approaching I will be having a reunion with Itachi first. You have made some improvements to his eyes I see, it's quite impressive." Orochimaru complimented.

Naruto scowled at this not wanting to be distracted by the snakes taunting. Without warning one of his clones dispelled and he felt the Senjutsu chakra filled his body just as one of the stone hands rocketed into his arm's range. In the blink of an eye Naruto raised his arm and caught the beasts hand using all his might in an attempt to crush it.

Orochimaru's experiment roared in pain and recoiled his arms yanking them from Naruto's grip. The hand that Naruto had crushed looked like it had several broken bones and even a light crack across the surface of his knuckles. "Oh my now this is interesting, the toads trained you in the use of Senjutsu." Orochimaru said smoothly.

"You're surprised?" Naruto asked while the former Iwa shinobi continued to howl in pain. '_I hurt it but still,_' he looked down at his hands that had several cuts that were healing quickly but the damage that it caused was clearly more than he had caused to Orochimaru's beast. '_Even with Senjutsu I could only slightly harm this guy._' he thought while the cuts on his hand closed up.

"The toads use of Senjutsu was always one that was unrefined, it suits that fool Jiraiya so well. You could have done so much better." Orochimaru taunted.

"Yeah we'll just see who has the last laugh when Jiraiya-sensei wipes the floor with you." Naruto replied clenching his fist, making sure that he didn't have any deeper injuries before walking forward towards Orochimaru's pet who was still raging over his hand. "Hey I don't know if you can understand me, but sorry about this." he said before slamming his fist into the side of the former Iwa ninja's face causing hims to fly across the floor slamming into a door at the end of the hall but soon found it's way back to a standing base. '_Man this guy it tough, to be able to withstand a direct hit from a senjutsu powered punch. How am I supposed to defeat this guy without my elemental rasengan, he's just too damn durable._' Naruto thought upon seeing that his punch had not caused Orochimaru's pet much damage at all.

The former Iwa ninja was shaking in anger he had never been injured before and the mindless beast was confused and furious, all he knew was that he wanted the one responsible to suffer and that was the blond blood covered jinchuuriki staring at him with a mildly stunned expression on his face. A sickly scream escaped his throat and he charged, each step cracked the floor beneath him as his anger grew and grew.

The passageway they were in was narrow and Naruto didn't have any room to maneuver, his only choices were to use a gravity jutsu that would destroy the whole area infront of him potentially causing a cave in on tackle the rampaging beast head on. He quickly backed up into the much larger room that was still soaked in the blood of the Oto teams that had been waiting to ambush the blond before the arrival of Orochimaru's pet and waited for it to get into range slamming his fist forward to connect with the face of the charging experiment. Naruto and the former Iwa ninja clashed and for a second both seemed to be fighting for dominance until they both split apart being tossed back several feet. Naruto's fist was numb with pain and it felt like his arms were ripped to shreds. "What the hell, there was enough chakra in that hit to level the Hokage monument, yet he's barely stunned, how is this possible?" Naruto said shaking his head in disbelief.

"Didn't you hear me before he doesn't feel pain, and his soul is attached to his body, the only way you can win is to destroy him completely, although in such a tight space any jutsu powerful enough to do that will almost certainly kill you and bring this base down onto your friends." Orochimaru taunted.

'_Damn I hate to admit it but he's right, taking this guy on in taijutsu isn't working and you can't catch a mindless zombie in a genjutsu. What the hell do I do, I could lead him outside but then I won't make it in time to help the others take out the damn snake that created this monster._' Naruto mused moving into the center of the room to utilize the extra area in order to use a gravity jutsu to prevent the former Iwa shinobi getting close enough to hit him. This process continued on for over a minute, Orochimaru's pet would attack Naruto, and the jinchuuriki would send him crashing into or through a wall, but all he was able to accomplish was making the beast angrier at it's failure to harm the blond.

"I wonder who will tire first." Orochimaru chuckled, clearly enjoying Naruto being caught on the ropes against his pet.

"Kami, why can't you just die already." Naruto sighed talking to both Orochimaru and his pet. 'Still he's right, constantly using Shinra Tensei like this is a massive drain on his chakra.'

'**I can't believe you are letting yourself be pushed around like some second rate Genin.**' came a voice Naruto had not heard in a very long time.

'_Oh of all the times for you to break free of my suppression. Look can you just shut up at least until I am finished with this guy._' Naruto thought in reply.

'**Disrespectful Gaki! I will tear you apart, although the way you are going that freak will beat me to it.**' Kyuubi laughed deeply.

"Well what do you suggest huh?" Naruto sighed thinking out loud, although he already knew where it was heading.

'**Let me take over, I'll rip him apart for you**.' Kyuubi replied.

'_Swing and a miss there Kyuubi, what else you got? Because I am not using your chakra._' Naruto declared.

'**Che well letting him kill you springs to mind**.' Kyuubi scowled.

'_Not going to happen and you know it, if I could get this guy into a place where I can use a strong enough jutsu this guy wouldn't last ten seconds. So unless you are going to be helpful, just shut up!_' Naruto thought angrily.

'**Why should I help you? You have the weapon that you need to to defeat this guy, you should figure it out for yourself**.' Kyuubi scoffed.

'_Hello I don't carry weapons, it's not my style_.' Naruto thought.

'**Gah, figure it out for yourself and if you die it's not my fault.**' Kyuubi replied in anger.

'_What does that even mean? The only weapons I can think of are my chakra rods and they are so brittle they could never harm this guy._' Naruto thought, then as if a signal the Magnatama Necklace hanging around his neck seemed to grow heavy and a light switched on in his head. "That's it!" he yelled in victory.

"Oh this should be interesting, what's it?" Orochimaru asked in interest.

"Watch and see, I don't know if this will work but if it doesn't work now then it wont ever work." he said and after putting extra pressure into blowing the former Iwa ninja away one more formed a long chakra rod and held it out in front of his body with both hands. "Banbutsu Sozo, Creation all things." he bellowed channeling as much chakra as he could into the distribution rod.

For a few seconds nothing happened until slowly it began to narrow and elongate a sharp point forming at the tip and slowly smoothing out into a long thin blade that was so light that it felt like Naruto was holding nothing at all, it was like wind in his hand a hilt formed at the end of the the blade. Suddenly a bolt of lightening escaped from the tip racing along the blade and into the hilt where it dispelled, the blade then caught fire before the fire was put out by water that had appeared from the blade. Wind followed next and finally a stone shield expanded out from the hilt. Once each had finished what was left was a solid black katana with a kenji for each of the five elements printed along the blade, each in a different gem to resemble each element, white marble for Fuuton, azure for Suiton, a ruby Katon, gold Raiton, and emerald for Doton.

"Now that is impressive Naruto-kun, but can your new little toy stand up to my little experiment's strength?" Orochimaru said in his smooth calculating voice.

"There is only only one way to find out." Naruto replied looking over the blade with mild interest. '_Hm Kenjutsu isn't really my style, but for this, it's just what I need._' he thought, a small smirk spreading across his face.. The blond waited blade prepared and waited for Orochimaru's pet to attack that he knew would come at any moment. "So how does this thing work? I guess it's just like the other stuff, so let's go with... Fuuton!" he declared. The blade in his hand seemed to vibrate and the blade changed from black to a completely white blade coated in Fuuton chakra.

The former Iwa shinobi stood up slowly turning to face Naruto his anger causing him to froth at the mouth. Without a second thought toward the new blade in the blonds hand, he charged elongated arms outstretched.

Naruto sidestepped the rampaging freak and lifted his new blade up slicing both hands off effortlessly. "Wow that was surprisingly easy." Naruto said looking at the solid stone hands that now lay on the floor.

'**Of course it was, you needed something that would cut through your opponent and your need created it. The same jutsu that created me would not make something useless.**' came Kyuubi's voice once more although this time Naruto thought he heard the smallest hint of pride beneath the mocking.

'_So it worked because I had need of a weapon?_' Naruto asked but Kyuubi did not answer.

The former Iwa ninja hadn't moved since it's hands were removed, it just stood staring at its stumps stunned disbelief etched on it's deformed sickly face. A noise began to escape it's lips that started off as a high pitched whine slowly became a scream and finally a roar of anger as he turned to face Naruto his stumps began to morph forming two long spiked and his eyes which had been glazed over before now were completely white looking like two endless expanses of nothingness, the stone under his skin which was dark before now became jet black and covered his entire body.

"Hm why do I get the feeling that I should have taken his head off rather than his hands?" Naruto said to himself.

But even though Naruto was in no way looking for a reply Orochimaru was more than eager to give him one. "Because you're a fool, just like your sensei." he chuckled in his snake like tone.

Naruto sweat dropped and gripped the newly created blades hilt tightly. '_I hope this thing is tough enough, still Kyuubi seemed to think it will be_.' lifting the blade up he began to realize just how poor his Kenjutsu was. '_Why couldn't I have made trench knives, something I could use my Taijutsu with? Still this thing is blinded with rage, as long as I can out maneuver it I will be fine._'

All of a sudden without warning the former Iwa ninja kicked off somehow faster than he had been before while Naruto was still much faster the sudden movement caught him by surprise. In response to Naruto's surprise a stone shield expanded out from the hilt of his blade in time to block Orochimaru's pet's strike, the beasts arm pierced half was through the shield but much to Naruto's amazement stopped the strike inches from the side of his face, and when the beast withdrew its arm the shield repaired itself, good as new. Again the beast struck only this time the shield didn't break, rather there was a loud cracking noise and when Naruto looked Orochimaru's pet had the blade in his right arm looked as though it had been crushed.

"Huh looks like the blade becomes stronger the more it's used, I am really liking this thing." Naruto chuckled as the shield compressed back into the hilt as though it had never been there at all.

The beast swung his unharmed arm at Naruto but the blond jinchuuriki was ready for it this time, bringing his blade up to parry the strike while at the same time positioning himself to kick the mindless zombie in the ribs, his senjutsu chakra causing the beast to crash back into the narrow passageway that Naruto had entered.

'**You're like a broken record, why do you insist on using Taijutsu, even your precious Sage Mode has no effect on him, either use that sword, or my chakra because this fight is boring me**.' Kyuubi interjected.

'_Gah you break free of my mental blockers for five minutes and already I am sick of you. You want me to finish this... then fine, lets see what this thing can do!_' Naruto replied. Once more the blade changed color to a pure snow white, however this time there was a thin gold line running along the blunt side all the way to the tip. Lightning sparked around the blade while a clear yet slightly visible jet of air coated the sharp edges. Naruto lifted the sword above his head before bringing it down in a chopping motion and a massive burst of Fuuton chakra mixed with lightning shot from the blade. The beast was trapped in the narrow passageway and unable to avoid the strike which connected with his shoulder tearing through his stone filled flesh like it was nothing but paper. "This ends now!" Naruto yelled kicking forward. Orochimaru's pet seemed to stunned to move as Naruto brought his blade up to his throat and for someone who was supposed to be a mindless zombie Naruto clearly saw a look of confused fear on the beasts face.

"Impressive Naruto-kun, although I expected you to win, I had hoped that my little pet would have managed to force you to a room large enough to use a powerful Raiton jutsu." Orochimaru said clearly unaffected at seeing his experiment beheaded.

"What was his name?" Naruto asked, a hint of remorse evident in his voice.

'**Gah are you actually feeling sorry about killing that thing? You did it a favor.**' Kyuubi scoffed.

'Why are you still talking, go back to sleep already.' "Hey are you listening! I said tell me what his name was!" Naruto said loudly.

"Name? He was an experiment, nothing more. I had no use in knowing what his name was, in the end he was a failure. Now if you would excuse me I need to prepare for your so called friends." Orochimaru answered.

"Well at least that's one annoying voice out of the way." Naruto sighed still looking down at the remains of the beast that had once been an Iwa shinobi. '_Well I need to get moving, Orochimaru was trying to slow me down and I can't say that he failed._'

'**No you did a pretty good job at that yourself, the way you were fighting seemed closer to a Genin rather than someone capable of defeating S class ninja, truly disappointing.**' Kyuubi taunted.

'_That's it, I am putting the mental seals back up!_' Naruto replied before cutting off communication to Kyuubi. He was about to start performing the hand seals to prevent Kyuubi talking then stopped. '_Look I don't like you, but you really helped me out back there so for now I won't shut you away. Still I don't get it you have never helped me before so why start now?_'

Naruto waited for an answer but all he received was silence. Meanwhile inside Naruto's seal Kyuubi was asking itself the exact same question. '_It's possible, this kid is the one that he spoke of. But you still has a long way to go before you can even dream of earning my respect Naruto._' the giant fox thought lowing his head to drift off to sleep.

(**Elsewhere**)

Fuu and Kakashi made it to the Hokage's office, the reluctance Fuu had felt before entering the Hokage tower had been fading, she had not heard anything being broken or even any angry yelling since they entered the building. Kakashi opened the door and Fuu's eyes widened before she had to stifle a laugh. There was Tsunade sitting behind her desk with a victorious smirk on her face with several bottles of alcohol proudly stacked in the middle of the desk. "So you found Shizune's hiding place, she was quite confident she could use the same place for at least another month." Kakashi said entering the room not taking his eyes from his precious book.

"Kakashi what do you... Fuu? What are you doing here?" Tsunade said in shock.

Fuu seemed to freeze under Tsunade's gaze. "Uh..."

"I believe Fuu would like to stay in Konoha for a few days, I would guess that would be until Naruto returns am I right?" Kakashi guessed.

"Yes, that's right, I have money to stay in a hotel and I won't bother any of your shinobi while training." the green haired shinobi said with a respectful curt bow.

Tsunade smiled at the kunoichi. 'It's good to see that Jiraiya hasn't caused all of his group to be as disrespectful as Naruto is.' she thought "Of course you can stay here, Naruto and Jiraiya would not like it if I turned a jinchuuriki now would they, you can stay as long as you want. Now Kakashi what did you want?" she said.

"Me? Oh I didn't really want anything, I just heard that a Yoinokuchi ninja was in the village and came to see who it was, when I found Fuu I offered to escort her here." Kakashi replied.

"Very well then you may go I would like to talk to Fuu in private if you don't mind." Tsunade ordered.

Kakashi nodded and began to make his way to the door. "Of course Tsunade-sama. It was nice talking to you Fuu." he said before exiting the room.

Once Kakashi was gone Tsunade turned a inquisitive eye onto the Nanabi jinchuuriki. "Now would you kindly tell me why you are here, I doubt that Jiraiya and the others would approve of you being out on your own as a jinchuuriki, not while the Akatsuki are still operating freely." she said.

"Well you see I sort of had a fight with Akimi." Fuu said apprehensively.

"You had a fight with Akimi huh? Let me guess it was about Naruto." the Hokage replied knowingly.

"Yes." she admitted sadly.

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "I guessed so, rather than run away you should talk to Akimi and sort out your differences rather than run away from your problems, still you can stay here as long as you need. I could use a different sparing partner, at the moment the only person that has the time is Sarutobi-sensei." she said.

"But um isn't it you who gives the other shinobi their assignments? So couldn't you give someone some time off to spar?" Fuu questioned.

"Well technically yes. But if I take some of my best shinobi off duty for something like that then Konoha would suffer, unfortunately it takes quite a lot of work to run a village." Tsunade explained.

"I guess that makes sense, in that case I would be honored to train with you." Fuu replied.

"I look forward to it. Anyway I will let you go get settled. I will inform the Anbu captains that you will be staying so they won't bother you." Tsunade said with a smile. Fuu nodded in response and made her way out of the office and out into the village.

(**Meanwhile**)

"Another room another ambush, you would think that these people have more than one strategy." Zabuza moaned.

"Well in fairness they don't have many other options." Kurotsuchi replied.

"They could fight like men rather than attempt bad ambushes only ever able to accomplish a fast death." Zabuza whined as he reached forward to push a large door open.

The pair entered a large training room that at first appeared to be empty. "Hey they didn't tell us that there would be two of them." Jirobo said loudly stepping out from behind a large pillar.

"Jirobo you idiot we were supposed to wait for them to move into the center of the room before exposing ourselves." Kidomaru said appearing from a separate pillar on the other side of the room shaking his head.

"Hm these guys seem different from the peons we have faced so far. This might actually be interesting." Zabuza said gripping Kubikiribocho tightly reading himself for an attack.

**End Chapter!**

**So good Idea for the first of Naruto's Tools or bad? I wanted to do something other than have him win with the same old jutsu, and that was the first thing I came up with. Decided to start reintroducing Kyuubi now to give some Dialog to what proved to be a rather difficult fight to write. I'm willing to listen to any ideas for new tools that Naruto could make as well as any suggestions on what they would like to see happen in later chapters. **

**On a unrelated note, the current arc in the cannon has gone on for far too long, it's supposed to be 'Naruto' not every character people dislike, seriously they may as well change the name to 'Uchiha!' my guess is we will see at least four new Sharingan jutsu before this arc ends. I was stunned this week when the scene changed back to Naruto and Bee, let's hope it stays there for awhile. **


	92. The Sound Four's Stand

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****92: The Sound Four's Stand**

Kurotsuchi and Zabuza stood by the entrance to a large dojo facing four shinobi that were each leaning against one of the pillars that helped divide the room. "So what do we have here, this group is smaller than the last one. Zabuza said eying the sound for with mild curiosity.

"So this is the Demon of the Mist huh? He doesn't look like much to me." Jirobo said confidently.

"What do you know fatso, I actually agree with you for once. But who's the girl?" Tayuya asked.

"That would be the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi I believe her name is. So what, has your little group descended into kidnapping now? Yet they call us criminals." Sakon scoffed.

"Oh I am really going to enjoy killing you four." Zabuza said calmly.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto had left the blood soaked room and Orochimaru's pet behind and in his hand he gripped the long black katana he had created still the fight had not been without difficulties and now he was starting to feel some mild chakra exhaustion. '_Damn I should have known better than to listen to Kyuubi and use Banbutsu Sozo_.' he thought while slowing down to a brisk walk.

'**Che I didn't tell you to use it, I told you to figure it out for yourself.**' Kyuubi replied angrily.

'_Don't you have anything better to do?_' Naruto sighed.

'**Yeah tons of things, because this dank sewer is a virtual hub of entertainment.**' Kyuubi sarcastically mocked.

'_Well I'm sorry, if I let you out I die and you would get captured by the Akatsuki._' the blond said seriously. '_If I knew of a way to make your captivity easier on the both of us I would try it believe me._'

'**And why should I believe anything you say?**' Kyuubi responded, clearly disinterested in Naruto's declaration.

'_Good point, you don't really have any reason to trust me._' Naruto replied opening a door before using a Shinra Tensei to repel a small group of Oto ninja waiting on the other side, each one crashed head first into a wall instantly losing consciousness. '_But as all you really want is for me to rip the seal off your cage I can't really change your mind can I?_' he added checking the room for anything of interest before moving on to the next door.

'**Stop fool, why are you leaving?**' Kyuubi questioned.

'_Because I need to get moving and find Orochimaru._' Naruto answered with a deadpan expression on his face.

'**Yes but didn't you say you were starting to feel chakra exhaustion? If that's the case take the chakra you need from the fools you knocked out seeing as you refuse to use my chakra.**' Kyuubi said before questioning itself on why exactly he was helping Naruto at all.

'_Now that's a great idea, thanks Kyuubi, what do you know maybe you're not all that bad after all._' Naruto replied.

This struck a nerve with the giant fox and it exploded in anger. '**I am a compressed being of hatred, bad is an understatement to how truly horrible I am!**' Kyuubi roared.

'_Okay I get it, don't burst a blood vessel._' Naruto said apprehensively. "Stupid fox." he mumbled loudly to himself walking over to one of the downed Oto ninja. Switching to his Preta path Naruto began draining the shinobi of their chakra which the blond had to admit made him feel a lot better.

'**I'm stupid? You're the one who couldn't deal with a single ninja even if he was hideously deformed it was embarrassing to watch.**' Kyuubi said angrily.

'_Kami will you just let that go? I could have killed him at any point if I used a strong enough Raiton jutsu, I just didn't want to risk causing a cave in, that was what Orochimaru wanted_.' Naruto scowled regretting his decision to allow Kyuubi to talk in his head, more and more.

'**That really depends, are you going to continue fighting like a little Genin?**' Kyuubi asked rhetorically.

'_Why won't you shut up, you never used to talk this much, and when you did it was always... '__**I'll rip you apart and eat your soul'**__._' Naruto replied mimicking Kyuubi's voice at the end.

'**You were a sniveling little gaki that had never accomplished anything back then, and to me you still are, but some of your actions have interested me.**' Kyuubi admitted.

This stunned the blond shinobi. '_They have? Like what?_' he asked eagerly wanting to know just what he did to make his occupant take any notice.

'**Figure it out for yourself, maybe if you don't fuck up anymore I might tell you, but I find that highly unlikely.**' Kyuubi answered with a snicker.

'_Look as much as I enjoy your constant criticisms can we please do this later?, I should be getting into the heart of the base now I need to stay focused._' Naruto replied. He waited for a few moments but soon figured that Kyuubi had actually listened to his request and continued moving.

(**Meanwhile**)

Zabuza ducked under a kunai before swinging his sword in a large arc to block three more, all of which were thrown from different directions. "Che and here I thought you guys might have been different to the other peons I ran into earlier. I'm really starting to question whether Orochimaru has any decent shinobi under his command." he said mocking the sound four.

Kurotsuchi had been staying out of the fight due to Zabuza's request to fight all four himself. She had initially disapproved but from what she had seen so far Zabuza was in no danger at all. 'He's been toying with them from the start, but he's not taking any of the openings he's created sure he's far superior but a single mistake against four people and he could die' she thought while Zabuza slipped under a strike from Jirobo leaving his edge of his blade trailing behind creating a deep gash in the stocky Oto ninjas side.

"Jirobo you idiot be more careful!" Tayuya yelled angrily.

"Looks like the little lady is angry, are you upset that I hurt your friend?" Zabuza asked with a smirk. "No that's not it, you four don't give a shit about each other, you're just angry that you can't hit me." he chuckled making a show out of jumping away from a projectile shot from a puppet Tayuya was controlling with a flute.

Jirobo who was still clutching his side where Zabuza had sliced him had an angry look in his eyes and quickly started racing through hand seals. "Escape this! Doton: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!" he roared and the ground around Zabuza shot up trapping the Kiri ninja inside.

"Well done Jirobo, he won't be able to get out of that so easily." Sakon said with a smirk.

Inside the dome Zabuza looked around mildly impressed, he could even feel his chakra being slowly drained. "Hm interesting jutsu, but as my Uchiha friend likes to say 'all jutsu have a weakness,' and it is not hard to figure this one out. You are draining chakra from inside so the wall will be strongest where you are standing, in that case." Zabuza completed his thought by bringing Kubikiribocho down on the oposite side of the dome and a large crack appeared, however it was repairing itself quickly. Not wasting any time Zabuza ran through several hand seals and shot a compressed ball of water from his mouth that took the form of a shark before smashing through Jirobo's prison.

"Whoa this guy is the real deal. I don't think we can put it off anymore we need our curse seals, level two I doubt level one will even make him flinch." Kidomaru suggested.

Sakon wanted to yell back that he was in charge not Kidomaru but he had to agree it was his best bet. "He's right, second level curse seals now!" he ordered.

Slowly the four Oto ninja began to change first their skin changed with dark patterns spreading over their bodies. Next came the truly horrific part, as their bodies morphed into demonic looking creatures. Tayuya hair grew long and she now had horns atop her head along with Kidomaru who also had a third eye appear on his forehead. Jirobo's hair filled out and lengthened down to his sholder blades while his skin was almost an orange color. Sakon's transformation shocked even Zabuza, apparently splitting into two separate halves of the same person each had one longhorn extending from opposite sides of his forehead and each had half of their body covered in a strong armor.

"Two people in the one body, neat little trick but not one I haven't seen before." Zabuza said calmly.

"Huh you have seen this before?" Sakon asked in surprise.

"Yes although it was a long time ago, before Itachi and the kid recruited me, I had a fight with two members of a clan from the Land of Stars that were able to enter each others bodies, in fact they even attempted to enter my own. Shame that they tried, they were fun up to that point.' Zabuza mused.

Sakon who usually couldn't care less what his opponents had to say unless they were begging for a mercy that would never come, but his usual mocking would not be well served against someone like Zabuza Momoichi. "Why was it a shame?" Sakon asked, silently ordering the others to hold off on their attacks.

"Because during the process of becoming one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist you need to undergo an operation, we are all injected with a substance that give us shark like characteristics, it raises our core body temperature to inhuman levels while our skin appears to be cold, for the most of us we just receive shark teeth and increased physical strength." Zabuza explained, while thinking about the major exception to that fact, Kisame.

"So what, get to the point already." Sakon said angrily.

"So you are from the same clan, I thought so, you even looked alike. Fine I'll tell you, he entered my body using the upgraded version of his Kekkei Genkai and was cooked alive, unable to survive inside my body." Zabuza chuckled darkly.

"A bluff?" Ukon asked his twin.

"Maybe, but if he knows of our ability then I doubt it, we will just have to beat this trash without that. Let's go!" Sakon said.

Ukon nodded and reforged with Sakon before kicking off towards Zabuza several times quicker than he had before. Zabuza was impressed with his new found speed but he had spent over three years training and going on missions with the likes of Itachi and had sparred plenty of times with Akimi who was much faster. "Not bad, but not good enough." Zabuza taunted, he stuck Kubikiribocho into the ground and used it as leverage to flip behind Sakon and kick him in the back.

Zabuza's foot was less than an inch away when a arm grew from his back blocking most of the force behind the attack. This exchange sparked movement from the other members of the sound four, Kidomaru spat a thin web towards Zabuza while Tayuya began to play her flute creating several genjutsu soldiers.

Zabuza was able to slice through Kidomaru's web but had to doge a few attacks from Tayuya's genjutsu. 'Heh these guys ain't half bad, now I am glad I didn't kill them earlier.' he thought bringing kubikiribocho up to use the large flat surface to parry a powerful fist from Jirobo. "Looks like things are getting interesting. What else have you got?" he said smirking beneath the bandages he used as a mask.

(**Unknown Location**)

Pein's Deva path stood in a large empty room in front of the large Gedo Mezo statue behind him stood Konan and further back in the shadows Tobi sat on a beam that helped support the ceiling. "The drain of the Nibi has slowed considerably." Pein said darkly.

"They must have got the jinchuuriki to a hospital and stabilized her chakra system." Tobi mused.

"It doesn't matter, she is as good as dead anyway, and once she is gone the remaining chakra will be drained." Pein replied.

"Still it causes us a problem, at this rate it could be well over a month before we can seal another jinchuuriki." Konan reminded the pair.

"True, but that does not mean that we can not do anything to help our cause in the meantime." Tobi assured the kunoichi.

"Yes we still need to locate the Rokubi after all." Pein reasoned.

"True but I was thinking along different lines." Tobi replied.

Pein had never truly trusted Tobi, and Konan flat out disliked the masked man on several occasions she urged Pein to get rid of him but he had ignored her pleas. A snake is easier to avoid when you know it's movements, and Pein was more than confident in his ability to deal with Tobi should he ever try anything. "And what would you suggest?" he asked turning his Rinnegan eyes onto the masked shinobi.

"The Raikage is not known for taking things lying down, he will want action against us for capturing the Nibi, and he knows that we are well informed as we knew the moment the jinchuuriki left the village. He will call for all the villages to take action against us, as such we should make the first move, cripple them before they can organize." Tobi suggested.

"Attack Kumo?" Konan asked stoically.

"Not Kumo no, we attack Konoha, they are the key to the Land of Fire where there are three jinchuuriki, we take out Konoha and they no longer have a safety net, any possible action that could be taken against us will be severely disrupted giving us more time to operate in peace." the masked ninja explained confidently.

Tobi smiled under his mask as he saw the flash of interest in what he was saying, he knew very well about Pein's past relationship with Konoha, yes they had planned on attacking Konoha to get to Naruto and the other Jinchuuriki in the Land of Fire but it had always been on the back burner and they would wait until the other Bijuu had been captured first. The timing and opportunity now were perfect. "When should I leave?" Pein asked.

"You should not go alone, it is always possible that the Kyuubi's little group will show up, then we have to take into account the troublesome Konoha shinobi that could get in the way. Hiruzen Sarutobi was not called the God of Shinobi for nothing." Tobi warned.

"He is no Kami, I will show him the wrath of a true Kami." Pein replied.

"Still he has a point, Jiraiya-sensei's apprentice is strong if he were to show up while you were in a weakened state it would be problematic." Konan said for once agreeing with Tobi's idea.

"Then who will strike at Konoha then?" Pein asked assertively, not liking the fact his ability was being questioned.

"Everyone, save for a Kisame, Zetsu and myself," he said excluding himself and the two he knew would follow him should he decide that Pein was no longer necessary.

Konan did not approve of this. "Why not you? Surely you are more than capable in a fight." she questioned.

"Hiruko has extensive knowledge of Konoha and the early warning systems that will be up along with the reaction times to threats. Kisame on the other hand is best suited to capture the Rokubi and will need a partner, I shouldn't need to tell you just how useful Deidara can be in a large scale assault with his explosives. As such I should partner with Kisame to target the Rokubi, to capture it when the time is right. We will need Zetsu's help in tracking if we are to have any hope in locating the Bijuu." Tobi answered confidently.

Pein narrowed his eyes, sensing that Tobi was hiding something but pushed it to the back of his mind. "It's alright Konan, he shouldn't be necessary for this task anyway." he said powerfully before turning back to the statue. "I'll call everyone here to tell them what will be happening in a few hours, first I need some sleep." he said and without another sound Pein left the room.

"It seems like Konoha's days are numbered, Tobi is very excited." the masked ninja said reverting to his childish persona.

Konan made no sign of emotion towards the masked ninja but inside she was very suspicious, most members of the Akatsuki joined because they had nowhere else to go, but nobody knew who Tobi was, he had no reason to join them and she was sure as anything he didn't believe in bringing peace to the world. Yes she knew that Nagato's version of peace was different from what Yahiko had envisioned but he was all she had left, his dream was hers and she would do anything to help him accomplish it, and kill anyone who meant him harm, even Jiraiya whom she still held close to her heart was expendable should he attempt to kill Nagato. _'If you try to harm Nagato I will kill you, you may think you're untouchable but I know your weakness_' she thought while her face remained as neutral as ever before leaving to follow after Pein.

(**With Zabuza**)

The demon of the Mist was beginning to frustrate the sound four, every plan they concocted, every move they made was countered superbly. Zabuza swung Kubikiribocho around like it was nothing more than a stick, it was an extension of his arm that was in perfect sync with the rest of his body.

Kurotsuchi had to admit that she was highly impressed with the swordsman, not a move was wasted and his movements were so fluid, he would parry a strike with his giant cleaver before spinning into a kick, or race through hand seals at lightning speeds to counter Sakon's attempts at showing off his strength. '_Compared to Zabuza, the other four don't look all that special, I guess he must be used to dealing with much faster and more powerful opponents than these four, he looks like he's having a blast._' Kurotsuchi noted.

"Damn this piece of trash, we can't land a hit. How is he able to keep up with all of us at the same time!" Sakon fumed after his latest attack was repelled with ease by a large wall of water that Zabuza created to cover his back while slicing through Kidomaru's webs.

"What don't tell me you're giving up? Compared to Gaara's sand, Akimi's speed Fuu's control over four tails of Bijuu chakra and Itachi's genjutsu this is a walk in the park. You can't be out of ideas already." Zabuza taunted before slicing through one of Tayuya's genjutsu fighters.

Tayuya was easily the best strategist in the Sound Four, but even she was running dangerously short of ideas, every trap that she pulled caught only air, whenever she thought that she had Zabuza cornered he would somehow escape, the only people that had ever been able to knock the four of them around so easily had been Kimimaro, and Sasuke had reached that level before he deserted. '_He's making fun of us, it's the only explanation, just how strong is this guy._' she thought a twinge of fear running down her spine.

Zabuza began to chuckle and made a show of sniffing the air. "Now that's a smell I recognize, fear. They say that when you fear something it becomes twice a dangerous. What do you say we finish this little game huh?" he said wickedly the old heartless killer showing on the Kiri ninjas face.

Sakon was shaking but it was not in fear, he hated losing to anyone and being taunted like this was just making it worse. "Fine we'll end this, with you surrendering, because while Ukon may not be able to enter your body, he can always enter hers!" he said angrily.

Ukon split from Sakon's body and right into that of Kurotsuchi his half demonic head appearing on her shoulder. "Now give up or she dies!" Ukon yelled.

Kurotsuchi analyzed the Oto ninja for a few moments. "You're inside my body right?" she questioned not sounding scared, more interested.

"Yeah that's right now shut up and be a good hostage, you piece of trash." Sakon answered for Ukon who had disappeared into Kurotsuchi's body.

"Well it's a shame you didn't take my Kekkei Genkai into consideration, because if Zabuza's internal environment is like a fire, then mine would be lava." she said before channeling her Yoton chakra through her body.

A muffled scream could be heard and Ukon quickly escaped the kunoichi's body his skin badly burnt, he had only survived thanks to the second level curse seal being active giving him thicker skin. "You bitch, what have you done to me!" Ukon roared, clearly in pain as he winced from his wounds.

"Looks like your little hostage is too much for you to handle, I gues you should have done your research before entering the body of someone with Yoton release." Zabuza laughed.

Kidomaru had known from the start that this was the most likely outcome of a fight against anyone from the Yoinokuchi but he also knew not fighting would mean his death anyway. "Damn it to hell I will not die here! Summoning Jutsu: Kyodaigumo!" he yelled summoning a massive spider that began to spawn hundreds of smaller spiders, each began casting threads of a web.

"Who's that going to help, we can't get through that web either Kidobau you idiot!" Jirobo yelled.

"So what, I don't care about this anymore, we can't win this fight, and if you think Orochimaru will survive this then you are more daft that I can believe, personally I prefer my chances running for it and hoping that once these guys are finished with Orochimaru they won't come after me." he said flatly walking towards the entrance.

"Are you serious, you're going to walk out on Orochimaru-sama?" Sakon yelled.

"I agreed to be Orochimaru's bodyguard, but I didn't agree to mindlessly let my self be killed just to buy him a few more moments of life." Kidomaru replied.

"You... You traitor!" Jirobo yelled angrily.

"We are all traitors Jirobo, or did you forged just how Orochimaru operates, disloyalty in the end is met with disloyalty, that is the way of the world, now I don't know about you guys but I am not keen on meeting the sharp edge of that massive cleaver, if you are smart you'll follow me." Kidomaru replied making his way towards the door.

Zabuza had been watching the exchange with mild interest, he probably shouldn't let the spider like ninja go but he was preoccupied with squashing all the spiders that were still spreading their webs to create a barrier between him and the sound four. "So one of you has decided to ditch the snake huh, I would say that I'm surprised but well if I had a choice between my life and Orochimaru's it would be an easy decision to make." he chuckled.

"You wish, Kidomaru may be too chicken to stay and fight, but the rest of us aren't!" Sakon yelled back

Kidomaru smiled happily at this. 'Just like Sakon refusing to give up or admit defeat, still I can use what little time he grants me to escape, Zabuza has far better things to do than chase after me.' he thought confidently as he made it to the exit. "Well have fun dying, I hope I won't be joining you any time soon." he called out before opening the door into the passageway that Zabuza and Kurotsuchi had entered.

"Wait, I'm coming too, I don't want to die here in some dark fucking cave." Tayuya said lowering her flute and running after Kidomaru.

"You fucking Bitch, you are just going to leave us?" Sakon asked incredulously.

"Why the fuck not, I don't care about any of you fucking assholes, I served Orochimaru, but do the fucking math, he's as good as dead, you think Kimimaro is gonna do any better against his opponent? He has been frozen for over three fucking years! Kidomaru is right, I'm not giving my life away on a lost cause." she answered bitterly before she and Kidomaru exited the room racing up the corridors behind them.

"And then there were two. Well I must say you were a mild source of entertainment, and stalled me long enough to be sure that someone else reaches Orochimaru first, can't say I'm all that disappointed, no matter how hard I train I can't hold a candle to Jiraiya, Itachi and don't even get me started on the kid if he actually gets serious, fortunately he still doesn't understand just how strong he is always waiting for an opening rather than attempting to create one." Zabuza mused.

"Jirobo can't you do something to get rid of this web that those fucking spiders created?" Sakon said glaring at Zabuza who was blocked off by the sticky golden threads that Sakon and his spiders could create.

"Allow me, I'll cut through these things in no time, I don't want to miss seeing the end of your precious boss now." Zabuza said with a smirk showing even through his mask.

"It would actually be quicker if you allow me." Kurotsuchi said and without waiting for Zabuza to answer she spewed forth a large quantity of her lava that melted the webs before hardening on the ground.

"Not bad, that's a useful Kekkei Genkai. I guess now it's my turn to show you why they call me the Demon of the Bloody Mist... Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Zabuza said clearly and within seconds the room was so thick with mist that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. "Oh now where to cut, I have so many choices" Zabuza's voice cut through the air as though it were all around them.

'He's using a very advanced genjutsu to mask his presence and throw his voice, this is something he must have picked up from a genjutsu master like Itachi' Kurotsuchi thought, 'I could escape this but those two? Taijutsu types are no good against this type of attack' Kurotsuchi thought as she waited for an attack to come.

Zabuza was circling the pair who were standing with their backs to one another, Ukon was switching shoulders attempting to see any approaching attack. "Do I slice your necks?" he questioned rhetorically.

As if to symbolize his question a spectral version of Zabuza appeared before both Kidomaru and Jirobo, kubikiribocho in his hand held up under their throats. Both Oto ninja yelled and hit out at the figures of Zabuza but they just disappeared.

'_Oh man I really gotta thank Itachi and Fuu for their help with genjutsu, it makes for a much better show than just the mist._' Zabuza thought as he continued to torture Orochimaru's remaining guards a new genjutsu version of himself appearing as he ran through all of the bodies major vital spots.

Sakon's pride was hurt, there was no denying that fact, but the more he thought about it the more obvious it became that he was actually scared, he had never had to fight against someone who had outclassed him by so much who intended to kill him. Sure he had been defeated many times, by Orochimaru, Kabuto, Kimimaro and later Sasuke. But this time was different, he felt the killing intent from Zabuza and it washed over his body more and more. '_This is it, I'm going to die._' he thought slowly becoming paralyzed by fear.

That was precisely what Zabuza was waiting for. His mental warfare to take over, he had been known for destroying small army's singlehandedly and the secret behind that was fear. Nobody used fear quite like Zabuza Momoichi he could smell it and knew exactly when to strike so that he would never need more than one blow to kill his prey. 'They're strong willed but close to breaking point, just one more push.' "Or perhaps I should lengthen your suffering, did you know that a precise stab wound to the stomach is one of the longest and most painful ways to die? The stomach's gastric acid escapes and begins digesting the intestines, they say the agony is akin to having all your limbs removed over and over again for days until your body finally gives out." he said evilly.

Even Kurotsuchi on the sidelines had to gag back a little bit of bile and ignore a shiver, she now understood just how he got the nickname of '_Demon of the Mist'. She heard two loud thuds but did not smell blood. 'What's going on has he killed them yet?_' she questioned. The answer was no, both men had fallen to their knees in fear. They were almost catatonic when the blow finally came. Kurotsuchi heard the sound of steel rushing through the air and then the sound of two light thuds as the heads hit the ground. The mist turned red, colored by the arterial spray of the blood before two louder thuds as their bodies struck the ground.

"It's over." Zabuza said as the mist began to clear. "It was done quickly." he added as if to assure Kurotsuchi that they didn't suffer.

"It was all a trap from the start wasn't it? You didn't take advantage of any of the openings you created and allowed them to use some of their strongest moves simply to show how outclassed they were, all to be able to produce that paralyzing fear. Am I right?" the kunoichi questioned.

"Yes, I could tell from the start they were mentally tough in a sense, they believed that they were strong enough to fight anyone, the fist step was to create a sense of doubt about there ability to win. Then I needed to demoralize them show that I was toying with them. The two leaving was a bonus I must admit, I had planned on trying to get them to turn on one another but that wasn't necessary." Zabuza answered in a matter of fact tone.

"But why not just kill them, why go through all of that?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Because I needed to know that I still could, I have been with the Yoinokuchi for so long I have started to forget I was once a merciless missing ninja who killed for hire, don't get me wrong I like the life I have now. These two deserved what they got and more, I am what I am if I don't use my best techniques they go rusty, I don't want that to happen. Now come on or we will miss the party." Zabuza said flatly.

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding and she and Zabuza walked to the far end of the room and out into a well lit corridor. "Looks like we are getting closer to the center of this damn maze." she said happy to be out of the dark corridors that lay behind them.

"Yeah if the others haven't run into anything worse than us then they should be getting close to that snake bastard by now, so lets get a move on I don't want to miss anything." Zabuza replied picking up the pace as they traveled down the corridor.

**End Chapter!**

**Do you think I made the fight to easy for Zabuza? I have been trying rather hard to not make it seem like they can just walk over anyone that they come across and that has been getting harder as Naruto gets stronger, that's why I have been trying to put him in situations where he can't use all his strength for whatever reason. **

**I just realized that it's almost been a year since I started this story, I had only planned to do this while I waited for the Cannon to move past this war arc and then get back to Toad Sages Apprentice. But the cannon is moving so slowly and I am really enjoying writing this story as it isn't so close to the Cannon as my other one. **

**On that note I would like to ask people what they think were the best parts of this story so far, in case I decide to write another one once this ends. (Not that it will anytime soon) Just think that if I know what people like I can write more similar stuff I usually just write the first idea that comes into my head and don't think about it much, just have a vague outline of the next few chapters and let things play out but if knowing what parts people have enjoyed most or didn't like at all would help in making the next fic and this one even more enjoyable. **

**Anyway thanks for reading, I hope you all liked the chapter.**


	93. Secrets and Sand

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****93: Secrets and Sand**

Naruto was getting rather bored, it had been several hours since the Yoinokuchi group entered Orochimaru's hide out and a pattern was developing, he would open a door dispatch the shinobi waiting to ambush him inside then move on to the next room. Every so often he would run into a shinobi with Orochimaru's curse seal and that would require slightly more effort but on the whole things were running smoothly.

It was at a large juncture that he finally came to a halt in front of a large door, most of the rooms had been sealed in a vein attempt to slow the blond down but this one was something else. Massive chakra seals ran down the center and in the middle there was one of the biggest locks he had ever seen. "Nothing screams 'open me' like a massive lock." he chuckled as he began to inspect the seals. '_Well the big one_ is_ a pressure chakra seal, from what I can make out if anyone other than Orochimaru attempts to open the door it will destroy what ever is inside._' he mused.

'**So in other words, you are going to attempt to open it anyway**.' Kyuubi replied lazily.

'_Well now that you mention it yeah, but first I am going to remove these seals. I may not have the equipment here with me to remove or seal them but I can drain the chakra out making the activation do nothing at all._' Naruto smirked placing a hand on the first seal and watching as it slowly faded only to reveal another seal underneath, truly Orochimaru did not want anyone entering this room. "Ah man this could take awhile." he whined.

Kyuubi chuckled happily in his cell, as it stood things that annoyed his blond jinchuuriki were alright by him.

(**Elsewhere**)

Gaara had been moving through Orochimaru's maze like complex rather swiftly, his sand would instantly deal with any attackers allowing him to move with ease through the rooms. When ever he found anything of interest he would make a note of it but left most things be, he reasoned that anything they could gain from this base would be known by Orochimaru, it would be far easier to at least attempt to extract some information out of the snake even if wasn't much, they were here to kill Orochimaru after all, not look for interesting jutsu or weapons. The rooms the Jinchuuriki of the sand spirit, Shukaku had been moving through had been getting larger and larger the closer he came to the center of the complex but he could only guess as to how close he was the the main chamber where Orochimaru was waiting. '_This is becoming rather tedious, if these doors weren't sealed I could just send my sand to find the quickest rout to the center_.' he thought.

Gaara opened the next door he came to which opened into a massive hall, it was the biggest room he had been in so far, stretching easily twice as long as the main arena in Konoha where he had spent his final day as a Suna ninja. At the far end he saw a doorway that was twice as large as the one he had entered, the red haired teen began to cross the room and made it about three quarters of the way to the opposite door before his sand reacted to a movement, a sharp pale white blade shot out of the ground from behind Gaara, his sand moved to protect him just in time but he had moved deftly to the side in order to avoid the strike anyway. "Not bad, I can see why you made it this far, but I won't allow you to go any further." a voice called out from above.

Gaara didn't look fazed by this. "So you're the presence I felt, I knew that there was someone else in this room, my sand felt your presence the moment I entered." he said flatly.

Kimimaro smiled from his hiding place, high above the red head. 'This guy is good, I can see why they needed to defrost me, he was able to both block and move out of the way of my ambush, chances are even if I win I won't survive this fight, but I must win, if only for Orochimaru-sama's sake.' he thought before jumping down from the ceiling sending a hail of projectiles from his fingers made from the same pale white substance that the first attack had been.

A large sand wall erected itself in front of Gaara comfortably blocking the attack. "They are bone." Gaara said making note of the projectile, picking one up in his hand seeing that it was indeed a finger tip. "A Kekkei Genkai, and a useful one at that." he added in a monotone drawl.

"Correct on both counts, you have a rather useful ability yourself, but I have known that for awhile. You're that one tailed jinchuuriki brat from Suna right." Kimimaro questioned in a calm tone.

"I am no longer a Suna ninja, but yes I was once Suna's jinchuuriki." Gaara replied.

"Our little double crossing secret weapon returns, I was not there when Orochimaru-sama failed to kill that old Hokage, but I can get some retribution now, let's see what is stronger, my bones or your sand." Kimimaro said eagerly before sending another wave of tough as steel bones at Gaara who stood perfectly still as his sand batted them from the sky with ease. "You haven't changed, letting your sand do the fighting for you." the Oto ninja taunted taking up a stance.

Gaara did something rather unexpected then, he smiled. "I have changed more than you will ever know, my sand is not a tool that I use, it is part of my body, and I have been taught how to utilize that fact by training with some of the strongest ninja from around the Elemental Nations." Gaara said simply.

(Elsewhere)

"So this is a secret Uchiha compound huh? Gotta say it's not that impressive." Suigetsu said as the group looked arrived at a small entrance into a large building that looked as though it had been standing for hundreds of years.

"Well it hasn't been used for years, and the guardians cannot clean, although sometimes they do employ civilians. Still I doubt this place has been disturbed since the time of Madara Uchiha." Sasuke replied as he opened the door.

Sitting on the floor almost waiting for him to enter were two cats, a large orange tabby and a small gray one. "Would you look at that it's a young Uchiha, my it has been some time since we have seen a different face, the only guests we have had is Tobi-sama." the Orange tabby said walking over to Sasuke to inspect the boy.

"It can talk!" Karin gasped in shock.

"Yeah and so can you, but you don't hear us yelling about it." the gray cat said in a clearly feminine voice.

Sasuke saw the look of confusion and shock on the face of his team and decided to explain. "Long ago the Uchiha had a close relationship with the cat spirits, they were highly intelligent but unfortunately they were not suited for battle, rather than ending the cooperation between our clans our clan leaded gave them control of many of the Uchiha compounds, they live for hundreds of years and always knew how to bring in money to fund our clans future, in a sense they are the perfect guardians." Sasuke explained. Then something occurred to him. "Who is Tobi?" he asked suspiciously.

"I believe that would be me." came a voice from inside the shadows. Sasuke and the rest of his group turned just as the orange masked Akatsuki ninja came into the light.

"Akatsuki... who are you?" Sasuke asked unsure whether he needed to be on guard or not.

"I'm a friend, I had been meaning to search you out for some time Sasuke-kun, so imagine my surprise when I receive news that you were entering an old Uchiha ruin to hide out." Tobi said.

"How did you know where I was? Have you been following me?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Me? Oh no I had far more pressing matters to attend to, that task was undertaken by my little friend here." Tobi said and pointing to the wall behind Sasuke and the other Taka ninja.

A white Zetsu seemed to grow out of the wall. "_Hello!_" he called happily waving to the group below him.

"What the hell is that thing?" Suigetsu asked eying the white Zetsu clone suspiciously.

"Since when has he been following me?" Sasuke asked rather unamused ignoring Suigetsu's shock.

"Why since your loss to Itachi, it was an ever so humbling defeat that you suffered, still that is to be expected, Itachi is a genius among geniuses, and paired with the Uzumaki boy they are close to invincible." Tobi said causally.

"Is that all you want, to tell me how strong my brother is!" Sasuke seethed a chidori bursting to life in his hands.

"Oh not at all my dear Sasuke-kun, I came to help you, more accurately I came to tell you the truth." Tobi said coolly.

"The truth? What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"The truth about what happened to the Uchiha clan." Tobi replied.

"Itachi killed them what's more to know?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Oh that is true, there is no denying that Itachi massacred your clan, although they were already doomed to die, well before that night. Your father was never a very bright man, if he was he would have seen it coming." Tobi said calmly.

"Shut your mouth, don't you dare talk about my father!" Sasuke yelled making to slam his chidori through Tobi's side. Tobi screamed as the blow was about to make contact but that scream turned to a laugh as Sasuke passed right through the masked ninja.

"Now now Sasuke-kun are you going to listen to my story or have temper tantrum. In the months leading up to the Uchiha massacre your father and the majority of the Uchiha clan were planning a Coup de tat on Konoha, and it may have even been successful if he hadn't trusted his own son." Tobi said while Sasuke glared up at him.

"Huh what are you talking about?" Sasuke asked not liking where this was going.

"Your father asked Itachi to spy on the Hokage, but Itachi turned double agent, he loved Konoha too much to let Fugaku's plans come to fruition. Several times the Hokage tried and failed to solve the issues that the Uchiha clan had with the village but needless to say the demands placed onto the Hokage were unacceptable. In the end there was only one option, due to pressure from the village elders Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Uchiha clan members responsible for the Coup de tat to be executed, and who do you think put his hand up to take the job?" Tobi continued.

"Itachi!" Sasuke seethed.

"Precisely, although the story doesn't end there, he was ordered to kill all those responsible, but one man did not want that at all, Shimura Danzo, he found Itachi before the night of the massacre and gave him a new order, he was to kill everyone. He didn't want anyone left to be able to find out what actually happened and risk further instability in the village. Before he began his mission he made one last stop, at the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi told him about The Kyuubi jinchuuriki and that meddling Toad Sage and suggested he join them, they know everything that happened, probably always have." Tobi said smirking under his mask as he saw the rage etched on Sasuke's face.

"And how do you know all this!" the Uchiha teen asked shaking with anger.

"Oh I was there, did you really think Itachi could kill everyone from your clan in such a short amount of time all by himself?" Tobi asked rhetorically. This sent Sasuke over the edge and he felt a massive burst of chakra rush into his eyes. Black flames shot out of his eyes and set Tobi alight. The masked shinobi screamed in pain and fell back into the shadows. A second later he was back however looking as though nothing had happened. "Oh good I see that it worked. I thought that facing the truth about what happened that night would awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, and it appears now that I was correct in thinking so. But tell me now that you know the truth about what happened what will you do, will you still go after Itachi?" he asked.

Sasuke didn't even register the question for a few seconds, he just stood and stared, everything had become so clear, as if the world now matched his eye sight. Not once did he remember hearing of anyone being sent out to look for Itachi to answer for his crimes, because they weren't crimes, he was a loyal shinobi, he was Itachi Uchiha of Konoha, he was the last loyal Uchiha, a title he had once reveled in when the civilians would talk about him. "I will kill Itachi, but first I will burn his precious Konoha to the ground and kill those responsible for the death of my clan along with everyone else, they knew, I was a joke to all of them!" Sasuke said his anger growing.

'_Yes this is going perfectly, a wild cannon that I can throw into the mix, he has such wonderful dark emotions, it shouldn't be too hard to influence you Sasuke-kun but that pride of yours needs to be kept in check._' Tobi thought smiling evilly underneath his mask.

"Why, why did you help?" Sasuke said eventually his tone becoming slightly calmer.

"I have my own history with that clan, lets just say they turned on me a long time ago, and like you I wanted revenge." Tobi explained.

Sasuke couldn't explain it but while he did not like this new arrival he did not hold the same hatred for him as he did towards Itachi and Konoha. "One last question, why was I spared?" he asked.

Tobi knew the answer, it was that Itachi had cared for Sasuke too much to kill him, it was true on that day as it was on the cliff side in the Land of Water, that answer however didn't suit Tobi's agenda. "That I could not say, my guess is he wanted you to become stronger so that one day when his eyesight began to fade he could take your eyes as his own. But that did not become necessary, thanks to the blond brats Banbutsu Sozo." he lied convincingly.

'_It makes sense, that is why Itachi told me not to come before him until I had eyes like his. So that's all I was to you, a source for you to extend your own power just waiting to be harvested. His crimes against me mount, the Hokage probably knew about this plan as well, while he pretended to sympathize, it was all an act!_' Sasuke thought his hatred for Konoha becoming stronger by the second.

Concern was evident on Sasuke's teammates faces, however none seemed to be able to find any words eventually Karin found her voice. "Are you alright Sasuke-kun?" she asked trying to show concern while at the same time toughness and detachment as she didn't want Suigetsu to find out about her crush, not that it did her much good as Suigetsu had known about it for some time.

"I'm fine, in fact I am better than ever, lets get going, we have a new destination." Sasuke said a look of determination crossing his face.

"A new destination, but what about Orochimaru?" Juugo asked speaking for the first time since they had arrived having previously been petting the cats.

Tobi raised his head at this. "Oh I wouldn't worry about him, I doubt he will live to see another day. Your brother and his group are seeing to that as we speak." he said with a chuckle. It was true Tobi was no fan of Orochimaru, he had left the Akatsuki the second he had got what he wanted, and Tobi would bet anything it was information on not only Nagato but also himself, so Orochimaru's death was a bonus in his book.

"Really how can you be so sure? That damn sick snake is a monster, a normal ninja has no chance against him" Suigetsu said.

"And the ninja he will be facing are anything but normal, it is a quite formidable group if I do say so myself. As for your question, well I have a good number of spies hiding themselves around, Zetsu is rather talented at being in multiple places at the same time. " Tobi explained before turning to the white Zetsu clone. "Has Orochimaru been killed yet?" he asked the clone.

"_Not yet, I can still sense his presence even if I can't enter his base without being detected, but at the same time the group that entered are getting dangerously close, it should not be long before they reach his location_." the White Zetsu reported.

"Well I don't know if I trust this guy but if you think it's safe Sasuke I guess that's fine by me. So where are we going then?" Suigetsu questioned.

"We are going to resupply in a lesser ninja village, then we are going to turn Konoha into nothing more than a memory!" Sasuke said brazenly.

"Is that so, well I will be watching eagerly, I have always wanted to see that village leveled. But now I am a busy man, I have other places to be." Tobi said happy his plan was beginning to come together. '_Pein will get to the village first, all that will be left for Sasuke will be those fortunate enough to actually survive, having his revenge stolen from him will lead to his need for revenge to consume him, then he will become a valuable asset in retrieving the final jinchuuriki._' he thought smirking widely not that anyone could tell. Before any other questions could be asked of the masked Akatsuki ninja he disappeared in a vortex that appeared from his open eye hole in his mask.

"I don't trust that guy, you are just going to take his word on everything?" Juugo questioned.

"Who or what he is doesn't matter, he awakened my Mangekyo Sharingan, and what he told me about Konoha makes sense, they are just as much to blame for my clans death as Itachi is. Now come on it will take close to a week to get to Konoha, longer as we will need our strength to deal with the leaf shinobi." Sasuke replied and stalked from the room.

"So what you come here only to leave right away is that it?" the orange cat asked.

"Do you have any traveling cloaks? It will be easier to move around if people do not know that we are shinobi everywhere we go." Sasuke asked pausing at the door.

"Well not right at this moment, but they wouldn't take long to acquire." the tabby said firmly.

"I will not wait, I have been waiting for over eight years, I will not have my revenge delayed any longer." Sasuke answered flatly before stalking out of the room. The other shinobi just shrugged and followed after the angry Uchiha.

(**Meanwhile**)

Gaara had been having little problems dealing with Kimimaro, while three years ago the strength of his bones would have troubled the former Suna ninja, his training had caused his sand to become far more dense as well as faster. Kimimaro on the other hand was no stronger than he had been all those years ago when he killed Gaara's father.

'_I hate to admit it, but this guy is good, I can't even scratch him, any attack that actually manages to get through that sand of his he has easily been able to dodge._' Kimimaro thought with a small amount of respect for the red haired jinchuuriki.

"Your movements are stiff and easy to predict, if you truly expect to stop me then you will need to do better than this." Gaara said sending three waves of sand in separate directions. Kimimaro dodged the first two but was then knocked back by the third crashing into the wall behind him.

"Looks like I will need to activate my curse seal is I am going to have a chance against you. I must say I am impressed." Kimimaro said with a light scowl, he was usually calm and collected in a fight but Gaara's emotionless facade was really getting under his skin.

"I have no interest in killing you, I do not suggest we take this fight any further, you may be far stronger than the other shinobi I have faced but if you are forced to activate one of those seals already then you will not match me. Leave with your life and try to make some good out of it." Gaara said. The red haired former ninja had always attempted to spare anyone he fought with, it was Naruto who had saved him from himself and he passed on that chance to anyone he fought, that is if he thought they could be saved.

"I really have no interest in killing you either, but my life is already forfeit, I have less than an hour of life left in me as it is, I do not fear death and can die happy knowing that I was able to serve Orochimaru-sama until the end." Kimimaro said while his curse mark began to spread.

"You give your life to a person you treasure, a noble sentiment even if the man you wish to protect is not so noble. If this is truly how you wish to proceed then I will attempt to make your end painless." Gaara said a small hint of remorse in his voice. He could tell that Kimimaro himself was not an evil man, more that he held such respect for his master that he would follow any order just to please him.

This was true, it had been Kimimaro's fondest wish to have become one of Orochimaru's bodies, but when they discovered his fatal disease his dreams were shattered. From then he was used less and less, only coming out to test Sasuke's development. But he did not care, as long as he was helping Orochimaru complete his goals he was fine with just being a tool to be used then discarded. "Then should I win I will afford you the same end." he said calmly, though in his gut he knew this would be his last battle.

The second level of the curse seal began to activate, and Kimimaro slightly arched over as new bones began to spring from his back. And slowly a long tail made from bone extended out before curling around his waist almost like a belt. His skin continued to darken to the extent that the two spots on his forehead could no longer be seen unless you were actually looking for them and the skin around either eye became jet black, almost like a mask. '_These curse seals of Orochimaru's are horrendous things, the chakra feels so foul like it's rotting away the air surrounding him_.' Gaara thought calmly not allowing himself to be intimidated in anyway by his opponents new physical appearance.

"You are tough but how will you deal with this? Dance of the Clematis: Vine!" Kimimaro said assertively and Gaara watched in wonder as the Oto ninja appeared to remove his own spine, guessing it was regrown at the same rate that he had been removing it. The removed spine came together like a sword but when Kimimaro brought the weapon down it extended out and became flexible like a whip.

Gaara's sand stopped the spine whip by creating a wall but that did not deter Kimimaro, as his newly formed weapon began to saw away ripping through Gaara's sand. The red haired jinchuuriki was forced to flip back away from the attack that shattered the ground where he had stood. 'As expected his curse seal has made the strength of his bloodline far stronger, I will have to be on my guard now.' he thought slipping away from another crack of the spine. Gaara never use to move around much in a fight often standing perfectly still to concentrate on his sand, but encounters with the likes of Akimi and her super speed had forced him to focus more on improving his own physical abilities, something which had the unforeseen outcome of increasing the speed and strength of his sand.

Time after time Kimimaro would attempt to trap Gaara with his whip and every time the former suna ninja would deftly avoid the attack almost as if he knew what he was planing before he even struck. Slowly getting fed up Kimimaro produced another whip by pulling out another spine. Sadly even with two whips Gaara had Kimimaro beat, he was not considered one of the strongest ninja in the Yoinokuchi for nothing, he had worked hard every day to repay Naruto and the others for allowing him to join them and as such he was as strong as any Kage something that Kimimaro was fast realizing. '_Anytime I am actually able to get through that sand of his he has easily been able to avoid my attacks, and judging by how calm he is I doubt he has barely broken a sweat. It doesn't matter, in the end I just need to hold him off for as long as possible, my life is Orochimaru-sama's I do not regret anything_.' the Kaguya clan heir thought passively. He could feel his body start to give out, it wouldn't be long until his resistance came to an end, activating the second level of the curse seal was as good as placing his head on the chopping block, he couldn't make it back to the freezer room in time to stay alive even if he somehow won now.

'_His attacks are slowing! As I thought, his body is diseased, at this rate he will not be able to last much longer. Still I believe he knows this even better than I do, all the extra stress he is putting on his body for the sake of helping someone like Orochimaru, regardless of the snakes practices he has found a remarkably loyal shinobi in this one._' Gaara thought as he jumped well back away from another strike from Kimimaro's spine whips. Gaara couldn't help pity the man who was now lightly panting while sweat began to fall from his face. "I have a friend that could save you." Gaara said deciding to give the silver haired man one last chance.

"What do you mean!" Kimimaro asked.

"Your disease, my friend can save you. Well to put it more accurately he can bring you back once you die without your disease. You would be able to lead a normal life. All you would have to do is let me past, once we have finished with Orochimaru he could save you, he saved me after all." Gaara pleaded as best as he could while still talking in his calm stoic voice.

"No body can save me, and even if someone could without Orochimaru-sama I have no purpose!" Kimimaro replied lashing out at Gaara with both whips.

Gaara's eyes flashed open deciding to put an end to Kimimaro's resistance. His sand shot out around him in the blink of an eye surrounding his whips encasing them in completely in sand that instantly hardened stopping Kimimaro from moving them at all no matter how hard he struggled. Gaara approached him slowly his arms folded. "I told you, you can't win, but you could still do some good, forget Orochimaru, you could lead a full and happy life." the jinchuuriki said kindly.

"Why are you trying to save me anyway, can't you tell I don't want to be saved!" Kimimaro yelled still trying in vein to tear his weapons free of their bindings, but it was to no avail, his body had decayed to the point that Gaara's sand was far tougher, and he guessed that should the jinchuuriki need it he could make his sand even tougher.

"Because you remind me of myself before I met Naruto, we both had nothing to live for, so I killed to prove my existence while you live as a tool for Orochimaru's purposes. Forget the snake and make something of your life, you may even be able to join us, with some fine tuning you would be a valuable ally."

Kimimaro allowed a small smile cross his face. "You want me to betray Orochimaru-sama and join his executioners?" he asked.

"You do not have to join us, you can do what you like with your life it was only an offer." Gaara replied.

Kimimaro released his bone whips and let his arms hang at his side in a sign of defeat. "I can do what I like with my life huh? Then I have made my choice, I will KILL YOU!" he finished with a yelled his arms morphing into large drill like spikes and he charged at Gaara fury at having his loyalty to Orochimaru questioned burning in his eyes.

'I'm sorry Naruto, I guess I can not save anyone. How do you do it? How were you able to change me when I was so far in the dark?' "I'm sorry." Gaara said sorrowfully as his sand rose around Kimimaro like a tsunami.

Kimimaro had his body completely trapped in the sand with only his arms and head exposed. "Damn this sand, still you're far more skilled than that father of yours was, he didn't even move when I bled him." the Oto ninja said hoping to get a rise out of Gaara who looked on passively.

"Then I will take that as a compliment. I am sorry you couldn't see the light, farewell. Sand Waterfall Funeral." Gaara said clenching his fist causing the sand restricting Kimimaro to close in. Gaara was saddened because Kimimaro had ultra dense bones that required quite a lot of energy to break and rather than the quick death Gaara had hoped for it turned into a rather drawn out affair, Kimimaro continued to fight growing more bones in a fleeting attempt to break free but the more he struggled the stronger the sand became as Gaara was forced to channel more chakra to strengthen his sand.

Blood started to escape from the Oto ninja's mouth as his end neared, he felt his chakra begin to fade and his bones crack. Then in one large crunch he felt his ribs shatter and a rather large piece of bone pierce his lungs. He coughed in surprise spitting out a large amount of blood and after that his end came quickly, no longer able to fight against the Ichibi Jinchuuriki his body just gave out. '_Forgive me Orochimaru-sama, I failed you._' were the last thoughts that ran through his mind as the darkness descended around him.

(Elsewhere)

Naruto sighed in frustration as he removed another seal from the large doors that blocked his way. '_Kami will this never end!_'

'**You could always just blow the door away.**' Kyuubi spoke up.

'_That would destroy what ever is in the room and you know it, you just want to find something to ridicule me for._' Naruto replied.

'**I have no interest in anything of the sort, I just simply put forward the quickest way to get through the door.**' Kyuubi scoffed.

'_Yeah well it's not helpful, I'm almost finished it won't be long now_.' the blond thought as he looked up at what he hoped were the last two seals. Placing a hand on either seal he drained the small amount of chakra that had been inside each, and once he was confident that it was safe the teen pushed to open the door.

**End Chapter!**

**I really wanted to make Kimimaro join the Yoinokuchi, but the more I thought about it the less believable it became, he devoted his life to Orochimaru he's not just about to stop and join up with the very people who are trying to kill him. Also at this stage he has had far less experience than the other Yoinokuchi ninja and despite how much I like him as a character I just don't think it would work out. Maybe if the situation where they met had been different it could have worked. Well to soften the blow you got 2 chapters this week.**

**Anyway sorry, I know a lot of you wanted me to save Kimimaro, still I hope you liked the chapter and my decision hasn't put anyone off on reading on. **


	94. A Snakes Plan

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****94: A Snakes Plan**

Naruto stepped into a ditch black room, he couldn't see more than a foot in from the door almost like the light was being sucked from the world around him. The blond knew better however, he could spot a genjutsu a mile away, Itachi had drilled that into him before he was ten years old. "Kai!" he yelled sending a burst of chakra out disrupting the chakra that was in the room. Instantly the room came to life going from pitch black to almost too bright to see, however that was just his eyes as they readjusted to the light.

Once he had overcome the sudden brightness of the room Naruto saw that he was in a rather sterile lab, there were several test tubes with different names on them most of them had a red M or a green H written on them at fist glance it was obvious that Orochimaru had been trying to combine the contents of the two different test tubes. '_**Even as decaying cells the stink of Madara is unmistakable, just what has that disgusting snake been doing? Nothing good can come from messing around with the DNA of Madara Uchiha.**_' Kyuubi thought but decided not to say anything to Naruto, he was sick of helping the brat.

Naruto moved on from the test tubes and went to inspect a large operation table in the center of the room that explained why the lighting was so much better than every other room he had come to. "So this is where you do your experiments huh?" he asked although he was only really talking to himself.

"I should have known it was futile to attempt to keep you out of that room, it has been rather important in my research." Orochimaru's voice came from nowhere. Naruto didn't have to ask to know that he was talking to him the same way as during his fight with the snakes pet.

"Well what do you know I would have thought you would be dead by now, I suppose it's comforting to know that I still have a chance to rip that black soul of yours from your body and seal it away in a fucking jar, you did it to that poor Iwa shinobi so you might enjoy the experience just as much." Naruto said.

"Ah Naruto-kun you are so kind, then I really would live forever." Orochimaru snickered.

"Does Immortality really mean that much to you? That you would spend millennia trapped inside an inanimate object?" Naruto scoffed, not really sure he wanted to know Orochimaru's thoughts on the topic.

"My dear boy, Immortality is the great dream, but why should I lecture the blessed, all you will find is questions, and I am the only one with any answers." the Hebi Sannin taunted.

"Whatever you say, damn cryptic asshole." Naruto mumbled moving on to check out another section of the room. This area contained what the blond guessed were several failed experiments, inside a large preserving tank there was a young man a little older than Naruto who appeared to have half his body turned to wood while his eyes were completely black. '_Wood, they're experiments with Mokuton, it's like they flooded this poor guy with DNA from the Shodai Hokage until his body couldn't take anymore._' he thought sickened by the thought of doing that to a person.

'**Not just the Hashirama, those eyes are not the work of Senju DNA.**' Kyuubi said realizing just what Orochimaru was trying to do.

'_Eye's huh, well Orochimaru has always had a sick fascination with the Sharingan, my guess would be Uchiha DNA, it's like he was trying to see how much this poor guy could take before the cells started to destroy his body._' Naruto thought in realization.

'**Well what do you know, you got it in one, maybe you are not as thick as you look**.' Kyuubi mocked.

"But why? Oh I get it now, 'only you have the answers'." Naruto sighed getting the meaning behind what Orochimaru had said earlier. Naruto shook his head in frustration, he saw Orochimaru's little game, he wanted Naruto to get in this room more than any other, he wanted Naruto to see everything here and use the answers to the questions it asked as leverage to escape. Too which the blond could only question, '_What else am I going to find?_'.

(**Land of Lightning**)

A had been pacing for close to an hour, no sooner had he been shown to his accommodation than he left it heading straight back to the hospital to wait for news on Yugito's condition, yes he knew she wouldn't be safe not unless he could get her to Konoha and even then it was a long shot but still he knew the only chance that she would have is if the doctor here in the southern mountaintops of the Land of Lightning could stabilize her chakra enough to wake and travel safely.

The commanding jounin has several times attempted to get the Raikage to relax but had no success, quite the contrary, after the third time he had suggest that A rest up the muscle clad Kage had threatened him with one of his lariats, not an appealing prospect for a mid ranks officiating ninja who had the rank of jounin mostly as a political means rather than because he had any real skill as a shinobi. That was why he was stationed out here, so far away from Kumo. 'Please let them finish soon, if things take much longer than A-sama may start destroying walls, I hear that it is a quite common occurrence in Kumo these days.' he thought glancing at the door to the operating room almost begging for it to open.

It was another five minutes before his wish was granted however as the medic ninja that had greeted the Raikage upon his entrance to the hospital exited with a sigh. "How is she?" A demanded seemingly ready to throttle the poor doctor should the answer not be what he want's to hear.

"The operation was a success and Yugito is awake, I have just been explaining to her that she is under no circumstances to attempt to use any chakra for any task as it would almost surely kill her instantly." the doctor said surprisingly not intimidated in the slightest by the Raikage's imposing tone and figure.

"Then I can see her?" the Raikage phrased it as a question but to all those in the room they knew he was going to go in regardless of what they said.

"Yes I believe that would be alright, but she is weak I shouldn't need to tell you that. Now if you will follow me I will take you to see her" the medic ninja said leading the way to avoid the Raikage charging blindly off searching the hospital room by room. The doctor along with A and the commanding jounin traveled up two levels before arriving at the room holding Yugito. "She is in here, we will leave you here A-sama" the medic said leaving the Raikage to enter the room at his own will.

A wasted little time entering the room, he found Yugito sitting up in her bed. A was relieved to see her eyes open but he had to admit she looked like hell, her skin was pale and her eyes seemed like they were glazed over, A had seen healthier looking shinobi in the Kumo morgue. "Ah Yugito, it is good to see that you are awake." he said firmly.

"I am sorry A-sama, I was captured, a masked Akatsuki ninja waited until I used Nibi then took control of the Bijuu, I should have been more careful." the pale kunoichi said as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"A masked Akatsuki ninja did you say? He didn't happen to wear an orange mask with only one eye hole by any chance?" A asked.

Yugito nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I believe he's an Uchiha, I remember seeing his sharingan through the hole in his mask, he used a weird jutsu that caused him to become intangible unless he attacked, nothing I could do could hit him." she admitted unhappily.

"I ran into him when we came to save you, even I failed to hit him with my Raiton armor, the only people to ever avoid me were the Yondaime Hokage and that brat son of his." A added darkly clearly not happy about having two people alive that could escape from his attack.

"I am happy that you were able to save me, but the doctor says my remaining chakra is all I have, once it's gone I will die, I have to admit being told I have a expiration date shorter than the groceries I brought before I left on my mission is rather difficult to hear." the former jinchuuriki said, she didn't want to admit that she was scared but there was a difference between going on a dangerous mission where she may be killed and being told she only has a few weeks left to live. No matter how good of a kunoichi she was it didn't matter in this case. She had always been able to fight her way out of her problems but this was something that she could not solve with her fists.

"It's not going to happen, we will save you, even if I have to give that damn slug princess half the jutsu in the Kumo vault." A said, that may have been an exaggeration, and even he shuddered to think of the reaction of the village elders if he had done something like that to save a jinchuuriki that no longer held it's Bijuu.

"Well maybe you shouldn't open with that when you're negotiating." Yugito chuckled weakly.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto had just finished inspecting the last of Orochimaru's experiments when something caught his eye. At first he thought it was a mirror but when the face looking back at him didn't move he knew it a picture of him and next to it was a picture of a man with dark blood red hair and Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the Rinnegan. Below the picture there was a name tag. "Nagato, Uzumaki" Naruto gasped. Directly below the picture he saw a folder that held the same name tag. Completely forgetting his own folder Naruto picked up Nagato Uzumaki's folder.

The first page held a picture of three young shinobi wearing black cloaks with gray patterns that matched each other. On the left Nagato stood stoic and almost embarrassed to be posing for a picture, on the far side was a rather pretty, young kunoichi who was slightly shorter than the two boys, she had blue hair with a paper rose off to one side in front of a tight bun that held her hair up. The final member of the three had orange spiky hair with light blue eyes and a warm friendly smile that reminded Naruto of Jiraiya. But the longer he stared at the picture of the orange haired boy Naruto saw something completely different, he saw a man covered in piercings with Rinnegan eyes "Pein" he said. The caption under the picture had the names written. '_Nagato, Yahiko, Konan._' Naruto had heard Jiraiya tell him about his first three students enough times to remember their names. "Jiraiya-sensei said they had died." he thought out loud.

'**Obviously not. As that orange haired one was that Akatsuki member Pein.**' Kyuubi interjected.

'_But how, he doesn't have the Rinnegan here, did Yahiko die and Nagato turn him into one of his paths, or did Nagato die and Yahiko take his eyes?_' Naruto questioned.

'**How would I know, don't ask stupid questions.**' Kyuubi replied.

'_Jiraiya-sensei always said the Nagato he taught was gentle and kind, he gave Jiraiya-sensei belief that one person can change the world. I can't believe he is responsible for the Akatsuki_.' Naruto thought looking down at the rather shy looking red haired man in the picture, one of his eyes were covered by his long red hair. "What happened to you, did you really become Pein?" he asked sadly gazing at the picture half expecting an answer.

Naruto scanned through the pages, there were sketches of the Gedo Mezo statue and a picture of Yahiko as Pein standing with Konan now with her own piercings. '_**This is what Orochimaru is after, the Rinnegan, that's why he is trying to combine Senju and Uchiha DNA, and he knows it will never work without a full blooded Uchiha or Senju, that's why he has taken an interest in that Uchiha brat, his body and the sharingan are all for the purpose of gaining the Rinnegan**_.' Kyuubi guessed, in truth he couldn't care all that much what humans tried to do, as long as it wasn't sealing him again, still he refused flatly to give that information to Naruto, who he deemed had not earned it.

'_He's my family, he's an Uzumaki and we both have the Rinnegan. Does this mean something, or is this just a coincidence?_' Naruto asked himself. 'Do you know anything Kyuubi?' he asked hopefully.

'**You presume much thinking I will have an answer to that, just because I have taken an interest does not mean I am willing to give you anything, I have seen very few coincidence's in my life and I have been alive long enough to also know not jump to conclusions, find your answers by yourself and stop looking for an easy way out**.' Kyuubi said blowing off Naruto's request.

"I'm not looking for an easy way out, I just want to know more. I could be forced to kill the first Uzumaki I have ever met the closest thing I have to a blood relative." Naruto thought out loud thinking about Pein and everything he had done.

"Talking to yourself Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru asked in a smooth confident voice.

"You, you know the connection between Nagato and I, don't you!" the jinchuuriki practically yelled.

"As a matter of fact, no I don't but I know someone who may know. As for how helpful he will be, kukukuku that is highly questionable." Orochimaru chuckled with his snake like laugh.

'_He's trying to become to valuable to kill, with the situation that he is in, it's his best hope of survival. I can't let him get under my skin._' Naruto thought taking a deep breath to calm himself. He gripped the file on Nagato tightly but turned his attention to his own folder. Briskly searching through it he found most of the information was out of date, small parts had been added on his return to Kiri after three years and the attack on Kumo but only small sections with little information on his actual abilities. One thing that did catch his eye however was a picture right at the back of his father and who he had guessed must have been his mother. "She's beautiful, Jiraiya-sensei wasn't lying." he said to himself solemnly while wondering just how Orochimaru had a picture of the pair yet Jiraiya did not. '_Jiraiya said he used to have a home in Konoha but all his stuff was lost when it was destroyed, the night I was born. Looks like it wasn't lost, more like somebody stole it, to trade to Orochimaru. It looks like Konoha has a rat, and I would put my life on it being Danzo. That bastard thinks those bandages are hiding that Sharingan of his but he's wrong, and that arm he keeps in a sling doesn't seem normal either._' Naruto scowled.

"Your mother was rather unique, it is a shame that she died because she would have made a wonderful person to run some tests on, he ability to suppress Kyuubi was a well kept secret, but nothing stays secret for long." Orochimaru spoke through the speakers.

Kyuubi growled in response he remembered all too well Kushina Uzumaki and her chakra chains, he never had a sniff of a chance to be able to escape, every time his power started to get out of hand she would hold the fox down with her chains.

"Yeah I just bet you would like to do something like that, you never actually work to better yourself, you just steal everything from others and run experiments on your body. I bet you are probably more snake than man now. You're like a hermit crab living in one shell until you outgrow it and move on to the next." Naruto spat with some venom.

"Oh now Naruto-kun, if you keep talking like that I am going to think you don't like me." Orochimaru said enjoying the fact he had managed to make the blond snap like that. '_Young ninja can be manipulated easily, all you need to do is push the right buttons._' he thought calculatingly.

Naruto took the photo of his parents from his file and placed it back on the table, that's when he noticed several other files off to the side. It was a complete dossier of the Akatsuki ninja along with their abilities. All but one Naruto recognized, a masked man. His file was surprisingly empty as if it was missing large sections, "Who is this guy? His name is put down as a question mark. But he has a Mangekyo Sharingan so maybe he's an Uchiha that survived the massacre?" Naruto thought out loud in little more than a mumble. '_This file has been tampered with, the bindings have been loosened, information has been taken out of here, but why?_' he added as an afterthought.

'**Information can be dangerous, you should know that by now. He probably memorized what he needed to know and destroyed the rest.**' Kyuubi sighed, the fox recognized the masked man from somewhere but he just couldn't remember where.

'_Good point, but why has this been the only file that has been tampered with?_' Naruto asked.

'**Still asking me for answers I see. How am I supposed to know why humans do the things they do? I am sure he had his reasons, maybe you can ask him before he dies.**' Kyuubi replied shortly.

'_As helpful as ever ever, Kyuubi._' Naruto sighed shaking his head. Naruto stacked the files ontop of each other not bothering with his own file then began to run through the hand seals to summon one of his toads only to stop right at the last second. A file he had missed sat by the entrance on a table. 'I must have missed it when I walked in with the room covered in a genjutsu.' he figured approaching the file. This one was far thicker than the others so Naruto assumed that what ever it was would be important. The blond crossed the room in a second opening up the folder to the first page that had a picture of an old man with brown spiky hair and a face that was half covered in bandages, underneath the picture was the name Shimura Danzo. The blond quickly skimmed through the file not really taking much notice to what anything had said but he was able to see enough from the diagrams and brief summary's that he cared to read that Danzo had been in contact with Orochimaru quite a few times over the years and not as enemies, medical procedures that had been performed on Danzo and even what they cost him in return. 'It's more like they are partners than anything else, Orochimaru is supposed to be Konoha's number one most wanted yet these two spend more time together that the Konoha gate guards. I don't have time to read all this now, but I would put money on it that there is enough dirt in here to put Danzo's head in a noose for treason.' he thought and after closing the file up and placing it with the others once more ran through the seals for his summoning jutsu.

A large cloud of smoke filled the air only to be replaced with a large red toad twice the size of Naruto. "Hey'ya boss." the toad said with a happy smile.

"Wow you're getting big Kichi!" Naruto said in surprise quite relieved that he did not get his other personal summons Gamatatsu.

The large toad let out a croak like chuckle and rubbed the back of its head. "Well you know compared to my dad I am still a squirt. So what do you need boss, it's been awhile since I was summoned." Gamakichi said.

"Not for lack of trying Kichi, every time I summon it's always Tatsu who shows up." Naruto sighed.

"Well that's your fault, you feed him too much, of course he's going to want to show up if he knows he's going to get snacks." the toad lectured.

"It's the only way that he will do anything, it's like talking to a brick wall most of the time. Still it's good you showed up, I need you to take these files and keep them safe." Naruto said handing the information he had found in the room over to Gamakichi.

"Sure I can do that, You can count on me!" Kichi said.

"Alright Kichi, I have to go, if I don't Orochimaru will be dead before I can get to him." Naruto said apologetically.

The toad nodded in acceptance before dispelling himself back to Myobokuzan.

(**Elsewhere**)

Orochimaru sat in a highly darkened room, in front of him watched several screens that followed the Yoinokuchi shinobi as they moved through his base taking out all that oppose them with ease. 'It's time.' he thought darkly as he stood up from his seat and walked out of his chambers and into a well lit hall that he used to personally train Sasuke.

Outside of the room a long corridor stretched a fair distance and at the end of the passageway stood Itachi, his white cloak had small specks of blood on it but he did not seem to be tired at all. Itachi walked forward until he came to the large set of doors pausing only for a second to push them open. In the center of the room stood a boy around fifteen years old who appeared to be shaking. "Do you expect me to fall for something like that Orochimaru?" Itachi said flatly.

"Kukukukukukuku you are just as sharp as ever Itachi, I see that your new eyes have not dulled your senses, but what happened to your Mangekyo Sharingan?" The boy asked before he began to grow and reshape until Orochimaru stood facing Itachi.

"I wouldn't say I lost anything, in fact I would say these new eyes come with many perks." Itachi replied calmly.

"Is that so, maybe I should see for myself!" Orochimaru yelled flying forward, his head seemed to burst out from his skin and a massive snake like creature appeared. Itachi didn't even flinch as the snake charged him down slamming the Uchiha against the wall. "Wait, somethings wrong, but this is, it cant be!" the snake stuttered his eyes widening.

Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of crows and dispersed reforming well behind Orochimaru. "Welcome, to my new Tsukuyomi, I believe you know the rest." Itachi said passively.

"When?" Orochimaru asked spitting angrily.

"The moment I saw the child you had used for your latest body, I half expected to see Sasuke-kun." Itachi said the smallest sign of relief passing on the elder Uchiha's face, as much as he wanted to he simply could not give up on his younger brother.

"I see, this version of Tsukuyomi is more lifelike, had it not been for the fact my jutsu didn't work I wouldn't have known I was caught at all." Orochimaru replied his anger bubbling just under the surface as he attempted to keep his cool.

"But I understand your plan now, you were going to attempt to take my body, didn't you learn your lesson last time?" Itachi replied.

The memory of the last time Orochimaru had attempted to steal Itachi's eyes ran through his mind. It was just after the Uchiha clan massacre, Orochimaru had come to the Land of Fire in an attempt to find out if any Uchiha had survived, and there walking along the major trading rout without a care in the world was, Itachi Uchiha. He remembered how he ambushed Itachi quite spectacularly but he hadn't expected to see Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan, he was caught in his Tsukuyomi before he could attempt to steal his body and in the end needed Kabuto to heal him.

"You have different eyes this time, but I guess I shouldn't have brought the power of something created by the Rinnegan into question." the snake said. '_Well there goe's that option, now it looks like giving Itachi the easiest rout here was a mistake, now I need to put my hope in that damn kid deciding that the information I have is worth more than killing me._'

"Yes I have rarely found grounds to question Naruto-kun on anything, although his tendency to toy with his opponents would be stopped if I had my way." Itachi said.

"Then what are you doing now? How is this any different, after all you have close to seventy two hours inside this jutsu before you need to release it." Orochimaru replied.

"My control over time is considerably better within my new Tsukyuomi, I can now lengthen the amount of time that passes while shortening what is happening externally. We have been standing perfectly still for close to twenty minutes already.

Orochimaru didn't like the sound of that, the more time they spent still the closer the other Yoinokuchi ninja became, although defeating Itachi in a one on one match would prove difficult it would be a lot easier than with Jiraiya and the others showing up. "What are you waiting for? Why not use your jutsu to torture my mind like last time?" he finally questioned, he was now confident that he could come through such an attack with minimum damage so his taunt was mostly to get Itachi to turn his jutsu back into lengthening the flow of time inside the jutsu rather than shortening it.

Itachi shrugged, his face was an expressionless mask. "It is not my place finish you, this was always Jiraiya-sama's fight,he is the one who should end your life." he said calmly.

"So you place me in this genjutsu so I cannot escape while you wait for that fool Jiraiya to show up. I guess it can't be helped then, I will just have to fight my way out of here then." Orochimaru said angrily and began to struggle in an attempt to break free of Itachi's Tsukuyomi.

"Struggling will not do you any good, these eyes also increased my chakra supply several times over, so your attempt to over power me is futile, you will not have to wait much longer, I can feel Jiraiya-sama approaching us already." Itachi said passively.

Orochimaru scowled but decided to stop his struggle, he knew Itachi couldn't not physically hurt him while inside his genjutsu and wasting his chakra in a vein attempt to break free was not what he had in mind. '_Damn you Itachi, I was supposed to take that body of yours then kill Jiraiya before escaping, that's why I put my best men to work slowing the others down._' he thought bitterly, as his plans seemed to crumble all around him.

**End Chapter!**

**Alright another one down, Next time it's Jiraiya vs Orochimaru. Thought of doing a chapter of Itachi vs Orochimaru but I figured with the history that Jiraiya and Orochimaru have it would be the best choice for a fight to the death, besides Itachi's Susanoo has that bullshit sword that seals away anything that it touches.**

**Also I have been thinking, and in the end what did Itachi accomplish by ending the Edo Tensei? They already had everyone trapped or sealed except for Madara and he survived it! Itachi would have been better off going with Naruto and taking on Tobi. No Tobi and Kabuto doesn't become much of a threat to Naruto, Bee and Itachi. **


	95. Gama and Hebi

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****95: Gama and Hebi**

Itachi and Orochimaru stood unmoving in the center of a large hall, Itachi figured they must be quite far underground by now as it had taken the Uchiha quite a long time to make it to the center and locate Orochimaru. Itachi guessed that the size of this Oto base would be close to the size of a lesser hidden village but compressed into a maze and over several levels.

Orochimaru meanwhile had a blank almost lifeless expression on his face, this was in no small part thanks to the Genjutsu the snake summoner was currently trapped inside. "That fool is certainly taking his sweet time, at this rate the others will arrive before him, I bet he got lost." Orochimaru said lazily. '_This is not good._ _I don't even have any Edo Tensei ninja prepared, because that brat of an Uzumaki can just set their souls free like last time._' he thought thinking back to his fight with the Sandaime Hokage during the Suna, Oto invasion of Konoha.

"It is a possibility, still Jiraiya-sama is close, I can feel his chakra signature is getting closer every passing second." Itachi replied.

Itachi was not lying, the Toad Sage was indeed very close. He was at the edge of the hall leading to the hall containing Itachi and Orochimaru, Shima and Fukusaku sat on his shoulders. "Can you feel that Jiraiya-chan? Orochimaru is on the other side of that door, and it looks like Itachi is with him." Fukusaku said eagerly.

"They're not moving though, although I can tell that they both have strong chakra signatures." Shima added.

"Itachi must have trapped him in a genjutsu if that's the case then the fight may not have started properly yet, we need to move quickly." Jiraiya said a look of determination crossing his face.

He cleared the remaining area between him and the large hall in no time at all and soon found himself smashing open the door into the large hall.

The second that Jiraiya had entered the room Itachi released his Tsukuyomi with a smile. "It's about time you arrived Jiraiya-sama I was beginning to get worried that you may have gotten lost." the Uchiha smirked.

Jiraiya had a sheepish grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I well uh."

"He did get lost, that's why he summoned us," Shima interrupted Jiraiya who couldn't help but face palm in embarrassment.

"Kukukukuku, still a fool after all this time. For such an old man you sure haven't grown up much. You're still the same idiot that was tied to the training post while Tsunade and I retrieved the bells from Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru taunted.

"Well I wish I could say that you haven't changed either, but we both know that that isn't the truth." Jiraiya said with a angry smirk.

Orochimaru kept a close eye on Itachi while turning to face his former teammate. "Yes I may have changed Jiraiya, but I have found change suits me, I have become far more powerful now than I had ever been." he said proudly.

"That's debatable, when you were in Konoha we all worked together to gain strength as a team, we had each other, and Tsunade as well. But look at you now, all alone hiding in this cave. Yet Konoha still stands stronger than ever." Jiraiya said flatly.

"Konoha? That place is nothing but a parasite that leeches from everyone that lives there." Orochimaru spat venomously.

Jiraiya's face took on a solemn expression. "Still, after all this time?" he asked.

"Always." Orochimaru replied

"You never could get over the death of your parents, but it is not Konoha's fault." Jiraiya sighed sadly.

"If it wasn't for Konoha they would still be alive! And it's not just me, Tsunade would have never lost that brother of hers or Dan. Even you have lost everything in Konoha, Minato was like a son to you, always bragging about how he was progressing, or how strong he was. In the end even he was taken. It's just like when we faced Hanzou the Salamander, we survive yet everyone else dies. When he named us the Sannin and let us live, it was more of a curse than a gift." Orochimaru said.

Jiraiya's face was a blank mask, it had pained him to see the man he once called friend fallen so far. "Maybe you're right Orochimaru, maybe we are cursed to live o while the ones we care about die, your answer was to fester away in hatred. I would rather live on and form new bonds. Still I don't see how any of that will matter soon, once you die we will no longer be the legendary three now will we." Jiraiya said. Not wanting the discussion to go on any longer Jiraiya kicked forward slamming his fist into the side of Orochimaru's face.

The snake summoner slammed into the far wall, thick walls cracking from the pressure of Jiraiya's hit. Orochimaru hit the ground coughing, Jiraiya just stood still knowing that it would take more than that to finish his old friend off. Orochimaru stood up still coughing before fingers began to escape from his mouth followed by two whole hands and so on until Orochimaru appeared to cough out a copy of himself.

"You've gotten faster Jiraiya, been training with the Uzumaki boy I take it. Just like you, surrounding yourself with those with talent." Orochimaru taunted.

"You're so naive, I have never enjoyed training those with tallent, give me a fool who works hard any day over a lazy genius, my problem is I seem to run into those that are both tallented and work hard, Minato and Naruto are exactly the same, they work harder than anyone I have ever met, yet things come so easy to them." Jiraiya replied with a fond smile crossing his face.

Orochimaru just spat bitterly racing through a set of hand seals. "Enough sentiment, if I am going to be defeated here, then you are going to have to earn it, now let's see if you can finish the job you accepted all those years ago... Fuuton: Great Breakthough!"

"Katon: Grand Fireball!" Jiraiya yelled in response, the fire overpowered Orochimaru's jutsu especially with Jiraiya in sage mode. Orochimaru could use senjutsu himself but he had never been able to use it in the same way that Jiraiya could, the frailty of his host bodies never allowed it, however he could use enough to channel into his curse marks he gave to his subordinates.

The flames rapidly approached Orochimaru, Itachi had the common sense to slip to the edge of the room from the moment Jiraiya threw the first punch. "Summoning: Rashomon" Orochimaru said slamming his palms to the ground. A large wall like door grew from the ground, it had a gold frame with a massive blue demonic face squarely in the center. The flames struck the gate with great force but it wasn't until almost all the energy was gone from the jutsu that the gate finally broke and the flames descended upon the missing ninja.

Orochimaru just managed to escape Jiraiya's attack but he received some severe burns despite his swift reactions. '_Impressive, to be able to break through one of my Rashomon with a simple jutsu, it seems that he has improved._' he thought, gripping his burnt arm. Once more Orochimaru shed his skin appearing completely unharmed. "Tell me Jiraiya, do you really think that you can kill me?" he asked.

"I believe I am more capable than most." Jiraiya replied.

"Oh I know you have the ability, but can you actually go through with it? The last time we fought like this you froze when it mattered most and I defeated you, and last time all you wanted me to do was come back to the village, now you want me dead, so I ask you, what is different this time?" Orochimaru asked.

"Last time I thought we were friends and you had just made a mistake in fleeing Konoha when you did. If you really wish to ask why I think that I can do it this time? Well look at what you have done Orochimaru, this has gone past crimes against Konoha, you have committed crimes against the world as a whole, I let you escape and you set out to every nation taking the lives of innocents and continuing your despicable experiments. I can't afford to let that go on so I will do what I must." Jiraiya declared.

"You talk big, but then again you always did, lets see if you can back up your words this time. Shadow Snake Hands!" Orochimaru said firmly, snakes burst from his sleeves and flew towards Jiraiya.

It was Shima who acted first spitting out a jet of water that cut through the floor ripping up stone before slicing the serpents in half well before they came close to Jiraiya. Orochimaru scowled and jumped forward his sword of Kusanagi shooting from his mouth extending out with his tongue gripping the hilt like a snake curling around it's victim.

Jiraiya jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being pierced by Orochimaru's blade and began racing through hand seals before slamming his hands down as he landed. "Doton: Swamp of the Underworld." the ground beneath Orochimaru's feet softened and he began to sink. In response Orochimaru summoned a large snake to stand on.

Once more Kusanagi flashed toward Jiraiya this time the Toad Sage could only dodge as Orochimaru lashed out at Jiraiya time and again. "You need to put him on the defensive Jiraiya-chan, he will not make a mistake, his movements are flawless." Fukusaku said after almost a minute of dodging.

"Alright, give me some oil, I need to get rid of that snake he is using as leverage." Jiraiya said while preparing several hand seals. Fukusaku nodded and took a deep breath in. "Sage Art: Toad Oil Bomb!" Jiraiya yelled.

Fire and oil combined and the flames became far more intense, even Itachi had to turn away feeling the heat from the flames lightly scorch his skin, while he was sure there was no damage done the Uchiha couldn't help but wince away as Jiraiya's flames became stronger and stronger. '_Jiraiya-sama's comination jutsu with the toads are truly remarkable, even if I was using Susanoo I would not escape an attack like this without luck._' he thought.

Luck as it so happened was something that Orochimaru had in abundance, because as the flames cleared Orochimaru stood, arms and legs burnt to a crisp, but still he stood. "Oh Jiraiya, why couldn't you have been this interesting when we were younger." he said while shedding his broken body for a new one that yet again had no signs of injuries.

"What is this man Jiraiya-chan? He took a jutsu of that power almost head on and doesn't have a scratch on him." Shima said in shock.

"Can't you feel it Ma, he has trace amounts of senjutsu running through his body, he must have been trained in sage arts, but his body can't seem to take the strain. What we are seeing is most likely a transformation jutsu, he is hiding his true form." Fukusaku said wisely.

"I have known Orochimaru all my life, and he's always looked this way, what do you mean he is hiding his true form?" Jiraiya asked.

"You said the snake boy does experiments on himself? Well over time they are bound to cause physical changes to his body, he has the stink of the snakes on his body, far stronger than any normal summoner." Fukusaku replied.

"Well he has always had a fascination with snakes." Jiraiya sighed racing through several hand seals. "Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!" Jiraiya yelled. His long white hair lengthened and spiked out before thousands of strands of hair rocketed towards Orochimaru.

The Hebi Sennin kicked out of the way and the needles of senbon crashed into the wall impaling several inches deep. Orochimaru continued to run as more and more hair senbon followed him where ever he would run. Several times Orochimaru had attempted to force the Toad Sage to fire upon Itachi but the Uchiha saw right through this plan and easily moved to avoid the snake before he came close.

It did not take long for Orochimaru to come to the conclusion that Itachi would not allow him to get close enough to turn Jiraiya's attack onto his ally. Deciding to change tactic Orochimaru formed two hand seals before thrusting his palm out in the direction of Jiraiya. A huge compressed pocket of Fuuton chakra rocketed out from his palm collecting all the senbon as it traveled deflecting them back towards Jiraiya.

"Needle Jiizo." Jiraiya replied calmly, his hair grew once more forming a shield around him, Orochimaru's jutsu dispersed and all the senbon that struck Jiraiya's hair bounced harmlessly off. Orochimaru used the distraction to draw Kusanagi back out stabbing out at Jiraiya who couldn't see thanks to his hair jutsu.

The blade made it three quarters of the way across the room before Jiraiya moved, his hair shot out like a toads tongue as it catches a fly, wrapping around the tongue holding Kusanagi and yanking it forward. Orochimaru flew through the air towards Jiraiya who stood up and slammed his fist into the snakes face.

Orochimaru was accustomed to pain, you don't gain what he had over your life without being able to take pain. Despite this fact even he had to admit the blow Jiraiya had just landed hurt, only Tsunade had ever been able to hit with more force, a full powered senjutsu strike would kill a lesser man he knew this.

Despite the pain Orochimaru could not use his regeneration skill as Jiraiya still had his tongue. '_I need to shed this skin, I will be weakened if I don't break free soon._' he thought as Jiraiya pulled him forward to strike him again. This time the Snake Sannin was ready, he flicked Kusanagi up with the small part of his tongue that was free of Jiraiya's grasp. Kusanagi was not an ordinary blade, it sliced through Jiraiya's tough as steel hair like it was nothing. Orochimaru then used the momentum gained from being pulled forward to land a powerful blow of his own, striking Jiraiya in the chest forcing causing him to roll back.

Orochimaru didn't let up there as Kusanagi extended its blade ready to pierce the Toad Sage in the back. He was inches away from a killing blow when two things happened at the same time, Jiraiya burst into smoke and he felt sand wrap completely around his body up to his neck. '_Sand! Then that means._'

Gaara was standing at the doorway with a blank look on his face. Clenching his fist he watched as Orochimaru's body was crushed by his sand. But his eyes widened Orochimaru burst out of his own mouth.

"So reinforcements huh, and it doesn't look like this one will be as passive as Itachi has been." Orochimaru said.

"Gaara, it's good to see you made it here safely, but I have this under control, it may be hard to understand, but this is my fight and I need to finish this." Jiraiya said from the ceiling reappearing after he substituted out of harms way with a clone that he had been hiding.

"Very well, but I will not allow you to lose." Gaara replied, not taking his eyes off of Orochimaru.

"My my, maybe you do have some sort of control over your pets Jiraiya." Orochimaru smirked.

"No Orochimaru, that's your way of seeing things, it always has been. That is exactly why Sarutobi-sensei did not pick you as the Yondaime Hokage and picked Minato instead. Minato saw comrades that he would die for, where as you only saw tools that could be used for your own selfish purposes. It was never going to be a hard choice for someone like Sensei." Jiraiya scoffed landing on the ground in front of Gaara who had not moved since agreeing to not get involved unless necessary.

"I do not care what that senile old monkey thinks, Konoha picks helpless saps to rule it then it is hardly my concern. I never truly cared for the title of Hokage anyway, I only saw it as a means to further my research." Orochimaru replied.

"Yeah, I know that now." Jiraiya replied.

The Toad Sage kicked forward and Orochimaru mirrored his actions. They met at the center of the room and began a violent exchange of taijutsu, the strength of Jiraiya exceeded that of Orochimaru several times, but Orochimaru would move his body, contorting into unnatural positions to counter Jiraiya's strength. Even the extended range of Jiraiya's senjutsu powered attacks would miss one the rare occasion that he attempted to strike with one. Orochimaru was faring no better, on the rare occasions that he would actually get a hit in Jiraiya would barely flinch.

Itachi and Gaara watched on stoic faced as the two Sannin clashed nether one giving an inch. "As it stands the winner will be the one who tires out first." Gaara said.

"No, Jiraiya-sama is on top, Orochimaru may be landing more hits, but Orochimaru is taking more damage, they are equal in taijutsu and Jiraiya-sama has a type advantage in Ninjutsu, then Jiraiya-sama's proficiency in Senjutsu puts him on top." Itachi reasoned.

"Yes but Jiraiya-sama has no tallent for Genjutsu, something that Orochimaru is quite skilled in." Gaara replied.

"True, but as I have discovered the instability of Senjutsu provides a rather potent shield against most genjutsu." Itachi explained knowing Gaara who like most jinchuuriki had no talent for genjutsu as it required high levels of chakra control, the exception being the Nanabi jinchuuriki's as illusions were part of the Bijuu's arsenal like sand was with the Ichibi. And finally Jiraiya-sama is not alone, he has Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama with him." Itachi explained.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru split apart neither looking fatigued in the slightest, suddenly Orochimaru began to cough and once more shed his skin appearing without a mark on him. "On we go, Jiraiya, you cannot defeat me because I cannot be killed." the snake taunted.

"That regeneration jutsu could be a problem Jiraiya-chan, as it stands our best option would be to finish him off with jutsu that is strong enough to destroy his body completely." Fukusaku said cautiously.

"Well that's no good, mass destruction is really more Naruto-chans style." Shima added.

"I have plenty of powerful jutsu,especially with our combination jutsu." Jiraiya replied with mock hurt. This was a perfectly true statement, Jiraiya had a wide arsenal of S class jutsu, the problem was S ranked jutsu do not always destroy a body completely. What Jiraiya really needed was one of Naruto's completed elemental rasengan, a direct hit would certainly do the job.

"So he sheds off his injured skin, but how many times can he possibly do such a thing?" Gaara asked.

"I can not say, I would hazard a guess that the more time that passes between shedding skin the more times he can escape death. It's an impressive technique but all jutsu no matter how powerful have a weaknesses." Itachi answered.

"So the question is can the old man find out what it is huh, kami you're always the same Itachi." came the voice of Zabuza from the doorway.

Gaara and Itachi turned to see the Demon of the Mist approaching them, Kurotsuchi was just behind the former Kiri ninja, her eyes transfixed on Jiraiya and Orochimaru. "Well you two seem to have arrived in one piece, that's good to know." Itachi greeted the pair ignoring the slight jibe sent his way.

"Then all we are waiting for is Naruto-kun to arrive then." Gaara said flatly.

The groups attention was suddenly drawn as Orochimaru slammed his hands to the ground and thousands upon thousands of snakes began sliding across the room towards Jiraiya. There were so many snakes that they were crawling over each other trying to get to Jiraiya as quickly as possible.

"Jiraiya-chan, supply the fire, Ma ya' need the supply water, I'll cover the oil." Fukusaku ordered as more and more serpents continued appearing.

"Right, lets do this!" Jiraiya said backing up to the edge of the wall, before jumping up to as safe height while racing through his hand seals. "Sage Art: Goemon!"

Itachi's eyes widened, he knew what was coming. "We need to move, now!" he whispered urgently jumping up onto the wall. Gaara and the others followed Itachi's lead just as the three jutsu combined forming an tsunami of boiling oil that was hot enough to melt everything that it came across.

Orochimaru's snakes never had a chance as they were enveloped by the boiling oil. Orochimaru jumped at the last second but he didn't fully avoid Jiraiya's attack and his legs were enveloped by oil, however he managed to grab hold of the wall using his arms to to hold himself in place while the oil slowly dispersed. "You are really beginning to annoy me Jiraiya." Orochimaru said angrily after he regenerated once more.

"Good to know that I can still do that after all this time." Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"This is serious Jiraiya-chan!" Shima yelled hitting her summoner with a rolling pin she retrieved from inside her cape. "You need to focus or we won't get home in time for dinner!" she said raising the rolling pin ready to strike again.

"Ma this is hardly the time to be thinking about dinner, we need to stay focused on the task at hand." Fukusaku replied.

"Just like you to not care about dinner, I swear you can be as forgetful as the senile old coot you call a grand sage!" Shima yelled.

The two toad elders continued to bicker until all that anyone could make out were angry sounding croaks."Kukuku, even your summons seem to be little more than children even if they look so very old." Orochimaru smirked.

"Big words, the only decent summon you have is Manda and if you summoned him in a place like this he would be more likely to get stuck in a doorway than be a threat to anyone." Jiraiya taunted. Orochimaru scowled at this, Jiraiya knew as well as he did that what he said was not true but at the same time he was right, his snakes were all far to large to be used in combat, sure he summoned one earlier but that was only to escape Jiraiya's swamp of the underworld jutsu. "We need to stop him from regenerating, do you two have any ideas?" Jiraiya asked the elder toads.

"Hm well we could use a genjutsu." Fukusaku suggested.

"You know as well as I do that I am no good at that." Jiraiya answered.

"No but we can do it for ya right Ma?" Fukusaku said.

"No I can't I wont be singing a duet in this kind of situation, we should just wait for Naruto-chan to get here!" Shima protested.

"This isn't Naruto's fight! I was supposed to capture or kill Orochimaru all those years ago, but I failed. I have failed at everything that mattered to me, I was never able to win Tsunade's heart, I wasn't able to save Minato, or protect Naruto when he was a young boy. This time I won't fail, I'll finish Orochimaru off and finally be worthy of my title." Jiraiya declared determination burning in his eyes like fire.

Shima looked at Jiraiya with a sense of pity, she knew that her summoner had always cosidered himself a failure but never had any idea of how much it still hurt him. '_Jiraiya-chan, you have worked so hard for everything and have accomplished so much, yet still you think so little of yourself, what would have happened to Naruto-chan without you there to guide him? If nothing else raising that boy to be a man is a superior to all of your perceived failings_' she thought sadly. "Very well but we will need some time to prepare, keep him busy for a few moments."

"You got it!" Jiraiya said kicking forward, fist cocked ready to strike Orochimaru in the face.

The Snake Sannin rolled out of the way at the last second and Jiraiya's fist all but shattered the wall at the point Orochimaru had been standing. Meanwhile Shima and Fukusaku began to croak loudly in symmetry but it could not be considered anything remotely like a song, but Jiraiya guessed that it would probably sound different to the ears of other toads.

Orochimaru replied to Jiraiya attack by spewing forth s large group of snakes in an attempt to constrict his former teammate. Jiraiya knew that Fukusaku and Shima were busy so dealt with the serpents himself with a Katon jutsu. Orochimaru used the distraction his snakes caused to sneak around behind Jiraiya, withdrawing Kusanagi to stab him in the back.

Jiraiya however was able to spin out of the way at the last second, thanks to the increased danger awareness awarded to him by his sage mode. Orochimaru lashed out again and once more Jiraiya avoided the strike. During this time the toads song was growing louder and louder, only Itachi who was watching with his Doujutsu activated could see what was really going on. '_It's a genjutsu that relies on sound as long as your target can hear he will be caught, and judging by how long it is taking to take effect it will be a powerful one_.' Itachi thought with great interest, if there was one thing that could fully claim the Uchiha's attention it was a powerful genjutsu.

Jiraiya continued to narrowly avoid Orochimaru's strikes highly thankful that he was in sage mode and able to sense the attacks coming. On and on Orochimaru would lash out at Jiraiya with Kusanagi knowing that one strike should be more than enough, the blade extending and withdrawing to his will. Suddenly Fukusaku and Shima both hit a high pitched note at the same time and Orochimaru froze completely still.

Orochimaru found himself floating in the middle of a world that seemed to stretch on forever, all he could see was what appeared to be a dark red floor with pattens that seemed to make his eyes blurry. '_A genjutsu, Jiraiya was so woeful at genjutsu I never even thought about trying to defend against one._' Orochimaru seethed as he looked around in this empty world. His world was not so empty for long, four giant toads rose from the ground holding their hands out to box the snake Sannin in. each toad wore bright blue samurai armor and held a sword that was just as large as the toad that held it. Orochimaru struggled to break free but could not move no matter how hard he tried.

Outside of the genjutsu Jiraiya approached Orochimaru slowly. "I take it that he is under?" he asked not ready to lower he guard.

"Our Illusion cannot be broken, the only genjutsu comparable is Tsukuyomi which is both more powerful and weaker in it's own right." Fukusaku said.

"May I ask what that means?" Itachi spoke up from the sidelines.

"Ah Itachi-chan I mean no disrespect, the difference in our jutsu is simple, Tsukuyomi has the ability to harm those inside mentally, while the Demonic Illusion Toad Chant only immobilizes requiring outside interference to finish the job. The other difference is the Toad Chant can capture entire armies inside and we can still move, Tsukuyomi requires constant eye contact." Fukusaku explained.

"I see, it also occurs to me that your jutsu requires two participants to cast and enough time to cast it." Itachi observed while Jiraiya began making several sharp swords from stone and laying them on the ground in front of Orochimaru.

"Precisely, the weaknesses of the Toad Chant are all too clear, as it's an audible genjutsu the moment you begin to use it your opponents will be aware of your location. Also our throats get dry so we cannot use it more than once a day." Fukusaku explained.

'_Still, with such a powerful jutsu they could take an army of shinobi out, if used correctly._' Itachi thought highly impressed with the power of the two little toad elders.

Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru with sadness. "I guess this is the end, old friend." he said lifting the first of the stone blades up and sliding it into the snake summoners heart. Two more went into his lungs, one for each side, then his liver until all his vital organs were pierced. "It's done." he sighed.

The toads let the genjutsu drop, and with it so did Orochimaru crashing to the floor limp and lifeless. Jiraiya had made it all the way over to the others before he realized something was wrong. He could still feel some of Orochimaru's chakra it was weak but he was sure it was there. He turned around just in time to avoid the tip of Kusanagi that had flown through the air towards the Toad sage. "How are you still alive!?" Jiraiya asked in shock staring to run through hand seals ready to burn away the snakes body.

Orochimaru's mouth opened and out came a long white snake that stretched the length of the room, but it's head was different, it had Orochimaru's head. "Kukukuku, what a delightful little genjutsu, I had expected something like that." he chuckled.

"What have you done to yourself?" Jiraiya gasped struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.

"This is my true form Jiraiya, it is the result of countless experiments and is so close to being complete, all it needs are the right eyes." Orochimaru leered.

"Why!? Why do this to yourself?" Jiraiya asked not really sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Why? That's simple. For the ultimate goal, immortality. I cannot be killed, you have seen it yourself now. All of my vitals were cut and pierced, and all I need to to is save a small amount of chakra to shed my skin and it was all for naught." Orochimaru answered rather pleased with himself. He had never been that close to dying before, and surviving Jiraiya's attack had given him a sense of invulnerability.

Jiraiya scowled, he never knew Orochimaru had gone this far, he had wanted to at least save Orochimaru's body in order to return him to Konoha, Hiruzen at least would have wanted that in order to say his final farewells. He also knew that trapping Orochimaru in another genjutsu like the last one would be all but impossible as Fukusaku and Shima said that they could not perform the duet more than once a day. "Well on the plus side he's too big to escape our jutsu now." Jiraiya mused.

"Well I never thought I would see something uglier than his curse sealed freaks, but that scaled freak takes the cake." Zabuza said from where he and the others were standing.

Kurotsuchi couldn't help but nod, '_Can this thing even be considered human anymore?_' she asked herself as she stared on wide eyed unable to look away.

Orochimaru recoiled his body ready to strike while Jiraiya slid into a defensive stance unsude what to expect next. '_Taijutsu won't work, his body is too big and he no longer has any arms and legs, so it must be some kind of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu._' he figured. His sage mode gave him ample protection against most genjutsu so he was more concerned about what other abilities Orochimaru might bring out with his new body.

The snake spat what looked like two jet's of clear water towards Jiraiya who rolledout of the way before they hit the wall behind him. The wall began to sizzle and soon it started to corrode away. "It's acid, he is spitting it like venom, you can't get hit by that Jiraiya-chan." Fukusaku said, shocked at what he was seeing.

"Enough of this!" Shima yelled, she spat out a stream of water directly at Orochimaru who slipped to the side in order to avoid the attack, but Shima had been expecting this. The jet of water followed Orochimaru and passed through his body near his head.

Orochimaru's head began to fall to the ground but small snakes flew out and reconnected his body. "Do you get it now Jiraiya? I cannot be killed!" the snake laughed triumphantly before his tail shot out wrapping around Jiraiya tightly. "Now escape this!" he roared before taking a deep breath in.

A stream of acid shot right towards Jiraiya. The Toad sage was about to fire a jutsu to burn the acid away when Itachi appeared before him, his Susanoo fully formed. The acid struck his shield nullifying the attack. "I'm sorry Jiraiya-sama, while I have confidence that you would be able to escape from such an attack I also believe his gloat about immortality is not entirely unfounded. As such it will have to be me who defeats him while we are in this cramped area. You have proven your superiority, but an opponent like this is not one that will be killed by any normal jutsu." Itachi said standing on the snakes back.

Jiraiya powered himself free and landed on the wall looking down on Itachi and Orochimaru. '_He's talking about the Sword of Totsuka, is that your plan Itachi to seal Orochimaru away?_' Jiraiya thought and the more he thought about it the more he realized that it was their best option in order to end the fight cleanly. "Alright Itachi, you finish him off." Jiraiya sighed.

"Jiraiya-chan are you sure? We can still win." Fukusaku asked obviously surprised that Jiraiya would fold so easily.

"Not without bringing this place down around us, Itachi is the best suited for the task now, well at least while Naruto hasn't shown up yet. I wonder what's taking him so long?" the Toad Sage replied.

"The boy is fine jiraiya-chan, we can all sense his chakra signature from here. The child of destiny will not fall in some dank cave like this one." Shima declared boldly.

Orochimaru meanwhile was not pleased, he thought he had the fight won when Itachi jumped in. "Itachi, you said yourself that this was not your fight!" he seethed.

"I did, but Jiraiya-sama has won, you only still live because of the horrendous things that you have done to your body. All I am going to do is put an end to you." Itachi said flatly.

"Why you, I cannot be killed! Now die!" Orochimaru yelled his tail soaring towards the Uchiha's back like a massive spear.

Itachi didn't move out of the way rather he stood perfectly still as the tip of his tail came closer and closer. "I didn't say I would kill you now did I?" Itachi said as he finally moved, the sword in the right hand of his Susanoo impaling into the snakes body, pinning it to the ground.

Orochimaru's tail stopped less than an inch from Itachi's back, whether or not his attack would have been able to pierce his protective shroud he never found out. Orochimaru's eyes widened as he felt something pulling on his consciousness from inside his body.

Everyone could only watch as the snakes soul began to break free of its body and slide towards the large gourd on the back of Itachi's Susanoo. "This is new, I expected his entire body to be sealed." Jiraiya mused.

"Obviously the sword changed along with the physical appearance of my Susanoo." Itachi reasoned as Orochimaru's soul continued to be removed. "It seems to have taken on the aspect of Naruto-kun's Human path, although I cannot say that I am able to read through Orochimaru's memories." he continued.

"It is for the best Itachi-chan, if Naruto-chan was to use Human path on Orochimaru then everything that he had experienced would be absorbed into his mind. Some things are best left as they are, his plans and experiments are best left to be forgotten what ever he knew would always cause more harm than good." Fukusaku said sagely.

Itachi thought about it and nodded, Naruto disliked using the human path, and experiencing even half of the things that Orochimaru had done would be enough to make most people wish they were dead.

The sealing finished and Orochimaru's body that had been twitching constantly now fell lifeless onto the ground. Itachi waited a few moments before dropping his Susanoo and stepping off the snake. At that exact moment Naruto burst through the door an alarmed look on his face that fell as soon as he saw the dead body in the center of the room. "Aw man I missed it!" he whined in disappointment.

**End Chapter!**

**Well there we go, good, bad let me know either way. Originally I had planned on having Naruto remove Orochimaru's soul but it seems like he still has lots of secrets left in the Cannon and I would like to know what they are before I jump into anything. This way I can keep things organic and somewhat accurate to the cannon. Well minus the whole Naruto has the Rinnegan thing, along with three quarters of everything else that has happened so far. Still it sounds like Orochimaru knows not only who Tobi is, but also someone else that's important. **

**Fukusaku and Shima kick ass, simple as that. I have been expecting Naruto to summon them in his fight with Tobi, even if they can't fuse with him they are capable of helping like against Pein with genjutsu. Hell if not them why not Gamabunta and the other giant toads, surely they could at least keep the reviving Juubi busy for awhile. **

**Anyway I hope you all liked the chapter, and feel free to criticize anything you don't like, it's the only way I'll learn. Thanks for reading. **


	96. A slight Change of Plans

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****96: A Slight Change of Plans**

Naruto was to put it lightly pissed off. After all the taunting that Orochimaru had put him through during his way here he at the very least wanted to be there when he died. To make matters worse he had so many questions that he needed answers for. Not the least information on Nagato, the thought of his fellow Uzumaki was mixed with conflicting emotions, he was so happy to find out that there were more Uzumaki, Jiraiya had told him about the destruction of Uzu and he didn't know what happened to the rest of his clan. His mother came to the village years earlier and thus avoided the devastation.

"Human path was not an option this time Naruto-kun." Itachi said calmly when Naruto voiced his concerns.

"But there are things I need to know, and he has the answers, he told me so himself!" the blond replied angrily.

"Some things are best left unknown, I know this better than anyone." Itachi answered him calmly.

Naruto sighed taking a few deep breaths in, he had not had the time yet to tell Jiraiya or the others about what he had found in Orochimaru's lab but he knew what Itachi was talking about. He was considered a missing ninja because of an untruth, and he wanted it to stay that way the more people who knew his secret the more of a risk that the secret would get out. Itachi considered exile from Konoha his punishment for the crimes he committed against his family, to be praised as a hero of Konoha for them would be worse than death in his book. "I guess you're right, I am sorry, I overreacted." Naruto sighed.

The snakes long body was stretched out through the center of the room and everyone could finally see the full extent of the horrific outcome of Orochimaru's experiments. His body was as pale as ever but rather than skin his body was covered in scales that were as tough as the thickest armor money could buy. His eyes despite still being blank and lifeless were slitted and an off color yello, the rest of his head was far too big for that of a normal human, it had grown to match his body. He had long fangs that Naruto assumed were for passing on his curse mark and what looked like venom glands at the back, Naruto went to place some of the venom on his finger but Jiraiya quickly grabbed his hand. "I wouldn't do that kid." he spoke seriously.

"Huh why?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Just look at what that stuff can do." Jiraiya replied pointing to the wall. Naruto arched an eyebrow before wisely removing his hand.

While most of the group were marveling at the dead Sannin's body Zabuza had his eye on something else entirely. The long black Katana Naruto had strapped across his back using the robes of several Oto ninja he had killed as a sheath. '_Not like the kid to carry a blade, hell not like the kid to need a blade._' he mused mulling over whether or not to ask him. Finally his curiosity get the better of him. "Hey kid, since when do you carry a weapon?" he practically yelled.

"Huh?" Naruto had all but forgotten about the elemental blade that he had created in all the commotion that had been going on surrounding Orochimaru's death.

"Don't play dumb kid I am looking right at it." Zabuza continued.

This drew the attention of everyone else to the long blade. "He's right, why are you carrying that, you never had any interest in Kenjutsu when we were training." Itachi said. He had tried to encourage Naruto to carry at least a short sword many times in the past but Naruto had always dismissed the idea saying that he couldn't use Ninjutsu and fight with a blade at the same time, Itachi had known this was a lie, someone with Naruto's proficiency in the art of ninjutsu could use them with both hands tied behind his back. The truth was Naruto just didn't like swords. '_Or maybe he hadn't found the right one yet._' Itachi mused knowing some ninja were very touchy over the weapon that they used, Asuma Sarutobi wouldn't touch a Katana, but he never left home without his trench knives.

As if a light went off inside his head Naruto remembered the blade strapped to his back, it was weightless so he had completely forgotten it was there. "Oh yeah, it's my sword, I made it when I was fighting one of Orochimaru's experiments." he said taking the sword from his back and unwrapping it to show everyone.

"Wait you created that!" Shima gasped in surprise.

"Yeah with my chakra rods, I used Banbutsu Sozo, I am sort of figuring out how the jutsu works. Basically I can only use the jutsu when I have a need for something, without the need all I can create are the chakra rods" the blond said.

'**You didn't figure anything out, I damn well told you!**' Kyuubi snapped in reply.

'_Too bad. You want credit, then try being more helpful next time_.' Naruto smirked.

'**I will rip you to shreds one of these days Naruto!**' Kyuubi seethed.

"So what does it do?" Zabuza asked.

"What do you mean it's a sword, what do you think it does!?" Kurotsuchi said, she had seen Naruto do to many crazy things to blink an eye at him creating a sword.

"Trust me, that thing isn't going to be a normal sword, the Rinnegan does not do normal." Zabuza said.

Naruto chuckled and nodded his head. "You're right Zabuza, here watch." he said and holding the blade out to his side he thought the word '_Fuuton_'. The blade changed color to white and Fuuton chakra glowed from the tip. '_Suiton._' The blade changed color again, this time to blue and water covered the steel. He continued going through the remaining elements before reverting it back to its normal state.

"Amazing Naruto-chan, a sword that controls all of the elements, truly a creation of the Rinnegan." Fukusaku said with a smile hopping off of Jiraiya's shoulder to inspect the blade up close. Naruto handed the blade over to the small toad who also ran through the elements. Naruto and the others noticed that he had far more difficulty summoning the elements that he was not capable of using. Naruto guessed that many people would not be able to call forth all of the elements as if someone like Fukusaku had difficulty then others would fail miserably. "When I use my own elements it feels light as a feather and warm, but the others, cold and they drain so much chakra, a weapon designed by the Rinnegan that only Rinnegan user can make full advantage of I would think." the toad declared once he was satisfied.

"Still others can use it if they only focus on their own elements right?" Naruto asked, he had intended to keep the blade but also thought of the prospect of allowing others to borrow it should the need arise.

"I believe so, someone like Jiraiya-chan may even be able to use it with the other elements to some degree, although I would imagine with difficulty, Jiraiya-chan may be able to control it easier if he is in sage mode." Fukusaku said confidently.

"Um not to break up your little meeting, but we should probably get going, I need to send a message to Ojii-sama about what happened and we also need to start moving back to Konoha, we already wasted most of this day so it will be at least four days before we get there." Kurotsuchi interrupted. Shehad to admit that she actually enjoyed the company of the Yoinokuchi ninja, they were all so very different yet they got along like family, whether it was Zabuza's mild blood lust or Naruto and Jiraiya acting like idiots they all understood and respected each other greatly.

"I guess she's right. All that's left to do is destroy this place, then we can be on our way back to the Land of Fire." Jiraiya said still looking down at Orochimaru's deformed snake like body.

"We should really be going as well Jiraiya-chan. But you and Naruto-chan should join us for dinner one night soon." Fukusaku said happily.

Both Naruto and Jiraiya paled at the thought, they had experienced Shima's cooking before and to put it lightly, they were not fans. "Uh yeah, that sounds um, nice. Still we are really busy, so it may be awhile before we can both moke it." the elder summoner replied already formulating a plan to send Naruto to Myobokuzan without him.

The small toads waved goodbye to the group before disappearing in a puff of smoke as they reverse summoned back to the mountain of the toads. Once they were gone Gaara turned to address the group. "How will we destroy this place?" he asked.

"I'll do it." Naruto said before creating four clones. "I'll send one out to each entrance and we will bury this place in an instant." he explained.

Fair enough, the rest of us don't need to split up anymore so we can all make our way out with the quickest rout and leave the rest to you." Jiraiya said as the fatigue from his fight with Orochimaru began to set in.

As they began to file out of the room Jiraiya stayed behind. "Farewell old friend, I wish things could have been different. But if this cursed world is to find peace then there is no longer a place for someone so lost in hatred." he said solemnly before turning to leave. The Toad Sage took a few steps away from Orochimaru's body when he saw a flicker of steel, Kusanagi lay discarded, unnoticed by the others. '_I should take it back to Konoha, his death should be acknowledged._'

(**Elsewhere**)

"So what's this about, I thought that we can't seal another Jinchuuriki until the Nibi is fully absorbed yeah?" Deidara questioned, clearly confused as to why he was standing atop one of the fingers of the Gedo Mezo statue.

"That is indeed the case, I have called everyone here for a different reason." Pein said commandingly.

"Then what's the deal I was enjoying some time off while we wait for Kisame and Hiruko to capture the Rokubi." the Iwa bomber replied sligtly annoyed.

"Well your holiday is over, we have a job to do and we're going to do it now." Pein said with some finality causing the retort that Deidara had planned to be lost in his throat.

"Alright then what ever this is it sounds more interesting than chasing the Rokubi." Kisame said eagerly.

"We should at least know what the task at hand is before we make any decisions on abandoning the search Kisame." Hiruko warned.

"We are going to remove Konoha from the Land of Fire. As long as Konoha stands we cannot hope to search for the location of the three Jinchuuriki in the Land of Fire." Pein explained.

"You plan to go up against Konoha? That will be a perfect place for me to demonstrate my art, yeah." Deidara said with a keen smirk.

"But what about the remaining Bijuu? Someone needs to keep looking, I know Tobi will do it because Tobi is a good boy." the masked Akatsuki ninja said happily.

"There is no way I am going to trade a chance to produce one of the finest pieces of art, for walking from town to town of the Land of Water in search of a Jinchuuriki." Deidara replied,not happy at all that Tobi would volunteer to take up Kisame's job when the Iwa Bomber was his partner.

Tobi grinned knowing this would be Deidara's response. The man in the mask was not a foolish man, he knew that Konoha was a village that was more powerful than any other, Hiruzen Sarutobi alone despite his old age was a formidable ninja, the Kami of Shinobi many called him. Yes attacking Konoha would have casualties and he wanted those who would not be loyal to him when the time came out of the way. '_That's right Deidara, you are to go to Konoha, but in the end you will be destroyed, for all your talk when faced with a competent Raiton user you are less than nothing, Kakashi will see through that clay of yours so quickly you won't know what hit you._' he thought calculatingly. For Tobi the perfect outcome of this would be the death of everyone save Nagato, the man who called himself a God was still of use to him, if for nothing else than to sync with the Gedo Mezo. "I'm sorry Deidara-sempai, maybe if Tobi partners with someone else to search for the Rokubi." he said.

"Very well. Tobi you shall go with Zetsu in search of the Roukubi jinchuuriki." Pein declared.

The smile on Tobi's face faltered beneath his mask, he was supposed to go with Kisame to capture the Bijuu with Zetsu as a spy and tracker. '_What is this, how could he change his mind I told him specifically what to do, the man is so confident he would have attacked Konoha alone should I have recommended it_.' he thought angrily.

The masked Akatsuki ninjas did not have to look far to find the cause of this, Konan stood with a small smile on her face knowing she had denied Tobi of everything he wanted. "Then it's decided, Hiruko and Kisame you will come to the Land of Fire as quickly as possible and Tobi and Zetsu can take your place." Konan said. Her face was calm but inside she was laughing. Personally she was against this, Konoha was the home of Jiraiya a man that she thought of more highly than any other. But if Nagato was set in his mind she would follow him, the man was the last family that she knew.

'_I see now, you did this. If I could, I would have had that damn woman killed years ago. She is all that is holding you back Pein. You love Konan like a sister, for awhile that made you easy to control, but now she is becoming a hindrance to me. One that needs to be removed._' Tobi seethed seeing through Konan just as easily as she saw through him. Yes it was safe to say Pein had two advisers that did not exactly get along.

Kisame was somewhat pleased with this, he had been growing tired of chasing after jinchuuriki. First it was the Kyuubi, for years they searched and eventually when he finally shows up he was in a whole different league. After that they were sent after the Rokubi and this hunt was not proving anymore fruitful, if you are capable of avoiding a shinobi village like Kiri for so long then you are obviously rather talented at the art of remaining hidden. Despite being ecstatic to nolonger be chasing ghosts the Monster of Kiri did have one concern. "What about the Toad Sage and the Kyuubi Brat? If they both show up, things could go downhill fast."

"Not just them, Itachi Uchiha, he finished Sasori-sama in an instant!" Deidara added.

"Should we move quickly enough, then they will not be an issue. The group that calls themselves the Yoinokuchi are currently deep inside the Land of Earth removing a problem of our own making." Pein said calmly.

"Why would they be in that country, surely Jiraiya of all people would be aware of the danger that Iwa could pose to the Kyuubi boy. The head of any Namikaze would fetch a high price in the Land of Earth." Hiruko questioned.

"It seems that the elderly Tsuchikage has had some form of gallantry and rather than target the boy he offered peace. As such a group of the strongest shinobi from the group protecting the Kyuubi have only recently left Iwa and are as we speak confronting Orochimaru." Pein declared.

"That said, once they are finished with our former ally it is not at all unlikely that at least one of the group will head to Konoha." Konan added. She was keen to press this point, it was one of the reasons that Pein agreed to her request of adding Kisame to the group that traveled to Konoha

"So basically we only have a short time period to get this done then." Deidara surmised.

"Yes, which is why the attack shall commence in the morning, four days from now, ample time for everyone to arrive at the outlying lands around Konoha." Pein declared.

Again Tobi couldn't help but scowl, he had planned on getting to Kisame to save him from this fight by being late but it appeared that Konan had thought that far ahead. True they were cutting it fine, he knew if the group from the Yoinokuchi did not rest at all on their way back to the Land of Fire then they would arrive before the attack began, although considering what they were dealing with in regards to Orochimaru that was very unlikely. '_Konan has thought this out well, but she may be slightly underestimating the amount of resistance Konoha will be able to produce. In the end only Kisame and __Zetsu can be trusted to follow me, if Pein falls I will be able to take his Rinnegan and sync with the Gedo Mezo myself. As for the others, the less of them that return the better_.' he thought calmly thinking about how he should alter his plans due to Konan's interference.

"_**I have news!**_" the black half of Zetsu said suddenly.

"Yes?" Pein pressed knowing that a white Zetsu clone had been following the progress of the Yoinokuchi group as they invaded Orochimaru's lair.

"_Orochimaru is dead. __**I, uh well that is to say my clone, **__can no longer sense his chakra signature at all_." Zetsu replied.

"Are you sure, we can't simply go on something as vague as the lack of a chakra signature. For all you know he could be masking it." Konan interjected.

"_**That is very true.**_ _However showing myself would be problematic to our cause_, _**and as I know from Pein-sama**_, _approaching someone with the Rinnegan while remaining undetected is all but impossible_." Zetsu replied.

"Then keep your distance, but I want proof that the snake has been slain. Ideally the blow that killed Orochimaru should have come from one of us, as punishment for turning on the Akatsuki, but his death will grant us free rein to complete the task at hand." Pein stated calmly.

"If this is all Pein-sama, we have a long way to travel if we are to reach Konoha in time for the invasion. we should get moving as soon as possible to assure we have enough time to cover the distance." Hiruko interrupted. The former Konoha shinobi felt nothing in regards to the loss of Orochimaru, when they were kids he had been friends with the shinobi who would later be granted the title of the Legendary Three Ninja. This pleased him greatly, he knew that if he could feel nothing for the loss of one of his oldest friends, then watching his village burn should not be a problem.

"I understand. We will leave it here, Zetsu, Tobi I trust you can take care of locating the Rokubi together? After all we don't need to capture it yet." Pein questioned.

Tobi half thought of opposing the request and asking for Kisame to help, but decided against it. 'I_ can't seem to eager to have my way. Konan is already distrustful, opposing this move would just add fuel to whatever she is feeding Pein to make him question my orders._' "Not at all Pein-sama, Tobi will find the Rokubi for you, no worries!" he said in his childish persona.

(**Land of Earth**)

It had taken the Yoinokuchi group and Kurotsuchi almost an hour to resurface from the depths of Orochimaru's lair. All the while Naruto had to keep focused that each of his clones still had enough chakra to perform a jutsu powerful enough to cause a cave in. In the end the blond had no cause for concern, he had stuffed enough chakra into his clones to reduce a small village to nothing but rubble.

"Are you sure you don't need any help? I could take over the destruction of one of the entrances." Jiraiya asked. Jiraiya had no doubt that Naruto was indeed capable of completing the feat, his worry came from the fact that his young godson tended to overdo things from time to time, the last thing he needed was to have the boy too exhausted to travel. '_I will certainly need a rest but Naruto's chakra __supply is so large that if he should come down with any severe chakra exhaustion then it could be close to a day before he can travel again. He already used Banbutsu Sozo, not to mention all the chakra he exhausted in reaching Orochimaru, how much more can he have left in the tank_.' he thought concerned for the young blonds well being.

"Nah I'm fine I absorbed the chakra of a bunch of Orochimaru's henchmen so I am as good as new." Naurto replied omitting the part about it being his prisoners suggestion. Kyuubi growled rather audibly but Naruto pushed it aside. As far as the blond was concerned he would at least try to ignore his permanent companion at least until Fukusaku and Shima agreed to help him train in controlling the fox.

"Well I'm satisfied, lets just sit back and watch the show. You better make this flashy kid." Zabuza said jokingly.

Naruto chuckled to himself, he had always enjoyed how straight forward and honest Zabuza was, if he didn't agree with something he would say exactly what he thought, and wasn't afraid to joke to lighten a situation. "Don't worry Zabuza, I'll think of something to make this more interesting." he chuckled in reply. That he did the sky that had a yellow hue from the slowly setting sun changed as Naruto's clones each used a powerful jutsu one after the other, rocks and dust few in every direction a massive pillar of flames caused the world to seemingly glow red.

Once Naruto had finished the small mountain that Orochimaru had used for his base was little more than a pile of oversized rubble, if there was anything left of the base underground the blond was sure it would only be the deepest of chambers. "I think that's a fitting burial for Orochimaru." Jiraiya said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"We should get moving, there is a town we can rest for the night not far from here." Itachi suggested earning nods of agreement from the others.

'_Looks like they are not as eager to get back to the Land of Fire as they were to arrive at Iwa. Although I guess now that the non aggression treaty has been settled the Land of Earth is far safer for them. I guess that means they won't need to exhaust themselves on the journey back._' Kurotsuchi thought. She was quite pleased that she wasn't going to have to spend the next three days running non stop.

Despite the fact that Itachi claimed that the village was "Close" they traveled the rest of the day at a steady pace to arrive just as dusk was setting in and quickly found rooms for the night. Everyone was rather tired from the events of the day but nobody more so than Jiraiya. Naruto had wanted to show his sensei the files he found in Orochimaru's lab, but decided that it could wait until morning. '_He looks dead on his feet._' the Kyuubi jinchuuriki mused as Jiraiya made his way straight for his room.

Naruto left the elder sage alone and hopped out of a nearby window and onto the roof. _'Something has been troubling Naruto-kun, it must have something to do with him wanting to use the Human path of Orochimaru but what does he want to know?_' Itachi thought as he watched Naruto take a seat on the roof before lying back to gaze up as the stars slowly began to appear in the darkening sky. Itachi made up his mind quickly and soon followed after Naruto, although he decided to exit the room via the door rather than Naruto and Jiraiya's preferred rout.

"I was wondering when you would show up, nothing ever escapes you does it Itachi-sensei." Naruto mused as Itachi landed behind him silently.

"You are distracted, something is bothering you." Itachi replied, it was not a question and he knew that Naruto knew this.

Naruto sighed, he had hoped that he could bring this up with Jiraiya and Itachi at the same time to avoid retelling and explaining the information but Itachi was like an overprotective big brother at times, and the blond knew he needed to give Orochimaru something to assure the Uchiha that he was fine. "Inside Orochimaru's base I found this room. Inside had all these crazy half finished or failed experiments that all seemed to be involving the Uchiha clan and the Shodai Hokage."

"You are concerned about what Orochimaru was trying to acomplish?" Itachi guessed.

"Well yes, but there is more. Orochimaru also had a bunch of files on ninja he considered of interest to him, I did not see your file nor did I see Jiraiya-sensei's but mine was there as well as another shinobi with the Rinnegan." Naruto continued.

Itachi's eyes widened somewhat yet still remained hard to read. "Pein?" he proposed correctly.

"In a sense, the file was actually that of Nagato Uzumaki.

This time there was no mistaking it Itachi's eyes widened significantly. "Pein is an Uzumaki, then he is your kin, a member of your clan." Itachi knew how difficult something like this could be, if Pein truly was Nagato then that would mean that Naruto may have to kill the only member of his clan he had ever met. Itachi had killed his entire clan and was still living with the ghosts that haunted him from that, they came out to bite him every time he heard news of Sasuke being involved in any criminal activities.

"I know but that's not all, in my file I found this." Naruto said taking out the picture of his mother and father happy and smiling together. "How did Orochimaru get ahold of something like this without help from inside Konoha, Jiraiya said his house along with my parents were picked clean before he returned to the village after I became a jinchuuriki." he added slightly bitterly, he had always wanted a photo of his parents but this was the only time Jiraiya had not been able to come through for him because all his photos had been stolen.

"It is not going to be a very easy search to find the ones responsible Naruto-kun." Itachi reasoned.

"Oh I don't think it will be all that hard, I grabbed all the files and sent them to be stored at Myobokuzan with Gamakichi, among them was a rather enlightening file on the founder of Root." Naruto said coolly. '_If Orochimaru was a snake then Danzo is a virus, playing both sides in order to get what he wants, control over Konoha, he was even willing to see it burn, just to have it rebuilt in his image._' Naruto thought, he honestly couldn't tell who he despised more Orochimaru or Danzo. '_At least Orochimaru didn't pretend to be something he wasn't._'

"Danzo was always a man who despised weakness, his root ninja are emotionless because he believes emotions make shinobi weak. In a way I can understand this, it was because I loved my brother that I let him live, Sarutobi-sama ordered me to kill only those responsible for the potential civil war, but Danzo ordered me to eliminate all the Uchiha. Now I can see why, Sasuke has fallen into darkness and my weakness and failure to complete my mission has caused many more people to suffer." Itachi said.

Naruto shook his head. "Caring for others does not make you weak, it makes you strong. If you care about nothing and have nobody you want to protect, then what is the point in being fighting, or being alive at all for that matter? If you fight for someone or something that you love, then you can't lose and if you do then your life will be the least of your concerns." Naruto replied.

Itachi smiled proudly down at Naruto who didn't take any notice while he was still gazing up at the stars. "That is a very intelligent point of view, but loved ones can be used against you, when you're alone only your strength matters. Take the previous Hokage for example, Tobirama Senju sacrificed himself to stay behind and face untold numbers of approaching enemies while his team were ordered to retreat. Then there was your father, he died fighting with Kyuubi to save the village and seal the fox inside you. He could have used a different child or a different seal, if he did you would have a father today, maybe even a family." Itachi replied.

"They both loved Konoha, dying for the people of the village was a not a problem for them. As for me having a family, I already have a family, I have a father in Jiraiya-sensei and I would say I could never ask for a better brother than you, Gaara and even Zabuza." Naruto said seriously before a playful smirk crossed his face. "I know you have had problems with it in the past, but I would really appreciate it if you left your family alive this time." he teased.

Itachi permitted a small chuckle to escape his lips before taking a seat next to the blond. The pair sat and talked for what seemed like hours before Gaara informed them that the rest of the group were going to grab some dinner, they readily agreed to join them and both hopped down from the roof.

**End Chapter! **

**A bit of a come down from last chapter but action will pick up again very soon.**

**No Manga this week :( **

**What's the bet that Kishi changes the scene next chapter so we have to wait even longer to find out for sure who's behind the mask. This arc had been drawn out so long it's losing it's edge, he needs to wrap up these fights in one way or another over the next few chapters in my opinion. Although they will have the mandatory five chapter back story for Tobi and Madara each, especially if Tobi is Obito. (Horrible writing if it is, too many inconsistencies. Kakashi was 14 when Naruto was born and Tobi looked the same as he does now, for one example.)**


	97. Calm Comes Before the Storm

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****97: Calm Comes Before The Storm **

Naruto didn't have a chance to show Jiraiya the files he had taken from Orochimaru's lair the day after the snake had died, or the day after that. Still the blond was determined to get it done before they returned to Konoha, as such Naruto had made up his mind to suggest they stop at a village to rest on the third day, by that time they would be inside the Land of Fire and only a few hours from Konoha. '_If I am going to confront Danzo about what's in this file I will need to be rested._' he mused. There was a specific reason he had decided on this particular village, it had one of the largest hotspring bathhouses in the elemental nations, people traveled there from hundreds of miles for holidays. But for Jiraiya I meant one thing, 'research', Naruto knew the Toad Sage had been well behaved during the time they had spent in Iwa and as such would be dying for the chance to enjoy himself once more. '_I kind of feel bad about unleashing Jiraiya-sensei on them, but I need to show everyone the files and that would be the best place to stop without going too far out of our way._'

Itachi knew about the files that Naruto had taken but the blond rebuffed his request to see them saying it would be too much of a hassle to summon Gamakichi here and then go through all the files only to do it again with Jiraiya. 'He said he had a plan but if we keep moving at this rate we will get to Konoha and be too exhausted to do anything about root.' the Uchiha decided but he figured that Naruto knew this and hoped that he had a plan.

(**Elsewhere**)

The Raikage stood at the end of Yugito's hospital bed pacing back and forth in irritation. Orange sunlight of the late afternoon shone through the small window at the far end of a stale that had white walls, in fact apart from the equipment used to monitor the patients everything in the room was white. A clenched his fists in frustration and Yugito noticed a small spark of lightning escape the tips of his fingers. "Where the hell is Samui, it shouldn't take this long to get here from Kumo!" A raged impatiently.

"Complaining like that will not help Samui and her team get here faster A-sama. Besides I think you will find not everyone is as fast as you are, as a matter of fact I believe you are the fastest man alive" the former jinchuuriki sighed. '_At least until that Namikaze boy get's older, and stronger, to think a sixteen year old would be fast enough to avoid A-sama is a frightening prospect, and he took on Kirabi and myself at the same time as well._' she finished as an afterthought not wanting to push the already tense Raikage any further. The truth was the doctors said that Yugito could leave the hospital almost a full day earlier, the problem was her Raikage refused to let get out of bed, and even insisted on carrying her all the way to Konoha something that she flatly refused but when she thought about it she realized that it would be impossible for her to get to Konoha any other way, without chakra to enhance the speed and allow tree hopping it could take well over a week to get to Konoha.

"I will kill them for being so late!" A replied his anger just bubbling under the surface.

"Then we would have to wait for another team to arrive." Yugito pointed out with a deadpan expression. She had often found the Raikage's actions to be humorous but it was hard to find anything funny when she knew her life was slowly ticking away. The doctors said they did the best they could to stabilize and repair what they could safely manage of the former Nibi jinchuuriki but still they told her that unless she had received help soon she had only a little over a month left and that was their best estimate. Truth was the doctors had never had someone with Yugito's particular injuries before so they had very little to go on. Her face paled slightly thinking about it. 'The honest truth is even someone like Tsunade Senju may not be able to save me.' she had never been afraid to die on a mission but sitting and waiting while her life faded before her eyes was something that she found terrifying. 'I don't want to die, there is still so much I have to do.' A small tear escaped her eye at this thought,

Unfortunately for the kunoichi A saw this and immediately assumed the worst. "Something is wrong get the doctors!" he yelled urgently.

Immediately three medi-nin surrounded the kunoichi checking her vitals and charka flow. "I'm fine I just uh, I had something in my eye that's all." She replied not wanting to admit she was actually crying or afraid to die in this way.

All the doctors turned a slow accusatory glare at the Raikage. "Raikage-sama please refrain from calling us unless it is an emergency, we may not have many patients here at the moment but those that are need just as much attention as Yugito, if not more. I have already told you she can leave the hospital and will be fine as long as she does not attempt to use any chakra." the head doctor said veiling his frustration behind a respectful bow.

"She was acting strange I am sure of it." A replied a little defensively.

"Of course she is, she has been told that she may only have a few weeks left to live, I am sure if you were told that then even you would become somewhat emotional." the head doctor replied. '_Although I think you are too hot headed to take it seriously even if it were you._' he finished to himself.

"Look I am fine, I told you it was just something in my eye." Yugito lied again as if they simply didn't hear her the first time.

A was about to reply when a flare shot up into the sky that filled the room with a red glow in exhange for the orange that the sun had been supplying. "What's that!?" A ordered.

"There is a team approaching from the north." one of the doctors explained.

A was puzzled at this statement. "They did not send up a flare to mark my arrival." he spoke as if asking a question. The truth was he should have known all of the protocols for the Kumo outposts, the problem was he had a very hands off approach to paperwork, in that unless they were mission reports he wouldn't do them. A found nothing more boring than reading about proposals to change the colors of warning flares or deciding on how far out of Kumo are daily patrols supposed to go. No those tasks he gave to Mabui his assistant he didn't like to admit this but he was almost certain that she knew more about how Kumo was run than he did.

"Two reasons Raikage-sama. First we only send up flares when groups of three or more are approaching, less than that are not considered to be a large enough threat risk to warrant informing the surrounding camps. Then there is the simple fact that you approached so quickly, that even if we had wanted to send up a flare you would have been inside the camp before we had it launched." the head medic stated.

A could tell that the medic was questioning why it was that he didn't know the answer to something like that but he also knew that a field medic would never openly question the Raikage so any awkward questioning would be avoided. "That must be Samui's team I shall go greet them." A said before smashing through the window leaving several angry medics and one highly embarrassed former jinchuuriki in his wake.

Yugito had he head in her hand as it shook in disappointment. "Sorry, hes always destroying things in Kumo." she sighed passively.

"We were informed about the Raikage's habits but I never believed what the Jounin commander said could have actually been accurate." the head medic spoke while clearly still in shock.

During this time A had easily made it to the gate, although the owners of several now damaged rooftop's would be sending rather angry letters to Kumo for compensation. As it happened the Raikage arrived just moments after Samui and her two subordinates. "A-sama we came as fast as we could, how is Yugito-chan?" the busty jounin questioned a small sense of dread was detectable in her voice however it was only noticeable to those that knew the normally cold and business like kunoichi.

"She is fine, her condition is stable enough to travel which is why I have asked you three here. You will accompany Yugito and I to Konoha so we can request the services of the slug princess to heal Yugito." A informed the group.

"Wait what!?" the two other shinobi asked in shock, forgetting just who it is they were talking to.

The two shinobi in question were around the same age, and each were heavily tanned. The boy had snow white hair and dark eyes. He also wore red hand wraps and a gray cloak supporting the Katana strapped across his back, his mouth was hanging so far open that he almost lost the lollipop he was never without. His expression was matched by the kunoichi, she had deep red hair that was held back by a white bandanna and yellow eyes that seemed almost unnatural when compared to the dark expressionless eyes of Samui and Omoi. Like Omoi she carried a sword strapped across her back over a frilly dress and Kumo flak jacket. On her legs she wore mesh stockings for protection.

"I said we are going to Konoha, do either of you have a problem with that!?" A warned towering over the pair who seemed to shrink in size at the same rate that the Raikage was growing.

"But um Raikage-sama, surely for a trip like this you would take your personal bodyguards, where are Shee and Darui?" Samui questioned.

"They are staying in Kumo to protect Bee, it's become quite obvious that the Akatsuki are willing to stop at nothing to get what they desire, and they will not take Bee." A answered flatly.

"I see then we are grateful to be given this mission A-sama and be sure that we will do our best not to let you down." Samui replied calmly, he face all but devoid of emotion.

"Then we will leave at once!" A declared before bounding off back towards the hospital.

"A mission with the Raikage. Don't they usually mean S ranked missions with the highest danger? I heard that the last real mission A-sama went on they had a run in with the Yondaime Hokage, what if we run into a group of S class ninja and they take everyone hostage while only I escape, making it back to Kumo to tell of what happened. They will probably have to promote me for being able to survive, maybe even force me to become the next Raikage!" Omoi mused.

Samui just looked at the young teen and shook her head. "The only way you will ever make Raikage is if everyone on the village council and the Lightning Daimyo completely loose their minds." she said flatly.

"But he's right though, people will want to target the Raikage, with A-sama with us it could be dangerous." the red haired kunoichi reasoned.

"Any threat we could come across will be no match for A-sama." Samui assured the pair.

Omoi didn't seem convinced, and as ever he had an overactive imagination. "Yeah she says that now, but what about that Namikaze kid, he broke into the center of Konoha without even being detected, maybe he'll come back to try and finish the job he started when they stole the Seven Sacred Tools. They will force us to follow them until we are brainwashed into fighting against Kumo, then all our friends will be forced to kill us in some horrendous final battle."

"Omoi! Shut up!" Samui snapped powerfully, demanding immediate action. '_When Bee-sensei said I was ready to lead a team I didn't think I would get stuck with these two again, he just wanted time off to practice his damn rapping! So he palmed Omoi and Karui off onto me._'

(**The Next Day**)

It had been a long couple of days for Akimi and Haku, the swift release kunoichi seemed to be in a state of flux, half the time she would brood complaining about Fu and how she was blindsided and the rest of the time she was worried that something might happen while she was gone and that they should really go to Konoha if only to check on the Nanabi jinchuuriki.

"Fuu-chan is fine, Konoha is just as secure as we are here, just look at all the great shinobi that they have there. Nothing will happen to her on Tsunade-sama's watch. She just needs to calm down, then she will be back and the two of you can work everything out." Haku reasoned. That had been several days ago however, with no word. In truth even Haku was beginning to wonder when her friend would return and this new Akimi was starting to get on her nerves if it wasn't a declaration of revenge it was packing her bags to head for Konoha only to change her mind at the last moment.

The only time that Akimi wasn't running through this same process was the time she spent training, her Fuuton manipulation was coming along remarkably well and despite the fact that it was still nowhere near up to the standard of her Raiton she was confident that performing a Fuuton jutsu would not be a problem. 'I might be able to start work on the black lightning jutsu that Akaru-Niisan left me.' the thought of her brother still brought a tear to her eye. Nevertheless the kunoichi wiped the tear away with determination and grabbed a scroll from a large pile that had the kanji for wind ingraved on the wall above the pile. 'I should learn a few of these Fuuton jutsu first, I want to be able to surprise Naruto-kun with how much I have improved while he's been gone. Naruto-kun needs to organize his jutsu scrolls a little better than leaving them in a pile sorted only by what element is used.' she mused trying to put her brother to the back of her mind in order to remain focused on the task at hand.

Several hours later Haku made her way up the stairs with a tray of food. Opening the door she found Akimi panting heavily, still the dark haired kunoichi seemed satisfied with herself. "Training go well?" Haku requested before beginning to cross the room.

Akimi turned around with a small smile, the yellow stands of her hair fell loosely around her face as if to emphasize how tired the kunoichi really was. "Yeah, I'm really getting the hang of Fuuton jutsu, but Naruto-kun's selection are all rather taxing on jutsu. Maybe Itachi or Jiraiya-sama know where I can get some jutsu that don't require so much power." she claimed.

"I have a few, although I do not have such great control over my Fuuton element, I prefer to use Suiton and Hyoton" Haku replied.

"Oh, I forgot that you also had a Fuuton element. Maybe you should try working on your Fuuton, Naruto-kun told me that having better control over the individual elements should improve my Kekkei Genkai, I'm sure it would for you as well." Akimi suggested with a warm smile.

"Gaara-kun suggested the same thing, he also has a Fuuton affinity, I doubt there are any better Fuuton users than Gaara-kun. Although his jutsu all involve sand so asking him for jutsu may not help much." Haku guessed.

Akimi nodded and grabbed an apple off the tray of food that Haku had brought up with her. "Some of the toads than Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama can summon have a Fuuton affinity, although that may require Senjutsu. Also I'm not a summoner so asking them for help would be quite disrespectful. Maybe someone in Konoha or Kiri would help?" Akimi queried.

"That is a possibility, although Fuuton is a rather rare element, Gaara-kun said that it was rare even in Suna." Haku answered cautiously. She knew that even though the Yoinokuchi had good relations with both villages that asking for them to teach Akimi jutsu would be a tall ask, villages are rather careful with giving out jutsu. '_Jiraiya-sama wouldn't have a problem but for the rest of us?_' she decided to keep that thought to herself however.

"So, why did you come up here? Not just to bring me some lunch surely." Akimi inquired deciding to change the topic.

"No I was thinking that we should head to Konoha to check on Fuu. The others may not be pleased to know that she left on her own and we did nothing to make sure she was safe. We haven't heard anything from her since she left and to be honest I am getting worried myself." Haku clarified.

Akimi thought about it for a moment, she hadn't quite forgiven Fuu for attacking her while in a weakened condition, but she missed the mint haired kunoichi that was obvious. "Alright, when do you want to leave?"

"Well you should rest up a bit, you're clearly tired from all the training, so I say we should leave tomorrow morning, I will take a few hours to get to Konoha so we should arrive just before midday." Haku answered thoughtfully.

"So what brought this on? I thought you said Konoha was just as safe as we are here?" Akimi asked before taking a bite of the apple she had grabbed earlier.

"I don't know, it's almost like a feeling that something bad is going to happen, I can't really explain it." Haku murmured in little more than a whisper.

"Ah I'm sure she's fine, I bet she is getting some training in with Tsunade-sama." Akimi replied with a smile in what was a small role reversal, for the past few days it had been Akimi suggesting they go check on Fuu.

(**That Afternoon, Land of Fire**)

"I tell you what, you have gotten better at picking resting spots kid." Jiraiya said with a small lecherous grin as he saw two well endowed blond women walking up towards the large bathhouse at the top of a small hill surrounded by trees giving the hot springs a rather natural look almost like the large building was part of the surrounding forest. "Oh and they are just my type." he finished in a whisper that only Naruto and Itachi heard.

"Actually sensei I had a reason for stopping here, you see I found something while searching in Orochimaru's lab that I think you should see." Naruto said wanting to jump in before Jiraiya lost himself in the perverted world of what he called his research.

"Huh? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Jiraiya asked. His lecherous grin was gone, in it's place was a slightly disapproving stare.

"Well, uh, the thing is." Naruto paused, he was not used to being put under pressure by his sensei. At least not like this. "Orochimaru was your former teammate, and a friend despite all that he did wrong I didn't want to trouble you with this right after we he died." he replied with a sigh hoping that Jiraiya would accept his excuse.

Jiraiya nodded, his gaze softening slightly, he knew Naruto wouldn't purposely keep information from him without good reason but still he had to know for sure. "Well what is so important that you decided to stop here, couldn't this wait until we made it to Konoha?" he questioned.

"No it couldn't wait till then, if news spreads that Orochimaru was killed then it could be dangerous, especially if we are tired." Naruto replied thinking about what Danzo might do if he even remotely suspected that they knew about his connection with Orochimaru. "Let's find somewhere quiet to go through the files I found." the blond suggested earning a nod from Itachi.

"That seems like a good idea, it sounds important what ever it may be." Itachi agreed keeping the fact that he knew what Naruto was going to show them secret.

"So I guess this has something to do with shinobi inside Konoha." Jiraiya guessed accurately. Naruto nodded his affirmation before Jiraiya turned to Kurotsuchi. "I'm sorry Kurotsuchi, but it appears that this is a conversation that you cannot be a part of. It's for the safety of Konoha and the Land of Fire I hope you understand why we can't have a registered Iwa shinobi reporting sensitive information back to Oonoki." the Toad Sage explained.

Kurotsuchi was slightly disappointed at hearing this but could understand the reasoning. "Very well, shall I find a hotel for us to rest for the night?" she proposed wanting to be of some help.

"That would be great, thanks Kurotsuchi." Naruto said with a warm smile.

"I will join Kurotsuchi as well, I have no need to listen in on Konoha's business." Gaara said. This was a well thought out lie, his real goal was to keep and eye on Kurotsuchi and make sure she did not attempt to spy on the group.

"Ah then I guess that includes me as well." Zabuza complained, he was interested in what Naruto was going to show them but he knew Gaara well enough to know why he was declining to join in Naruto's little show and tell session.

The two groups parted ways, Gaara, Zabuza and Kurotsuchi into the village, while Naruto, Jiraiya, and Itachi moved off into the forest where they wouldn't be disturbed.

Naruto kept moving further away from the village for clost to five minutes until he found a small open area to hop down from the trees and begin his summoning jutsu. "Hey boss,!" the large dark orange toad said with a happy wave.

"Hey Kichi, did you bring those files I asked you to look after?" Naruto questioned.

"Sure thing, I got them right here." Gamakichi answered before opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out, the files Naruto had asked for were wrapped around the ends. "Ea ou go." the toad mumbles unable to pronounce the words properly.

"Awesome, thanks Kichi." Naruto spoke as he claimed the files. "stick around until we're finished with them. I will need you to keep them safe for a little longer." he added before the toad could dispel itself.

"So what's so important Naruto, I am losing valuable research time standing around in this forest." Jiraiya demanded.

"Well it's about Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko." Naruto answered. He knew he had to bring up Danzo as well but he decided to start with the orphans from Ame. "Well to be more accurate just two of of them."

Jiraiya was about to ask what he had meant by that. The first word didn't make it out of his mouth however when he was forced to catch a Konan's file while Naruto passed another to Itachi. Jiraiya had a skeptical look in his eye but opened the file on Konan all the same. "This photo, I took this photo of the three of them before I left, it was-"

"Stolen, the night that I was born." Naruto finished for his sensei.

"Yeah." Jiraiya said guessing Naruto had information on that as well. As Jiraiya continued to read on he was surprised to say the least, if this was accurate then she didn't die all those years ago and was now a member of the Akatsuki. It was the picture on the final page that made him finally take the file seriously, I picture of the grown up Konan she was just as he had pictured her to be, the paper rose still in the same location on her hair and amber eyes that held far more sadness than someone of her age. '_It's her! Oh Konan what have you done?_' the Toad Sage thought feeling rather ill at the prospect that he now may need to kill his student as well.

Meanwhile Itachi staring wide eyed at the file in his hands. 'Two of them, but the Senju clan and Konoha have been close allies with the Uzumaki clan for hundreds of years, how could it be that both Naruto and this Nagato have the Rinnegan, while no other Uzumaki have developed it?' Itachi wondered while reading the file on Nagato Uzumaki. Naruto had told him this already but there was a difference with being told about something and reading the information for himself, he was half convinced that Orochimaru had labeled the file Uzumaki just to mess with Naruto's head. Not anymore however, everything fit. The Uzumaki clan usually had very distinct characteristics, Red hair and violet eyes, the same eyes and hair he remembered that Kushina Uzumaki had, and Mito Uzumaki before her. This was not the case for all Uzumaki with the case in point being Naruto, nor did it mean all shinobi with red hair were Uzumaki, but Orochimaru had done his research, he had somehow traced Nagato's family all the way back to when they left Uzu. Once Itachi saw that Jiraiya was finished with his file he passed him the file on Nagato. "You may not like what you see." the Uchiha warned but Jiraiya took the folder from Itachi nonetheless.

Jiraiya's face turned darker as he scanned through Nagato's file. "There is no way, Pein can't be Nagato!" he said in denial, of all three of the Ame orphans the one Jiraiya had believed in most, yet had been kinder than the other two had been Nagato.

"It might not be Nagato but that would only mean that it would be Yahiko, who stole Nagato's eyes." Naruto spoke sadly.

Jiraiya didn't want to think about it. "That can't be it, transplanted Dojutsu are massive drains on chakra, just look at Kakashi and Ao from Kiri. Pein has to be Nagato, but why!? Why would he do something like this?" he contemplated as if an answer would come from nowhere. "This is all my fault, I taught them and this is what they have done with my teachings, I have caused all of this." he declared.

"No, I refuse to believe it was your teachings that caused those two to start hunting jinchuuriki and killing innocents. Pein told me he wanted peace, there must be a reason that he is going about achieving peace in that way." Naruto replied.

Jiraiya nodded sorrowfully, he had never felt like more of a failure than he did at that moment, two of his beloved students turning their backs on his teachings to bring such misery to others. Now was not the time to feel sorry for himself though he knew Naruto had more to show him and he wasn't about to fall into depression. "Look I'm glad you have shown me this, but really it could have waited till we got to Konoha, what else have you got?" Jiraiya replied putting on a strong face, he never wanted to appear weak in front of Naruto, it was a sensei's job to look after his student in the end.

"Take a look at this, it's all the information we need to have Danzo stripped of all power that he holds in Konoha, actually it might even be enough to see him executed." Naruto said taking out Danzo's file and opening it on the ground so that all three could clearly see. All of the transactions between the old war hawk and snake were well documented, including Danzo hiring Orochimaru to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi and exchanging of information on Konoha shinobi movements and areas of weakness in the barrier surrounding the village.

'_This explains why Orochimaru always found it so easy to sneak into Konoha and avoid detection._' Jiraiya observed. The next thing he noticed really annoyed Jiraiya. Danzo had given Orochimaru Hashirama Senju's DNA in exchange for Orochimaru to perform various operations on him to have his crippled arm replaced with a grafted clone of the Shodai Hokage and have the arm implanted with Sharingan that he had stolen from the eyes of the Uchiha clan members on the night of the Uchiha Massacre.

"This adds some substance as to why I was ordered by Danzo to kill all of the Uchiha. He didn't want anyone alive to see him take their eyes." Itachi said calmly. The Uchiha may have been as stoic as ever on the outside but inside was angry, he had known that Root ninja had taken one of his Shisui's eyes, but to see that Danzo had desecrated the dead bodied of his clan just for his own purposes was not pleasing. "This is far beyond acting to protect the village. It's clear that Danzo want's to be Hokage and is willing to do what ever it takes to grab the title." he finished.

"Acting in the shadows, never doing any of the dirty work himself, all the while trying to become stronger by experimenting on his own body, he's just like Orochimaru only Orochimaru had ability as a shinobi to back it up and say what you want about him Orochimaru was never a coward!" Jiraiya exclaimed harshly.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "True, but that's why I wanted to rest here, news travels fast, particuarly when it involves a famous ninja like Orochimaru. If Danzo knows about this file then it is highly likely that he will target us in order for it to never surface. If we enter Konoha tired and and Danzo attempts to silence us we don't want to be exhausted from traveling." Naruto explained.

"I agree, we are not far from Konoha just a few hours out, resting here is a good move." Itachi agreed readily.

Jiraiya sighed and nodded in agreement as well. "I see your point, we will need to get this information to Tsunade-Hime and Sarutobi-sensei as soon as we get to Konoha, if Danzo puts up a fight, then we will have to deal with him ourselves." he stated confidently. 'Kami I need something to get my mind off of this, oh wait the Bathhouses!' "Well as long as I'm here I may as well get some research in, I'll catch up to you both at dinner!" and with that Jiraiya was gone jumping back towards the village to spy on unsuspecting women.

"Ah yet another misadventure of the wandering Toad Sage." Naruto laughed as he packed up the files and handed them back to Gamakichi. "I'll summon you again soon, bring those files when I do alright?" he said calmly.

"No problem Boss, I'll take good care of them." Gamakichi replied before swallowing the small stack of papers. He gave one last friendly wave before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"We should get back and relieve Gaara and Zabuza of following our companion, although it may be wise to put off our intervention into Danzo's schemes until after the Iwa shinobi have left to head back to the Land of Earth." Itachi suggested.

"I agree with both, but we don't want to get caught out unawares before we are ready." Naruto agreed. After that the two Yoinokuchi shinobi made for the village at a steady pace.

(**The Next Morning**)

An crippled, frail man watched as the sun rose over the village hidden in the leaves, even from his high perch atop one of the surrounding forest covered hilltops he could see the iconic cliff face that he knew held the faces of the Hokage, past and present.

Slowly paper began to rise around the shinobi into a tall tree that was all but indistinguishable from the others. Darkness began to fall around the crippled man and and a small crack in the tree just made his face visible. His dark red hair covered a good portion of the right side of his face, while the other half exaggerated his frail appearance. As the final scrap of natural light began to close his one exposed eye seemed to catch even the faintest beam of light making his Rinnegan almost appear to glow. "It's time! today Konoha will fall."

**End Chapter!**

**Wow 2000 reviews. What can I say, except for thank you all so much for your support. Good or bad I have read every review and enjoyed what you have had to say. I will do my best to keep improving on the quality of my work and will try to keep the story both entertaining and somewhat original, whilst still being Naruto of course. Cheers to all the fans who took their time to tell me what they thought I really appreciate it, your continued support keeps me writing. I'm sure not all of you have supported all the decisions I have made so for you to keep reading this far is really pleasing. **

**Now that's out of the way I don't think what's going to happen next is too hard to figure out so I won't be offering any prizes for that. I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though I did sort of end it at an evil spot, but that's what keeps people reading on. **


	98. Burning Leaves

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****98: Burning Leaves**

Tsunade had been enjoying the last few days, she found Fuu to not only be a decent sparing partner but also a welcome drinking companion despite her young age. From the day after Fuu had arrived in Konoha Tsunade would call on her in the early morning in for a light spar and for some training and this morning was no different. While Fuu had been well trained, by Zabuza mostly. She still relied on her Bijuu far too much, this was something that Tsunade was hoping to correct. "Just like yesterday Fuu, first to land ten direct hits is the winner." the busty Hokage declared loudly across the training field that was reserved for the Hokage.

"Let me guess I'm still not allowed to use Nanabi's chakra?" the green haired jinchuuriki guessed with a sigh. 'I can't even land a single hit without using my Bijuu how am I supposed to get in ten!?' she complained to herself. That was not necessarily true, Fuu had landed a few strikes on Tsunade during their short training sessions in the morning before the Hokage was needed in her office and at dusk once Tsunade had finished for the day, but these occasions were still few and far between. Tsunade was not Hokage for nothing after all.

"No you're not. Does Gaara rely on his Bijuu? What about Naruto?" silence was all Tsunade received for an answer. "No they don't, granted both have advantages that you don't but at the same time neither have your skill for genjutsu. Only Naruto's Dojutsu allows him to perform what little genjutsu he can. Your Bijuu has given you that gift just like Gaara was given control over sand. Because of this you operate best as in a supporting role." Tsunade explained.

"So I shouldn't focus on becoming stronger? I should just be content with staying as the support to cheer from the sidelines while my friends die!?" Fuu asked bitterly.

"Did I say that? As a supporting ninja you have one of the most important duties of all. You need to help keep the others alive. Believe me you are plenty strong, if I had a few more shinobi like you I could replace the elite jounin I already have. Kakashi's always late, Asuma brings a cloud of smoke with him wherever he goes, Shikaku is so lazy the last mission I gave him he outsourced it to his son who said the whole thing was too troublesome, and don't even get me started on Gai" Tsunade sighed with a deadpan expression.

Fuu couldn't help but laugh. "So would you prefer Jiraiya-sama? He's such a pervert he's been given a lifelong ban from the Land of Hotsprings, at least that's what Naruto-kun said, and Itachi didn't deny it. But if he's not bad enough Naruto-kun refuses to take on a mission if he thinks it might be boring no matter how much tey are willing to pay." Fuu replied.

"Well at least Jiraiya hasn't turned him into a pervert... yet." Tsunade spoke with a warm smile as she thought about her fellow blond. "Speaking of which they should be back soon, I believe that old coot Oonoki would know what kind of punishment will be coming his way if Naruto and Jiraiya are harmed." she added, silently vowing to burn Iwa to the ground should they not return. "Well should we get started then?"

Fuu was about to answer when four Anbu landed all around Tsunade on bended knee. "Lady Hokage." an Anbu in a bear mask said in a formal tone.

"Bear what is this about!? I told you that I was not to be disturbed during my training match." Tsunade demanded angrily.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but the barrier detection squad sent an urgent message. For the past ten minutes there have been multiple breaches in the barrier around the village. Teams were sent out but no intruders have been spotted." Bear said calmly.

"How many times has this occurred?" Tsunade asked suddenly very serious.

"Over thirty but less than fifty at last estimate, Is it possible that the seals that control the detection barrier are malfunctioning?. Bear replied.

"There is no chance of that, I want the forest outside of the village searched and all Anbu and Jounin informed and to take up defensive positions around the village." Tsunade commanded. "I'm sorry Fuu, but it looks like our training match will have to wait."

(**Several Minutes Later**)

A large bird flew over Konoha silently it had it's wings angles ever so slightly to prevent anyone from seeing the two shinobi riding on the birds back. Deidara looked down at the village with great interest along with Hiruko. "Looks like you were right, shinobi are moving all over the village yeah." the Iwa bomber said with a smirk.

Hiruko nodded. "Of course, the barrier was breached by a large number of chakra signatures, standard procedure would be to set up shinobi to defend key strategic areas." he informed Deidara flatly.

"So I just wait for them all to get into position then I'll trigger the attack, in what will be a glorious work of art." Deidara replied.

"Just make sure you have your little clay bombs in place, but stay clear of Anbu headquarters and the Hokage tower, they will see right through your attack." Hiruko warned.

"Yeah I don't need you to lecture me, this fight is going to be all but over before it even starts." Deidara scoffed.

Far below in the village nobody had noticed the rather odd ants that had been slowly scaling the walls of Konoha and spreading throughout the village. Thanks to the security protocols of the village each clay ant had an easy to find location, Deidara knew they would not be foolish enough to stand right before what they were assigned to defend but the buildings were not his target, Deidara's job was to take out as many shinobi with the first attack as he could creating havoc before the rest of the Akatsuki members would make their appearance.

(**Meanwhile**)

Kakashi stood in front of the Hokage with a tired look in his exposed eye, he had been up late the night before and was looking forward to his day off but that changed when two Anbu attempted and failed to enter his bedroom. '_Standards must be slipping, I should have Tsunade-sama send those two back to training._' he thought sleepily while in walked Hiruzen and lastly Asuma who was only half dressed, yet still had a cigarette in his mouth. "It's rare that I am here before you Asuma." Kakashi noted guessing why the chain smoking Jounin was late. '_They checked your house and you were at Kurenai's, the Anbu are really losing it._'

Tsunade was about to speak when the door opened once more and in walked Koharu and Homura the village elders. "Tsunade-Hime there are shinobi running about all over the village what is going on!?" Koharu demanded.

"Chakra signatures have been detected breaking through the barrier around the village, large numbers of them. We are searching the woods inside the barrier but as of yet nothing has been discovered." Tsunade answered with a slight scowl at being interrupted.

"Could we be under attack?" Homura spoke his eyes widening in surprise. The elders had thought that the commotion was nothing but a poorly timed drill as the alarm had not yet been raised.

"I don't know, why do you think I ordered the village to prepare for an attack?" Tsunade sighed in irritation.

"Shouldn't Gai be here, and Shikaku?" Asuma questioned.

"Shikaku is at Anbu headquarters coordinating the defense, but Gai and his team are out of the village at the moment, they are due back later today." Tsunade informed the room.

"Maybe we should send word to Jiraiya-sama? Anyone would have to think twice about attacking if he was here with Naruto." Asuma suggested.

"It wouldn't do any good, for all we know they are all still in Iwa." Tsunade sighed forgetting for a moment that the two village elders were standing on the other side of her desk.

"What!? Koharu yelled in anger. "What is the Kyuubi doing anywhere near Iwa?"

That touched a nerve with Tsunade who stood up. "As you may or may not have realized by now, Naruto is not a Konoha shinobi, nor are his bodyguards I have no say over where they go!" she yelled.

"You should have stopped him! He is just one boy, and holds Konoha's property! Now for all we know he's dead and Iwa have made themselves a brand new weapon." Koharu said bitterly.

"Calm down Koharu, you have seen the boy with your own two eyes, he is not one to be captured so easily." Homura stated trying to calm his former teammate.

Hiruzen nodded. "Don't forget the company he keeps, the likes of Jiraiya-kun and Itachi would never let any harm befall him. I am sure of that." the Sandaime added.

Tsunade and the other elders may have known about the truth behind the Uchiha massacre but Kakashi and Asuma did not. Kakashi had his suspicions after their meeting in the Land of Waves but to hear Hiruzen give Itachi his confidence was an even larger hint that things were not all as they seemed with the elder Uchiha brother. Both he and Asuma knew better than to question the former Hokage on his choice of words however as they knew S ranked secrets had a rather strict punishment, death. Hiruzen may be and exception to the rule as Sandaime Hokage but pressing for information on such a subject was not welcomed. "I agree, say what you want about Itachi he is very loyal to Naruto and Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi added still in deep thought.

Tsunade had opened her mouth to respond when a a ball of flames rose up from a section of the village."What was that!?" she yelled standing up while turning to face the window. A second and third explosion rocked the Hokage tower, coming from opposite ends of the village.

"Explosions, but how did they get into the village? We haven't heard word from anyone about intruders." Hiruzen said as more and more parts of Konoha became engulfed in flames for a few moments. It was like a precession, one bomb would go off and once the flames died down the next would follow. "An external attack! This is to cause as much confusion as possible." the old Hokage realized.

"It may be a distraction measure, but those are key strategic areas of the village that are going up in smoke." Kakashi said plainly.

"They are attacking the locations that have a high level concentration shinobi presence, they are crippling us before coming in for the kill." Asuma acknowledged before taking a long draw of his cigarette.

"Then if the Enemy hasn't shown themselves yet we need to regroup as quickly as possible. Kakashi, you and Asuma get to the damaged areas and locate what survivors you can. Sarutobi-sensei come with me, I'll summon Katsuyu to help the wounded but if that means I won't be able to defend myself, you will aid my personal Anbu but are free to do as you will once the true enemy shows themselves." Tsunade said thinking quickly. The hokage was out the door before anyone else already making her way to the platform atop the Hokage tower. '_This has Akatsuki written all over it! Are they here for Fuu? If they are how could they possible know that she was here?_' she thought angrily as she stepped outside to find her Anbu already waiting.

Down in the village small explosions were still being set off every couple of minutes. Kakashi and Asuma had split up upon leaving the Hokage tower but soon enlisted Inochi, Choza, and a few other jounin that were not sent to the guard posts to help them search the effected areas. "The explosions were powerful but the seem to have been rather controlled, the area effected by each blast is relatively small in comparison to the damage they have caused." Kakashi said landing at his first site.

"This was like a surgical strike to do as much damage to small key areas as possible." Choza agreed landing beside Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded, by the looks of the rubble around the area finding survivors was going to be a tough ask. The building that looked to have been the sight of the attack was little more than dust now and the surounding stores and homes had collapsed from the pressure leaving the ground a blanket of cement and bent iron. "We're going to need some help just to find the bodies." Kakashi said his tone was professional but the look on just the exposed part of his face gave his sorrow away.

Immediately after Kakashi finished talking five thunderous explosions set the village alight, each one was situated on the wall surrounding Konoha and each one took out a large section of the defensive structure. "If they were waiting for a signal to start the real attack that would have to be it." a Nara jounin said in a somewhat lazy state of awe.

The Nara was correct, as they so often are. In the forest outside of Konoha a group of shinobi wearing black robes began to move closer to the village. "It's time. Konan I'll throw Animal path into the village and summon us, Kisame will have to wait for Deidara to return and pick him up." Pein said calmly.

"Are you sure this is wise?" she had to question one last time, even though she knew what Nagato's answer would be.

"Yes if we are to capture the remaining Bijuu this is a necessary path to take." Pein answered expressionlessly. Four of the paths grabbed Animal path before flinging him with all of their might high into the air. Pein's animal path arched high over the barrier and broke through high above Konoha. Immediately he began forming hand signs, and moments later he was joined on his descent into the village by Konan and the other five of Pein's paths.

"They will have seen and detected our arrival." Konan declared once the group landed.

"I will start the next round of diversionary measures so that we can search for and eliminate the key shinobi." Deva path assured the blue haired kunoichi. Animal path began performing summoning jutsu after summoning jutsu. Each time the giant animals would head off in a separate dirstion causing as much damage as they can. "Let's split up, Deva, Asura, and Preta paths will head towards the Hokage Tower. The others will split up and cause as much mayhem as they can.

"Of course Pein-sama. shouldn't Hiruko be here by now? We saw Deidara leave to collect Kisame as we arrived." Konan queried.

"He is in the village, I believe he is targeting Kakashi Hatake, he want's that Sharingan eye of his." Pein answered with little interest as three centipedes burst into existence before burying themselves under ground and tunneling off in different directions making sure to crash through any building that was in their way.

(**Elsewhere**)

Kakashi had left Choza and the Nara jounin to the recovery of survivors from the initial attack while he quickly made his way towards the location he saw six figures land in the center of the village. '_That was Pein! What the hell am I thinking going there without backup? Ah I guess it can't be helped, the whole village is in panic I can't call for backup even if I wanted to, I just hope that others saw where they landed as well._' he thought while hopping from roof to roof.

Kakashi had traveled around a quarter of the distance to where Pein had landed when the Rinnegan summons began tearing apart parts of Konoha. Kakashi stopped for a slight moment to try and pinpoint the exact location they were being summoned from when something on the streets below caught his attention. Dead bodies, not killed by explosions these were civilians and lower ranking chunin killed by what appeared to be blades and blunt trauma some even looked like they had their life essence sucked from their body. "How nice of you to come alone Kakashi-kun." a quiet yet powerful voice declared from a concealed allyway below where Kakashi stood.

The Copy Ninja jumped back just as an iron fist exploded from beneath Kakashi's feet tearing apart the rooftop he had been standing on. '_Hiruko! So it looks like it's not just Pein, there is a whole group of __them attacking Konoha!_' he thought, quickly exposing his Sharingan. "I take it you were the one behind organizing the ambush on our patrols? After all you know Konoha as well as anyone. So tell me, were they your explosions as well?" Kakashi asked, attempting to get some information out of the former Konoha scientist.

Hiruko shook his head while the bandages around his arms began to loosen. "No that was the work of the Iwa Bomber Deidara, and he has an interesting skill, one that I can not steal, it is rather irksome." the short white haired man said expressionlessly.

"So who else is here?" Kakashi pressed with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"No, I don't think I will be telling you that, we went to such extremes to enter the village under a mask of chaos and confusion, giving you any more information wouldn't be very wise on our part now would it." Hiruko smirked.

Kakashi readied himself, there was no more need for talking, he needed to deal with Hiruko before he could move on and the only way he could hope to do that was to fight. That said Kakashi did pause to take note of one last thing as he pulled out a kunai in each hand, small slugs, hundreds of them moving throughout the village. 'T_sunade summoned Kasuyu it seems, at least that will be a way of relaying information throughout the village instantly._' The Copycat thought as each kunai came to light, sparking with Raiton chakra.

Hiruko waited for the last second to move, Kakashi had released both kunai and were just about to strike when he disappeared in a blur using Swift release. The albino reappeared behind Kakashi but thanks the the sharingan the Copy Ninja was well ready and spun on the spot delivering a devastating heel kick to the side of Hiruko's head. The only problem was that he had changed his body to Iron the second before Kakashi's hit landed and the former Konoka shinobi only stumbled back slightly disorientated. "Impressive Kakashi-kun. Or should I say that the Sharingan is impressive?" he taunted.

Kakashi response came as his a chirping sound filled the air as lightning danced around his hand. Kakashi spun Raikiri ready to fire but it seemed that Hiruko had already disappeared using his bloodline enhanced speed. The Raikiri faded as Kakashi canceled the jutsu to preserve the chakra. '_Where are you?_' he asked himself.

As if in answer to Kakashi's question the sound for birds filled the sky. Kakashi's eyes widened as he vaulted back just as a blast from a Raikiri tore the roof off of another building. "You seem confused Kakashi-kun." Hiruko taunted. Nobody ever expected to see him steal their jutsu thanks to his Meiton, Dark Release. "You see much like you I am a copycat, but I emulate all jutsu perfectly by absorbing a small amount of the jutsu." he explained smugly. Kakashi was sick of Hiruko's taunting and raced through a set of hand seals and took a deep breath before breathing out a massive fireball that sped towards Hiruko at tremendous speeds. Hiruko formed some seals before sticking his hand out. "Meiton: Inhaling Maw" the Katon jutsu disappeared leaving Hiruko perfectly unharmed. "Unlike Jiraiya or that Pupil of his that use Senjutsu to prevent me from analyzing and absorbing their jutsu you have no such luck Kakashi-kun. Meiton: Judgement!" Bright blue flames shot out engulfing Kakashi in fire that was so hot it set all the wood in the area instantly ablaze.

Hiruko approached Kakashi who looked to be heavily burnt but somehow still alive. Hiruko was just about to finish the task when Kakashi burst into smoke. Three Kunai landed at the former Konoha ninja's feet with exploding tags activated. Hiruko jumped just in time to avoid the explosion but missed Kakashi slipping out from under the collapsed roof of one of the nearby buildings Raikiri in hand. '_I need this to hit otherwise a one on one fight will be almost impossible to win._' he thought as he let his jutsu fly.

Hiruko saw Kakashi at the last possible moment and transformed his arm into iron in order to knock Kakashi's hand away. Regardless several deep cuts appeared on his arm and his bandages turned blood red as the jutsu faded. "A shadow clone, I should have known you woudln't take me on until you had more information." Hiruko spat.

Kakashi gave a confident eye smile but on the inside he was anything but confident. '_There is still too much about this guy I don't know, Ninjutsu is clearly out, which leaves Genjutsu and Taijutsu. Then there is his Swift Release to deal with along with the Iron Release. Things are not looking good, I may have to use Kamui, but then I won't be in any condition to help the others._' he thought desperately.

Hiruko took a few steps closer towards Kakashi, the buildings that they had been fighting apon were now flat rubble, the people inside had been killed before Kakashi had even arrived, Hiruko didn't want anyone to become involved in this fight. As it happened however Hiruko's wish was not going to be granted, at the very moment Hiruko was about to charge at Kakashi a red beetle like claw shot forward swatting the Akatsuki ninja away. Fuu landed a second later with her nanabi cloak surrounding her and two tails swatting the air violently. "Sorry to Interrupt, but I am not really a fan of the Akatsuki." she said with a slight smirk.

Hiruko picked himself up and stared wide eyed at the new arrival. '_The Nanabi jinchuuriki. Then does that mean that the Kyuubi is here as well? If he is then Jiraiya won't be far behind!_' he thought urgently and began scanning for other large chakra signatures. '_No, she's here alone. In that case I have just been given a gift. We may not be able to seal this little bitch yet, but that doesn't mean I can't capture her_.' "Oh look at what we have here, if it isn't a little jinchuuriki, this just became rather more interesting." he said with a smirk.

Kakashi was in two minds about Fuu's arrival. On th one hand he was grateful for the assist. But on the other it was far from safe for Fuu to show herself when the Akatsuki were crawling all over the village. '_To make matters worse she just activated her Bijuu cloak, everyone in the village shinobi or civilian will know exactly where she is. Still the unstable Bijuu chakra will prevent Hiruko from absorbing her jutsu._' he thought as he readied himself to jump in to help Fuu with the albino Akatsuki ninja.

Kakashi saw a opening and moved to strike but before he could take more than two steps he was forced to jump back as a small clay bird flew right towards the copy ninja exploding right where he was about to step. "Oh he's a quick one yeah!" Deidara called from high above on his large clay bird.

Deidara sent a flock of clay birds at Kakashi forcing him away from Hiruko and Fuu. Kakashi attempted to circle around and head back towards Fuu only to find his path cut off. "It feels like I am being herded into a trap I need to do something about this." Kakashi sighed to himself as he rolled away from yet another exploding clay pigeon. "Raiton: Static web!" Kakashi said firmly. From the tips of Kakashi's fingers a large net of electricity shot across the sky. The clay birds hit the Raiton jutsu before falling harmlessly to the ground without even exploding. '_Looks like lightning disables his explosives._' he realized and was already forming the hand seals to counter the next wave when he realized that Deidara was gone, he had flown to the other side of the village and was busy dropping bombs on other shinobi who were firing jutsu after jutsu high into the sky in hopes of hitting the Iwa bomber.

Kakashi wanted to cross the distance in order to help his comrades but he also knew that he needed to get back to Fuu, after all it didn't take a genius to figure out that Deidara was trying to separate them so Hiruko could capture the Nanabi. Just as Kakashi made up his mind to return and help Fuu a sudden gust of wind picked up and a whirlwind of paper appeared before him taking the form of the top half of a rather beautiful women with sad amber eyes. "Your fight is with me now Kakashi Hatake." she said, her face void of all emotion.

'_This explains why Deidara left, he came over here to herd me towards this kunoichi_.' Kakashi realized. "Thanks for the offer but I really have somewhere else to be, maybe we can do this some other time." he said with an eye smile.

Konan didn't respond for a moment almost as if she was contemplating what he was saying but a moment later a torrent of papers were flying towards Kakashi as if they were trying to mummify the Copycat. Kakashi began hand seals to defend himself but it seemed that someone else had beaten him to it. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!" came Asuma's voice before a powerful gust of wind forced Konan to disperse in a flutter of paper sheets and reform at a safe distance. "We're not finished yet, I never expected one of the Akatsuki to bail in the middle of a fight." he said taking a draw of his smoke.

"Asuma am I ever glad to see you. Do you think you can keep her busy while I go help Fuu with Hiruko?" Kakashi proposed, letting out a sigh of relief to see a friendly face.

"Kakashi, your presence is requested at the Hokage tower." came a small feminine voice. Katsuyu was riding upon Asuma's shoulder.

"But Fuu is fighting a powerful Akatsuki shinobi all alone." Kakashi argued.

"She knows about this development. The of Pein's bodies are currently moving towards the Hokage tower, and you are the shinobi with the most experience with th Rinnegan due to your time spent with Naruto-kun. I can assure you that several teams have been sent to aid Fuu but Hiruzen-sama will need your help if he is to fight Pein." the small slug reasoned.

Kakashi nodded. 'If we can defeat Pein then the others will not be able to escape so easily.' "Alright, do you have a clear path for me to get to the Hokage tower before Pein?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes, I'll lead the way." Katsuyu replied before splitting into two identical yet slightly smaller slugs.

Kakashi picked up one of the pair and jumped off in the direction of the Hokage tower, pausing only for a second to look back at a large arm of the Nanabi cloak that rose up before smashing into the ground probably in an attempt to strike Hiruko. '_I don't know where you are, but we could sure use some help Naruto._' he thought before turning back towards his new goal.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay the Invasion started. Next chapter will be Hiruko vs Fuu, Asuma vs Konan, and Pein vs Hiruzen and Kakashi. Maybe some small cut away moments of the Konoha 12 and Kisame. Still haven't decided on who he will fight just yet. I wanted to have a Zabuza vs Kisame so I made sure Gai wasn't in the village maybe Zabuza vs the original Ino-Shika-Cho brawn and power vs teamwork, anyway tell me what you think. **


	99. Konoha Defeated

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter ****99: Konoha Defeated**

"How's my path?" Kakashi asked hopping from rooftop to rooftop in the Direction of the hokage tower. He trusted Katsuyu's judgment as she was delivering orders to all the Konoha shinobi who had pulled together after the initial attack, they were spread out all over the village dealing with Pein's summons. This was what Kakashi was worried about, he was moving rather close to a large crab that despite having deep scratches along it's shell from kunai was running amok removing anything that chose to stand against it.

"It's fine Kakashi, a team will dispatch the summons before you pass into it's territory." the small slug sitting on the Copy Ninja's shoulder said calmly.

Just as Katsuyu promised, no sooner had Kakashi came within a few yards of the overgrown crab, Sakura landed a deadly blow forcing the summons to vanish in a puff of smoke. "Kakashi-sensei I was told you were coming this way." Sakura panted out looking exhausted.

"I'm sorry Sakura I don't have time to talk, I need to get to the Hokage tower before Pein does to help Hiruzen-sama." Kakashi apologized as he kept moving at high speeds.

Sakura nodded in understanding and took off in the other direction hoping to move as many civilians out of the village as possible.

(**Meanwhile**)

Asuma was staring across a large empty courtyard at the partially formed Konan. This part of the village had so far not been touched by the Akatsuki invasion but several windows had been smashed by people attempting to flee the area. "So why did you lot come here? It can't be just for Fuu, otherwise Pein wouldn't be bothering to butcher his way towards the Hokage tower." he said as calmly as he could trying not to let Konan see just how Angry he really was.

Konan stared back at the chain smoking shinobi with disinterest. "We had no idea the Nanabi was within the village. The chance to capture the Nanabi is just a bonus we did not expect to be presented with." she stated plainly.

Asuma took a long draw on his cigarette and slowly exhaled, the smoke seemed to linger for a few moments clouding the Jounin's face. "So then what do you want?" he pressed once more determined to get the answers he was seeking.

"For Konoha to be out of our way." the blue haired kunoichi answered simply.

'_Oh I see, they know that while Konoha is here they cannot freely move throughout the Land of Fire. The goal is of course to capture Naruto, but as long as we are here they can't even search for the Yoinokuchi hideout_.' Asuma realized. "I guess that's all I need to know huh." he sighed a moment before channeling his Fuuton chakra into his trench knives.

"You don't need to know anything, you just need to die." Konan spoke so flatly that if Asuma hadn't seen her mouth move then he wouldn't have known she was talking at all. Sheets of paper flew towards Asuma in a torrent. The young Sarutobi began slicing through each sheet as it came within range with deadly efficiency. But Konan was not one to give up, she continued to hail her attacks down upon Asuma as if waiting for him to do something other than tear her paper jutsu apart.

Asuma began to notice small symbols and lines painted on the sheets of paper, they were far to small to be seals but it put the jounin on alert. '_Kami how much of this stuff does she have!_' Asuma questioned as his chakra blades effortlessly slid through more sheets. Suddenly Konan stopped her barrage, only to start racing through a new set of hand seals. When she finished it appeared as though nothing had happened. But a second later the floor all around Asuma began to glow. Asuma looked down to see a large seal printed across all the broken pieces of paper that Asuma had cut. '_Shit each sheet had a small part of a large seal, she needed to wait to judge the speed of my movements and range of attacks before she could set this up. It's been a trap from the start_.' he realized before the area exploded into flames.

(**Elsewhere**)

Fuu had Hiruko on the ropes, he couldn't absorb any jutsu with Bijuu chakra and Fuu's experience in training with Akimi let her cope with the Akatsuki ninja's speed. A large insect like chakra claw stretched out from the kunoichi forcing Hiruko to once more zip out of the way with his Swift Release. "You sure can run, I didn't take the Akatsuki to be cowards." Fuu taunted in a vein attempt to annoy Hiruko.

The short Akatsuki ninja was unimpressed, he had been around for long enough to see through Fuu's ploy. "I can run for as long as I need to, but that chakra cloak of yours wont last forever, that is unless you give in to your Bijuu's will." he stated in a calm manner.

'_He's right I can only fight like this for so long, even if I don't push past two tails I doubt I would last more than half an hour._' she had to admit. "Long enough to defeat you!"

Hiruko let out a slow chuckle that grew louder and louder until the whole area rung out in laughter. "Oh my dear, do you truly think that I have been fighting seriously?" he asked while still laughing loudly. Almost immediately Hiruko began to grow as the bandages that gripped tightly around his body seemed to slacken. Even his face seemed to stretch and small cracks appeared around his mouth and eyes.

To Fuu it looked like the man had used some sort of jutsu to stretch his body, and she was horrified when his face started to crack, almost like it was a porcelain mask about to shatter. "This is disgusting." she gasped in shock as he now stood twice as tall as he had just moments earlier.

"You think so? Well that is a shame." Hiruko said before the bandages that had been wrapped around his arms shot forward tearing the ground apart beneath them. Fuu jumped out of the way before they struck but she was not Hiruko's target, that was the tall building standing behind her. His blade like whips ripped through the building like they were traveling through nothing but air. The large structure came down in an instant burying Fuu beneath it's weight.

(**With Konan**)

The smoke was slowly clearing from her trap and she could see no sign of Asuma's body. Not that this was all that surprising as the explosion did have quite a lot of force behind it, still she had expected the Jounin to have done something to reduce the damage caused. '_A pity, I had expected more from someone with his reputa-_' A burning log stopped Konan in mid thought. "Replacement!" she said flatly before Asuma appeared behind the kunoichi his flak jacket singed but otherwise unharmed.

With one punch with his trench knives Asuma sliced through Konan's side only to have the wound cover back up with paper. "What tha!?"

Konan allowed herself a tiny smile at seeing Asuma's confusion. "Clever, to escape certain death with such a simple jutsu, that is to be commended."

Asuma could hear the condensation in Konan's voice but also a hint of annoyance. '_She's taunting me, like she is not even afraid that I could kill her. I need to figure out this paper jutsu of hers before it's too late. Damn I could really use Kakashi's help right now, there is nobody better at analyzing a jutsu than him_.' he thought. All he could remember was him tearing her apart and then more paper coming in to patch up the damage. "Try this on for size, Fuuton: Dust Cloud" Asuma brought both hands up to his mouth cupping them like he was about to shout only to let out a stream of air that seemed to suck up dirt and rubble and propel them along with the jutsu at Konan.

Konan dispersed as the paper sheets fluttered away escaping the incoming dust cloud. When she reformed however she seemed to have taken some damage with several parts of her Akatsuki robe heavily damaged. '_His jutsu sucks in the surrounding area like a vacuum while extending forward to cause maximum damage to the target._' she observed as the damaged areas began to patch themselves up.

"I get it now, you are not here at all are you!? This is just a paper clone that you send in to fight for you while you hideout in safety." Asuma said calmly. He couldn't criticize the kunoichi too much, it was a very similar tactic to that used by Kakashi when fighting, and he had been known to do the same from time to time.

Konan didn't reply, she had no need to. The only answer Asuma received from the kunoichi was to have her scatter into the wind.

Asuma wisely refused to drop his guard knowing that Konan would not give up so easily, in fact he highly doubted she was in any real danger at all from fighting the Fuuton wielder in the manner they had been.

(**Meanwhile**)

All over the village fires burned. Every so often Deidara would let fly a few of his clay explosives to separate a group of Konoha shinobi that had come together, giving the other Akatuski members free reign to do as they pleased. Ever since Kisame entered the village he had not come face to face with more than two opponents at a time and even then they had proved to have been short work for the Monster of Kiri. All over the village shinobi were racing around, if they were not fighting Pein's summons they were attempting to help civilians escape the village. The only areas still untouched were the clan compounds and the Hokage tower.

At the same time Hiruko was currently staring at the down rubble of the building he had just brought down upon the Nanabi jinchuuriki. "You're not fooling me, I know you're still alive under there." he said flatly.

In response the building exploded as Fuu burst up through the rubble, three tails swaying behind her, her face was no longer calm. She had a deep scowl on her face and the aura around her was far more menacing. When she opened her mouth to speak all that escaped was a beetle like screech that caused several windows to shatter.

Hiruko on the other hand stood unaffected by her scream. "Losing control already it seems." he said before his bandage whips wrapped around Fuu's arms. He had a small smile on his face but that soon faded away as his bandages began to burn. "Interesting." With another deafening screech Fuu charged forward slamming into Hiruko who burst into smoke from the contact. '_She's gotten faster, that is rather troublesome._' He thought as he received the information from the clone that dispelled.

(**Elsewhere**)

Pein was moving almost unopposed now as he stalked forward towards the large tower where he knew the Hokage was currently sitting in meditation helping Katsuyu protect the villagers. He moved slowly making sure to take out any shinobi or civilians that he came along his path, although the numbers had decreased when he first began to move towards the Hokage tower a large group of Anbu attempted an Ambush on Deva path only to have been dispatched with little difficulty after that very few actually attempted to slow the man down.

"We're here." Pein said flatly as he arrived at a small wall that was surrounding the Hokage tower. Several shinobi were posted at the gate that seemed to be doing their very best not to shake in fear of the three paths standing before them. "Time for them to know pain!" Deva path declared quietly before he jumped high clearing the wall and landing atop the roof behind Hiruzen and Tsunade. "I assumed this would be where I found the ones in charge."

'_Shit Kakashi isn't here yet, I can't let Sarutobi-sensei fight them alone._' Tsunade thought as she spun around to face the new arrival. Her eyes widened in shock, she was staring at a ghost from her past someone she had seen years earlier as a child. 'You! Impossible!" she stammered.

Deva path's face remained emotionless as he stared down the pair. "It is nice to see you again Tsunade." he said with the slightest hint of arrogance.

Now it was Hiruzen's turn to be shocked. "You know this man Tsunade-Hime?"

"You could say that, he was one of Jiraiya's students! An orphan from Ame. We met him and two others not long after our fight with Hanzou the Salamander." the blond Hokage spat in anger.

"You do not seem pleased to see me. Perhaps you are wishing that you took Orochimaru's recommendation and killed us all those years ago." Pein spoke calmly.

Tsunade couldn't deny that the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but she was never one to kill civilian children. "So this is how you repay Jiraiya for taking you in and teaching you how to be a ninja!? You destroy his home!?" she questioned, giving Pein a cold glare that would break the will of most shinobi.

"This has nothing to do with Jiraiya-sensei. The destruction of Konoha is necessary to bring peace to this world." Pein replied.

"And who are you to decide upon something like that?" Hiruzen asked as calmly as he could manage.

"I am the will of Kami." Pein said flatly.

"No god would wish for this. You are deranged, and you will lose!" Hiruzen declared, the sense of tension in the air caused Hirzuen to slide himself between Deva path and Tsunade. A spark of light ushered in the arrival of Kakashi, he jumped from a nearby building Raikiri in hand heading straight for Deva paths back. "Foolish. Shinra Tensei!"

The Hokage tower exploded outwards disappearing in an instant, as the shinobi standing atop the tower were sent sailing away. Hiruzen slowly picked himself up from the rooftop of a nearby store as the smoke began to clear. In the clearing he saw three men with the Rinnegan walking slowly out of the dust cloud towards him. "Looks like I am going to need some help here." he said to himself as he began forming hand seals.

Once finished the former Hokage slammed his hands to the ground and a large monkey with a long white mane atop his head appeared. "Hiruzen, it is good to see you aga-." the monkey stopped in mid sentence when he realized just where he was summoned. "Sweet Kami what has happened here!"

"No time to explain Enma, we're in big trouble." Hiruzen explained.

"If this is Orochimaru's work again I will not allow you to let him escape with his life this time." the monkey king Enma declared.

"No this is someone far more dangerous than Orochimaru, see for yourself." the old Sarutobi replied nodding in the direction of the paths of Pain that had arrived.

Enma's eye's widened in shock, Hiruzen, isn't that the Rinnegan? And here I thought that Uzumaki boy was special." the monkey king said in utter shock. "This could get rough, be careful Hiruzen." he added sagely.

"You don't need to tell me that I am fully aware of just how strong this man is, he annihilated the Hokage tower in an instant." the old Hokage replied with a scowl. Wordlessly Hiruzen held his hand out and Enma transformed into a large Bo staff before sliding into a defensive stance, he didn't want to attack head on and certainly not when he was outnumbered three to one.

Pein took this action as a sign of weakness and almost immediately Asura path shot forward heading towards Hiruzen.

With agility defying his age Hiruzen flipped away from the robotic path and with a swing of his staff took the legs out from under him. "You should not take me lightly because of my age!" the Sandaime bellowed before bringing his Bo staff down onto Asura path.

"Bansho Ten'in!" Deva path quickly spoke causing Asura path to fly to safety landing on the ground safely in between the other two paths and Hiruzen. "I do not underestimate you, I am simply better than you are." he declared confidently.

'_He's confident that's for sure. No recognizable taijutsu stance, he doesn't fear me in the slightest_.' Hiruzen realized. This was the first time since he was a Genin that someone had treated him in this way. As much as the former Hokage didn't want to admit it, he found the action rather refreshing. "Well I'm all alone, and you out number me three to one, what are you waiting for?" he questioned.

Pein said nothing he just waited, he waited for what seemed like an eternity until he felt something move beneath his feet. Then a second later a massive centipede shot out from the ground directly underneath the old Sarutobi. Hiruzen felt the attack coming at the last moment and jumped high into the air avoiding the long blade like pincers at the head.

"Katon: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Hiruzen yelled. A large spectral dragon made of fire sprung fourth and burnt Pein's summon. He did not have time to marvel at his handiwork however as not three but five paths of Pein surrounded him in mid air. "How?" he gasped gripping Enma tight ready to defend himself.

Once again Pein didn't answer. Instead two paths were thrown at Hiruzen from either side. But the old Hokage countered spinning around with Enma clocking both in the side of the face sending them flying. By the time he landed however they were both back surrounding Hiruzen without a scratch.

"Isn't there supposed to be six of them? I can only count five." he whispered so only Enma could hear.

"I do not know. The Rinnegan is a mystery to me, probably more so than for you. The toads will likely know more, with them being the summons of the Kyuubi boy. All I know is they are tough, far stronger and more resilient than even an abnormally strong shinobi. The power behind that attack should have broken their necks. " Enma replied.

"Impressive for someone so old, but you surely must know that you cannot win this fight." Pein declared, all paths speaking with the same voice simultaneously.

Hiruzen opened his mouth to respond but was soon cut off by the voice of Kakashi. "You know my Sensei once told me that winning isn't everything." the Copy Ninja said landing next to Hiruzen. "But that trying to win, was everything."

"Kakashi Hatake, you are persistent. I thought I got rid of you earlier." Deva path said in his usual grand yet monotone voice.

"You really think that little of me? You are going to have to kill me before I stop fighting!" Kakashi declared.

"It's good to have you fighting by my side Kakashi-kun, you know more about the Rinnegan that I do, can you think of any weaknesses we can exploit?" Hiruzen asked quietly hoping Kakashi's experience in his dealings with the Yoinokuchi could help them come out on top.

"As far as weaknesses go? Well, there are not many, thats for sure. I know that once a gravity jutsu has been used, a cool down period is required before he can use it again, for Naruto it is around a minimum of five seconds." Kakashi paused for a moment trying to think of what else they could use in their favor. I believe only three paths are designed for offense with the other three designed to support. The path that can use gravity, the robotic path and the summoner are the most dangerous in a direct fight." Kakashi reported.

"I can only see five bodies, where is the sixth?" Hiruzen questioned.

"It's hiding, the last path is by far the most irksome, it has the power of restoration, it can revive the dead." Kakashi answered.

"Revive the dead!? Impossible." Hiruzen gasped.

"I saw with my own eyes Naruto kill Itachi, only to bring him back a second later. I believe it was the Naraka path." Kakashi assured the old Sarutobi, his voice made it perfectly clear that he was serious.

Hiruzen didn't like the sound of that at all and neither did the monkey king. "So you're saying that as long as this Naraka is hiding even if we kill these bodies they will just come back?" Enma asked incredulously.

Kakashi sighed with a weak eye smile. "That's about all I know, Jiraiya-sama and Itachi taught Naruto far to well for him to give away more than he needed to."

Whilst Kakashi and Hiruzen were discussing Pein stood perfectly still just watching the pair of Konoha shinobi. "Are you done?" he finally asked.

"A fight to the death with little to no hope of victory? Yeah I think I am ready. I am sorry you had to join me in this Kakashi-kun." Hiruzen said sadly yet with clear determination.

"Well you know what Jiraiya-sama always says a shinobi's worth is not judged by how he lives, but how he dies. If it is my fate to die protecting my home, then that would be an acceptable end for me." Kakashi added. '_Although if it's not too much trouble I would really like to live._'

Three of Pein's paths shot forward, Kakashi moved to intercept the robotic Asura path while Hiruzen began parrying strike after strike from the Human, and Preta paths. Kakashi ducked under the robotic paths first strike before pivoting away from a trailing knee that was aimed at his head. In response Asura path grew an extra set of arms and a large tail like blade extended from his back.

Kakashi withdrew two kunai ready to defend himself from the blade when a barrage of small rocket projectiles escaped from the robots arms. '_Shit!_' Kakashi swore mentally as he quickly jumped away in the nick of time. The rockets exploded engulfing the closest building in flames.

Hiruzen meanwhile was on the attack, swinging his Bo staff with the expert skill that came from a lifetime of training. If Pein was completely honest he could barely get an attack in despite currently fighting with two of his paths. Despite Hiruzen's effective attacking dominance, he was unable to land a hit. The Rinnegan's extra lines of sight allowed Pein to see all the attacks before they would hit. As long as they continued with close range Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, Hiruzen and Pein were in a stalemate.

(**Meanwhile**)

Three Konoha shinobi stood in awe as Fuu relentlessly barraged Hiruko with attack after attack with her Bijuu cloak. "Yo Shikamaru, what do we do?" Choji asked in bewilderment.

Shikamaru was in deep thought but shook his head after a few moments. "I don't know if there is anything that we can do right now. I have never seen a jinchuuriki fight like this. Fuu may have lost control." he assumed.

"But Tsunade-sama's orders were to assist Fuu with the Akatsuki member she was fighting." the reply came from the third member of the group Ino.

"I know but I can't see any move that would help us right now. It looks like the only thing stopping Fuu from adding to the Akatsuki's rampage is that man acting as a distraction. All we can do at this point is sit back and wait for this fight to be over. Once we can determine who is going to come out on top we can plan a strategy." Shikamaru reasoned.

"It won't be that easy Nara-san." The second generation Ino, Shika, Cho, turned around to see a badly injured Aburame clan member. "There is another Akatsuki ninja heading this way fast. He took out my entire team in almost an instant. Our clans Kikaichu are useless, his chakra supply is just two large to drain and all poisons we attempted had no effect." the Aburame said expressionlessly.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. He had already figured out which Akatsuki member this had to be and had little doubt that it was Kisame. '_As it stands our chances of successfully assisting Fuu are all but non existent_.' the lazy Nara's mind was working over time trying to find a sucessful plan that they could implement but the fact was against someone like Kisame his shadow jutsu would be useless, he knew all about the abilities of Samehada, but the fact was that even if they could some how neutralize the great shark skin sword his monstrous chakra reserves would make it all but impossible to capture him in any of his clans shadow jutsu.

"So what do we do? We can't just leave Fuu here to fight both Akatsuki ninja, that would be as good as handing her over ourselves." Choji said.

Shikamaru sighed and lowered his head. "I agree, but sometimes a tactical retreat is for the best. If we hope to stand a chance against these two we are going to need more shinobi. Let's split up and find some others. Kiba and his sister are nearby and so is Shino, that will be a good start." Shikamaru said urgently.

The small group were momentarily distracted as Fuu let out a howl of pain, it appeared as though Hiruko had managed to finally injure the out of control jinchuuriki by channeling Fuuton chakra through his bandages and using them like a spear. Hiruko wore a large grin, however that faded quickly when the Bijuu state Fuu raised her hear into the sky and started to pull together a dense mass of chakra.

The Konoha ninja who had been watching in hope of an opening to assist Fuu felt the massive power behind the large ball of chakra. "What the hell is that!?" Ino asked shaking slightly.

"Nothing good, if Fuu lets off something like that in a village like this it could reduce a large section of Konoha to ash." Shikamaru said as the large ball of chakra began to compress and descend before being swallowed by the Yoinokuchi kunoichi.

"How do we stop it?" Choji asked sweating slightly as he watched the large beetle like shroud stumble around under the wait of chakra.

"Unless we want to become the target we cant do anything." Shikamaru sighed in frustration. He had never felt this useless before in a fight, he had confidence in his skill, as well as the skill levels of Ino and Choji but he also knew a lost cause when he saw one.

What Shikamaru wasn't expecting was for the Aburame clan member to stand up, one arm slumped to his side seemingly useless. "Then there is only one logical thing to do. We must protect Konoha at all costs. I can no longer fight, but I can cause a big enough distraction." he said as his Kikaichu scattered out from his body and towards the rampaging Fuu. "I'll direct the blast away from the still populated area's of the village and out towards the city walls. You must continue with your mission." he added before jumping away.

"Hey stop!" Ino yelled, she did not want to see anyone throw their life away. Her calls fell on death ears so she stood up to chase after the Aburame.

Shikamaru and Choji grabbed her, pulling her back down. "Ino let him go, if he doesn't do this then Fuu's attack could kill hundreds of people. We need to find the others and quickly, we don't have long before Kisame arrives." Shikamaru said reluctantly. He didn't want to see a comrade sacrifice themselves either but he knew deep down that the Aburame had made the correct call. "We need to move out and find anyone we can, in terms of fighting skill and strength we are outclassed so we need numbers to level the playing field." Shikamaru explained.

At that same time the Kikaichu beetles of the Aburame had began bombarding Fuu who had been readying to fire her Bijuudama. The out of control Yoinokuchi kunoichi spun around in anger having temporarily forgotten about Hiruko, who while being a pest was not the one currently attacking the Bijuu. It did not take long to locate the one responsible, an injured Aburame. The Nanabi jinchuuriki raised her head slightly before she spat fourth a powerful beam of chakra that dissolved anything in it's path. The Aburame didn't even attempt to move simply closing his eyes ready to accept his fate.

(**Elsewhere**)

Asuma saw the massive explosion caused by Fuu's mini Bijuudama. He had spent the past few minutes searching for Konan, he knew that she was still in the area. Every so often he would get a glimpse of an origami butterfly or bird. Now however he had completely forgotten about the Akatsuki kunoichi by the show of power coming from the Nanabi Jinchuuriki. "Shit, there is no way she would use something like that inside the village, she must have lost control, this is not good at all." he thought out loud as stared at awe as Fuu's attack ripped yet another hole in the village walls and continued on deep into the forest that helped give Konoha it's name.

"You should not be worrying about the jinchuuriki." Konan's voice filled the air all around him so he could not hear where she was hiding.

"I think I can worry about what ever I like, you are not much a threat while you're hiding away." he retorted not truly believing the last part.

I do not need to show myself, in fact that would be a rather poor move considering how long I spent setting up the trap you have walked into." Konan's emotionless voice rung out from all around him.

Asuma's eyes widened. '_Trap? What trap is she talking about?_' he thought quickly scanning the area for signs of any paper or seals. He came up empty however, that was until a shuriken made from paper shot from the sky like rain. Asuma dodged at the last second and looked up to see a patch of sky that didn't look right. "A Genjutsu!" he gasped in realization. Bringing his hands up into the ram seal he dispelled the genjutsu that had been surrounding him, and now found himself to be engulfed for as far as his eyes could see by paper.

Konan's paper filled the sky, it clung to every wall or lamp post that was still intact. "This is the end for you." she spoke calmly.

Asuma's eyes widened as from behind him another two pieces of chakra infused paper removed themselves from a shop front and flew at the chain smoking Jounin's back. Unsurprisingly Asuma dodged them both only to have another barrage come at him this time three. Asuma charged Fuuton chakra through his trench knives and split two of the origami blades before dodging the third. "You're going to have to do a whole lot better than that!"

"Very well then." Konan spoke with finality and this time hundreds of kunai and shuriken from every angle shot forward followed less than a second later by a second wave and then a third. Asuma ducked and weaved as best he could although after the second wave the numbers game was getting the best of him. A paper shuriken sunk deep into his leg while a kunai grazed his shoulder. Konan didn't let up on her relentless assault making her paper move faster and faster.

Asuma tried his best to ignore his wounds and pick up the pace but the very next barrage saw him take another kunai to the same leg that still had a shuriken imbedded within it. Asuma had no time to take either out as he was working over time to protect his vitals hoping against hope that the Akatsuki kunoichi would run out of paper projectiles. The problem was that his wounds were making him slower, each time he was hit he could feel his body begin to seize up from the muscles tearing due to his inability to remove them. '_I can't even perform a Fuuton jutsu, the attacks are coming in way too fast. I'm really regretting letting Kakashi leave now. His sharingan would have seen right through this._' he thought weakly as he felt another few projectiles strike him from the latest wave. The jounin was starting to feel feint from blood loss and a small trickle started to escape his mouth. '_She must have nicked an internal organ with one of her last attacks._'

Several more seconds pass, and Konan's attacks begin to slow as Asuma starts to stumble. "You're fading, but I am surprised that you even lasted this long, it if far longer than anyone else has ever managed. That is to be commended." she stated as Asuma managed to flip away from a group of five shuriken but when he landed his right leg gave out from beneath him. The Fuuton wielding Jounin swatted away another barrage as best he could only taking a slight graze on the cheek for his efforts. "I will end your suffering now." she declared and all of the remaining sheets of paper folded slowly as Asuma struggled and failed to stand.

'_Looks like I won't be able to be the husband and father you wanted me to be kurenai. Still I'm not worried, you will be a better parent to the kid than anyone could ever hope for_.' he thought as he looked up to see the sky dark with smoke yet he was still able to feel the heat from the sun as he reminisced about his pregnant girlfriend. "Good luck everyone." he spoke sadly as Konan launched the remaining projectiles.

Asuma's body hit the ground with a thud, his skin covered in blood and the Paper wielding kunoichi's projectiles. Konan then showed herself forming with a flutter of white butterflies. '_He was a Difficult one, yes he certainly earned his title as one of the twelve guardians._' she thought as all the paper still lying around began to fly back onto her body blending in perfectly with her robes and skin. "I need to help Pein-sama, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade Senju, and Kakashi Hatake, are not to be taken lightly." she spoke before scattering once more into hundreds of butterflies.

(**Meanwhile**)

Hiruzen ran through several hand seals one handed while dodging a attack before a large dragon head made of mud rose from the ground. The large dragon head opened it's mouth and let loose a stream a thick mud at the two path's he had been fighting. Instantly Preta path jumped ahead and began absorbing the chakra. Seeing an opening Hiruzen shot forward with speed defying his age and with all of his might brought Enma down upon the path that was preoccupied with the jutsu. The former Hokage heard the unmistakable crack of his neck breaking beneath the power of his attack. '_One down, but for how long? If what Kakashi says is true then his hidden body can just revive this one._' he thought before jumping back from a strike directed at his face by Human path.

In response Preta path that was still fighting with a now very tired Kakashi released several rocket's in the direction of the retired Hokage.

Hiruzen jumped high to avoid the large explosions that came in their wake. When he saw several of Pein's paths ready to jump and intercept him in mid air he took out a kunai and tossed it before quickly racing through more seals causing the single kunai to become well over one hundred.

Deva path lifted a hand into the air and all of the kunai stopped in their tracks before falling harmlessly to the ground, the copies disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The Sandaime Hokage landed panting heavily, he was not a young man anymore, and in the end age defeats even the strongest of shinobi. So he was glad that when he landed he didn't find himself immediately bombarded once again by several of Pein's paths. As he continued to catch his breath the old monkey looked across at where Kakashi was looking dead on his feet against Asura path. '_He has been moving and fighting for close to an hour now. With the drain the Sharingan has on his system it's a wonder he is still able to stand._' he thought breathing heavily.

Asura path suddenly jumped back before Deva path took several steps forward. "You're skill is indeed impressive, as I would expect from Kakashi Hatake and the Sandaime Hokage. You have both been interesting. Perhaps if you hand over the whereabouts Jiraiya-sensei's hideout and the remaining Jinchuuriki I will spare the remaining ninja of this village." he said. Pein's voice was quite yet powerful, demanding of respect.

Hiruzen huffed as he took in several deep breaths. He had no idea where Jiraiya had the Yoinokuchi base and he was also sure that Kakashi and even Tsunade did not know. Jiraiya had sent toads to Konoha from time to time to collect any missions that the villiage could not perform for what ever reasons but they had no idea where the group was hiding themselves. That was all a mute point however, Hiruzen would never sell out Naruto and Jiraiya. "They may not be shinobi of Konoha, but they are our comrades, and nobody in this village will give you what you seek. Not that anyone could, the Yoinokuchi base is completely hidden nobody knows where it is."

Deva path frowned at this Konoha was in rubble he doubted that even ten percent of the village was left unscathed "Disappointing. I had hoped you would have taken my offer and saved the people of this village." he replied.

"Saved? Don't make me laugh. Even if you were to leave here now, should you capture all of the Bijuu the whole world would be doomed, not just Konoha. But we will fight even if it means our deaths because this is the will of fire!" Hiruzen boomed loudly.

"Very well. Then you shall know pain... Shinra Tensei!" the ground around Hiruzen and Kakashi rippled before they were both blown away with tremendous force. The jutsu tore apart close to a fifth of the village.

(**With Fuu**)

Hiruko was getting frustrated, he had a way of harming the Bijuu but the Nanabi was now very weary of Hiruko's blade like bandages. Where she once let them strike and burn away the out of control jinchuuriki now dodged the attacks with great speed. From time to time two wings would grow from the cloak of the jinchuuriki and Fuu would take flight. Before lashing out at the white haired Akatsuki member. "This is becoming quite tedious," he spoke to himself as he used swift release to avoid yet another rash uncontrolled attack from the Nanabi Jinchuuriki.

"Heh maybe you were never cut out to capture a jinchuuriki like this."

Hiruko turned his head slightly to see Kisame sitting atop the remains of what was once a large hall.

"I had planned on adding the Sharingan bloodline before I took on one of the higher level Bijuu." Hiruko admitted bitterly. But that doesn't mean I can't still win!" he declared. He raced through several hand seals before slamming his hands to the ground, all the while avoiding Fuu's chakra claws.

Hiruko now stood atop a gigantic creature, it had a lions head and body however it's tail was that of a snake and at the tip the head of the snake hissed violently. The Chimera also had the wings and front legs of an eagle. The out of control Fuu seemed to stop and analyze the mammoth summons for a few moments unsure as to whether or not it was a threat. That was until she saw the white haired Akatsuki ninja standing atop it's head. Fuu let out a lout screech in frustration before a sending a large claw of chakra towards the front legs of the Chimera.

She was unable to cover the distance however as the lion head opened it's mouth and spewed fourth fire in all directions. Even Kisame had to jump out of the way to avoid being burnt. Fuu had been taken up by the power of the jutsu and thrown into a massive pile of rubble that had once been a large apartment complex. When the flames cleared the rubble holding Fuu shattered outward in a massive explosion that encompassed close to a block of broken buildings effectively turning the ground beneath her feet into smooth stone that was burning red hot like glass. The Nanabi jinchuuriki now had six tails flailing behind her and a large portion of her cloak was taken up by a hard insect exoskeleton.

"Only one more tail to go and the Nanabi will be released, I think it would be a good idea if you let me help." Kisame smirked.

Hiruko opened his mouth to respond but soon had to jump out of the way as Fuu slammed her whole body into the giant Chimera lifting it off the ground. Hiruko who was now in mid air only watched as the Bijuu tore his creation apart. In response he turned to Kisame and nodded.

Taking the hint Kisame picked up samehada and shot forward. Not a moment too soon either as the seventh and final tail started to appear Samehada had it's fill eating away three tails of Bijuu chakra.

The chakra cloak thinned and now Fuu was clearly visible inside the cloak. Slowly she opened her eyes stunned at having control suddenly returned to her. "What the?" she questioned before looking around. Her eyes widened when she saw the devastation that she and Hiruko had caused a tear that escaped her eyes was instantly evaporated by the remaining chakra cloak. She was also well aware that her body had never been in so much pain, every joint and muscle ached from the strain being in the second Nanabi state had put on her body, if it wasn't for the remaining chakra cloak she would be unable to stand she was sure of that.

"That's how you deal with a Bijuu!" Kisame said smugly instantly catching Fuu's attention.

'_Oh this isn't good, two of them, I could barely keep up with one._' the kunoichi thought in desperation.

"I fail to see how you did that, if anything your sword should get the credit." Hiruko replied flatly.

Kisame smirked slightly at this, it was technically true but he had other ways of dealing with Bijuu as well "Look let's just capture this thing so I can move on." he scoffed lifting Samehada onto his shoulder.

"Not a chance!" Fuu replied before sprouting two orange wings of chakra and lifting off high into the air. "You want me? Then catch me if you can!" she yelled before taking off towards the village walls. '_I can't stay in this form for long. There is also a chance that once I drop my chakra cloak I will lose consciousness, I need to create a large enough distance between us and find some place to hide in the forest._'

That was easier said than done against someone like Hiruko. "I'll go after her, it is likely she is moving out of the village to draw this out as long as possible, chances are she is almost out of chakra and her control is slipping again." the White haired man declared.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Kisame taunted.

"Positive, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I doubt they will be necessary, she will not allow herself to be taken over again. I saw her reaction when she realized what had happened during the time the Nanabi had control. Her weakness in caring for the safety of Konoha will prevent her from letting the Bijuu take control again." Hiruko explained.

"Ah alright then, this will be more fun anyway, still I don't see why Pein doesn't just wipe the place off the map." Kisame reasoned.

"My guess is that as we do not know when the Kyuubi boy will return, Pein does not want to weaken himself." Hiruko guessed.

"Heh what ever, hell I wouldn't mind another crack at that kid myself now that I think about it." Kisame said as he began to walk off in the direction of the Hokage tower.

"You are willing to die so carelessly? Surely you saw how outclassed you were in the Land of Waves." Hiruko questioned.

"Every man must die, I would rather it be in a fight between a powerful ninja than anything else." Kisame answered waving off his counterpart. "Now hurry up or the Jinchuuriki is going to get away!"

Hiruko just shook his head in disbelief before taking off in a blur, chasing after Fuu.

(**Outside of Konoha**)

A small group of shinobi were traveling at a leisurely pace, hopping from tree to tree. "We'll be able to see Konoha any minute now." Naruto said happily as they approached the top of one of the surrounding mountains.

"Yeah it will be good to see Tsunade-Hime again, I swear her chest gets bigger every time I see her." Jiraiya spoke with a perverted grin.

Zabuza chuckled at the Toad Sages antics while Naruto just shook his head at his sensei's antics. Kurotsuchi was stuck between disbelief and outrage at the perverted Sannin. "Say do you guys smell that?" Zabuza asked a few moments later.

The other Yoinokuchi shinobi nodded. "It smells like smoke. Could Konoha be burning off a section of forest fro a new training ground?" Naruto questioned.

They didn't have to wait long for their answer, as they reached the top of the mountain they looked down upon Konoha ablaze. Naruto and the others froze stiff as they looked down upon the village until Naruto's hair began to wave and and small sparks of lightning sprung to life around him indicating he was channeling both Raiton and Fuuton through his body.

"Naruto wait!" Jiraiya yelled but it was too late, the blond had already disappeared. "Well so much for making a plan." he sighed.

"The kid has a plan! Go in, kick ass!" Zabuza laughed before taking off after the blond although nowhere near as fast.

Gaara nodded in agreement before dissolving into sand which flew towards the village.

Itachi stood unsure as to what he should do, he was a criminal in Konoha after all. With that said watching it burn before his eyes and know that Naruto and the others were going made it more than difficult.

"Itachi, what are you waiting for? Do you really think Naruto will let them apprehend you? Hell will they even want to after you help save them all?" Jiraiya said knowing that the Uchiha was struggling with indecisiveness.

Itachi smiled slightly as he activated his Uzugan to the second stage and his modified Susanoo formed around him. "Thank you Jiraiya-sama, I needed that." he said before taking off after the others.

Jiraiya then turned to Kurotsuchi. "I'm sorry, but we can't risk you being harmed, please don't enter the village."

The Iwa kunoichi nodded reluctantly but before she could open her mouth to confirm that she agreed Jiraiya was already gone. "Well I don't know who was stupid enough to attack Konoha but I think they are about to wish they hadn't."

**End Chapter!**

**There might not be an update next week as my computer is going to get an upgrade. So I made this chapter extra long for some mild compensation. Still I promise that I will release the next chapter as soon as I can. I hope you are all not too disappointed. Sorry Guys!**

**Loved the Dialog in the latest chapter of the Manga. No wait loved is not the word, missed, that's it. nothing at all for fifteen pages then 'Are You Obito?' at the end. Kishi better have a damn good explanation for this, if it is Obito can someone please tell me how he hasn't gone blind from over using his Mangekyo Sharingan? I mean fuck even Sasuke, who Kishimoto seems to have a hard on for went blind after three fights.**

**My guess is Tobi needs Sasuke alive because his eyes cant perform Tsukyuomi. That's why he was so determined to turn sasuke to his cause, otherwise it makes no sense for him to help, then again the whole Tobi being Obito makes no sense anyway. Hell while I am at it with horrible plot hole predictions, Karin will escape prison in Konoha and go looking for Naruto not Sasuke, and Konan will return somehow still alive and help Naruto. If I am right with even one of those I will seriously LOL.**


	100. The Counter Attack Begins

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 100!: The Counter Attack Begins**

Pein watched as the dust from his jutsu began to clear, he knew better than to assume Kakashi and Hiruzen had been killed in his Shinra Tensei. Pein was right to be cautious as the smoke cleared he saw two rather large slugs that slowly ejected both Kakashi and Hiruzen from their bodies. "Looks like we owe Tsunade-Hime one." Hiruzen said slightly panting.

Kakashi gave one of his patented eye smiles and nodded in agreement. "Yeah she really saved us this time."

"You are like insects that just will not die." Pein spoke through the clearing dust. Kakashi and Hiruzen raised their heads to see that five bodies were standing there, including the one Hiruzen had killed moments earlier.

"The hidden one must have revived the other." Kakashi sighed clearly disappointed. He was all but out of chakra and had no idea how he was supposed to fight on.

"It does indeed look that way Kakashi-kun, but it seems like Tsunade-Hime has had enough of playing the medic." Hiruzen stated with a weak smile.

A second later Tsunade landed in between the two Leaf ninja and Pein. "The civilians have all been evacuated along with the Genin, I have no more need to use Katsuyu to keep everyone safe. Now you will fight me! I will make you pay for stepping on the dreams of my Grandfather and Granduncle!" she spat. She wore a foul glare that would scare most shinobi into early retirement as she spoke.

"My fight is with them, if you wish to die as well wait your turn." Pein replied with a hint of amusement in his voice completely unfazed by the Godaime Hokage's arrival.

"How dare you, You will fight me and nobody else!" Tsunade declared loudly before punching the ground with great force. The earth shattered under Pein's feet and all the paths scattered. Wasting no time Tsunade kicked off to intercept the closest path, her fist connected and the sound of bones shattering could be heard even by Kakashi and Hiruzen.

"Little Tsunade-Hime has become strong Hiruzen." Enma said sagely he made his reappearance. He had been saved from harm during Deva Paths Shinra Tensei by staying in his staff form.

Hiruzen nodded as Tsunade used the body of the path she had just broke to kick off ready to strike another. This time Pein was ready however and quickly used Bansho Ten'in to move Animal path out of the way. Tsunade's swing missed spectacularly and she had no time to correct herself as several explosive projectiles crashed into her sending the hokage tumbling to the ground. '_Should have known better than to go for more than one at a time, and this is no friendly sparing match with Naruto. If that Human path get's a hold of me even my Creation Rebirth seal wont be enough to save me.' _She thought as she stood back up with no signs of any injuries from Pein's attack.

Pein's remaining four paths landed with a sizable gap between each one clearly to prevent Tsunade from using the same tactic again. "Interesting, normally a direct hit from Asura path would kill anyone, but you don't seem to be injured at all." Deva path mused.

"It will take far more than a pathetic attack like that to kill me." Tsunade declared.

"So it would seem." Pein replied expressionlessly.

Tsunade formed some seals before stomping her foot on the ground causing dust to rise obscuring Pein's lines of sight. She didn't have much time as Preta path had begun absorbing the jutsu so she moved as quickly as she could manage towards the closest path.

Pein was ready however and summoned a large panda that blocked her path. He didn't however count on Hiruzen joining his former student and moving around to flank the same target. A large ball of flames engulfed Preta path before joining Tsunade's smoke screen jutsu in being absorbed by Preta path.

Kakashi meanwhile could only sit and watch as the fatigue from almost constant fighting began to set in. '_Looks like I am still not quite at their level yet._' he sighed making sure his Sharingan was covered to preserve what little of his chakra that remained.

Tsunade saw her sensei's arrival and hoped to capitalize on on the extra man to attempt to strike at another target. The one she really wanted to defeat was Animal path, if he was defeated then his summons that were still running rampant through her village would dispel.

"Enough!" Deva path demanded as Tsunade and Hiruzen each attacked a separate path. Thrusting his hands out to the side he used a wordless Shinra Tensei to to blast the Sandaime and Godaime Hokage away effortlessly.

Taking a deep breath in Deva path turned in Tsunade's direction before breathing out a large ball of fire that took the form of a lion as it soared towards Tsunade. Then kicked off with speed greater than any of the other paths to catch Hiruzen before he laded with a kick to the chest that the elderly Sarutobi managed to block but the force behind the attack still sent him flying back to where Kakashi sat trying to regain some energy to join the fight.

Tsunade saw Pein's jutsu late, nevertheless she still managed to create a large wall of mud to block the jutsu. Knowing that time was against her she jumped high in the air while forming seals and spat four large clumps of mud at the three standing paths, two at Deva path for good measure.

Once more Peins god realm raised a hand and wordlessly created a barrier to block Tsunade's jutsu. When Tsunade landed Deva path was already there and met her with an elbow to the side of the head that Tsunade avoided with great flexibility, after all she always taught her students to never let the enemy hit them. She responded with a flurry of medical ninjutsu that should have disabled the Deva paths body completely but it appeared as though he was completely uninterested in anything she was doing until she went for the killer blow. The mega punch that was directed towards his face was caught with ease before he raised his knee into her stomach and kicked her away.

By this time Hiruzen had stood back up more than ready to continue fighting but his attempt to blindside Deva path was thwarted thanks to the shared field of vision from the others. Hiruzen's kick that had been aimed at Pein's head missed as the path ducked at the very last second. Still the Kami of Shinobi was not one to put all of his chips in on one bet. He quickly adjusted himself in mid air gripping the ground with his hands before spinning effortlessly in an attempt to sweep the leg out from Deva path.

Once more he was to be disappointed however as Pein simply jumped over the strike. Landing back with his other paths. "You are like flies, continuously coming back for more despite being outclassed." he spoke with some grandeur and an air of invincibility.

Tsunade gingerly began to stand, just because she couldn't be killed in battle did not exempt her from pain. '_He shouldn't have been able to move I shut off all his chakra pathways. It's like his body isn't even alive._' she thought as the pain slowly subsided. "We need to stagger our attacks once he uses a Gravity jutsu he needs a cool down time before he can use another." she said knowing that was their best chance to hit Deva path.

Hiruzen nodded and silently signaled for Tsunade to lead the attack and he would follow.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto was a blur as he sped through the forest towards the burning village below. He had no doubts about who he thought was responsible for the attack on Konoha. '_The Akatsuki have really done it this time!_' he seethed, his fists clenching in anger. In his anger and urgency to make it to Konoha he almost missed two other chakra signatures approaching Konoha a short way ahead. 'What the hell are they doing here?' he asked himself as he slightly adjusted course to intercept.

"Oh Kami this is not good!" Akimi said as the state of Konoha began to become clearer.

"Can you sense Fuu's chakra anywhere? If the Akatsuki are attacking she must be their target." the ice wielding kunoichi suggested.

"Not yet but we will find her for sure. If something happens it will be my fault." the speedy kunoichi said her head hung in disappointment.

The pair were so caught up in the destruction in the village that they both missed Naruto's arrival behind them. "What will be your fault, in fact why are you two even here?" he asked causing the pair to jump in shock spinning around.

"Na-Naruto-kun!" Akimi gasped in surprise. "We um, that is to say-."

"Fuu and Akimi had a disagreement several days ago and ran to Konoha. We were coming to check on her when we found the village under attack." Haku interrupted the stuttering kunoichi.

Naruto's eyes widened and looked to Akimi for confirmation, the depressed look on her face as turned her head away made it obvious that what Haku said was true. He quickly closed his eyes and began gathering natural energy to enter Sage Mode. No sooner had the dark orange circles appeared around his face than he opened his now golden Rinnegan eyes. "She's alive and still fighting." he declared. "We should get moving, I can feel five Akatsuki ninja in the village, including Pein! Baa-chan and Jiji will have to wait just a little longer before I can get to them but I have faith that they will be alright." Naruto said.

"No!" Akimi almost yelled startling the young sage. "Fuu is here because of me, I want to make up for my own mistakes. I won't lose I promise. If Pein is in Konoha you need to confront him, if you fight every other Akatsuki ninja before then you will be too tired to fight." she said firmly indicating that this topic was not debatable.

Naruto smiled, this was the Akimi he loved, not the indecisive depressed girl he saw when he first caught up with them. "Alright deal, it looks like your opponent will be the same one you fought with in the Land of Waves."

Akimi remembered him well, the former Konoha scientist who was able to use swift release along with many other troublesome abilities. "I hadn't counted on that. He can counter my speed, or at least he could, I am faster now thanks to my Fuuton training. I'll just have to show him that a stolen bloodline is not as good as the original." she informed the blond.

"That's what I wanted to hear, but just in case you get in trouble, take this." Naruto replied removing the bundle of rags that he used as a sheath for his elemental sword.

"Since when do you carry a Katana?" Akimi questioned honestly, she knew he was more than adept at most of the ninja arts but Kenjutsu was not his thing.

"Since I made one. Channel your chakra afinity through the sword and it will take on the power of that element." Naruto said neglecting to inform her that the other elements could be used so long as you have chakra to spare.

Akimi gasped and looked at the blade in a new light. "You made this?" she asked not sure if she heard him correctly.

"Yeah, I figured out that Banbutsu Sozo only works if I have a significant need, and during my trip through Orochimaru's lair there was a time I needed a sword more than anything." The blond replied ignoring Kyuubi's disgruntled grunt that he had once again been overlooked for telling the boy how the jutsu worked.

"That's amazing Naruto-kun!" Akimi grinned proud of her boyfriend.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in light embarrassment. "Just keep it safe alright, I would like it back after this. I know what you are like with weapons, you have lost more kunai in training than I have used in my entire life." he said finishing with a chuckle to get the required reaction from the kunoichi.

Naruto's plan worked as her face took on a pink hew of embarrassed anger. "Hey I am very careful with weapons, the only reason what you say is true is because you don't carry kunai! Hell if you did you probably wouldn't have needed this sw-"

She was silenced by Naruto's lips against hers. "That's my Akimi-chan. Stay safe for me okay, I will not lose you." he whispered ever so quietly when he broke the kiss. Akimi blushed deeply, she hadn't been kissed by Naruto so openly before and certainly not in front of one of the other Yoinokuchi members. By the time she opened her mouth to speak Naruto was already gone and was eventually brought out of her daze by a lightly giggling Haku. Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger. "Damn it Naruto-kun! You will pay for that." she yelled although it was halfhearted and the blush still adorning her angelic face was obviously not one of anger.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh as his girlfriend yelled after him, neither were used to public shows of affection, Jiraiya was never big on that side of parenting, Naruto could only guess that was what mothers were for. He remembered Shizune and Tsunade were the closest thing he had come to that, and now looking back he had to admit it was nice when they doted on him as a cute little nine year old. Although at the time he just wanted to be more like Jiraiya and Itachi. '_Shit I wasted too much time with Akimi-chan I am far behind everyone Zabuza has made it to the village walls already_.' he thought as he once more picked up the pace.

(**Elsewhere**)

Kisame had waited a few moments while Hiruko moved to chase after Fuu before turning back to stare at the destruction within the village. "Now there are more for me! You can come out now, did you Konoha ninja really believe that you were capable of hiding from me?" he spoke loudly as if speaking to thin air.

A few seconds past and all that greeted the Monster of Kiri was dust kicked up from the frequent explosions still shaking the village. Kisame was about to force the hiding shinobi out into the open when three landed a fair distance away from him. "Troublesome, you found us." Shikamaru sighed.

"So the others out there hiding don't want to play?" oh well I guess you three will have to do for a warm up." the shark like Akatsuki ninja taunted. Then in an instant he had removed Samehada from his shoulder and was quickly closing the distance between himself and the three Konoha shinobi.

"Jump!" Ino yelled urgently and the three shinobi all took off in separate directions.

Shikamaru only slightly moved back jumping atop a tall pile of rubble as to gain a larger range for his shadow jutsu.

Kisame did not stop his charge taking the lazy Nara for the leader of the group. His body froze however once he made it within range. He looked down to see a long shadow that had stretched wide behind the blond haired kunoichi before darting forward at the last second to catch him.

"Ino now!" Shikamaru ordered urgently.

Ino had just finished the seals for the mind body switch jutsu when Kisame let out a wicked cackle and casually took a step forward as if unaffected by Shikamaru's shadow possession. "Nice try little kiddies but it's my turn now!" Kisame laughed.

Before Kisame could start an attack a large hand came down from the sky forcing the former Kiri ninja to roll out of the way. "Dammit I missed!" Choji yelled in frustration as his arm returned to normal size.

Kisame saw an opening and took it pushing off before landing a kick in Choji's ribs sending the young Akimichi crashing into a pile of rubble. "One down!" he said quickly spinning to face Ino. "Suiton: Rapid Shark Bullet!" he spat out several large sharks that glided through the air like water. Ino managed to dodge the first two but the third struck her in the chest and drove her back into the the bottom floor of one of the buildings that were still somehow standing. "And that's two." Kisame declared.

Kisame then moved to strike at Shikamaru but was forced to change course when two new arrivals made themselves known. Kiba charged into the area straight at Kisame along with his large white ninja hound Akamaru. Shino on the other hand just landed beside Shikamaru. "His chakra reserves are far too vast for my Kikaichu to be effective in this fight, but I am willing to help in anyway I can." the bug user said in a expressionless drone.

Kisame blocked Kiba's attack with the flat surface of Samehada before using the great sword to swat the pair away with ease. "Thanks for coming, but it doesn't look like we are going to be able to put up all that much of a fight after all, my shadow possession jutsu is completely ineffective against him and if I stay put too long to use some of my other jutsu I would be a sitting duck. It's all far to troublesome" Shikamaru sighed.

Once Kisame was satisfied that Kiba was out of commission the Monster of Kiri turned his attention back towards Shikamaru and now Shino. "You Konoha ninja are like ants you think you have them beat only for more to crawl out from under a rock." he laughed.

"We're going to need to hit him on the counter attack, but to do so we will need perfect timing. We jump at the moment he brings that sword of his down, then we aim for his back." the Nara whispered.

Shino nodded as Kisame began to move in their direction but just before Kisame moved into range three spears of water shot past the two Konoha teens and crashed into Kisame knocking him back. "I always wanted to fight the man who killed Fuguki and stole Samehada, looks like I finally get the chance."

Kisame stood back up, he no longer had a smirk on his face, now it was more of a scowl. "Zabuza Momochi! It's rare that you are on the other side of a slaughter, funny how things turn out isn't it." he spat as Samehada healed his wounds.

Zabuza was well hidden, Shikamaru and Shino couldn't locate him anywhere. "It would seem that help has arrived." the Aburame said stating the obvious.

"Yeah but the real question is did all of them come or just Zabuza? Naruto is supposed to be in Iwa, I heard my dad talking about it yesterday over breakfast. If there group is back then we may just come out of this alive." Shikamaru replied.

"I wouldn't worry about that, we have this covered now, the Akatsuki are not going to know what hit them." Zabuza said appearing behind the teens. Kubikiribocho resting over his shoulder with one arm.

(**Meanwhile**)

At the same moment Zabuza had appeared Deidara had received a rather unwelcome wake up call in the form of a pillar of sand almost knocking him from his clay bird. "What the fuck yeah!?" he yelled in surprise as he righted himself atop his clay bird.

The pillar of sand eventually stopped rising and became a giant orb that floated precariously over a large area of Konoha. Ever so slowly the orb began to open revealing Gaara standing in the middle with folded arms facing the Iwa bomber. "You will not be harming any more of the people from this village." he said. Gaara spoke in his usual drone however it contained a power behind it that stunned even the Akatsuki shinobi.

"Well look who it is, this must be my lucky day, because we have some unfinished business to attend resolve." Deidara said with a grin once getting over the initial shock of Gaara's arrival.

Far below in the village the shinobi who had been trying in vein to defeat Deidara with long range jutsu and kunai let out a small sigh of relief however that proved to be premature when on the ground what seemed like hundreds of two headed hounds came charging towards them. The ninja all took out kunai to defend themselves but as the first of the hounds went for the attack a wall of white flames engulfed the area forcing the summons to dispel. "The two headed hound Cerberus can not be killed with weapons, that will only cause it to multiply." the voice of Itachi Uchiha scared many of the older shinobi more than the sight of the summoned beasts.

"It's It-t-tachi U-chiha!" one kunoichi shouted in fear, this was a man who killed off the entire population of one of the villages most prominent ninja clans in a single night. What chance did they possibly have against someone like him.

Itachi didn't take the fear to heart, he had assumed that his greeting would be far more hostile than for the other Yoinokuchi ninja. "I am here to help, I hold no ill will towards Konoha. Now if you will excuse me, I need to remove these pests summoned by the Animal path." He spoke smoothly as if unaffected by all the death and suffering around him. Before the Konoha shinobi could respond Itachi was gone rapidly jumping across rooftops and rubble alike.

(**With Pein**)

Tsunade was puffed, it had been a long time since she had to fight seriously, and sitting behind a desk drinking Saki all day every day can really dull your senses. However it was not for that reason alone that she, Hiruzen and Kakashi were in their current situation. Pein was really something else, when ever they managed to defeat one or two bodies his Deva path would step forward and blast them both away. Then the numbers game came into effect. Deva path would sit back and let his other paths fight until his jutsu had recovered. Then by that time the paths that the current and former Hokage had defeated were back standing again. "I'm going to need some time off after this." the Godaime Hokage said panting heavily.

"That's why I retired the first time." Hiruzen chuckled before grabbing his side in pain. There were only so many times you can be sent propelled backwards by an immense gravitational force before you start to feel it. Unlike Tsunade, Hiruzen didn't have the medical knowledge to heal instantly either.

"You have fought well, but let's end this game shall we, I have a new opponent on the way." Deva path spoke slowly raising an arm.

Both Tsunade and Hiruzen tensed. The Sandaime knew that while Tsunade was fighting she couldn't keep him and Kakashi alive with Katsuyu should Pein blast them with another Shinra Tensei as powerful as that again. "You're opponent is me! Nobody else!" Tsunade roared in anger.

Deva path looked completely bored with Tsunade's declaration although he had to admit the busty hokage had far more fight in her than Hanzou did in the end. "I have no interest in you anymore, this ends now. Bansho Ten'in." Tsunade flew uncontrolled towards Pein and could do nothing as Asura path stepped forward and extended his serrated blade tail and impaled Tsunade in the stomach. Her arms fell limply at her sides and her head hung to the floor. That was until she clenched her fists and brought them down upon the robotic path shattering it into a pile of rubble on the floor. Slowly she removed the blade from her gut and revealed unblemished skin. "Interesting. So that's how you survived the attack before." Deva path mused. Tsunade was about to open her mouth but soon found herself pined to the ground with black chakra rods. She struggled to stand but Peins chakra prevented her from focusing her strength, she couldn't move at all.

"Tsunade-Hime!" Hiruzen yelled taking a few steps forward.

"Stop or she dies." Pein said causing the old Sarutobi to freeze in his spot. He remembered the jutsu Naruto had used all those years ago to defeat Orochimaru's Edo Tensei. '_Not even Tsunade-Hime can survive having her soul removed_.' he thought in defeat. "What do you want?" he asked weakly.

All of Pein's bodies laughed in the same monotone voice. "For you to die." Deva path finished and a long black chakra rod shot out of his cloak propelled by a gravity jutsu.

Hiruzen attempted to get out of the way but the distance between the pair was so short and his reactions were dulled from age and fatigue that Pein's chakra receiver pierced his shoulder knocking the old man to the ground too.

Three of the Paths began to walk slowly towards Hiruzen as he and Enma struggled to remove the spear from his body. Their walk was halted however as Kakashi stood up between them to protect the Sandaime. Lightning sparked around his hand and his sharingan was exposed. "Looks like I have found my second wind." he lied convincingly, the jutsu was just for show, if he actually used it he had little doubt that he would wind up in a coma for days. Fortunately however he didn't have to. Naruto and Jiraiya jumped over a large building at the same time, Naruto's momentum propelled him to kick human path far away from Tsunade. "Naruto." Kakashi sighed in relief that help had arrived. "You're late." he chuckled.

Naruto was glaring at Pein but couldn't help have small dig at Kakashi for commenting on anyone's tardiness. "Well I guess I was just lost on the road of life." he said with a smirk not taking his eyes off of Pein. "Jiraiya-sensei, take care of Tsunade-Baachan and Jiji, leave Pein to me!"

**End Chapter!**

**Ain't I a bastard, another cliffhanger. I'm sorry just didn't want to start a fight between Pein and Naruto half way through a chapter, again sorry. But at least I got my computer back and you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter.**

**As a celebration for reaching 100 chapters of Nightfall I wrote the first chapter of a new story 'A Price for Peace' which i will release at the same time as this chapter. **

**Poor Kage in the last chapters, looks like Tsunade is going to kick it even if she saves the others. With that said they are basically suggesting that Naruto is going to be stronger than the five Kage combined but on that note how can Naruto actually defeat Madara if he can't seal him?**

**Man I think I'm starting to remember why I started writing Fics rather than reading them, So much Yaoi. They need a filter for that shit. Every second fic is Naruto x Sasuke, why do people like him? He has to be the worst character since Mr Satan in DBZ, but at least he got humbly humiliated on a weekly basis. Then if it's not Yaoi it's Naruto Hinata, all following the same basic relationship where somehow Hinata becomes confident or a pervert. Nothing against Naruto Hinata as I would prefer her to end up with Naruto than Sakura but I tire of reading it over and over again. (_If you can't tell I spent the week without my computer reading fics on my Ipad._)**


	101. The Battle of the Burning Leaf

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 101: The Battle of the Burning Leaf**

"Hey Naruto don't be stupid, we will fight him together!" Jiraiya yelled.

Naruto shook his head, the wind flowing through his hair as he removed his Yoinokuchi cloak. "We can't he has reinforcements on the way, you will need to fight her. But before she arrives take Baa-chan and Jiji somewhere safe. You have a few minutes, she's being held up by some Konoha shinobi." Naruto replied calmly. All throughout the exchange Naruto had not taken his eyes off of the four shinobi standing in front of him.

Jiraiya thought about pulling rank and telling Naruto to let him handle Pein but he knew Naruto had a far better chance than he had of winning in a one on one against all of the paths. "Fine, but you better win." he said before going to check on Tsunade.

The Godaime Hokage let out a gasp of pain as Jiraiya removed the first of the chakra receivers "You pinned her to the ground, how cruel. Konoha had nothing to do with this, you wanted the Bijuu, Konoha had none!" Naruto yelled.

"You brought this upon them. While Konoha stood they acted as a shield that you could use as you saw fit. The deaths today are on your hands, surrender peacefully and we will allow the remaining souls to live." Deva path said.

"Naruto, take Katsuyu, I can still help you if you get injured." Tsunade said spitting out some blood.

Naruto nodded accepting a small slug that crawled up his arm and into his Yoinokuchi robes. He then turned back to face Pein a small scowl on his face. "I got a better deal Nagato, I'm going to defeat you and then crush the rest of the Akatsuki!" the blond yelled activating his Fuuton Raiton combination armor.

Deva paths eye's widened at the young jinchuuriki's declaration. '_He knows who I am! How is that possible? Unless... Orochimaru knew more than I gave him credit for... The boy looks different from the last time we met. He isn't even attempting to enter his Sage Mode_.' Pein thought.

In the blink of an eye Naruto had crossed the distance between himeself and Pein his fist made contact with Deva path's face sendinging him flying backwards, unfortunately without Sage Mode he lacked the physical strength to kill with one hit.

Pein's other paths eyes widened in surprise at Naruto's speed. As Deva path picked himself up from the ground. "Interesting, you are much faster than last time we met." he said calmly.

"Well you didn't think I wouldn't improve did you?" Naruto replied.

At once all of Nagato's standing paths surrounded the blond. Human path went first drawing a chakra rod in an attempt to stab the blond from behind. Naruto spun on the spot and struck with a back hand that parried the blow before bringing his knee up into the stomach of the Human path. Seeing the blond off balance the others all moved together. Naruto parried the first strike with his free hand and bent out of the way of the second but could do nothing to prevent the third, a kick to his side that sent him tumbling.

Human path had recovered from the blow and returned to his place in Pein's formation. '_Even with my speed using Raiton, Fuuton and Gravity Manipulation together, he still has an advantage at close range. Still while we are in an open area. This technique will be more effective than Sage Mode, I'll need it to target time limit on Shinra Tensei. After all if I can isolate the paths one on one, only Deva path could hope to compete with my speed_.' the blond thought.

Naruto is forced to roll out of the way as several explosive projectiles fly at him from behind. Quickly spinning to face the newly reconstructed Asura path Naruto momentarily disables his elemental combination technique in order to cast a powerful Fuuton jutsu. Predictably Preta path covered the space in time to absorb the jutsu. But that was what Naruto was hoping for. Turning to the others the young blond sent another powerful wave of air towards the other three paths.

"Shinra Tensei!" Deva path said calmly to swat the blonds jutsu away. No sooner had he the jutsu died down however than human path was struck in the chest by the blond, pinning him to the ground. Fuuton and Raiton chakra was once more coursing through his body enhancing his speed.

'I don't have enough strength in this form to finish him with a single blow. Maybe I shouldn't have let Akimi-chan borrow my sword. Looks like I have no other choice.' he sighed once more letting his technique end. "Rasengan!" he spoke a second later as he drove the spiraling ball of energy into the Human paths chest.

Before the blond could stand he was set upon by the other paths. A kick to the ribs sent the blond tumbling and he was forced to push off high into the air with his arms to avoid a devastating kick that shattered the ground from Deva path Naruto assumed was powered by a gravitational force. Animal path then delivered a kick to Naruto's chest that the blond cushioned with his arms. Finally Asura path was wating with two of his arms replaced with long blades ready to impale the blond.

Naruto was quick to sense the danger and created a clone to pull him out of the way at the last second. 'He's not messing around and I don't think my extra speed is going to cut it, I need Sage Mode, but Jiraiya-sensei will need the toads, looks like I am going to have to use clones to get this done. Well I need to find Naraka path before I can even hope to win this fight anyway so may as well send out a search team.' he thought creating six clones that scattered in every direction while Naruto jumped forward determined to keep Pein busy while he gathered Senjutsu.

(**Meanwhile**)

Fuu landed in a secluded area of forest and lowered her Bijuu cloak, her entire body was in pain, she had never lost control like that before and she was paying for it now. Without her Bijuu cloak she could barely move. She fell to her knees after only two steps and crawled over to a tree breathing heavily. '_It's only a matter of time before he finds me here, if only I could still fight_.' she thought weakly.

Unfortunately for the green haired jinchuuriki Hiruko was an adept sensory ninja and it did not take long for the white haired man to step out behind a tree and smirk in his heavily cracked skin. "You cannot escape now."

Fuu didn't answer, there was no point. Closing her eyes she thought back to all of the fun times she'd had, since escaping Taki with Naruto and Jiraiya. She would miss everyone even Akimi, their parting had not gone well, but she was truly sorry for how she overreacted now. '_I wish I could have __apologized, you made me stronger, just knowing I had a rival forced me to push myself harder than I thought was ever possible, I never should have ended our friendship over something that seems so trivial now._' she thought, he eyes began to moisten but no tears escaped her as she felt Hiruko's bandages slowly wrap around her legs tightly.

Fuu could not fight as Hiruko's bandages continued to bind her to prevent the jinchuuriki from escaping again. All she could do was close her eyes and silently beg for someone to save her. By the time her arms were bound to her side she had given up hope, but that was exactly when she felt her bindings loosen. "There is no way I'm letting you take Fuu you decrepit old man!" Fuu recognized this voice immediately, her eyes shot open to see Akimi standing over her with sword in hand the bandages between them were cut clean through.

'_It can't be! I must be dreaming_.' the Nanabi jinchuuriki sighed not willing to believe her eyes.

"You don't seem overly happy to be rescued Fuu-chan." Haku said as she arrived, landing beside the fallen kunoichi.

"Haku? So I'm not just dreaming, you really are here?" Fuu asked her hope slightly rising.

"Damn right we are. Do you think I will let you get captured without paying you back for that beating you gave me."Akimi replied with a smirk.

Fuu couldn't help but smile knowing that even should Akimi and Haku lose she knew she wasn't alone. "Don't lose to this guy. Akimi-chan. I'm so sorry, I knew you loved Naruto-kun I had no right to say you stole him." she said, a single tear escaped her eyes in sadness.

"Don't cry, I'm still far to mad at you to be forgiving just yet." Akimi said before disappearing in a blur. A kick directed at Hiruko's head was blocked with ease by the white haired Akatsuki shinobi. In response Hiruko spun and kicked Akimi to the side, she spun to land on her feet off the side of a tree. In one swift movement Akimi kicked off the tree and slammed her fist into Hiruko's chest, the extra momentum from the kunoichi sent Hiruko crashing right through a nearby tree that came down upon him.

As the tree fell Hiruko transformed his into Iron, breaking the tree with a simple punch preventing himself from being crushed. Whilst still laying on the ground from Akimi's attack, his whip like bandages ripped up the ground and tore towards the swift release kunoichi.

Akimi moved quickly, sliding Naruto's sword from he back and sliced through the Akatsuki ninja's attack with ease, constantly shortening Hiruko's bandages that grew again to replace the length cut short by the kunoichi. Knowing that she couldn't just continue to deflect the former Konoha ninjas attack the Yoinokuchi shinobi shot forward as fast as she could surprising Hiruko with her pace, but as she brought the blade down to cleave Hiruko in two the Akatsuki ninja rolled out of the way and moved to keep himself at a distance from Akimi.

After racing through a set of hand seals Hiruko created a thick black cloud that had lightning, rain and heavy winds roaring around the cloud before it shot towards Akimi in an instant.

"Hyoton: Ice Mirror Shield!" Haku yelled from behind the Akimi as a large sheet of ice instantly grew protecting the swift release kunoichi from Hiruko's storm. Hiruko paused for a moment admiring a new Kekkei Genkai that short pause almost proved costly as a hail of senbon made of ice rocketed from the ice wall as it dissolved.

Hiruko used a tree to block Haku's attack then was forced to duck as Akimi brought Naruto's blade right through the thick tree trunk.

Hiruko didn't want to admit it but he was rather tired, fighting two fresh and very capable kunoichi with great teamwork was going to be a tough ask. He could no longer count on his speed as Akimi matched him easily and the more powerful jutsu he used the slower and slacker he became. 'I'll need to fight this at close range and use my power rather than speed with steel release I am far stronger than both of them.' he decided before jumping forward determined to get in close to Akimi.

Akimi readied the sword in her hand and brought it down to strike just as Hiruko came within range. Hiruko smirked heavily transforming his arm into iron to block the strike but his smirk quickly turned to a look of horror as the blade slid through his arm like it wasn't even there.

A silent scream escaped Hiruko's lips as he looked down at the stump of his arm. "Impossible,nothing can cut through my Steel Release!" he yelped, gripping the stump of his arm.

'_Wow! Just wow, this sword is amazing! I really don't want to give it back now_.' Akimi thought. She was amazed at how easily the sword cut through Hiruko's arm. Even with Fuuton chakra racing through the blade she never in her wildest dreams thought that the blade would be so effective. '_I really shouldn't be surprised if it was made with the Rinnegan, so it was always going to be far from ordinary_.'

Missing half an arm Hiruko jumped away from the dangerous blade, forming one handed seals and silently cursing Akimi. He finished his seals before breathing out a powerful gust of wind but his target was already gone before his jutsu made it half way towards Akimi. '_Damn I don't have enough control when I only use single handed seals. I need to retreat or else I am done for._' Hiruko thought desperately, scanning the area for signs of Akimi only to come up empty.

Hiruko was about to turn to leave when he found his path blocked by a large sheet of ice. He changed direction only to find his path once more blocked. "Going somewhere?" Haku asked her form appearing within the ice.

"I never took the Akatsuki for cowards." Akimi said walking out from behind nearby tree.

'_I'm trapped, these two wouldn't stand a chance if it wasn't for that damn sword the fast one has._' Hiruko thought angrily. "A tactical retreat is not cowardice." Hiruko yelled before turning towards a small gap in Haku's ice.

The large sheets of ice rotated to block Hiruko's escape. In response the Akatsuki ninja changed his remaining arm into metal and crashed into the ice. The ice cracked heavily but it didn't shatter under the force of Hiruko's attack stunning the akatsuki ninja. "Nice try but it's over!" Akimi yelled from behind Hiruko. Hiruko turned in an instant just fast enough to see the flash of a blade as the metal kissed the skin of his neck.

(**At The Same Time**)

Throughout the village the various Akatsuki shinobi were all being pressed back hard by the Yoinokuchi, Gaara's sand was more than keeping Deidara on the run suppressing his clay the moment he would strike, while Konoha shinobi below were helping with long range jutsu and kunai. Itachi meanwhile was darting from section to section of the village removing the summons still terrorizing the population, many were surprised, if not frightened to see one of Konoha's most notorious criminals coming to their rescue.

Zabuza was by far doing it the toughest, even with the help of an increasing number of Konoha shinobi Kisame was not one of the strongest in the Akatsuki for nothing. In Kenjutsu the two former Kiri shinobi were even, matching each others moves perfectly. The difference was Kisame's amazing chakra reserves and Samehada. Any injury the Monster of Kiri received his great sword would heal and any jutsu attempted by Zabuza or the surrounding Konoha shinobi would be quickly absorbed.

Jiraiya had taken Tsunade, Hiruzen to a safe location far from where Naruto and Pein were currently fighting and returned just as a swirl of paper butterflies arrived in the clearing. "Hello Jiraiya-sensei, it is good to see you again." the paper said before Konan appeared with a sad smile.

"Konan, it really is you. I didn't want to believe that my students could do something so horrible as this." Jiraiya spoke readying himself for an attack.

"Things change Jiraiya-sensei, you do not know what we have been through." Konan replied.

"Nothing can justify what you have done, I don't want to have to do this but if I must I will kill you to protect this village and Naruto!" Jiraiya said a determined glare gracing his face to show just how serious he was.

"That is a shame because I will do the same for Pein-sama." Konan retorted before creating a large number of paper shuriken that spread out in the air before soaring towards Jiraiya intent on ending the lift of the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya was not one of the strongest ninja in his generation for nothing however. "Needle Jizo" he said calmly. Jiraiya's hair extended wrapping around his body like a shield, Konan's paper shuriken simply bounced off his protective dome. Jiraiya's hair spiked out and thousands of senbon needles made from his hair flew at the paper wielding kunoichi.

Konan had been well aware of Jiraiya's hair jutsu, she used the same principle of chakra control for her paper jutsu, the difference was Jiraiya had far more experience and his constant training with Naruto and Itachi had made him faster and stronger than he had been when he taught her all those years ago. She created a dome of paper around her to protect from Jiraiya's attack which proved successful but when the dome dropped her old sensei was now nowhere to be seen.'_Where is he, this part of the village has been leveled by Pein-sama, there is nowhere for Jiraiya-sensei to hide_.' she thought.

Unfortunately for the paper wielding kunoichi she thought wrong. Jiraiya was hiding in plain sight, or to be more accurate within the kunoichi's shadow. Konan could not detect him until a large ball of flames shot fourth from the Yoinokuchi leaders mouth. Konan moved as fast as she could to escape the jutsu but was unable to escape unscathed. A large section of her body was ablaze with flames showing Jiraiya that she was made completely with paper. "So a paper clone, self replicating paper to keep your structure and fight at a level higher than most jounin. Impressive Konan you have really improved." Jiraiya complimented.

'_He saw through my jutsu so easily, what was I expecting, this is Jiraiya-sensei after all_.' Konan thought as she used her chakra to put out the fire that was still burning her paper body away. "You caught me Jiraiya-sensei, as I am I could not hope to defeat you, but I will have to stop you long enough for Pein-sama to finish with your new pupil."

Jiraiya began to chuckle in response to Konan's omission. "The Gaki can more than take care of himself, just wait and see. If Naruto says he will win, then Naruto will win." Jiraiya said showing the faith he had in his youngest student.

As if on cue three of Pein's paths crashed into the ground behind Konan and the others were nowhere in sight as the first of Naruto's clones dispersed and the blond entered Sage Mode. Naruto opened his eyes to reveal his golden Rinnegan with small bar like pupils before forming a rasengan in each and and kicking off in a blur.

Animal path was his first target, the rasengan ripped right through his body before tossing it against the ground which cracked from the power behind the jutsu. Naruto kicked off the dead body of Animal path and took off towards the closest border of the village.

Pein's paths eyes widened once they realized what Naruto was doing. '_He took out animal path so we could not summon so that means his target is... Naraka path!_'

Naruto sped through the village propelling each step with Senjutsu chakra and Gravity manipulation to push himself as quickly as possible ignoring the four other paths trying to keep up with him, only Deva path was able to stay within shouting range but as Nagato had to divide his chakra between six bodies he was never going to catch his young rival.

Pein couldn't understand how Naruto had found the body he had hiding within the village, his clones had not come close to Naraka path for some time. But that was the beauty of Senjutsu, the perspective awareness it grants the wielder was more accurate than most highly trained sensory ninja. So Naruto's clones that had spread out to gather senjutsu had picked up on the hidden chakra signature with ease and when the clone dispersed containing the Senjutsu for his Sage Mode, Naruto was given Naraka paths exact location.

The blond hurdled over a building that was still in one piece and saw Naraka path. Pein had assumed, and quite rightly that if Naruto had located his hidden body then he would have some form of plan preventing him from running. This was true Naruto's clones had moved to circle the area should the path attempt to flee.

Knowing that running wasn't an option, and with Animal path out of commission unable to summon his body elsewhere, Pein was forced to go on the offensive. Naraka path jumped forward ready to stall Naruto until his other paths arrived leading with a fist to keep the blond at arms reach. When Naruto came within range however he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Pein's eyes widened then then through the smoke he could see a dull blue light, an instant later Naruto burst through the smoke caused by his clone and was slamming a small ball of spinning chakra into the mans chest. "Rasengan!" he roared happy that this nuisance was now out of the way. '_Two down for good, four to go. Each one I kill will __get stronger now, Nagato will be distributing his chakra over fewer bodies so it's too early to celebrate just yet_.'

Naruto created two clones and sent them to hide at either side of a small open area surrounded by rubble he knew that it wouldn't be long before Pein's other bodies caught up to him. He was of course right less than a minute after killing off Naraka path Deva path landed in front of the blond followed shortly after by Asura, Preta and Human paths. "Why do you fight? Your death will bring peace to this cursed world." Deva path asked.

"The only peace you will bring your way will be fake, living in fear is not peace, people would rather die free than live as slaves in constant fear. Peace can only be obtained when people truly understand each other, that is what Jiraiya-sensei taught me." Naruto declared.

"A foolish dream, there is no such thing as true peace in this world, only hatred that spirals out of control never ending those you hate those that harmed you and when you get revenge someone else will hate you for that and vow the same. All peaceful times are, are the world counting down towards another war. I can end all of that. I will create a weapon that will force hostilities to end, eventually the hatred villages hold for one another will fester to the surface and then I will strike wiping both countries off the map. Then the world will know Pain!" Deva path declared.

"And what about the innocents that were caught in the crossfire, you just kill them as well!? Don't forget that you were an orphan of a war Nagato, Jiraiya-sensei has told me all about you." Naruto replied angrily.

"There will be survivors, the pain they suffer will prevent them from taking action. We are both students of Jiraiya so we should be able to understand one another, you know of pain yet you are constantly fighting against it. That pain will make everyone understand each other through suffering." Deva path reasoned.

"That is not the right way! I won't let you harm any more innocent people. I will stop you today." Naruto's shout echoed all around the area before a bell like screech reverberated around them. One of Naruto's clones burst out from behind the rubble with a Rasenshuriken in hand tossing it as hard as he could manage towards Pein. Predictably Preta path moved to absorb the chakra but just as he started a second bell like screech filled the air and a second clone appeared this time from the opposite side.

Naruto's Sage Mode ended as the second Rasenshuriken was thrown but another clone dispelled and the markings around his eyes returned. Deva path was forced to repel Naruto's completed Rasengan with a Shinra Tensei giving the blond the opening he needed. Charging forward Naruto went straight for Deva path knowing he was the most dangerous in a one on one situation. Pein obviously knew this as well and Asura path moved in between the two forcing Naruto to change his target. Pein wisely sacrificed Human path the least useful in a fight by having him intercept Naruto's charge.

Naruto ducked under Human paths fist and threw a punch of his own that Human path narrowly avoided. Unfortunately as Pein knew a near miss is not good enough against a Sage and the Frog Kumite. The extra range of Naruto's attack expanded outwards crashing into Human paths ribs shattering them with the force behind his attack. With two other paths gone this was not enough to finish human path off however and despite stumbling badly Pein managed to land a strong kick into Naruto's side.

Naruto fell backwards from the force but managed to grab Human paths leg at the last moment. As he hit the floor Naruto used one arm to kip up and into a two footed kick that directly impacted Human paths face. There was no doubt this time that the body had been finished. His neck snapped from the force behind Naruto's attack and he lay limp and useless on the floor as Naruto landed one foot still firmly placed atop his head. "Three down."

Three rockets shot towards Naruto from Asura path, the blond shinobi rolled out of the way leading Pein's attack to eliminate his defeated body. Asura path continued to fire rockets at the blond who dodged expertly, ducking and weaving through rubble to block each attack. "You can't run forever." Pein declared as more rockets fired at the blond.

"You're right!" Naruto yelled as he vaulted over a collapsed wooden building just in time to avoid a rather large explosion. Three clones landed behind Pein, two of which were taking a deep breath. "Sage Art: Explosive Air!" both clones breathed out, immense air pressure from one and flames from the other. The two jutsu combined and the jutsu tripled in size and power. The third clone meanwhile used the flames as cover to leap high into the air.

'_Clones, but when?_' Pein wondered as the flames rapidly approached. Then he remembered the six clones Naruto had sent out to search for his Naraka path. '_He didn't dispel them all, a trap?_' he mused as Preta path began absorbing the flames that now completely surrounded the trio.

The moment the flames died down Naruto's remaining clone fell from the sky rasengan in each hand. "Four Down!" he shouted as he crashed onto Asura path shattering the mechanical path into a thousand pieces. "Rasengan Barrage!"

Naruto then formed a massive ball of fire above his head. "Katon: Rasenbomb!" he yelled tossing the ball of spiraling flames as hard as he could manage.

Pein would not make the same mistake again, Naruto's jutsu may have been feeding his own chakra supply but the last two times he had absorbed a jutsu it had cost him one of his paths, something Nagato was not going to allow to happen again. "Shinra Tensei!" the gravitational push extended out crushing all three of Naruto's newly arrived clones and even throwing Naruto's real body back a ways.

The blonds sage mode faded once more before being replaced immediately. '_That was my last clone, but it should be enough, if I get desperate I can always make more for another round of Sage Mode._' he thought standing up from Pein's attack.

"You are tough, but you are still only one mistake away from defeat." Pein said calmly, as his paths diminished in number they increased in strength and speed to the point where they would be able to withstand Naruto's Senjutsu enhanced taijutsu strikes. But his jutsu were a different story, the sheer destructive force of his elemental Rasengan were at a level that nothing could hope to survive. That said while they were fighting in long range attacks Naruto and Nagato were in a stalemate. They could absorb or repel anything the other threw at them.

Naruto knew this as well, and knew that at close range he would not be able to rely solely on the Frog Kumite to overpower Nagato's remaining paths. Still he knew that while in sage mode he still had far more physical strength than either of the two remaining bodies so he decided that he would go for a close range attack.

Naruto crossed the distance to Pein in two bounds, Nagato was ready however and as Naruto's fist came in to strike he erected a strong barrier of gravity to slow his movements allowing Deva and Preta path to both narrowly avoid the blow, the force of which still caused their hair to sway as if in a breeze despite Naruto not hitting a surface.

"The powers of a Sage are indeed formidable, but for how much longer can you fight in that state?" Deva path questioned calmly yet silently admiring the skills of his fellow disciple.

"As long as I need." Naruto answered while moving in for another attack. Once more Deva path created a barrier of high gravity to slow Naruto's attack allowing him to move out of the way. This time however Pein used this as an opening and both paths withdrew long chakra rods and attempted to impale the jinchuuriki.

Naruto had to act fast and with a silent Shinra Tensei tossed both bodies in either direction. '_Now's my chance!_' Naruto realized.

Deva path kipped up to stare at Naruto who had a Rasenshuriken spinning in each hand. "Sage Art: Rasenshuriken Barrage!" Naruto yelled before tossing one jutsu at each path.

"Foolish." Deva path declared swatting Naruto's jutsu away with ease with a Shinra Tensei. While on the other side Asura path prepared to absorb the jutsu facing him. That was until at the last second the jutsu disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing a clone his arm cocked back.

Preta path could do nothing to dodge and the clone slammed it's fist into the center of his face exerting all the power Naruto had given the clone. Deva paths eyes widened realizing that Naruto had tricked him once again but then he had bigger problems to deal with. Naruto had created another Rasenshuriken and tossed it at the exact same moment as his clone appeared. 'I need to beat the time limit come on!' Naruto begged.

Deva path was also sweating he knew that he would not be able to escape the blast radius of his jutsu and he still had a few seconds to go. Three, Naruto released his Rasenshuriken. Two, the jutsu easily passed the halfway mark causing Deva path to begin backing up. One, Deva path found his back against a wall as he began to see the immense chakra ball in detail as it came within a foot of his arm. Zero. "Shinra Tensei!" the jutsu stopped less than an inch from his chest and was pushed away slowly losing power as it dispersed. "Clever, but not quite." he said while Naruto was feeling the last traces of Sage Mode leave his body.

"Yeah you're tough that's for sure." Naruto replied silently cursing his luck, a millisecond later and the last path would have been finished.

"You're no longer in Sage Mode it seems, are you out of energy?" Deva path guessed, his face was calm but inside he couldn't help but be hopeful, nobody had ever pushed him this far in his life.

"You wish, but I don't need to use Senjutsu now, I can win this as I am." Naruto declared confidently.

"Then lets see if your peace can outlast my pain." Nagato replied.

**End Chapter.**

**I don't normally like finishing a chapter in the middle of a fight, but I still have quite a few other fights to give some time to and well, I don't want to risk ruining this arc by putting everything into one chapter then blowing it. So it's a little selfish on my part sorry. **

**The fight between Akimi and Hiruko seemed a little rushed in my opinion but I think Hiruko was someone that saw himself as almost invincible and that overconfidence came back to haunt him. For that reason I felt that a simple miss calculation on Hiruko's part rather than an amazing jutsu from Haku and Akimi seemed the most plausible way to finish the fight allowing me to focus more of my time on Naruto vs Pein.**

**The Cannon seems to be following the same concept of a simple point made long. the last three chapters since naruto broke the mask could have been easily compressed into one without damaging the story. All we saw was that madara saved Obito by fusing him with Zetsu and he was walking around like some medical patient that just refuses to die... just like all the people who really deserve it... I believe I've said this before but, maybe he's thinking of changing the name to Uchiha, it would be more accurate with the latest chapters, but then I guess less people would read I know I wouldn't.**

**To put it into perspective when I started this fic Naruto had control of Kyuubi's chakra and had left to join the war. Now a full year later, nothing has happened. Also the writing quality seems to have become almost lazy, like that chapter of flashbacking Obito's time in Konoha... no Dialogue, I felt cheated and not just because Tobi ended up being Obito. He basically just rehashed the Kakashigaiden but without talking or anything of any interest.**

****Gah I seem to be bitching about the Cannon a lot lately, I guess I'm just getting sick of waiting for something to happen only to be fed what feels almost as bad as the one hundred episodes filler the Anime tried to stuff down everyone's face.** **


	102. Naruto vs Nagato, an Uzumaki Duel

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 102: Naruto vs Nagato an Uzumaki Duel**

Itachi had been assisting a group of chunin defeat a large Chameleon that was perfectly camouflaged when Naruto had defeated Animal path, effectively dispelling all of Pein's summons. Since then he had been helping get the injured of the village to safety, several times he had felt Naruto's chakra flare and the heard unmistakable sounds of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki's elemental Rasengan being formed.

Itachi landed in front of a dark tunnel that had long been used for evacuating in an emergency, he was carrying an unconscious Konoha jounin over his right shoulder. When he landed he found himself almost immediately surrounded by a group of Anbu. '_Well I knew this was not going to go completely smoothly._' he thought with a small sigh.

"Itachi Uchiha, you are under arrest for crimes against Konoha." a hawk masked ninja said flatly.

"Konoha is being attacked by the Akatsuki, and this is the most productive thing you can do?" Itachi asked in mild surprise. He almost released a small chuckle at how ridiculous that sounded.

"Our orders were to capture the missing ninja Itachi Uchiha not confront the Akatsuki." the Anbu group proclaimed as one.

'_Tsunade-sama wouldn't send Anbu after me, and certainly not when the village was under attack. I was wondering when Root would show themselves._' "So Root Anbu. I had guessed you were all hiding underground with your master waiting to come out once the Akatsuki leave in hopes that Danzo will be the next Hokage." Itachi said flatly.

"Just come with us quietly and we won't need to use any force." the Hawk masked Anbu ordered.

"That would be difficult from your current position." Itachi replied.

"What are you talking about? We have you surrounded." the Root anbu questioned.

"Do you?" Itachi queried and suddenly the landscape changed and all four Root Anbu were tied up to a tree their hands bound to prevent the use of any jutsu.

"When?" one of them questioned as calmly as if he was asking for the time of day.

"I had you in my genjutsu the moment you started following me." Itachi answered before turning to walk away. Just as Itachi was about to jump back into the village to search for more wounded he paused and turned his neck to look back at the captured Root Anbu out of the corner of one eye "Tell your master that he will never be Hokage. Not while the will of fire still burns, he can use Shisui's eye of his all he wants but it won't do him any good." With that final warning Itachi was gone.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Pein's Deva path stared at each other, they were both standing atop separate collapsed buildings with a large open clearing between them, the wind caused their hair to sway in the breeze before both disappeared in a blur of blistering speed, meting in the center of the clearing. Their fists struck each other with force knocking them back a few steps before engaging in a taijutsu match. Nagato no longer had the advantage of multiple fields of vision, but he was also no longer forced to divide his chakra over six bodies, because of this Deva path was now faster and stronger than the other paths were combined.

Naruto dropped to sweep the leg of Deva path who saw it at the last second and vaulted back before seeing an opening and dropping a kick down from above in hopes of catching Naruto before he adjusted himself. Naruto needed two arms crossed over to stop the kick and the ground cracked and depressed beneath his feet. The blond powered back to his feet throwing Pein in the process sending him through a building.

Unfortunately that was not enough to stop Pein, thanks to the Rinnegan's ability to enhance the physical properties of it's wielder Deva path was barely scratched when he picked himself up. "It will be a real shame to have to kill you." he said walking out through the hole he made when Naruto threw him.

"Well maybe we aren't so different, I was just thinking the same thing." Naruto chuckled with a small smile on his face. He hated to admit it because of all the suffering around him but he couldn't remember having so much fun during a fight, they were evenly matched in speed and strength while Naruto wasn't in Sage Mode. "It's not too late you know, call off this attack, stop hunting the Bijuu, there is another way to find peace."

"Talking is useless, I have not seen anything in this world to make me believe what you say is true. You preach peace yet attempt to lay the same judgement upon me as I have Konoha." Deva path replied.

"Then it looks like I am just going to have to beat it into you then." the jinchuuriki smirked. He then formed a one handed seal took a deep breath in and sent a thin spear of wind at Pein who deflected it with his gravity jutsu.

In the blink of an eye they were back into a close range skirmish. Pein ducked out of the way of a Rasengan bringing his knee up into Naruto's gut who cushioned the blow by manipulating the gravity around the impact zone. The blow still forced Naruto back however and he attempted to use that backwards momentum to his advantage using the arm he missed with his Rasengan to elbow Deva path in the neck.

Pein was still a more experienced ninja however and anticipated the attack ducking out of the way. "Predictable." he smirked. Nagato couldn't quite explain it but there was something that seemed so familiar about his blond adversary. '_He certainly has Jiraiya-sensei's fighting style._' he told himself.

"Now that's not something I hear people say about me often." Naruto replied with a smirk of his own. For any spectator that didn't know any better they would assume this was a spar between two friends. Only the damage they were causing to the surrounding area betrayed just how serious both were about defeating the other.

(**Meanwhile**)

Zabuza and Kisame broke apart each holding there mammoth blades over a shoulder. Several Konoha ninja were standing behind the Yoinokuchi swordsmen looking for any opening they could find. Unfortunately for Zabuza and the Konoha shinobi Kisame was constantly being healed by Samehada so all wounds that their opponent had received would only affect the Monster of Kiri for a few seconds.

"Not bad Zabuza, I would have thought you would be out of chakra by now." Kisame chuckled.

Zabuza however did not see the funny side. He wouldn't admit it but he was starting to feel slightly fatigued, while he knew that Kisame wouldn't even be breaking a sweat. Even with all the Konoha shinobi surrounding him he was sure Kisame had them all beat for chakra capacity and power several times over. "You're laughing now, but do you really think you will be able to escape Konoha with your life? We outnumber you and your only chance of winning this is if you kill me before anyone else arrives." Zabuza declared.

"You might have a point there, maybe I should finish this quickly." Kisame mused.

"You can try, but it will not be as easy as you think." Zabuza replied.

Kisame smirked once more, and began running through hand seals. Water burst up from the ground all around them in pillars that shot high into the air causing it to appear as though it was raining. Kisame didn't stop there as he formed more seals. "Suiton: Senbon Rain." Zabuza acted on instinct moving Kubikiribocho to protect him like a shield. Several of the Konoha shinobi were not so lucky the rain ripped through their bodies like hail tearing through paper. The others found what shelter they could and waited for Kisame's jutsu to end.

That was the problem, the rain continued to fall battering the land and rubble, it was slowly eating away at the cement that was protecting the hiding Konoha shinobi. '_I need to do something quickly or they will end up in a bad way._' Zabuza thought still expertly positioning himself underneath Kubikiribocho. "Suiton: Water Barrier!" he yelled finally and in the air a thin layer of water extended growing thicker as the rain continued to fall. "You're not the only one that can absorb chakra Kisame, the more chakra that enters my water barrier the stronger it gets." Zabuza smirked.

Kisame let loose a toothy grin showing off all of the sharpened shark like teeth that he could. "Protecting the weak now are we Zabuza? That's not like you and face it, that jutsu will have almost spent you, and that precious barrier of yours doesn't protect from below."

Zabuza's eyes widened at the same moment as Kisame stomped the ground. A thin jet of water shot out of the ground at a tight angle and hit the Demon of the Mist directly in the chest sending him flying. Zabuza crashed into a thick slab of cement and fell to the the ground face first. Kubikiribocho landed a few feet ahead of the Yoinokuchi swordsman. Water fell from the sky as his jutsu ended drenching him in the process, luckily Kisame had ended his jutsu before attacking him moments earlier.

The ground Zabuza was lying on was rough, the rubble of several building lay beneath him, as he raised his head he could see his giant cleaver sword resting just over an arms reach away. He moved to stand but Kisame's jutsu had taken more out of him than he hoped. His only thought now was to get to his sword. He crawled over a ledge and fell around two feet down to the level that held Kubikiribocho. As he extended his hand towards the blade however Kisame's foot landed on the blade at the same time as he grabbed the hilt. "Is this what you want Zabuza?" Kisame asked in a mocking voice. "We didn't get to fight properly last time we met, but it seems I wasn't missing out on much." the Akatsuki ninja taunted.

The Demon of the Mist didn't answer, and sent he reply in a scowl looking up at the Akatsuki ninja. In one swift movement Zabuza yanked Kubikiribocho from under Kisame's foot throwing the shark like Akatsuki ninja off balance. Powering with all his strength to his feet Zabuza swung to remove Kisame's head.

Samehada had other ideas, and the great sword bent of it's own accord and blocked Kubikiribocho a moment before it ended the life of Kisame. The Akatsuki ninja had by that time corrected himself and with a flick of the wrist swatted Kubikiribocho asid before guiding the tip of Samehada through the stomach of the Yoinokuchi ninja. "Looks like this is then end of the so called greatest generation of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Funny I don't see what's so great about you." Kisame taunted before roughly yanking Samehada from the gut of Zabuza who's eyes were already glazing over, accepting their fate.

His eyes had obviously not informed the rest of his body of this development as Zabuza's hand reached out gripping Kisame's neck before slamming the man known as the Tailless Bijuu into the ground and began choking the life out of him. The Konoha ninja that were still watching the exchange were stunned, by all accounts Zabuza should have died instantly, but his will to keep fighting was too strong.

A look almost akin to fear washed over Kisame's face as he began to struggle the vice like grip of Zabuza, his lifeless eyes staring through Kisame as though he wasn't even there. Kisame could feel his breath escaping him and his consciousness fading when Zabuza's wrists went limp, the fight in his body gave out. '_Another couple of seconds and I was done for._' Kisame thought before kicking the lifeless body of Zabuza away and taking several large gasps of air. "I guess you really were a demon huh." the Akatsuki ninja choaked out as he made it to his feet. "Now what to do with you pests?" he asked himself turning towards the hiding Konoha ninja.

"Any idea's Shikamaru?" Choji asked hopefully Ino, Shino and Kiba were all lying unconscious behind the pair.

"It's really troublesome but unfortunately none spring to mind at this time. He's too strong to restrict with my shadow jutsu, only Naruto has a chakra level comparable. It's troublesome but all we can do is avoid his attacks for as long as we can, maybe some help will arrive."

Choji nodded slowly but a thought crossed his mind. "What about the others, they can't avoid Kisame's attacks as they are now. What if he attacks them instead of us?" the Akimichi asked.

"He won't" Shikamaru replied.

"How can you be sure?" Choji pressed.

"Because you are going to take them and leave, I'll distract Kisame as long as I can." the lazy Nara answered firmly.

"You can't do that you will die! Look what he did to Zabuza." Choji shouted.

"This is a classic no win scenario, at these times you can't think about how to win the match rather how to minimize the damage done, I stay and fight so you can take the others out of here, only you with your expansion jutsu can hope to carry everyone so it has to be me. If you don't go then we all die, I'm the sacrificial piece in this move. Now go Choji or do I have to remind you that I am the higher ranked shinobi here?" Shikamaru explained before turning toward where Kisame was standing almost inviting Shikamaru to make the first move.

"Well well walking to your death willingly, I can't fault you Konoha shinobi for bravery, even if it does border on stupidity." Kisame smirked letting Samehada rest on his shoulder.

"Well I guess we just are willing to die to protect our home. Troublesome why am I even bothering trying to explain to someone like you?" Shikamaru sighed before forming several hand seals causing his shadow to branch out into six thin lines and rise off the ground not unlike tentacles. The Nara genius then tossed a kunai to each causing the shadow to wrap around the kunai like a hand. "Choji now, get everyone out of here, I don't want to have to tell you again!" he yelled.

Choji had tears running down his cheek, he knew that his friend wouldn't be able to last long against Kisame, the jutsu he was using would probably be one of the last he could manage with what little chakra he had left. Regardless Choji had to move, his arms expanded to collect his fellow class graduates then he kicked off into a jump hoping to put as much distance between himself and Shikamaru as possible.

"Hey where do you think you're going?" Kisame smirked and began forming seals.

However Kisame was prevented from finishing his jutsu when Shikamaru's kunai wielding shadow threads all shot towards the Akatsuki ninja. Kisame managed to jump out of range in time to avoid being hit but Choji had managed to escape. "Your fight is with me." Shikamaru said with some finality.

"Kid this isn't going to be a fight, it's going to be a massacre." the Akatsuki swordsman said with a slight scowl that his prey had escaped him for the time being. At that time a scattering of sand fell to the earth as a loud explosion rocked the area. "Seems like Deidara is almost having as much fun as I am." Kisame smirked. This was not the case, Deidara was in fact becoming increasingly frustrated with Gaara, the former Suna ninja had been able to block all of his attacks even ones aimed at the village.

(**Elsewhere**)

Naruto and Deva path had stretched a trail of destruction that now left the village. They were currently in the forests outside the village walls exchanging blow for blow. While back in the village Konan was fast learning that a paper clone was never going to be enough to defeat her old sensei. Every move she attempted Jiraiya could counter, she still used the techniques and fighting style the Toad Sage had taught her after all.

'Man this final body can sure take a beating, anything short of a rasengan won't work, hell taijutsu just seems to bounce right off him.' Naruto thought landing atop a tall branch on a tree. Deva path landed a short ways ahead, his Akatsuki robe was torn in places and his right arm was now completely exposed. Despite this he seemed to be in perfect condition. "So let me see if I get this right, as long as you are pumping all your chakra into that final body it will survive, meaning I have to kill it in one shot? I guess there is no use in trying to beat down a puppet is there." the blond asked panting slightly.

"A foolish question to answer." Pein replied. While Deva path had no need to pant, Nagato was faring no better than Naruto, both Uzumaki were chakra powerhouses but Naruto had a Bijuu to supplement his chakra, Nagato was considerably older had had more time for his chakra supply to grow but Naruto's was still larger.

Naruto jumped forward rasengan in hand. Pein saw the danger and jumped from his tree branch. Away from the blond. '_He seems to be getting stronger and faster the further we move away from the village. So that means Nagato's real body is getting closer then. His chakra can travel to his chakra rods faster the shorter the distance_.' Naruto guessed as his rasengan shattered the tree Deva path had been standing on.

The blond gave chase to Nagato's final path and caught up with him at the base of small cliff, there was a large clearing meaning the only way for Pein to go was up. Forming hand seals Naruto released a powerful Suiton jutsu. "You think a long range attack will work? You are a stubborn one." Deva path questioned turning around to raise an eyebrow as the powerful jet stream of water came barreling towards him. Pein raised his arms for a Shinra Tensei when the jutsu changed course flying high above into the cliff side. "A miss?"

Naruto didn't reply and just stood still until a loud crack was heard. Looking up Pein saw a giant piece of earth twice the sive of the Hokage tower falling ready to crush him. '_Five seconds, he will need to use a Shinra Tensei to block this_.' Naruto thought as he readied himself.

Pein's eyes widened in surprise and hoisted both hands high above his head. The rock fell for a few more seconds before it stopped, levitating in mid air above Deva path. Naruto used this as an opening to charge at the preoccupied Deva path.

What Naruto hadn't expected was for Deva path to casually toss the enormous chunk of earth across the clearing directly at the blond. "Oh shit..." Naruto had to stop his charge and quickly form a seal fo Fuuton. Naruto took in a deep breath and released several waves of wind that shattered the Giant stone into several much smaller pieces. He hadn't finished there as several parts of the stone were still approaching. Extending out a hand in the direction Deva path had been standing Naruto released a Shinra Tensei of his own. "Try manipulating the gravity around all of them." Naruto said, mostly to himself.

But Deva path had gone, he was no longer at the base of the cliff. Nagato had used the cover of the giant rock to create distance between himself and Naruto climbing atop the cliff. "Let's see if you can escape this. Chibaku Tensei!" a tiny black orb formed in his palm before floating high up into the sky.

Naruto saw the orb in the sky and his eyes widened. "He wouldn't" Naruto thought out loud but moments later large sections of the forest were being torn up along with stones finally the earth. Naruto acted quickly increasing the gravity around himself but as the mini moon began to grow so did the gravitational pull. Eventually the earth around Naruto's feet began to crack and slowly lift up into the air. 'Not good, I need to stop that jutsu, but without Sage Mode I only have one jutsu that will work and after that it will take quite awhile before I can use any of my gravity jutsu again.' he thought desperately. Naruto waited a few seconds and the earth beneath his feet began to give way even more forcing Naruto to make up his mind. "Gah I have no choice."

Naruto dropped his gravity field and the ground shot up into the air slowly being drawn into the moon that was growing larger by the second. Naruto opened his palm and started to create a Rasengan mixing his normal chakra with gravitational manipulation. Naruto's rasengan appeared like a tiny white dot hovering above his palm. Pein watched the process with some interest. 'What are you planning?' he thought calmly.

A dull hum could be heard from Naruto's jutsu, even over the sound of shattering earth. "This is going to hurt! Secret Art: Rasen Tensei!" Naruto yelled and he held his arm out aiming for the giant dome and fired. The gravitational force behind the jutsu propelling it at lightning speed.

The moment Naruto's jutsu struck the miniature moon it exploded into a shockwave of gravity. It ripped the moon apart in an instant before expanding outwards. Even Naruto was unable to be spared from the force of the jutsu it stuck the blond with enough force to throw the blond crashing into the ground. All over Konoha the force of the two gravitational jutsu could be felt the force caused Konan's paper clone to scatter and even Gaara was forced to land in order to prevent his sand from being blown away. Pein was knocked hard into a wall that crumbled under the pressure of Naruto's attack but the final path managed to survive the onslaught. "What an amazing boy! To think he could have come up with a counter jutsu for Chibaku Tensei that was so powerful. He could flatten an entire village from great distances with a jutsu like that." Deva path spoke in some awe.

"Why else do you think I never use it." Pein spun around to see Naruto leaning against a tree a small amount of blood on his chin coming from the corner of his mouth. Katsuyu had reappeared on his shoulder supplying mild medical treatment, it had been the presence of the slug summon that had helped prevent the blond from suffering major injuries from his own jutsu. "This fight isn't over yet Nagato." he said in between deep breaths.

"You're tired, while I am still fine. Give up already. Or even better you can join me. Once I remove the Kyuubi from you and your companions it will be an easy task to revive you." Pein said.

Naruto smiled and shook his head. "Sorry no can do. Just because this puppet isn't fatigued doesn't mean that you aren't. But I'm done playing around with you. I don't know what happened to make you turn out this way but I'm not going to learn anything talking to this puppet, if we are going to talk we may as well talk face to face." Naruto declared before his the purple pigmentation of his Rinnegan changed becoming golden and dark red circles extended out around his eyes as he reentered Sage Mode. "I know I said I didn't need to use this, but I guess you made me eat my words." he said with a small chuckle.

"How long can you maintain your sage form this time, if you lose it it will be my win." Deva path declared.

"No it will never be your win! Sage art: Fuuton: Almighty breakthrough!" Naruto released a devastatingly powerful gust of wind from his mouth picking up the rocks and debris that had fallen from Nagato's Chibaku Tensei as it crossed the distance between the pair.

"Shinra Tensei!" Deva path spoke blocking Naruto's jutsu. The second it ended Naruto was in his face his fist pulled back ready to strike. Deva path was unable to avoid the strike but managed to cross his arms in front of his face in order to block the brunt of the damage.

Pein's final body was send flying back but managed to flip in mid air landing on his feet. Then using gravity manipulating levitated several large boulders that had fallen to earth launched them one at a time towards the blond.

Naruto's fists shattered the chunks of compressed earth like they were insignificant clumps of loosely packed dirt, all the while moving closer to his target. Once the final boulder was taken care of Naruto extended his right arm and formed a Rasenshuriken. The jutsu soared across the remaining gap between the pair until it hit an invisible wall of gravity put up by Pein. The moment the jutsu died down Pein quickly rolled to the side as Naruto descended from the sky, a rasengan in each hand. "The same trick wont work on me again." Pein declared as dust was thrown into the air from Naruto's jutsu.

The blond looked up at Pein and smirked. "Who said it was the same trick?"

the Naruto that Pein was watching burst into smoke at the same time as the real Naruto exploded out from the ground beneath Deva Paths feet a rasengan in his hand heading for the body of Yahiko's chest. It was less than half an inch away when Pein was able to push the blond back. "Shinra Tensei!"

Naruto went flying landing on his back before rolling onto his feet. "Damn I was so close!" Naruto bemoaned. '_He's not going to fall for that again, I need to do this now! Five seconds_.' Naruto kicked off towards Deva path at full speed. '_Four!_' Naruto created six clones three of them branched off ready for a staggered attack. '_Three!_' Naruto formed a large rasengan while the other three clones stood back and waited. '_Two!_' Naruto's first clone let fly with a jet of fire forcing Deva path to jump forward only to be caught by the other two clones holding him in place for Naruto's attack. "One!" Naruto took one last step the Rasengan this time aimed for Deva paths face.

"Zero! Shinra Tensei!" Naruto and the other clones all burst into smoke. "All clones? Then that means."

Naruto had switched places with his clones when he broke off from the remaining three. He then created a small stone wall to protect him and the other clones from the full force of the Shinra Tensei. "And now I'm within range!" Naruto declared as both remaining clones grabbed the blond before tossing him with all their might at Nagato's remaining path. This time Pein could not avoid the jutsu, Naruto's rasengan smashed into his chest. Naruto didn't release the jutsu, wanting to make sure that the Deva path would not be able to make it back to his feet. Not until the jutsu had ripped into the bone, as Deva path and Naruto crashed against what remained of the mountainside that had been the sight of their final confrontation, did Naruto finally let up on his rasengan. "And that's all six." Naruto sighed. Bending down and removing one of the chakra receivers from the bridge of Deva paths nose. '_All that's left now is to find you. If you're still channeling your chakra through these I should be able to find you with my Senjutsu._' Naruto realized digging the chakra rod into the palm of his hand. "Found him!"

"You know where the real body is?" Katsuyu asked speaking up for the first time.

"Yes I'm going to head there now." Naruto replied.

"You're going alone?" Katsuyu asked reproachfully.

"Yes, I still have quite a bit to talk to Nagato about." Naruto declared before standing up and taking off in the direction of his fellow Uzumaki.

(**Meanwhile**)

Samehada sliced through the final strand of Shikamaru's shadow before Kisame kicked the Nara aside. Shikamaru had put up a commendable fight, his shadow jutsu keeping the Monster of Kiri at a far enough range that meant that Kisame could not go after his friends. Nor did he allow Kisame time to form any hand seals for jutsu. Unfortunately Shikamaru did not have the stamina to keep fighting forever and as he tired the movements of his shadows slowed allowing Kisame to absorb their chakra.

"You're not bad for a kid, killing you now would almost be a shame, too bad I have a job to do!" Kisame laughed as he approached Shikamaru, who was desperately trying to get to his feet. "I would say this won't hurt a bit, but that would be a lie." he brought Samehada above his head ready to bring it down but as his arm moved the giant sword protested forcing Kisame to turn in time to see a giant ball of fire. Samehada absorbed the fireball and Kisame was not happy. "you better have a damn good reason for ruining my fun!" the Akatsuki swordsmen yelled angrily as the flames died down.

"Quite a few spring to mind, but all and none are accurate." the new arrival said cryptically.

Kisame was about to charge the new arrival when he saw his face. "I know you... You're Itachi Uchiha!"

**End Chapter! **

**Starting to wind up the Arc now. Naruto's meeting with Nagato, and Kisame vs Itachi still to come next time.**

**This Arc is nearing it's end but quite a few things still to do. Oh well my fault for making everything so complicated a guess lol. Anyway thanks for reading and it's been awhile since I've said this but as always requests and suggestions are always welcome. cheers.**


	103. The Children of Destiny

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 103: The Children of Destiny**

Naruto was tired, the fight with Pein had taken everything out of him. For that reason it was understandable that he moved rather slowly as he ascended the mountain towards where he knew Nagato was waiting.

Meanwhile throughout the village word on Naruto's victory was slowly spreading. "The final body of Pein has been defeated." Katsuyu's words cut across the open trench running through a large portion of the village where the Hokage tower once stood.

"I knew the kid could do it." Jiraiya said with a smirk. He was filled with pride of his young pupil. '_What are you going to do now Naruto? Will you kill him?_'

Konan stood half formed due to running low on paper for her clone, a look a complete disbelief on her face. '_How could Nagato lose? He has never lost a fight before_.' she thought struggling to comprehend her friend losing to a boy less than half his age.

"He's now going to confront the real Pein." Katsuyu's voice rang out again.

This time Konan was sparked into action. "I'm needed elsewhere, we will have to continue this reunion at a later date Jiraiya-sensei." the dark blue haired kunoichi from Ame spoke before her form scattered into a cloud of paper, taking off into the wind.

"No guesses where she's going. Hey Katsuyu, where is Naruto headed?" he asked.

Kakashi and Hiruzen were also highly interested in this, Tsunade on the other hand had lost consciousness after releasing her Yin seal. While she was perfectly healthy she was in a coma. "I do not know the final destination, but on our current trajectory it will be the western mountain overlooking the village. He has however requested that he confront Pein alone." Katsuyu informed the group.

"Yeah well he can't always get what he wants, Nagato isn't alone so I'm not going to let Naruto walk into a trap without backup." Jiraiya declared. The Toad Sage then took off towards the western border of the village.

Kakashi also gathered his strength and made it to his feet. "Kakashi-kun, you are not thinking of going as well are you?" Hiruzen asked.

"And you are not? I can still lend a hand." Kakashi declared. He was determined to make sure his sensei's son was safe no matter what.

The former Hokage shook his head. "You are spent and you know it, going now would just give Naruto and Jiraiya an extra body to look after. I'm injured, besides our place is here protecting our Hokage." Hiruzen replied calmly.

Kakashi paused but slowly closed his eyes in acceptance that he was unable to continue in this fight. Slowly the Copycat sat back down beside his old Hokage. Gazing out over the ruins of Konoha, several fires burnt creating a thin layer of smoke that caused the afternoon sun to make the sky glow in yellow and orange. "It's been a rather long day." Kakashi said with a weak eye smile while leaning back, his head resting against what used to be part of the Hokage tower.

"It's not over yet. Our hopes rest in Naruto now." the elderly Sarutobi sighed.

"I know, and that's why I'm not worried, he's too much like his parents to lose after coming this far." Kakashi replied fondly.

(**Meanwhile**)

"Well looks like I still have a little luck." Shikamaru sighed as he slowly hauled himself off the ground, he had just been saved for the second time that day from Kisame, who was currently glaring at the new arrival.

'_Itachi Uchiha! This is bad news, if even half of what they say about this guy is true then Zabuza was just a warm up in comparison_.' Kisame thought.

Itachi meanwhile had completely ignored the Akatsuki ninja and slowly crossed the clearing created by Fuu's Bijuudama and knelt beside Zabuza. "Rest now Zabuza." Itachi said with a small smile before laying Zabuza's lifeless body out in a more dignified manner, Kubikiribocho resting at his side. Itachi's attention then turned back to Kisame. "I take it you did this." he said referring to not only Zabuza but several of the dead Konoha shinobi littering the area.

Kisame couldn't help but smirk. "Well I can't take all the credit, most of the damage to the village was done by the Nanabi jinchuuriki. But I did gut your friend there." he laughed.

Itachi's face gave nothing away, as always it was the perfect stoic mask, his Uzugan active at the first stage. '_Fuu must have lost control in the village. I can't feel her presence now, but that can wait. First to deal with Kisame_.' he thought calculatingly.

Kisame had been waiting for Itachi to make a move since he arrived but was becoming increasingly frustrated by the Uchiha's seemingly lack of interest in fighting. "Suiton: Five Feeding Sharks!" he yelled finally unnerved by Itachi's blank stare.

The sharks slammed into Itachi who's body scattered into a murder of crows before reforming behind Kisame. The Akatsuki swordsman gripped Samehada tightly and swung hoping to tear the Uchiha in two. Itachi jumped back to avoid the strike and quickly ran through a series of hand signs. "Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu." Itachi declared.

Kisame just smirked and spat out a massive torrent of water that drenched Itachi's fireball before continuing on, Itachi however activated his Dojutsu and a wave of white flames shot from his eye instantly turning the powerful Suiton jutsu into steam.

Kisame swung Samehada and absorbed Itachi's modified Amaterasu with ease. '_His ninjutsu is powerful, as to be expected from someone with that much chakra_.' Itachi mused.

Itachi drew a Tanto from inside his Yoinokuchi robes and shot forward. Itachi was faster than Kisame and his Uzugan was every bit as skilled at predicting oponents movements as his sharingan was. So when Kisame swung his great sword at the Uchiha with such speed that Shikamaru couldn't even see it move, it was of little surprise that Itachi had saw it coming and brought his own blade up to counter. Itachi was able to use this surprise to slip inside Kisame's guard.

The former Kiri ninja kicked back with all his might to avoid having the cold steel of Itachi's blade rip open his chest and was fortunate to escape with only a light graze. '_I need to be more careful, this guy ain't playing around.; Kisame thought as Samehada healed his wounds._'

Itachi stopped his attack to register the healing capabilities of the Akatsuki ninja. But didn't drop his guard for a second. Kisame by this time had realized that perhaps fighting Itachi at close range was not his best option and in the blink of an eye tossed three kunai at the Uchiha.

The spirals in Itachi's eyes began to slowly rotate as one at a time the kunai came to a halt in mid air. '_What the hell kind of technique is that?_' Kisame questioned his face a mixture of confusion and intrigue. It turned to one of amazement a second later as while two of the kunai dropped harmlessly to the ground the third spun in the spot and flew back towards it's owner.

Kisame jumped out of the way with time to spare only to find that the small blade had changed course with him. Again Kisame moved to avoid the blade only to find the shiny metal projectile still hot on his heels.

Deciding it was time to stand his ground Kisame attempted to knock the kunai away with samehada, but the smaller blade was fast and aerodynamic turning at Itachi's will. The kunai slipped around Samehada like water running through loose fingers. Only Kisame's years of experience and situational awareness allowed the Monster of Kiri to roll out of the way. He instantly began racing through hand seals and as the kunai returned for another strike Kisame subtly positioned himself to face Itachi. '_Try to stop this._' he smirked and slammed his hands into the ground.

The earth all around them cracked open and a powerful jet of water shot out, it cleaned the kunai up at the same time as erupting from under Itachi's feet. The Uchiha however scattered into crows only to reform directly behind Kisame. "You are too slow to hit me like that." Itachi said passively. Kisame scowled and spun on the spot, Samehada ripped through Itachi who's body seemed to contort and reform around the sword. "As I said you are too slow." Itachi remarked once more from behind Kisame. Now two Itachi stood however the first slowly disappeared.

"What the!.. Oh I get it, this is a genjutsu... nice try Uchiha." Kisame said moving his arms up to dispel the genjutsu. "Kai!" he spoke trying to release the genjutsu but much to his surprise Itachi did not disappear, instead a second copy of him appeared. "Kai!" he yelled again. This time four versions of Itachi stood around him, one at each side.

"You seem a little flustered." all four Itachi's spoke simultaneously.

"Kai!" Kisame yelled once more while swinging Samehada to cut all versions of Itachi. Only to have each one scatter into hundreds of birds. His frustration grew as this time each bird became a new copy of Itachi, each one staring at him with almost lifeless eyes. Even Samehada seemed be confused despite not having any eyes the large swords was squirming around in Kisame's grasp as if desperately trying to locate the Yoinokuchi ninja.

Shikamaru could not believe his eyes, Kisame had spent the last few hours defeating every opponent who stood against him with ease now appeared to be fighting thin air while Itachi watched on safely from a distance. '_It must be a self replicating genjutsu. The more Kisame fluctuates his chakra to dispel the genjutsu the stronger they become. In all of Konoha only Kurenai-sensei can use them, and even then she has admitted she cannot perfect any. All the while Itachi was able to set this trap from a distance while fighting an S ranked ninja with nothing but a single kunai_.' the lazy Nara thought in amazement as Kisame attempted to attack an invisible Itachi.

"That's it!" Kisame roared in frustration before drawing Samehada up to his own arm and pulling across to reveal a small gash that the sword quickly began healing. His vision cleared along with all of the illusions of Itachi. "Where are you, coward!"

"Behind you. Itachi spoke calmly causing the Akatsuki ninja to spin on the spot to face where Itachi was sitting atop a large pile of rubble. "Your Kenjutsu is second to none, ninjutsu well above average due to impressive chakra supply, although your control is not up to scratch focing you to only use highly powerful jutsu. Talented, but not overly impressive taijutsu and a weakness for genjutsu."

"What are you talking about?" Kisame spat his question at the Uchiha who's calm relaxed attitude was testing his nerves.

"Isn't that obvious? I am talking about you, my jutsu was to test your abilities... I am not impressed." Itachi spoke, never letting his eyes leave Kisame's face.

'_So that was it, that was all just to test his basic strength and learn what he needed to from his opponent without any risk, Asuma-sensei said that many Konoha jounin use shadow clones for this task but a genjutsu requires far less chakra. It's easy to see why Itachi Uchiha was considered a genius._' Shikamaru thought analyzing the pair.

(**Elsewhere**)

Naruto came to a halt in a small clearance containing one rather large tree. 'He's here... Inside that tree.' Naruto observed his senjutsu chakra still flowing through his body. Naruto put his hand against the tree and discovered that it buckled beneath his hands. The blond frowned and continued to push forward until he heard a ripping noise and a small opening appeared in the tree that he discovered was mode of paper.

"So you've arrived." Nagato said in the dark as the opening became larger.

Once the opening was large enough for the blond to enter he walked inside only to freeze at what he saw. Nagato was not supposed to be much older than his father would have been but Nagato had the look of an elderly man who was wasting away, only the vivid blood red of his hair had the appearance of a young man. Thick chakra rods shot up from Nagatos back and he appeared to be sitting in a large device with legs to move. "What happened to you." Naruto gasped.

"Pain" Nagato replied.

"That seems rather vague, I know what those things on your back are, did you do this to yourself just so you could use the reanimation jutsu?" the blond Uzumaki asked. He did not know what to expect when he met the fellow Uzumaki but it was certainly not this, a cripple wallowing in his own sadness and regret. Naruto could see it on his face clear as day, Nagato held no dislike for Naruto he was doing what he truly believed was right.

"That is irrelevant, my body may be crippled but my mind works." Nagato replied before three thick chakra rods shot from the base of his walking device.

Naruto frowned and swatted Nagato's attack aside. "You lost Nagato, it's time to face that fact." he spoke slowly taking a few steps forward.

Naruto covered half the distance between himself and Nagato when a second person made their presence known, in truth Naruto had sensed her before he had entered the tree. "Stay away from Nagato!" Konan ordered moving to separate the two.

Nagato closed his eyes, he knew his friend was no match for the young jinchuuriki and did not want her harmed. "Enough Konan. He is right, I have been defeated." the cripple said with some authority.

Konan turned to her long time friend with a pleading expression. "But Nagato."

Nagato held up his hand to silence the kunoichi. "Are you going to kill me Naruto? Add to the circle of hatred that envelops this world?"

Naruto clenched his fists at his side. "I won't lie, that is something that I would like very much." he said with a slight glare at the red haired cripple.

Nagato nodded expecting this answer. "Then what is stopping you?"

"Several things, for one I want to know how anyone that was trained by Jiraiya-sensei could end up trying to kill him and ruin everything he had worked for over his life." Naruto spoke before withdrawing a small scroll. Naruto placed his hand on a seal and a file appeared. "Then there is this." he added before tossing the folder to the red head.

Nagato pulled his arms out from the machine underneath him in time to catch the folder Naruto had tossed him. His eyes widened when he read the name on the folder. "What is this!?" Nagato asked with a gasp.

"A folder I stole from Orochimaru, a few days ago... Your folder." Naruto declared.

It took Nagato a few moment to take everything in. "Then this means-."

"We are relatives from the same clan, we are both Uzumaki." Naruto said cutting Nagato off mis thought.

"How could Orochimaru have known, when I did not?" Nagato asked his face a mask with only his eyes giving away the shock he was feeling.

"Orochimaru was nothing but resourceful. He had managed to get a hold a sample of your DNA, how he got it I couldn't say, but I'm sure he would have found a way. Regardless there was enough information to tell him you were an Uzumaki and my distant relative. For all I know we could be the last two Uzumaki remaining, Jiraiya-sensei told me Uzu was destroyed, and the Uzumaki clan scattered along with it." Naruto answered.

"This does not change anything, we killed many people in Konoha today. What will you do about it?" Nagato asked.

"This!" Naruto yelled. Before Nagato could move Naruto crossed the remaining gap between the pain his hand slamming into Nagato's forehead. "Human Path!"

Nagato gasped, he felt his soul attach to Naruto's hand what he didn't expect was Naruto to grab Nagato's hand and place it on his own forehead. Suddenly Nagato's vision was changed, he was now watching as a young five year old Naruto sat alone in the park as parents ushered their children away from him leaving the boy with nothing but harsh glares.

The scene changed this time a six year old Naruto was kicked out of store and when he went to ask why the owner slammed the door claiming they were closing. Large groups of people were laughing at the boys plight.

For Nagato this seemed all too familiar to his own story which he had little doubt at this point Naruto was witnessing. '_We're exchanging memory's_' he realized. The difference he noticed was Nagato had never felt so alone and unloved as he did inside Naruto's memory's.

Again a scene change, Naruto being saved by a drunk attacker by a masked Anbu before a Hyuuga arrived knocking him unconscious. The next scene was Naruto being found in the forest by his adoptive family. Nagato marveled at the unbridled joy the boy felt that he finally had a family. That joy was soon gone however as a scene that seemed eerily familiar to his own experience shone before his eyes. Kumo ninja killing his family and his eyes awakening the Rinnegan. '_We're so alike, but after all this how can he not hate Konoha?_' Nagato thought. As if on cue the form of Jiraiya appeared finding Naruto barely alive. The next section ran through quickly, Jiraiya teaching Naruto that hatred was not the way, and Jiraiya telling the young impressionable boy that he believed that people should be able to understand one another and how he wrote books in hope that they would one day change the world.

Naruto for his part was watching as Nagato's life played out in key scenes. The death of his family, meeting Konan and Yahiko, finding Jiraiya. Once more all the powerful emotions they had felt ran through each of them. '_They don't give up, I can see why Jiraiya-sensei liked them_.' he thought fondly as he watched the three Ame orphans confront the Sannin in the ruins of Ame. Things moved on allowing to Naruto to see Jiraiya training the three orphans to him leaving and eventually the point where Yahiko began bringing people together to liberate Ame, the starting of the Akatsuki.

Things were going quite well for Nagato and their little group until the day they were supposed to meet with Hanzou the Salamander to discuss a peace treaty. Nagato and Yahiko arrived at the base of a small incline and found Hanzou, but he was not alone a large group of Root shinobi stood around him and along with them stood Konan being held captive. Naruto watched sickened as the leader of Ame ordered Nagato to kill his best friend or Konan would die. Understandably Nagato was frozen unsure what to do, that was until Yahiko made up his mind for Nagato. Tossing himself onto a kunai in the Uzumaki's hand.

What happened next made shocked the blond, the Root ninja attacked Nagato who did his best to avoid it, however in the end he found his legs burnt and crippled. Nagato, in a fit of anger and sorrow summoned the giant Gedo Mezo statue that instantly shot the dark chakra receivers into his back before massacring the surrounding group. '_What jutsu is this?_' Naruto wondered as he watched the statue suck soul after soul from the group eventually coming to a stop in front of Hanzo. It was only a shadow clone of the Salamander however and the leader of Ame was able to escape. Naruto could feel the rage and pain that Nagato was feeling.

The next few years of Nagato's life were dark, he spent all of his time hunting down anyone related to Hanzou and eliminating any trace that he ever existed. It was at this time that a strange man in an orange mask made his first appearance, subjectively guiding Nagato to commit more of his time and effort into removing Hanzou from power. Until when Hanzou was finally found he was all alone, Pein's six paths entered his room and the man once feared throughout the elemental nations was no more. After that Nagato's vision for Ame seemed so far from what Yahiko had dreamed of, he ruled over them in fear, anyone that spoke out was silenced immediately, for the people of Ame they had gone from one dictator to another and still had not found peace all they found was fear.

The scene changed again this time it appeared as though several years had passed. Nagato's body was in a state similar to it was now crippled and a man sat looking out into the rain. Once more it was the man in the mask. 'Who is this guy?' Naruto thought to himself as he listened to their conversation. It started out innocent enough, the man complimented Nagato on what a fine job he had done bringing order to the village.

The conversation turned then he was watching as the masked man very subtly gave directions to Nagato. "It's a shame you can't bring this type of order to the rest of the world, they live in a world of hatred that slowly devours everyone that lives in it." he said passively. Naruto however saw through the man's game, he wanted Nagato to turn his attention onto the world.

"Ame has seen enough wars." Nagato declared.

"Yes that's true, but there is always the Akatsuki." the masked man spoke.

"A small group can not hope to bring down all of the great nations." Nagato replied, he had enough of war content with keeping his country safe.

"I see your point, to do so would need a weapon of unimaginable power. The only one I can think of are the Bijuu." the masked man replied nonchalantly. He stood up slowly and turned to face Nagato, the room was dark but Naruto was sure he could see the red flash of a sharingan behind the mask.

"The Bijuu?" Nagato questioned.

"Yes each of the great nations has secret weapon meant to keep the balance so one nation doesn't attempt to take control of everything. These weapons are the Bijuu, tailed beasts I believe you know of them, six years ago one of them broke free and attacked Konoha." the masked man said smugly.

Nagato smiled he hated Konoha for what they had done to him and his families Naruto could feel that. "Without the Bijuu the world would descend into disorder then. That is unless someone stepped in to force order."

"But how would you be able to do that?" the masked man asked.

"With force, the other nations need to learn the pain of loss so they can forget their hatred of others, I would accept it." Nagato answered.

With that the scene changed, now close to the full compliment of the Akatsuki stood in a dark circular cave. "It's been awhile since we have been together like this." Sasori spoke.

"Perhaps our dear leader has some new assignments for us?" Hiruko said passively.

"I just want to go back out and start making some more money, this is a waste of time!" Kakuzu yelled impatiently.

"Kukukukukukuku, With an attitude like that it's no wonder your last partner didn't last very long Kakuzu." the smooth condescending voice of Orochimaru startled Naruto.

'_This must still be before Itachi left Konoha.' t_he blond realized a moment before Nagato made his presence known to the room.

"Quiet down." Deva path spoke stepping out into view.

"Leader-sama." the group spoke as one with varying levels of enthusiasm.

Nine folders were passed out around the group to read. "They are your targets, however it will take some time until I am ready to enact my plan, so for now I wan't you to learn everything you can about them." Nagato declared.

"You expect us to go up against Bijuu?" Sasori asked.

"That sounds like it could be some fun, so when do we get to work?" Kisame asked with a very sinister grin.

"Not for a few years yet, I wan't you to learn all you can about the targets but we also will need money for funding. Regardless we will need to be more active from now on. You know what too do." Nagato said before turning to leave.

"Aren't you forgetting something? The Bijuu cannot be killed, this is an impossible task. Even if we kill their jinchuuriki they will just reform." Hiruko questioned.

"You won't be killing them, you will be capturing them, we will create a weapon combining the power of all nine Bijuu and with it change the way of this world." Nagato said before the scene went black.

Naruto opened his eyes, while it felt like he was out for an age the sound of Konan's angered scream was enough to tell him it had only been seconds. At the same moment Nagato had opened his eyes finished going through Naruto's memories. The pair split apart and much to Konan's surprise neither had their soul removed. "We're the same in so many ways." Naruto spoke softly he couldn't help but feel for everything that Nagato had gone through. "I said we should be able to understand each other and I feel like I can understand you now." he continued.

Nagato paused for a moment, he had felt pain in the boy when they were fighting but never knew the circumstances behind it. "You know pain, yet you do nothing about it. Is that your answer, you think the world will simply stop hurting like that?" he asked.

"No pain is something that makes us who we are, but everyone feels pain, like you I used to hate the people of Konoha for how they treated me, all I wanted was them to acknowledge me, but fear makes people do things they regret. They were afraid of me because I hold the Kyuubi, so they cast me out. I was able to forgive them because I can understand them, and now after seeing your memories I can understand your pain." Naruto answered.

"Wars will be fought for many reasons, motives are of no concern. Religion, ideology, resources, land, personal grudges or just because... No matter the reason a war breads pain that passes on. Those in Konoha saw themselves as the only ones that matter, but you know now that I too have suffered pain and loss, my village, my family, my friends. Yet they preach peace as though nobody else want's it, or deserves it. You have seen my memories Naruto, now tell me do you believe Jiraiya-sensei's peace is possible?" Nagato asked.

"Yes I do, you used to believe in him as well" Naruto said firmly.

"A long time ago perhaps." Nagato replied.

"Then you have no right to call yourself jiraiya-sensei's student. "He would never teach someone who would give up like that. If there is was a problem he would tell me to work it out, if I'm in pain I was taught to fight through it, and if whenever I thought that I had enough then he would push me twice as hard through those limits!" Naruto yelled angrily before summoning a small green book. "You gave up on your dream Nagato."

Nagato's eyes widened. "That's-"

"The first book Jiraiya-sensei wrote, he hoped it would be able to change the world. But the inspiration to even try came from a single student... You. But not me, I'll never give up trying, if there is a chance that Jiraiya-sensei is right then I will find it and I will fight for it and ultimately I will take it. Nothing will stop me. Jiraiya-sensei may not be able to change the world with his books but I will, and that's why I'm not going to kill you. Instead I will forgive you. You can come back time and again to try and kill me, or you can believe in me and trust that I will find a peace for everyone including Ame." Naruto finished.

Nagato was stunned it was like looking at a mixture of himself and Yahiko, Naruto, a boy less than half his age had become the man he always wanted to be. '_Is it because he saw my memories that he can speak this way?.. No, he was like this before, even when we were fighting._' he thought. "I have lost so much, when I was young I wanted to believe in Jiraiya-sensei but in the end I failed. How can you be sure that you won't turn down the same path?"

"Because I can see what happens if I do, I won't fail, I have you and Jiraiya-sensei to follow as guidelines.

"Like parts to a book, Jiraiya-sensei was part one his story is flawless. As the second part but in comparison I am almost a complete failure." Nagato declared. Naruto looked shocked. "That means that the conclusion, the third part has to become a masterpiece so great that the failure of the second is completely outshone... I will believe in you."

Naruto smiled as Nagato finished but the smile began to falter as his fellow Uzumaki brought his hands up to his chest to form a seal. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making up for my past, the Akatsuki any I killed many people in Konoha today, allow me to rectify my error. Naruto don't forget who you are because the future holds many obstacles, death, never ending hatred and senseless violence, that is the reality of war. This, is what you must be prepared to face." Nagato answered a small trickle of blood falling from his nose.

(**Meanwhile**)

Kisame fell to the ground Itachi stood staring impassively at him. '_Ahhhhh I don't get it, why cant I hit this guy._' he fumed. Angrily. For the past couple of minutes Kisame had been almost constantly attacking the Uchiha only to have every move countered perfectly.

"You rely on your sword for all defense and your superior chakra supply for attacking it's balanced but like all techniques has it's weaknesses" Itachi lectured passively.

Shikamaru who was watching and analyzing the fight couldn't help but be impressed with Itachi, every move was perfectly thought out and timed to perfection. '_It's almost like he can see the future, he's ready to move before Kisame can even think up his attack, everything is countered perfectly. In comparison Kisame is slow and predictable despite being able to overpower Itachi, they never get into a position where power is an issue. In terms of strategy and application this is perfection_.' he said amazed.

Kisame shot forward, Samehada raised but Itachi was faster flinging several shuriken to distract the swordsmen before moving from sight. "It's time to end this Kisame." Itachi declared from behind the Akatsuki ninja.

Kisame went to retort when green jets of light began filling the sky. Both he and Itachi watched as one landed upon Zabuza and began healing his wounds. "Gah I feel like I just spent the last three days drinking with Jiraiya" Zabuza groaned slowly sitting up.

"What the hell is this!" Kisame asked slightly frightened.

"It would appear that Naruto-kun was victorious." Itachi explained with mild amusement.

"No way, the Kyuubi brat beat that freak Pein?" Kisame questioned, he knew that Naruto was tough having fought the boy himself but to be able to defeat the six bodies that were Pein was something he didn't think was possible.

"What's so surprising? I don't think that kid has ever lost a fight except to Itachi and Jiraiya. I would also guess that it's been awhile since either has been able to do that." Zabuza laughed slowly coming to his senses.

"It's good to have you back with us Zabuza." Itachi spoke with a small smile.

"It's good to be back, although I am surprised that you haven't been able to deal with Kisame yet." Zabuza said while locating his beloved cleaver sword.

"I was just about to finish him, it seems like Gaara has been unable to defeat his opponent either. That won't a problem much longer." Itachi replied.

Itachi's eyes were changing to the final stage of the Uzugan and his Susanoo had begun to form when a dark spiral appeared in the middle of the clearing. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that Itachi-kun, Kisame is still useful to me." Tobi said appearing out of thin air.

Itachi's eyes narrowed but he didn't reply. "Who the hell are you?"Zabuza questioned.

"All in good time Zabuza, this doesn't seem like the place to reveal myself. Also I am not in the mood after Nagato has betrayed me like this." Tobi said no sign of he playful personality.

Kisame seemed just as confused as Zabuza and the Konoha ninja. "Tobi, what are you doing here? You were ordered to hunt the Rokubi." he asked.

"Thigs often don't turn out as planned do they? Do you think I would miss this? I was content to watch from the sidelines, but Nagato's betrayal has forced my hand." Tobi raged quietly.

"Well what do you think that you can do to help?" Kisame inquired flatly.

"For starters this." Tobi's exposed sharingan eye morphed and Kisame was sucked in disappearing before the surrounding groups eyes.

"I don't know who you are but I wasn't finished with Kisame yet!" Zabuza yelled angrily, before tossing three kunai at the masked Akatsuki ninja.

Tobi let the three kunai phase through him. "Well I'm sure you will meet again, pehaps you might even live next time." Tobi chuckled before he disappeared in the same vortex he came from.

High up in the air Gaara was standing on a floating platform of sand, every so often another clay bird or insect would approach and his sand would expertly intercept it. The same could be said for Deidara standing on the back of a large clay bird, in the village with allies all around he could not use his C4 or C5 attacks just like Gaara could not use his strongest sand jutsu. They were restricted by circumstance making their battle quite repetitive and and even.

Deidara was frustrated but became frightened when he saw people he had killed begin to start moving again below, his attention was soon brought back to Gaara as a large hand of sand moved to crush the Iwa bomber and his flying clay companion. In a bust of speed Deidara zoomed out of the way leaving behind several clay bombs to disperse the sand in Gaara's attack.

"Hello Deidara-sempai!" came Tobi's voice from behind the Iwa bomber.

"Tobi what the hell!?" Deidara said in shock almost having his head taken off by a thin blade of sand that passed right through Tobi.

"I've come to save Deidara-sempai, this battle is lost, Pein-sama sided with the Kyuubi boy. So you need to come with me." the masked Akatsuki ninja said.

"What are you talking about. Make sense idiot!" Deidara yelled as Gaara's sand once more began to close around him.

"I'm saying that you are still useful to me now." Tobi said flatly, all joking gone from his voice. Deidara was so stunned to see Tobi act like this his voice was lost. Gaara's sand began to close over them trapping Deidara's escape due to him being far to shocked to move. That didn't matter however as Deidara was sucked into Tobi's pocket dimension before the sand clenched shut.

A moment later Tobi reappeared standing atop the sand Garra had used to attack the pair. "You saved him, who are you?" Gaara said in an expressionless drone.

"I'm getting that a lot recently, as I told Zabuza, I am not ready to reveal that information. But don't worry I am sure we will meet again after all I still need the Ichibi for my plan." Tobi waved goodbye before disappearing as quickly as he came. If Gaara was displeased by this development, he did not allow it to show on his face. Instead he simply let out a sigh and began floating on his sand back to the ruins of Konoha beneath him.

(**At that Moment**)

Naruto watched as Nagato continued to channel his chakra into reviving the people of Konoha. His hair began losing it's red pigment and became white. "I can help, stop or you're going to kill yourself." Naruto said.

"Perhaps that is for the best, allow me to do this, I have faith that you will find a way to change this world." Nagato said weakly.

A few more moments passed and then Nagato's arms fell limp at his side. "You were willing to go that far for me. Thank you Nagato." Naruto said.

"He said he believed in you, Nagato has not believed in anything but pain and sorrow for a long time, I should be the one thanking you." Konan said her eyes damp but no tears were falling.

Naruto knew she must be devastated at losing her friend. Naruto took a deep breath in before letting out a very audible sigh. "Help me get him down from that machine and remove those chakra receivers from his back." he said slowly.

Konan gave him a questioning look. "Of course but why do you want to do that, I won't let you take him to Konoha to have his body taken for show." Konan said firmly.

"I would never do that. To him or to you." Naruto said hurt by the accusation.

Konan nodded apologetically "Then why?"

"Nagato is not the only one that can revive the dead!"

**End Chapter!**

**Sorta of short changed everyone on the Deidara Gaara fight but to be honest I found it hard ****coming up with a good fight for them that didn't total the majority of the surrounding landscape, and as they were fighting over Konoha with everyone else still fighting inside it seemed like the wrong place to do something like that, sorry. Also I wanted to illustrate the difference in ability between Itachi and Kisame, maybe I over sold it but I don't think so, with one hit from Itachi's Susanoo any fight is over instantly thanks to Uchiha hacked ability number... I think it was 5 or 6 ****they have so many now I'm losing count. Meanwhile Naruto is still using the same three jutsu he learned 400 chapters ago.**

**Also I really didnt feel like retelling all of Nagato's story so I decided on a different way to make them both understand each other, they lived through the key moments of the others life, if you can't understand someone after that then you never will. Also it allowed Naruto to find out more about Tobi without having to have Minato stop him from removing the seal.**


	104. The Hero's of the Leaf

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 104: The Hero's of the Leaf**

"You're going to revive Nagato, even after everything that we have done?" Konan asked in surprise, when Naruto had asked her to help his remove the chakra rods from the elder Uzumaki's back she had assumed the worst. Thinking that Naruto was going to take Nagato's body for Konoha, she was once more preparing to fight to save her friend the embarrassment. She never thought that Naruto would forgive them to the point that he was willing to save her friend, bringing him back to life.

"Yes, in the end he let go of his hatred and saved the people of Konoha, if he can forgive them after all Konoha shinobi have done to him, then I can certainly show him the same courtesy." Naruto replied before grabbing Nagato under his arms and lifting him up from his seat before lying him down face first to remove the large black chakra rods.

"What if Nagato goes back to his old ways? You may have won this time but there is a chance that it won't happen next time if you were to fight again." Konan queried. Truly she hoped differently Nagato was once such a kind person and being forced to fight against her sensei was not something she enjoyed, nor could she ever hope to defeat him without sacrificing herself.

"Well if that happens I will just have to beat the sense back into him then. But I don't think that will be a problem now. We can understand each other, besides we're family." Naruto said confidently.

With Konan's help the pair removed all the oversized chakra receivers from Nagato's body and lay him down on his back. At that same moment Jiraiya landed outside the large paper tree. The Image of Naruto and Konan standing over the crippled and lifeless corpse of Nagato plain to see. "You killed Nagato?" Jiraiya asked as he approached the group.

"Uh not exactly Jiraiya-sensei, he sacrificed himself to revive all the people killed in Konoha by the Akatsuki. So now I'm going to repay the favor." Naruto answered.

Jiraiya paused for a moment, unsure of what to make of that piece of information. "You sure that's wise kid? I mean he is the guy hunting you and all."

Naruto nodded and formed a few hand seals. Moments later the large King of Hell statue rose beside them. The statue itself had a very human like appearance with two large Rinnegan that seemed to stare out blindly into space. "Nagato changed, he was able to forgive Konoha for what they did to him, he let go of his hatred. The least I can do is offer him a second chance. Besides I can't just let the first relative I meet die on me." Naruto chuckled slightly before the statue opened its mouth and a jet of green chakra landed on the fallen Uzumaki.

The group watched as his wounds quickly closed up and the redness returned to his hair. Finally his eyes shot open and the elder Uzumaki sat up. "Naruto, you revived me." he said weakly.

"I can't have you dying, right after I get you to believe in me now can I. I want you to help make the world we both dream of." Naruto said with a warm smile.

Nagato returned a smile of his own before attempting to stand. Unfortunately he was still exhausted from loss of chakra and his legs were not healed in the process. "It seems that I'm still a cripple." he sighed as Naruto and Konan helped him to his feet, an arm wrapped around each of their necks.

"You must have lived with those wounds for so long that they were not healed during the reviving process." Jiraiya said not nearly as relaxed as his youngest pupil was at the idea of reviving the Akatsuki leader.

Jiraiya's voice woke Nagato to the fact that they had a new arrival. "Jiraiya-sensei? How did you find us?" Nagato asked.

"You think anything can escape from the great Jiraiya-sama?" the Sannin said with a cocky smirk.

"That means that Katsuyu told him where we were." Naruto deadpanned.

Konan couldn't help but smile along with Nagato who was still very weak, alive but weak. "I'm sure Jiraiya-sensei would have found us eventually." Konan said kindly with a small smile.

Jiraiya didn't want to admit it seeing as they had been killing the people from his village just a few short hours ago but it was nice to see Konan smile again. "At least She shows me some respect." Jiraiya pouted.

"Um Jiraiya-sensei, Nagato sort of needs some chakra, I would give him some of mine, but ah I'm kinda running on fumes here." Naruto said sheepishly. "I could give him some of the Kyuubi's" he continued.

'**What a foolish boy, making an enemy stronger. I swear you Uzumaki are so damn infuriating.**' the large fox scoffed angrily.

'_I thought you were sleeping or something_.' Naruto sighed internally.

'**How can I sleep when you're destroying half the country? Besides that was the most entertainment I have had in a long time**.' Kyuubi replied.

Naruto ignored the large fox and turned back to Jiraiya and Nagato. "A small amount of Kyuubi's chakra should do the trick, one tail cloak should be enough." he said knowing it would annoy the fox to no end.

"Sorry kid. Fukusaku-sama and the great Toad Sage said you were not ready and forbade you from using it." Jiraiya said.

"Oh come on sensei, I was able to use quite a lot when I was younger, I bet my control is far better now." Naruto argued.

"Don't complain Gaki, If Nagato needs some chakra then I will give him some of mine, I still have plenty." Jiraiya said firmly.

'_They are less like sensei and student and more like a father and son._' Konan observed suppressing a small chuckle.

Jiraiya stepped forward and activated his preta path absorbing just enough chakra to keep him conscious long enough for him to find a bed. "I'm feeling much better now, thank you Naruto, still it seems like I will not have the advantage of free movement anytime soon." the elder Uzumaki sighed.

"Actually we might be able to do something about those legs of yours." Jiraiya said. '_That is if Tsunade-Hime doesn't kill him first._'

"What?" Nagato said in shock, he had long ago given up hope of walking freely again.

Naruto guessed where Jiraiya was heading and was happy to see that Jiraiya trusted his judgment enough to believe that Nagato could change. "Yeah I bet Baa-chan could heal you, she's the best Medic in the elemental nations after all. Nobody compares with Tsunade-Baachan when it comes the Medical Ninjutsu." Naruto grinned.

"Slow down Naruto it's not going to be that easy, Tsunade-Hime had to release her Yin seal and spread her chakra over a lot of people, when I left Konoha she wasn't conscious. There is no telling how long it will take for her to wake up, and even then she has a village to run... Well lets be honest, she has a village to rebuild." Jiraiya said.

"For something like this we can wait, Ame will still be standing when we return." Konan said with a happy smile. she was barely able to contain the joy at all that Naruto and Jiraiya were willing to do for her and Nagato.

"But you can't stay here. Luckily we know the perfect place, nobody will even know you're there." Naruto said thinking about the cave where they had transplanted Itachi's eyes.

"Very well lead the way, but first, can we collect the body of Yahiko, he means a lot to us." Nagato said sadly.

(**Far Outside of Konoha**)

Tobi stood on a large tree branch looking down at a very disgruntled Deidara and Kisame. "This attack was a failure, not only did we lose Hiruko, but Pein and Konan betrayed us." he fumed. He had never seen this coming, he had thought there was a possibility that Nagato would lose to the impressive young boy but did not see Nagato siding with the jinchuuriki.

"Who do you think you are, talking to us like that!" Deidara yelled angrily.

Slowly Tobi removed his mask for the others to see his face. "Mizukage-sama" Kisame gasped in recognition.

"What are you talking about Kisame, this fool was never the Mizukage." Deidara scoffed.

"He was the real Yondaime Mizukage, he was controlling Yagura for a long time." Kisame said with a satisfied smirk.

"Indeed and Yagura was not the only one. Pein was also nothing more than a subordinate pet to me. The Akatsuki has been my tool for years, Nagato was nothing but a figure head leader allowing me to remain hidden." Tobi replied returning the mask to his face.

"You expect me to believe that?" Deidara asked skeptically.

"Well you can choose either way, the remaining members of the Akatsuki are under my control, and Konan has sided with the jinchuuriki. You either follow me... or die." Tobi said, no hint of his childish playfulness evident at all.

Slowly Zetsu rose up from the same branch Tobi was standing on. "_It's done_, _**I can't get any closer without them finding me,**_ _but everyone within Konoha was revived by Nagato_." Zetsu informed the group.

"What about Nagato? Using that jutsu was supposed to be reserved for my uses. Using it like that would have killed him." Tobi questioned.

"_**Yes Nagato died**_. _Although he did not stay dead_. _**The Kyuubi boy revived him**_." Zetsu answered slightly afraid of how Tobi would react.

"Damn these Uzumaki! They are just as bad as those detestable Senju." Tobi seethed. "Where are they now?" Tobi asked.

"_They are all heading towards Konoha._ _**I left them at that point, the village is too dangerous at the moment.**_ _It would not do us any good to caught around Konoha at this time_, _**it's not a fight we can hope to win as we are.**_" Zetsu reasoned.

'_He's right, besides I need to catch up to Sasuke-kun and stop him from attacking Konoha. He wouldn't last five minutes against them_.' Tobi agreed, if not somewhat reluctantly. "Fine, looks like we will have to deal with them another day."

"Zetsu's here too? shouldn't you be trying to locate the Rokubi or something?" Deidara asked.

"No that will be your job now, you and Kisame. I have other plans afoot." Tobi said before disappearing in a vortex.

"_Wow he's angry_. _**Well thing's aren't going to plan at the moment**_. _You guys better find the Rokubi quickly._" Zetsu said conversationally before descending into the tree branch.

"Ah this is too weird, no way that damn Idiot Tobi is the real leader of the Akatsuki." Deidara shouted in denial.

"Get used to it, if it's Mizukage-sama then I believe him. Regardless we have work to do." Kisame said firmly. "That is unless you choose death?" he added after a moment, his shark teeth glinting with his smile in the setting sun

"Ah this is bullshit, yeah!" Deidara moaned before following after the former Kiri ninja.

(**Konoha Outskirts**)

Naruto Jiraiya and the two Ame Orphans came to a halt in front of a square door hidden expertly in the side of a cliff along a riverbank. Konan had wrapped Yahiko's body in paper as Nagato was too tired to reanimate the corpse at this point in time. The elder Uzumaki was resting on Jiraiya's shoulder to help take the weight off his legs and looked apprehensively at the small cave entrance. "We will be staying here?" Nagato asked.

"Don't worry it's actually rather comfortable, we stayed here a few days when Itachi's eyesight became to bad... Although if you prefer you could always stay back atop that hill." Naruto replied.

"This will do nicely thank you Naruto-kun" Konan said respectfully.

"You might have some company, we won't be going anywhere until Tsunade-Baachan wakes up and as you may know Itachi is not everyone's favorite Uchiha." Jiraiya said.

'_That reminds me, I need to ask Nagato about the man in the Mask that I saw in his memories. But that can wait for now. Nagato is tired and needs rest. Besides I need to make sure everyone is still okay._' Naruto mused. He knew Nagato had revived those that had died in Konoha but that did not necessarily mean that anyone outside of the village was revived. Akimi and Haku were fighting Hiruko a good distance from the village walls meaning that should something have gone wrong they would not have been revived.

"We'll come back and bring some food later, right now I bet Konoha is waiting for us to return, and you know how I love crowds." the Toad Sage said with a slight smirk. After that Konan took Nagato from Jiraiya and they gave their sensei and fellow student a slight bow before entering the cave.

Naruto and Jiraiya turned and slowly made their own way back towards Konoha. "Uh Jiraiya-sensei, you don't really think there is going to be a crowd of people waiting for us do you?" the blond asked apprehensively.

"Now's not the time to be shy Gaki, of course there will be a crowd. We just put one hell of a beating on the the Akatsuki, something all of Konoha failed to do. I can just picture all of the girls chasing after you now... ah my next book is going to be such a success." Jiraiya laughed.

Naruto paled the last thing he wanted was the attention of more fan girls. It was a simple fact of life for the blond, that he had to deal with fan girls and even some highly skilled kunoichi chasing after him. In the ninja world power was attractive, a powerful shinobi would always become a desirable partner. There were of course several exceptions, Orochimaru was so twisted and dangerous that the only people that were ever interested in the snake were either equally perverse or had serious mental issues. "Maybe I should just wait outside of the village with Nagato, you can come and get me if any trouble occurs."

Jiraiya laughed at his youngest student. "What are you afraid of? It's not like they can harm you... Although Akimi might be a different story. I don't know how well your little girlfriend will react to all the attention you are going to get." he joked. Naruto paled even further and turned to run away only to have Jiraiya rest his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Sorry Naruto, this isn't something you can just run away from." he said in a fatherly tone. The Toad Sages grin then turned to one of a perverse smirk. "Besides think of all the great research I can get done."

"We don't know that until I try!" Naruto complained bur allowed his sensei to drag him along regardless. Eventually the pair came to a large opening where the broken wall of Konoha could easily be seen. Small were still scattered around the village but were being put out quickly by Suiton jutsu users. "Well maybe this won't be so bad, at least there isn't a horde of people here waiting for us."

Naruto spoke too soon however, because the moment he finished talking what appeared to be all the children from the village came rushing out of nowhere, running like a stampede towards the blond. "What was the enemy like Naruto-sama." one girl around ten years old asked

"That's a stupid question, he was horrible of course." a boy around the same age yelled.

Naruto much to his own surprise found himself grinning. Unlike when the people of Konoha found out he was the son of the Yondaime this was the recognition he always had dreamed of from the people of Konoha. "He wasn't that bad. Even nice people can do bad things if they believe what they are doing is the right thing. There is never Black and White, Good and Evil. Conflicts only occur between those with equal devotion to their views on the world." Naruto answered messing the young boys head.

"Wow you're really smart Naruto-sama, I'm going to be an awesome shinobi as well one day." the boy said with a grin.

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile as he watched his pupil being bombarded with questions, all the while a larger crowd was growing near the entrance to the village. Jiraiya saw Gaara, Itachi and Zabuza standing together. The people of Konoha were still weary of Itachi it seemed. The next group that caught the Toad Sages eye was that of Haku, Fuu and Akimi. '_What are they doing here? But that explains why Naruto ended up behind me as we entered the village._' he asked himself before turning back to Naruto, who now had a bunch of children climbing on him like they were attempting to bring him down. Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh loudly at the scene. "Looks like you have finally met your match huh Naruto." he joked.

"He is rather good with children." Haku said fondly where she was standing with Fuu and Akimi.

Akimi blushed at the thought of children, she was too young to be thinking of that but couldn't help but admit the sight of Naruto being accosted by the young group was heartwarming. "It shouldn't be that big of a surprise, he's the biggest damn child I know." she joked. Haku and Fuu both smiled, the Nanabi jinchuuriki decided to remain silent, as much as it pained her to do so she had to admit that perhaps Naruto was a lost cause. If he was with Akimi it would not do her any good to dwell on him, otherwise it could end up in her attacking one of her friends again.

Meanwhile Naruto was gently picking the children of Konoha from off his back. "Alright guy's I have a lot of people I need to see. You're going to have to attack me some other time, sorry." he said and reluctantly they parted and allowed Naruto to walk towards the village. The crowd parted every so often someone would pat Naruto on the back while others congratulated him. Small groups would make there way over to the others and say short thanks but with the reputations of Zabuza and Itachi few were prepared to approach them so casually, because of this most of the adulation fell upon Naruto and Jiraiya.

At the back of the group Naruto found Hiruzen and Kakashi looking at him with tired smiles. "Your father would be proud of you." the Sandaime said with a tired smile that was matched by Kakashi.

"Thanks Jiijii. How's Tsunade-Baachan?" Naruto asked.

"Ah she's still in a coma, but her students are looking after her. It will take more than a little chakra exhaustion to stop Tsunade-Hime." Hiruzen answered.

"Katsuyu has been giving the village a rundown of your fight with Pein. Although she neglected to inform them of your decision to revive him. Only we were given that information." Kakashi said.

"I can't say I agree with your decision to do that Naruto, but if you believe that he will no longer be a threat then I accept your choice." Hiruzen said.

"Nagato won't be a problem anymore. Besides he revived everyone in Konoha at the cost of his own life. If he didn't earn a second chance than nobody ever would." Naruto replied.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement while at the same time the other members of the Yoinokuchi arrived behind the blond. "I'm keeping this sword Naruto-kun." Akimi said with a smirk before giving the blond a hug, too embarrassed to kiss him in front of everyone. "I'm glad you're safe, I knew you would win." she whispered.

"No chance, that sword is mine." Naruto replied with a smirk. "I'm glad you're safe too, I take it you liked the blade."

"Are you kidding this thing cut through iron like it wasn't even there more like moving through air." Akimi exclaimed.

"Yeah it seems to become stronger the more it's used." Naruto chuckled. A small cough brought the pair back to reality and the fact that they were still hugging each other. The pair blushed slightly and broke apart, they were more used to arguing and joking in public than showing signs of affection.

"Kid, get lucky on your own time." Zabuza laughed meanwhile in typical Jiraiya fashion the Toad Sage had his notepad out taking notes on the scene. Naruto sighed as he just knew his next book would have almost this exact scene in it although with smut thrown in for good measure.

(**Meanwhile**)

Sasuke and his three companions jumped from tree to tree they were only a days travel from Konoha now and Sasuke could feel his appetite for revenge growing. '_I'll burn Konoha to the ground then I'm going to find you Itachi and make you pay for disrespecting me!_' the young Uchiha seethed.

A few seconds later and before the groups eyes Tobi appeared out of thin air. "Hello Sasuke-kun." he said with a happy wave not wanting to show the younger Uchiha just how angry he was at that point in time.

Sasuke came to a halt, the others stopping beside him. "What do you want I'm sort of in a hurry here." he said impatiently.

"Yes I know, you want to go burn Konoha to the ground I heard you before. The problem is Konoha has already been destroyed." Tobi informed the group.

"What!?" Sasuke yelled angrily.

"You heard me, while I was gone one of my subordinates took it upon himself to attack Konoha with the rest of the Akatsuki." Tobi said in a happy tone.

"So you're telling me that I'm too late!?" the younger Uchiha seethed.

"Well yes and no, the people of Konoha are still alive, Your brother and his group saved them." Tobi said offhandedly.

Lightning cracked into life around Sasuke's hand as his anger began to bubble over onto the surface. "Then I can still have my revenge." he fumed and kicked off more determined than ever to head to Konoha.

Tobi moved to block his path but Sasuke attempted to run him through with his Chidori. "Ahhhhh" Tobi screamed like a girl, that was until the younger Uchiha passed right through him. His terrified scream turned into a laugh. "Please, do not thin that I can be defeated by an attack like that Sasuke-kun. I have no wish to fight you." Tobi laughed.

"Get out of my way then!" Sasuke ordered.

"It would be suicide for you to go to Konoha right now boy. That brat of an Uzumaki is there with your brother. If you think you are ready to fight against them, then you are more delusional than Orochimaru was when he said he was immortal." Tobi informed the young Uchiha sitting down on the thick tree branch with crossed legs.

"So Orochimaru is dead huh, those idiots killed him?" Sasuke said taking the small insult far better than the others expected.

"Yes Itachi killed him, seems like he bests you to everything." Tobi chuckled.

This did not sit well with Sasuke, every time he accomplished something Itachi would better him. It was driving the younger sibling over the edge with anger. "So you came all this way just to rub my face in Itachi's accomplishments. If that's all want then you can just fuck off." Sasuke fumed.

"Now now Sasuke-kun is that anyway to treat the person who is going to give you the chance to become stronger?" the masked Akatsuki ninja said. He was smirking heavily under his mask, Sasuke wanted power so if he offered a way to obtain more power then he had leverage over the boy.

"How?" Sasuke questioned. He did not trust the man but decided that if he could use him to become strong enough to kill Itachi then it didn't matter.

Tobi's smirk grew but he calmed himself before speaking. "By having you fight of course. I have two shinobi locating one of the final Bijuu as we speak. You will capture him for me, take your team they will be useful."

"I can fight anyone to get stronger." Sasuke replied harshly.

"Not of the same quality as I can offer. Jinchuuriki are not like normal shinobi Sasuke-kun. If you complete this task you will be one step closer to killing Itachi." Tobi said happily.

"Fine, I'll see where this goes. For now but I will not wait forever!" Sasuke reluctantly agreed.

'_I'll need Sasuke-kun to get stronger, but eventually I am going to need to get my hands on one of those Rinnegan, I'll need one to control the Gedo Mezo statue._' Tobi mused. "Well then enjoy a few days off, I suggest heading towards the Land of Water, the Rokubi jinchuuriki is bound to be around that country somewhere."

"Hn, fine." Sasuke scoffed but before he could ask any questions Tobi vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

**End Chapter!**

**That wraps up the Invasion of Konoha Arc I guess. Next chapter will have some more of the fallout from the fight with the Akatsuki then after that I should move on with the next part of the story. Thanks for reading and the support I'm getting from everyone in the Reviews have been amazing I can't thank you all enough, they give me the confidence to keep writing more chapters.**


	105. The Hokage

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 105: The Hokage**

It was a beautiful night in the Land of Fire. The stars shone brightly and the glow of the full moon lightly illuminated the countryside in its dull light. Fireflies and the sounds of croaking toads made the hot summer night come alive. Most of the time it would have been a great night for star gazing or young couples in love to go on a romantic date. But in Konoha these thoughts were a distant memory. Over ninety percent of the hidden shinobi village lay in ruins and the population was now squeezed into several large wooden buildings that were created with the aid of Konoha's very own Mokuton user.

On the outskirts of the village another much smaller building had been made this time out of stone. Naruto had set up the building for the Yoinokuchi, well away from the Konoha shinobi for several reasons, not least of which being that Itachi was still considered a criminal and could be attacked for any reason. It was also far easier to feel the presence of approaching ninja when not beset on all sides by them.

At this time however Naruto and the other Yoinokuchi ninja including Itachi were siting in a large hall with many Konoha shinobi as guests of the Sadaime Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to hold a feast to lighten spirits in the destroyed village. Naruto couldn't help but notice that despite the attempts of their former Hokage, the majority of those present were still in a rather somber mood. "Well it was a nice try." Hiruzen sighed. The former Hokage was sitting at the very front of the hall with Jiraiya on one side and Naruto on his other. Flanking them were the other members of the Yoinokuchi as well as key Konoha jounin and currently unmasked Anbu.

Naruto was not so impressed with their lack of spirit however. "What the hell is wrong with all of you!" he shouted standing up from his place at the head table. "You lost your homes and possessions sure, but everyone is still alive. In the end Konoha is the people and the bonds you share as comrades, not the buildings. Stores and homes can be rebuilt but rather than celebrating that everyone survived or were brought back to life you mourn the loss of wood and stone. I thought this village had the Will of Fire? At the moment all I'm seeing are a bunch of people who have given up!" Naruto continued, his voice echoing over the large hall that had fallen silent under his gaze.

"Yosh Naruto-kun's flames of youth truly burn brightly! He is right we should not be sad at a time like this! I will make sure to be more grateful every passing day, and if I faill I will do one thousand laps around Konoha on my hands!" Gai shouted. Konoha's Green Beast had returned to the village less than an hour after the fighting stopped and was immediately off to train so that the next time something happened he would be ready. "Don't you think so Kakashi my eternal rival?" he asked his friend.

Kakashi looked up with a calm yet uninterested look on his face. "Huh, you say something Gai?"

"Gah. Curse you Kakashi and your cool, hip attitude!" Gai cried as anime style tears ran down his cheeks.

This act in itself had caused many in the room to liven up significantly, and from that point on laughter could frequently be heard echoing throughout the makeshift hall. '_He may not be a Konoha shinobi but the 'will of fire' still burns so brightly in you Naruto-kun. To be able to pick up the spirits of a village with just a few words, you're just like Minato, but perhaps Kushina's brashness could be toned down a little_.' Hiruzen thought fondly.

Once the elderly Sarutobi finished his meal several masked Anbu appeared and whispered into his ear along with that of Shikaku Nara. Naruto watched with mild interest as the pair excused themselves Naruto, Jiraiya, and Itachi exchanged meaningful glances before Naruto excused himself a short while later not wanting to arouse suspicion. "Be careful." Jiraiya whispered for only Naruto to hear as he stood.

Naruto nodded with a reassuring smile before jumping through a window. "Where is the kid going?" Zabuza who was sitting on Jiraiya's opposite side asked.

"Oh you know, there is always stuff that needs to be done." Jiraiya replied with a smirk. '_I didn't think they would act so fast, but it seems Danzo is sick of waiting to be Hokage._' he finished in thought.

It didn't take Naruto to locate the hokage and Shikaku who were heading out of the village and into the forest. The blond created a clone to return to the main hall, while he followed after the Sandaime and Jounin commander. Naruto jumped into the trees to follow from a safe distance, making sure to keep his chakra suppressed and out of sight, a task made far easier with Jiraiya's infiltration and camouflage jutsu's. It was only a small walk but eventually they came to a large wooden cabin, that seemed so out of place in the middle of some of the thickest forests surrounding Konoha. '_So that's where they're heading_.' Naruto guessed from his place in the trees high above the two he had been trailing. Because it was a hot night the cabin had several large windows that were open giving Naruto a way inside without being noticed.

Naruto found the cabin to consist of one large room with a long table running through the center with seats on either side. They were however for the majority empty. Only those at the far end of the table were occupied. Three of the places were taken by faces Naruto recognized, the two village elders Koharu, and Homura, along with Danzo. Around them were several masked Anbu Naruto guessed were a mixture of those under the Hokage and Root. There were also a small group of men wearing black outfits with the kanji for Fire embroidered on several parts of their clothing including large cylindrical hats.

The final member of the room was, in Naruto's opinion, by far the most eccentric. He wore a hooded cloak that had a feather crown with the symbol for the Land of Fire placed in the center. He had a rather long face and although he was sitting Naruto could tell he was a very tall man, probably even taller than Jiraiya. He sat at the head of the table upon a large chair that seemed to be heavily cushioned. '_Well it doesn't take a genius to figure out that's the Fire Daimyo._' Naruto thought. The blond had wasted little time finding a hiding place atop one of several beams that crossed under the ceiling.

The door to the small hall opened and in walked Hiruzen and Shikaku. "Ah Hiruzen it is good to see you again, it is a shame it is under these circumstances however." the Fire lord said greeting the elderly Sarutobi.

"Indeed it is Shijimi-sama. But as always Konoha will rebuild and become stronger than ever. It is our way after all" Hiruzen spoke calmly.

"I certainly hope so. Still Konoha cannot appear weak and with Tsunade-Hime in a coma we are in a very precarious spot of bother. Konoha needs a leader. Someone strong that will deter other nations from thinking that the Land of Fire is weak." the Fire Daimyo sighed.

"Surely Sandaime-sama can fill in until Tsunade-sama awakens." Shikaku said suddenly not liking where the conversation was heading.

"Ah I agree, but what if she does not awaken? Returning a second time to a twice retired shinobi is a sign of weakness in itself. As much as it pains me to say Hiruzen, you are not held in the same regard amongst the other villages as you were when the Kyuubi attacked." the Daimyo spoke.

"In that case I suggest Kakashi Hatake. He is the strongest jounin in the village as well as the highest ranking shinobi behind myself." Shikaku spoke with some authority.

"Hm that does seem to be a good choice the son of the White Fang and student of the Yondaime who was the student of Jiraiya, the student of the Sandaime." the Daimyo said.

"And I would put my name forward for my pupil Jiraiya." the Sandaime said. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, he knew for a fact Jiraiya would not want the job, he hated responsibility almost as much as men only bath houses.

"Jiraiya is no longer a Konoha shinobi." Koharu said.

"Hm but that doesn't matter does it? The law states that to be Hokage you only need to be a resident of the Land of Fire, or born in Konoha." The Daimyo reminded the elders. "It would be good to see Jiraiya again and who is better to replace one of the legendary three than another." he added.

"Neither, they are all poor choices!" Danzo declared loudly. "The Sandaime's teachings have all but destroyed Konoha. It is time for a change. Someone willing to make the necessary moves to make Konoha once more the most powerful village." he added firmly.

"What are you saying Danzo?" Hiruzen asked a glint of anger in his eyes.

"You were always too weak to make the hard decisions Hiruzen and you passed that weakness down to your students and in turn they passed it down to theirs. We would have never lost control over the Kyuubi brat had you allowed him to be trained by me. So instead of a weapon all we got was a Liability." Danzo declared.

"A liability that just saved the village." Shikaku retorted.

"Yes he helped save the village, from a man that was trained by none other than Jiraiya himself. Sentimentality has cost Konoha dearly, and you plan on turning the village over to the hands of two of the most sentimental shinobi in Konoha." Danzo scowled although his voice was still calm.

"Hiruzen it seems as though Danzo has a point. Perhaps he is the best choice for the Rokudaime Hokage?" the Daimyo said.

Naruto lowered his chameleon jutsu and slightly flared his chakra. "That wouldn't be a wise choice." the blond said from his position perched upon a high beam. _'I guess I shouldnt be too surprised that Danzo knows about Nagato, Orochimaru always made sure he knew more than he aught to._'

Instantly Naruto was surrounded by Anbu. "This is a private meeting boy." Danzo spoke. He was far from happy at seeing Naruto, especially after Itachi's warning.

"Oh I know, but I hate missing out on a good party. It makes me feel left out." Naruto said with small smirk. "You know, you make an almost convincing point Danzo. That would be if you weren't influencing the old man Daimyo over there with Shisui's sharingan you had Orochimaru-teme implant in your bandaged up eye, along with that arm of yours." he continued not paying his new found Anbu company any interest. He knew as well as they did, that he could swat them away like flies should they attack him.

"What are you talking about?" Homura asked looking between Danzo and Naruto with interest.

Danzo for his part was using all of his training to contain his rage. '_How does he know so much. He knew about the sharingan under my bandages, I guessed that much, but the arm and Orochimaru, impossible._' "Lies! You are nothing but a troublemaker that does as he pleases. You need to be broken and taught respect." he said a calmly as he could.

"Really then you can explain this folder I, uh liberated from Orochimaru's hideout before Itachi killed him?" Naruto questioned reaching into his Yoinokuchi cloak. '_Good thing Jiraiya-sensei told me to prepare for this to happen._' he thought as he withdrew a scroll and tossed it down onto the table in front of Hiruzen. "Take a look at that Jiijii. Danzo has been after the Hokage job since before Baa-chan took over. He's been working with Orochimaru-teme for quite a while." he said smiling at Danzo who was rooted to the spot.

The anger and killing intent radiating off the former Hokage was palpable. "This is... Explain this!" he yelled at Danzo tossing the folder documenting all of Danzo's dealings with the Snake Sannin.

"I have done nothing but serve Konoha." Danzo declared calmly.

Naruto laughed at this it was a hollow laugh holding no sign of amusement at all. "You serve Konoha the same was the Akamichi clan share food. You act the part on the surface then become selfish when there is only one piece of meat left. You were jealous that Jiji was made Hokage so you played off your friendship to gain more power by creating your Root. But then after awhile that wasn't enough for you was it? When it was time to choose a new Hokage you didn't put your name forward because Orochimaru was favorite and he shared your views. When he wasn't chosen you became bitter didn't you?" Naruto taunted.

"It seems that fool Jiraiya has been teaching you more than his Ninjutsu. He was nothing but a loser who got lucky to have talented teammates and a student who thought the sun shone out of his ass." Danzo answered with a scowl.

In the blink of an eye Naruto had crossed the room, so fast that only Hiruzen had been able to track his movements. The blond now stood on the desk his sword drawn and pressed up against Danzo's neck. "Don't speak about Jiraiya-sensei, or my father like that again!" Naruto warned, his eyes rippling with anger and killing intent.

"Do your worst boy!" Danzo replied not willing to allow himself to be intimidated by a sixteen year old.

"Fine." Naruto said and he returned his sword to his back wrapping the blade once more in rags. "Because your story doesn't end with Orochimaru's failure. After that you sort out new ways to become Hokage. You made a deal with Hanzo the Salamander, in exchange for killing three shinobi that were giving him a hard time he would help you stage a coup de tat on Konoha. Things didn't turn out so well did they? Nagato killed over half your Root shinobi so you no longer had the strength to go ahead with your plans. You were the one who created Pein, it is because of you that Konoha was attacked." he continued.

"Your word means nothing and your source it is even less convincing considering that man just destroyed the village." Danzo said slightly flustered that Naruto knew something so sensitive.

"It's funny how you know that Pein was in fact Nagato Uzumaki, then again I am sure Orochimaru-teme told you all about the man with the Rinnegan when you contacted him. You wanted more power so you went and collected the sharingan from all the Uchiha after Itachi followed your orders to kill everyone. You made a deal didn't you? In exchange for making that arm of yours, you would help him sneak men into Konoha for the chunin exams three years ago. You hoped Orochimaru would kill Jiji and you would take over as Hokage. I believe conspiring with enemies of Konoha against the Hokage is an act of treason unless I'm mistaken?" he said turning towards Hiruzen who had a rage in his eyes as he nodded in agreement.

"Where's your proof? This, a folder that you could have made doesn't prove anything. All experiments run on my arm were done by me." Danzo replied.

"Regardless this is troubling stuff Danzo. Orochimaru fled the village for similar crimes involving the Shodai. Even if what Naruto says is untrue if the evidence supports it, there must be consiquences" Homura spoke calmly.

"I agree, we supported you when you said change was needed after this latest attack on Konoha. But if this is what your change is, then I withdraw any support I may have given you." Koharu said agreeing with her old teammate.

"Yes I can not in all good consciousness support you as Hokage with these accusations." the Daimyo declared. "But that doesn't solve our problem of who the next Hokage will be." he added.

"Why change, Baa-chan will be up in no time, She just needs to recharge that seal on her forehead. In the meantime you should do what Shikaku originally suggested, he's not the smartest person in Konoha for nothing. Jiijii will be temporarily reinstated as Hokage. Our group isn't going anywhere until Tsunade-Baachan wakes up so the village has an excess of S ranked shinobi to deter anyone attacking the village." Naruto said not taking his eyes off of Danzo a contented smile gracing his features.

"Well I guess that would be for the best. This meeting has turned rather unsavory, and I wish to turn in. One month, if Tsunade has not awakened by then a Rokudaime must be chosen." the Daimyo spoke wearily.

"I accept the position and as my first act as temporary Hokage I place Shimura Danzo under arrest to be kept under watch in a secure location, in the Anbu holding cells until a investigation can be completed into the allegations raised here." Hiruzen said in a commanding tone.

Naruto smirked. "Enjoy your prison cell. I'll see you on your execution day." he whispered, so only Danzo could hear.

Several Root ninja looked to Danzo for orders but he wordlessly told them to stand down for the time being.

"Question is what are you going to do about them?" Naruto asked casting a glance at the three Root Anbu.

"They have at this point done nothing that could be considered treason. They are still Konoha shinobi so we cannot do anything in regards to Danzo's Root shinobi." Hiruzen said firmly.

Danzo who's face was calm despite the situation he was in. "You will regret this Hiruzen, I did the things for Konoha you were never strong enough to do." he said flatly.

"Oh please, all you ever did was undermine Jiji's authority and try to take any bit of power you could get." Naruto scoffed.

"Enough Naruto-kun, thank you for bringing this to our attention but you really shouldn't be here. This was supposed to be a private meeting. And Anbu take Danzo out of here, and see that he finds a cell in the T and I department of Anbu that is to his liking" Hiruzen said with authority. Knowing the young Uzumaki was playing a little game commonly known as, poke the bear. Best played with someone as emotionally detached as Danzo, the basic idea was to see how long it took for them to snap with taunts.

"Fine It looks like you have everything under control now anyway. See ya Jiji, old man Daimyo." and with one last wave Naruto was out the window in a flash. While the Anbu shinobi escorted Danzo out of the building at the far end of the hall.

The Fire Lord had a rather stunned look on his face, he had never been referred to as 'Old man' before and certainly not in such a causal tone. "Hiruzen who was that boy?" he asked with intrigue.

"That would be Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. He has some, uh... issues with authority, but you will not find a more loyal shinobi or friend." Hiruzen sighed.

"That would be an understatement." Homura chuckled but was silenced by a glare from Koharu.

"He is as Danzo said a pest. But he is also quite possibly the strongest ninja in the Land of Fire and it would be wise to keep on his good side." Koharu admitted bitterly, she was no fan of rule breakers, and Naruto's tendency to do what ever he feels like made her rather angry.

"That was the so called hero that saved the village? He is so young." the Daimyo gasped in shock.

"In our world age has very little to do with strength and power. While Naruto is young and does not care much for rules he does follow his own set of guidelines that he lives by and his strength is comparable to that of his father, Minato-kun." the old Hokage said fondly.

"Too bad he is about as respectful as that mother of his." Koharu huffed.

"That is what makes him so endearing in my opinion. Despite never knowing his parents he fits them down to the smallest detail. In a fight hes strong and calculating like his father, yet when he's relaxed you would swear you were talking to Kushina-chan again." the elderly Sarutobi said with a warm smile.

"I have to agree, also the boy is a natural born leader. Just from talking to my son made Shikamaru take his training seriously. If I thought he would possibly accept he would be my choice for Hokage." Shikaku added.

"You both seem rather fond of him, but what of the accusations against Danzo? He has been a shinobi ok Konoha as long as you have Hiruzen." the Daimyo questioned.

"Not a very popular one, the accusations brought up by Naruto-kun have long been thought true by the Jounin. Every time Konoha is in any strife both Danzo and his Root Anbu have been nowhere to be seen. If Danzo was worthy of the title of Kage he would have been out defending the village against the Akatsuki rather than hiding underground and waiting to see what the damage was. He would never have the support of the Jounin council." Shikaku declared.

"He must have some support, after all he has many loyal shinobi that work for him." the Daimyo declared.

"They work for him because they must. I have seen many Root Anbu assigned to missions, they are emotionally dead and have obedience seals placed on them to stop them from saying anything bad about Danzo or Root. It's a barbaric tactic but unfortunately no more illegal in the Land of Fire than the Hyuuga clans Caged Bird Seal." Shikaku said with a slight hint of disgust.

"Still for him to commit acts of treason, surely not, we fought beside Danzo many times." Homura said sadly.

"The evidence supplied by Naruto is rather convincing though if I do say so myself." Koharu admitted flipping through the folder.

"In any event this requires a proper investigation and nothing should be decided upon so hastily. I admit Danzo has been rather illusive and secretive but things must be done through official channels." Homura agreed.

While the group of officials talked and discussed plans for the rebuilding of Konoha, Naruto was making his way back towards the celebrating shinobi in the makeshift shelter hall that Tenzo had constructed. Civilians had a separate area and clans along with the wounded had tents stationed around the area. On his way back the blond kept within eyesight of Danzo. Naruto knew that he wouldn't act rashly, which was why he didn't have his Root Anbu save him in the cabin. '_He will wait for now. But once he finds out that they will find him guilty then he will surely escape his Anbu holding cell_.' Naruto thought as they arrived back at the village.

(**Elsewhere**)

Sitting around a small campfire were five Kumo shinobi, among them was the Raikage who seemed to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that they ad not arrived at Konoha yet. "This is taking forever! We should have been there a few days ago!" he raged.

"You know we can't travel at fast speeds due to Yugito's condition." The busty blond Samui reasoned.

"But Yugito's time is running out. What if we don't make it in time for the Hokage to be able to help, and that leads to a war between our villages. Only before we leave a Konoha kunoichi falls in love with me during our stay and we are forced to kill each other." Omoi theorized.

Another member of the group, a heavily tanned kunoichi with crimson red hair and yellow eyes smacked her teammate upside his head in anger. "Don't be an idiot! As if that will happen. You need to be likeable to be loved. Anyway Yugito is going to be just fine, it's said that Tsunade Senju is such a good medic that she cannot be killed in battle because her wounds heal instantly." Karui replied angrily not happy that her teammate was so casual talking about the former Nibi jinchuuriki's condition.

Yugito for her part had remained quiet she knew that even for someone like Tsunade, that her chances of survival were quite slim. She had already accepted the prospect of dying but was ashamed to admit that she was scared. Being told that you may only have a few more weeks to live is a rather bitter pill to swallow. "It's alright Karui, Omoi is just trying to lighten the mood, although I think you are a little bit too angry for something so small. Or is it that maybe you are just upset that Omoi is talking about other kunoichi and not you?" she joked trying to change the subject.

Karui went red with anger but her words seemed lost in her mouth, only able to stutter and make incomprehensible sounds that sounded like the mutterings of a madman on several rather strong narcotics. The ever stoic and cold Samui actually allowed herself to smile at this, she found her teammates to be loud and often annoying, that said her sensei was perhaps far worse with his constant rapping. "That would in fact make quite a bit of sense. Perhaps that is why you over react so often Karui." Samui said calmly.

The following screams of denial from the red headed kunoichi could be heard for miles around, any animals that had been in the area soon retreated to what they had considered a safe distance. "Shut it all of you! At our current pace we still have two days travel before we get to Konoha, and I would rather us not draw any unwanted attention to us before then!" A yelled almost as loudly as Karui had moments earlier.

The Raikage spoke with such authority that it seemed that even the crickets were afraid to make a noise. The group just sat staring at the fire that burned until they each decided to try and get some sleep, leaving A to take the first shift of guard duty.

(**Meanwhile**)

A very confused and now angry Kabuto had arrived back at where his master had been staying only to find the place in ruins buried under tonnes of rocks. 'They will pay for this, I need to find Orochimaru-sama.' The snakes right hand man thought bitterly before he began digging.

**End Chapter!**

**Another chapter down. Just a small heads up after next week I'm going to New Zeleand on holiday for a few weeks so Updates might be a little slower, I'm taking my laptop but I can't be sure of how much time I'll get to write my stories. ****Still I promise an update next week before I go. So sorry in advance for that.**

**Anyway hope you all enjoyed the chapter.**


	106. Rest

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 106: Rest**

The morning sun shone down upon the ruins of Konoha, the shinobi of the village had been out from the early morning clearing rubble and salvaging what they could. While the majority of the village was already working a select group of ninja hadn't even left their temporary housing yet. This of course was the Yoinokuchi happily ignoring the construction and cleanup work around the village.

"I don't get it." Zabuza said with a small laugh.

"Get what?" Gaara asked humoring the former Kiri ninja. If there was an odd couple in the group it would have had to be Gaara and Zabuza their styles were completely different in almost every way. Regardless of this fact the pair had great mutual respect for one another as well as a stong bond of friendship.

"How can someone like Jiraiya-sama spend so long trying to break into the kids room? Isn't he the infiltration specialist and spy master?" Zabuza replied continuing to laugh as Jiraiya once again failed to break the lock and get into Naruto's room, where he knew said blond and his girlfriend were currently still sound asleep.

Jiraiya heard this and dropped his head in shame. "I don't get it either, I foresaw this type of situation during his training. That's why I have uh, forgotten, to teach Naruto any advanced sealing techniques. A lock like this should be a piece of cake, but somehow he's still able to make his room impossible to break into!" he said before bursting out a wail. "And they could give me inspiration for my next book!" he whined as anime tears fell from his eyes.

Itachi allowed himself a small smile at the antics of the elder Yoinokuchi ninja. "It's simple really." he said cryptically.

"What is? If you're so smart why don't you get this door open." Jiraiya replied in a huff.

"That would be difficult to do, as that is not the door to Naruto-kun's room. Rather a fake, that he made to keep you busy and not contemplate... other ways of entering his room." Itachi informed the room as calm as always, regardless he had a proud smirk on his face at the genius simplicity of Naruto's plan.

Jiraiya's face lost all expression and his eyes seemed to glaze over. "You knew this! And you didn't tell me earlier... Why?" he asked eventually a look of sheer disbelief on his face.

The whole room was now looking at Itachi expectantly. "I, would have, unfortunately I found it humorous to watch your multiple failed attempts." he said causing everyone save Gaara to face palm.

"Then where is the real entrance?" Jiraiya asked now rather annoyed. He was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he had spent a good portion of his time attempting to break into a fake door.

"There isn't one, Naruto-kun sealed the room from the other side when he went to bed." Itachi explained in a matter of fact tone.

"Looks like the kid outsmarted you." Zabuza laughed.

"Does he really think so little of me that he has to seal his room in such away?" Jiraiya asked, the irony of the situation seemingly lost on him.

It was at that moment a doorway opened in the side of the wall that was Naruto's room and out walked the blond as well as Akimi. "Morning everyone." Naruto said with a smile oblivious to the conversation they had been having.

"Ah Naruto your up finally, I was just trying to wake you." Jiraiya said neglecting the part where he had been trying to break into the room for several hours with his note pad on the ready.

"Yeah I guess I slept in, I must have had some chakra exhaustion after my fight with Nagato... speaking of which I should probably go check on him and Konan at some point today." the blond replied. '_I need to ask him about that masked man anyway._' he finished as an afterthought.

"I went and saw him earlier, he reanimated Yahiko's body again until he can have his legs healed." Jiraiya replied.

"So I didn't ask but what are you going to do about those two? They're definitely strong enough to join us. What's left of the Akatsuki wouldn't stand a chance with those two." Zabuza questioned.

"It would be nice to have them around, but Nagato is the leader of Ame, so it will be rather hard to run a country and travel with us at the same time. But I will certainly give them the option of joining us." Naruto said happily.

"I would like to accompany you Naruto-kun. I have been trapped inside this house for most of our time here. While I understand that most of Konoha still do not trust me I am becoming slightly cramped." Itachi spoke calmly.

Naruto nodded "Yeah I can see that happening. Do you really think anyone from Konoha would try and start anything though?" he asked.

"I wouldn't be all that surprised Naruto, Itachi still has a quite sizable bounty on his head, if someone was able to capture of kill him and claim the bounty they would be set for life." Jiraiya answered.

"But who in Konoha would be able to anyway? The only people I think would stand a chance against him would be Jiji, Baa-chan, Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai. Then there's the fact that they all either know the truth about the Uchiha massacre or trust us enough to give Itachi a second chance." Naruto said hardly concerned at all.

"That's true but don't expect everyone to think that way." Jiraiya warned.

"In that case we will just have to teach them who's boss... without doing permanent damage of course." the blond replied. Naruto made it to the door and waited for Itachi to follow before leaving.

"Fifty Ryo something happens while they're out." Zabuza said with a quick laugh, once Naruto and Itachi were gone.

"They can't be that stupid besides Naruto-kun is with him." Akimi reasoned making her way to the makeshift stone kitchen.

"You wouldn't think so but they are. My moneys on someone like Ebisu, even someone more level headed like Aoba or Genma might start something. Not that they would get much out of it other than a beat down" Jiraiya replied.

"Sounds painful." Gaara muttered before getting to his feet. "I'm going to go see how the village repairs are coming along. My sand will be helpful in moving heavy objects from the ruined buildings." he sighed before walking out of the small stone house.

"Well as much as I hate to admit it, that sounds a lot more fun than staying here watching Jiraiya-sama try to break into a sealed room." Haku said before following after the Ichibi jinchuuriki. "Gaara wait up!"

Akimi turned to Jiraiya slowly a rather angry glare in her eyes. "The sealed room you have been trying to break into wouldn't happen to be mine and Naruto-kun's would it?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice that seemed to promise death to those who heard it.

"Well that's such a literal term, I was trying to get through a door, that seemed to be locked, if it was your room or not, I really couldn't say." Jiraiya said sweat beads rolling down his forehead.

"A swing and a miss." Zabuza chuckled as the sound of lightning cracked in the air and Jiraiya was forced to flee out a nearby window.

(**Elsewhere**)

While his poor student was being chased halfway across Konoha by a rather angry kunoichi, Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in front a large desk, a stack of papers piled up in front of him. '_The village gets all but destroyed, yet despite this fact, the only thing that survives the attack is all the kami forsaken paperwork! Then I need to fill out all the mission rejection forms because we can't take any missions while the village is in this state._' Hiruzen sighed as the door opened and his two former team members walked in.

"Ah it seems you have settled back in quite nicely Hiruzen." Koharu commented wisely.

For his part Hiruzen just gave her a look that left her and Homura without a doubt in their minds that he was seriously regretting filling in for Tsunade when he had a village to rebuild from scratch. "Come on Saru, you were the best choice and it will only be until Tsunade-Hime wakes up." Homura said hoping to avoid the wrath of the God of Shinobi.

"Then lets hope she wakes up soon. Now may I ask why you are here? The repairs are coming along on schedule and so long as Tenzo's chakra holds out most of the clans will have housing back by the end of the day." the Sandaime declared.

"Yes we are well aware of that. We're here about your willingness to allow Itachi Uchiha free rein in Konoha. He is a criminal, and should be treated as one." Koharu said.

"You know the truth as well as I, Itachi is one of the most loyal shinobi I have ever met." Hiruzen replied.

"But the people of the village do not know that Saru. They see the cold blooded murderer that slaughtered his clan." Homura reasoned.

"What would you have me do? While Itachi and the others from Jiraiya's group are here the village is far safer. We risk alienating them if force Itachi to leave. He helped save the village, and then as a reward he is kicked out of his home once more. I do not think that is fair, nor do I think we should have kept the Uchiha coup de tat a secret. It cost us one of our best shinobi" Hiruzen replied firmly.

Koharu nodded in reluctant acceptance of what the Sandaime had said. "Maybe that would have been for the best as you say, but that does not change the facts. Three quarters of the shinobi population sees Itachi as the enemy, at least talk with him Hiruzen, if not for him, then for the safety of our shinobi, if they attempted anything on Itachi then the result would only end in their defeat. Only Kakashi, Gai, or Asuma would be able to stand against him, maybe Tenzo, although he is far too busy to be interested in starting a fight with Itachi Uchiha."

Hiruzen sighed and turned his chair to look out the window. "That might be for the best, I'm sure that Itachi and the others will be reasonable if I explain the reasoning behind the request."

"A wise course of action Saru. It will be safer for all sides if Itachi is outside of Konoha." Homura added sagely.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Itachi had arrived at the cave that housed Nagato and Konan. The moment they entered both Naruto and Itachi were surrounded by paper. "Well it's nice to see you again too Konan, but maybe you should be less violent." Naruto mused totally unfazed by the kunoichi's origami greeting card.

"I apologize Naruto-kun, this room is sealed from our chakra escaping, unfortunately that also means that we can't feel any chakra signatures until they enter the cave." Konan said as her papers retracted to form the blue haired kunoichi who bowed to greet them. "You do travel with well known ninja Naruto-kun. It is a pleasure to meet you Itachi Uchiha." she added kindly.

"No need to bow for us Konan, we just came to check on how you were both holding up. I know from experience that being cooped up in a cave for days on end can be tiring." Naruto replied.

Nagato made his presence known at this point exiting a nearby room supported by his Deva path, the other paths had been lost and he had no desire to retrieve them anymore. "We are used to living like this Naruto-kun. As you know we grew up using caves like these as shelter and base camps, and they were never this nice." the elder Uzumaki assured the blond.

"Did you really come this far out of the village just to see how we were doing Naruto-kun?" Konan asked skeptically.

"Well no, I have a question that I want to ask Nagato." Naruto admitted.

Nagato raised an eyebrow at this unsure what the blond could want from him. "Really? And that would be?"

"When we used our Human paths on each other to see the others life, there was a man in a mask. He was a Uchiha, who is he? I thought the only Uchiha left were Itachi and his brother." Naruto proposed.

A scowl formed on Konan's face and Itachi was less surprised about the masked Uchiha having contact with Nagato and Konan. "I have never seen his face, but he told me his name was Madara Uchiha." Nagato replied.

"Madara Uchiha? As in the former head of the Uchiha clan before Konoha was formed?" Naruto replied just as confused as before.

"The one and the same." Nagato answered.

Naruto scratched the side of his head in surprised confusion. "Uh but how? He would be well over one hundred years old easily, the man in the mask looked like he was in his mid thirties." Naruto reasoned.

Nagato was about to reply but he was cut off by Itachi. "That's because it isn't Madara, at least not in a physical sense." he paused for a moment before continuing. "I met this man several times before, the first time was on the night that I was sent to kill the Uchiha clan. He offered his help and all but introduced himself as Madara Uchiha. And I believe part of him was Madara, almost like the man was his will reborn, but not Madara himself." the stoic Uchiha continued.

"So who is he then?" Naruto asked.

Itachi shook his head in disappointment. "I do not know, he isn't any Uchiha that I can recall from my time as a Konoha shinobi. But then again his mask that is never removed and his Mangekyo Sharingan ability makes it difficult for anyone to guess his true identity. In the times we have met I have been more concerned with locating the weakness in his jutsu. There are not many, all I have been able to see is that he needs to be in a solid state to attack and can't maintain a spectral form forever. The most logical decision would be to wait for him to attack first and counter before he can react." he answered.

"Five minutes." Konan said suddenly and all eyes turned to face the kunoichi. "He can only stay impervious to harm for five minutes. I have been studying his jutsu for quite some time. I knew from the moment I met him that he wasn't to be trusted, so I have spent several years preparing a jutsu just for him. The only problem is it will kill me if I use it." Konan replied.

"Then we either find a different way to be rid of him, or Nagato or I will revive you afterword. Madara Uchiha or not, it's easy to see that he has been manipulating you to do his bidding from the start. My guess is that so called weapon you were making was going to be for his use only. You, and the Akatsuki, were nothing but a means to an end." Naruto replied.

Konan nodded. "I agree. Tobi was never one to share power." she agreed.

"And you would expect someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha to share in the first place?" Naruto asked. "Look what happened after they picked Hashirama Senju as the Shodai Hokage. He went on a rampage and tried to kill everyone. Only Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki who later became his wife stopped him from destroying his own clan and Konoha with the help of the Kyuubi."

'**I didn't exactly want to help that bastard. That grotesque sharingan of his forced me to do his bidding.**' Kyuubi growled in Naruto's mind.

'_Oh you're awake, do you have anything productive to add to this conversation?_' Naruto asked.

'**And why would I do that? To make your life easier? I think I'll pass.**' the fox replied bitterly.

'_I should have known better than to think you would be helpful_.' Naruto sighed.

"I guess in hindsight that makes sense. It was his idea to collect the Bijuu and seal them within the Gedo statue." Nagato agreed.

"The real question is what will his next move be? Without Nagato he cannot seal the remaining Bijuu." Konan said.

"That part may be true, but he was able to control the Gedo Statue something that I was never fully capable of doing. The Rinnegan is needed to start the sync of the Bijuu and seal them into the statue but he does not need the Rinnegan to control the statue as it is." Nagato informed the group.

"Still so long as he doesn't get his hands on one of our Rinnegan we are safe." Naruto Surmised.

"Essentially yes. He will still need to capture the remaining jinchuuriki of course even if he should acquire a Rinnegan eye." Nagato reasoned.

"Then it would seem that your protection is just as important as that of the other Bijuu." Itachi spoke quietly. Konan and Nagato both looked at Itachi with a puzzled expression. "It's obvious isn't it? The masked man, Tobi, will know that you have both turned your backs on his goals, and he needs a Rinnegan to complete them. As things stand it would be easier to take the eyes from Nagato who is essentially crippled and unable to freely walk compared to Naruto. With his ability to appear where he wants at will it would be a logical choice to target Nagato's main body when it was separated from his paths." the Uchiha explained.

"I see your point, we do have Ame to protect us though." Konan pointed out.

"Do you?" Itachi questioned. "From what I have come to understand the people of Ame consider Nagato to be Kami and you are his angel. Why would they get involved in a fight involving a god?" he added.

"He's right. You could always come with us. We have plenty of room in the Yoinokuchi headquarters, nobody knows where we are either so it's the safest place I can think of. Well apart from Myobokuzan, but unless you like eating bugs I would advise against living there." Naruto said.

"Thank you for the offer Naruto-kun but Ame is our home, we can't abandon our home and people, just to hide from an enemy." Nagato said kindly.

"Very well then, in that case I will join you." Itachi declared.

"Yeah that will work, just a little extra protection until we find out what the remaining members of the Akatsuki are planning." Naruto agreed.

"They are not the Akatsuki, the Akatsuki was formed by Yahiko and was a peaceful organization. Tobi's influence deformed it into what it became. Nevertheless I would welcome Itachi or any members of your group to come to Ame. Of course you are more than welcome to come as well Naruto." Nagato replied.

"Besides it's not like Konoha, where if the Hokage is missing everyone knows about it. Most of the people of Ame have never seen Nagato. If we decided to say fight against Tobi, this it wouldn't be a problem at all." Konan replied.

"Well then it looks like we will be business partners then. Our top priority must be defeating the masked Uchiha, Tobi." Naruto said.

Nagato closed his eyes and sighed before nodding in agreement. He didn't want to drag Ame into another war but he also knew that Tobi wouldn't leave Ame alone. If he blamed Nagato for choosing Naruto's side then he would take it out on his people if he couldn't get to him. "Agreed, we may not know his real name at this point, but a name does not make someone powerful. If he is hiding behind Madara's name then he must have weaknesses that he doesn't want exposed." he sighed.

"Don't worry at all, Tsunade-Baachan will be up and about in no time and then she can heal your legs. I wouldn't want to be Tobi when he finds out you're no longer crippled." Naruto joked.

Nagato smiled, something about the boy was so endearing that he couldn't help himself. Naruto just seemed to make it seem like everything would turn out for the best, he remembered Yahiko had the same effect on him. "Well then I might have to hunt you down again for a rematch." he smirked.

"Anytime, I never run from a fight." Naruto replied. After that the pair of Naruto and Itachi said their farewells to Nagato and Konan and headed back towards the village.

It was an exceptionally hot day so many civilians that were not required to help with the clean up of the village were spending their time just outside the village at a popular swimming hole next to a waterfall. Unfortunately for most of the young women who came out to relax and try to get over the loss of their homes, this particular swimming location was also a favorite of a certain Toad Sage that was still hiding from Naruto's rather angry girlfriend. Needless to say upon Naruto and Itachi passing by on their way back to the village they instantly noticed Jiraiya hiding in the trees. "It's like he wants to be caught." Itachi dead panned.

"Of course he does, that's half of the fun for him." Naruto replied with a deadpan expression of his own.

Almost instantly however Jiraiya shimmered out of existence to hide properly as Akimi came into view. "Where is that damn pervert! I'm going to kill him!" she yelled angrily.

"What did Jiraiya-sensei do now?" Naruto asked not needing any more explanation on who the so called pervert was.

"He spent half of last night and most of this morning trying to break into our bedroom so he could take notes for those damn books of his, not that we could do anything with such thin walls." Akimi raged not thinking about what she was saying, which in turn caused Naruto to blush slightly. She would never admit it being far too proud, but the swift release kunoichi was rather tightly wound, it had been a few weeks since she had any time alone with Naruto and she had been for lack of a better word, saving herself. As such her aggression towards the eldest member of the Yoinokuchi was slightly higher than it normally would have been in a similar situation.

"Of course he was trying to break in, this is Jiraiya-sensei we're talking about. If he thought there was a chance for some research he would break into a maximum security prison if he had to. I made sure to make our room was quite secure against his... habits. How about you let him off and I take you into the village for some lunch, we can even call it a date." Naruto replied.

Akimi thought about it for a moment, she was rather hungry and memories of her last date with the blond made it all the more enticing. On the other hand she wanted to send a message to Naruto's pervert of a godfather that any attempts at peeking on their private moments would result in severe pain. Something that was highly unlikely to occur unless she could top the beating Tsunade had once delivered when she caught Jiraiya peaking on her. "Gah fine, I lost him anyway." she huffed in mild annoyance.

"Alright then." Naruto said happily linking hands with the still silently brooding kunoichi. "I'll meet up with you later Itachi, and if anyone tried to kill you... uh at least leave them alive." he joked before sending his sensei a meaningful look that effectively told the Toad Sage that he owed him for not ousting his position.

Once Naruto and Akimi had left Itachi made his way unseen to land beside the poorly hidden sage. "How long was she chasing you?" he asked a small smile on his face betraying how humorous he found one of his hero's growing up being chased around Konoha by a teenager half his size.

Jiraiya shuddered at the thought the angry kunoichi. "Longer than I would care to admit, she is getting good at finding me when I'm using my chameleon jutsu. I'm going to need to be more careful in the future." he admitted. The Toad Sage shuddered once more before his face turned serious. "Did Naruto ask Nagato and Konan to join us?"

Itachi nodded. "He did."

"And?"

"They declined. It was like we had guessed. They don't want to leave Ame. But it has also become clear that Nagato may well be the Akatsuki or at least the real leader of the groups main target." Itachi replied.

"The Uchiha in the mask you told me about? The one that claimed to be Madara." Jiraiya guessed.

"Indeed. Naruto found out about his existence through a jutsu he used with Nagato during their fight it would seem. I was hoping that he would stay in the dark until we discovered how best to deal with him. Naruto has never been one for taking things slowly. A new threat like this will make Naruto want to tackle it without any knowledge of what we are up against." Itachi replied.

"It's not ideal but Naruto is strong enough now, we shouldn't need to protect him any more." Jiraiya reasoned.

"That does not mean that I do not want to, nor that you don't wish to protect him from any potential risk either." Itachi said calmly.

"No I'll never stop trying to protect him. Even when he no longer needs me to I'll still try." Jiraiya replied.

"When Nagato and Konan return to Ame, I will go with them. If the man claiming to be Madara shows up, Konan knows a weakness, it is not a large one but it is a weakness none the less. Perhaps together we could defeat him before things get out of hand. He showed himself in Konoha during the invasion and despite angry at Nagato's betrayal he still seemed rather confident that he could succeed without Nagato." Itachi said flatly, ignoring Jiraiya jotting down notes on one woman's sizable bust.

"Just you? It might be wise to take someone else as well, maybe Gaara." Jiraiya replied while still writing in his trusty note pad.

"Nagato said that we were all welcome. Still I think it would be for the best if I went alone. We want to draw him into a trap if there are too many of us there then it will be obvious and Tobi will stay away." Itachi replied.

Jiraiya nodded but chose not to speak anymore as at that moment one of the more well endowed women lost her top giving the self proclaimed super pervert a rather nice show. Even Itachi for his part failed to suppress a small blush and a wandering eye.

**End Chapter!**

**This chapter is a little short sorry, I just wanted to get it done before I left. I don't know how much time I'll get to write over the next Two or Three weeks but I'll try my best to at least get one chapter out while I'm away. **


	107. Distractions

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 107: Distractions**

Naruto and Akimi walked through the forest towards the outskirts of the village. They had only just left Itachi and Jiraiya and once Naruto was sure they were not being followed and they were alone he yanked the kunoichi around into a deep kiss, a kiss that Akimi readily returned. They stayed like that for what seemed like an age before they broke apart both needing some air. "Kami I wanted to do that since I woke up." Naruto said with a satisfied smile.

"Then why didn't you!" she pouted.

"Well I didn't know if I could control myself." Naruto replied with another short yet sweet kiss.

Naruto began to pull back but Akimi didn't let him pulling herself into him as they backed into a nearby tree. "You make it sound like I wanted you to control myself." Akimi teased seductively.

Naruto greedily claimed Akimi's lips with his own again before swiftly switching position so Akimi was pinned against the tree, their legs tangled with each other. Akimi let out a small moan as she felt Naruto leg rub up against her womanhood. "Let's go deeper into the forest so nobody will find us." she begged.

Naruto let out a small aroused growl. "You read my mind." he said slowly releasing the kunoichi from being pinned to the tree and picked her up bridal style. "I'll find somewhere we won't be fo- Kami dammit!" he said turning around. "Sorry looks like we are going to have to put this on hold for now." sighed as Kakashi and Asuma landed on a nearby tree a few seconds later.

"Yo" Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Kakashi, you really do have the worst timing imaginable." Naruto said while rather annoyed tone while returning Akimi to her feet. She was blushing too heavily to send Kakashi and Asuma the death glare that she wanted.

"Looks like we are interrupting something." Kakashi said while taking out his little orange book to mask a small perverted giggle.

"No we were just going to Konoha for some lunch, I take it there will be some stores that are still open." Naruto replied, playing everything off like nothing had happened.

"Oh in that case you both wont mind coming to see the Hokage for a moment, he needs to talk to you about something." Asuma replied not buying Naruto's story for a moment even if there was some truth to it. They had planned on going to get some lunch before they were sidetracked.

Naruto sighed in frustration, if it was anyone other than Hiruzen or Tsunade he would have just said he was busy and told them to come back later. "Fine we can come, Let's go Akimi-chan we can get some lunch after we go see Jiji." he agreed, sighing once more to emphasize his reluctance to leave with the two jounin.

Akimi reluctantly accepted, she didn't care about the Hokage or most of Konoha for that matter, she had both blamed them and thanked them for what happened to Naruto. She would have never met the blond had he been treated well in Konoha which was a painful thought that something so horrible would be the reason she became so happy. "Fine I swear this day has just been ruined by one annoying pervert after another." she sighed.

Asuma nudged Kakashi in the side who was busy reading a rahter interesting paragraph of his favorite Icha Icha novel. "I think she's angry at you." he said with a small laugh taking out his cigarettes. '_It's rather funny_, _with the amount of times I have been saved by Naruto these things might actually be what ends up doing me in.' _he chuckled darkly to himself as an afterthought.

The four shinobi slowly turned back and traveled towards a small opening in Konoha's walls to an area that had not been targeted by the Deidara during the invasion leaving several houses still intact. "So what does Jiji want to talk to me about anyway?" Naruto asked.

"I believe it has something to do with Itachi, his presence inside the village walls are making several people rather anxious and weary." Kakashi replied feeling bad that despite all the help Itachi had given in saving lives during the invasion, many people still only saw a heartless murderer that killed his own family.

Naruto spat in disgust. "This village, just when you think they are starting to get over their prejudices. Itachi helped save them."

"That's true Naruto and I know the reason Itachi is considered a criminal in the first place is due to certain circumstances. But you have to realize that the situation is still different to you. The fear of Itachi has more justification than when the villagers feared you." Kakashi replied.

"I know but it still stinks, why can't they just tell everyone what really happened, then Itachi can go back to being a Konoha shinobi." Naruto huffed.

"I am sure there is some reason Naruto. Itachi was one of our best losing him from the village is not something that anyone liked." Kakashi replied.

Naruto could only nod in agreement as the group came to a small wooden building in the exact location that the Hokage tower once stood. "I have to say the old tower was better." Naruto chuckled lightly as he jumped through a window where he felt Hiruzen's chakra.

"The door was right here, yet he jumps through the window?" Asuma said obviously confused with the blonds actions.

"Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama share an aversion to doors. I believe they do not see the point in them when there is a perfectly good window they can jump out of." Akimi informed the chain smoking Jounin. "That or they just think it makes them look cool." she added with a deadpan expression that told them that she believed it was the latter.

"Well shall we enter? If we hand around too long we will get dragged into the rebuilding work, and I have other things I would rather do with my time." Kakashi sighed.

"I agree, ah for the days where we had our cute little Genin to do all of our menial work for us." Asuma agreed.

The three shinobi entered the building and strangely found Hiruzen sitting alone. "Ah I see you have returned. But where is Naruto-kun? I trust you haven't added forgetfulness to your already questionable punctuality Kakashi." the acting Hokage pressed.

'_But we saw him enter_.' Kakashi thought suddenly he shook his head slowly before revealing his sharingan. Naruto was indeed in the room, sitting directly across from Hiruzen. "Forgive me Hokage-sama, let me make sure he hasn't run off." the copy ninja added before crossing the room and bonking Naruto on top of his head.

"Ow, what the hell Kakashi!" Naruto whined coming into view as the hit to the head ended his camouflage jutsu.

"Oh Naruto I didn't see you there. It may be wise to keep yourself visible in the future." Kakashi said with one of his patented eye smiles.

Naruto growled and rubbed his head mumbling something about ruining his entrance. '_Yep, he's just like Jiraiya-sama_' Asuma and Akimi thought in tandem.

"Flashy introductions aside you may already know why I asked you here Naruto-kun." Hiruzen spoke calmly far too experienced and used to his former pupils antics to be surprised by Naruto's arrival.

"Yeah, you want me to tell Itachi that he has to leave." Naruto said clearly not impressed by the decision.

"I feel the same way, and so do many that Itachi helped during the attack. Despite that fact it is for both his safety and the safety of my shinobi that I ask if you would talk to him." the acting Hokage sighed.

Naruto was very tempted to refuse the old man, Itachi was part of his family in Naruto's eyes. To kick him out would be disrespectful. Despite this he knew Itachi had expected something along these lines. In the end after pausing for a minute Naruto sighed and nodded in agreement. "I'll do it for you Jiji, anyone else and I would have told them where they could shove it." he said smirking at the end.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, please pass on my deepest apologies to Itachi." Hiruzen said, his face saddened by the knowledge he was once more forcing Itachi from his home.

"Do you need me for anything else?" Naruto asked slowly standing from his chair.

"Actually if you don't mind, Anko and Ibiki would like to talk to you regarding the allegations surrounding Danzo and my former student Orochimaru." the Hokage informed the blond.

"Sure, I can help out. Just tell me where to go." Naruto replied.

"Fortunately the Anbu Headquarters were not badly damaged in the Akatsuki's assault. They will be waiting for you when you arrive." Hiruzen spoke calmly.

"Alright, I'll head over there now. Lets go Akimi-chan. If we get this done then we can go get some ramen." Naruto said happily. He knew that an interrogation from two of Konoha's best T and I specialists was not supposed to be a walk in the park. Still the prospect of doing away with Danzo made the task far more enjoyable.

Akimi nodded exasperatingly, she had no idea why Naruto would find anything to do with an interrogation to be happy about. In the end she simply shook her head, bowed respectfully to the Hokage before following Naruto as he jumped out a nearby window. "Sorry." she mouthed silently before jumping out through the window after him.

"Well at least one of them has some manners." Hiruzen chuckled fondly before looking back down at the paperwork that continued multiplying. Every building that needed rebuilding required the Hokage's agreement. This was a task normally reserved for the civilian council however with the village in a state of emergency the Hokage was forced to take over their duties.

"Yes but I have my doubts that it will rub off on Naruto, he's too much like his mother for that to be conceivable." Kakashi chuckled lightly.

"Yes he certainly has Kushina-chan's attitude even if he is looking more and more like Minato-kun every day." the elder Sarutobi laughed.

Outside the Hokage's office Naruto and Akimi soon found themselves walking through the slowly recovering village. Several buildings were still left in ruin and piles of rubble had yet to be removed. Children were climbing on the rubble as though it were play equipment, a tiring experience for the poor Chunin and Genin assigned to keep them away. As soon as one group would be dismissed another would show up or they would simply move to another area. Naruto couldn't help but laugh remembering the many times even as an eight year old where he would prank one of the civilians and then be chased by a group of Chunin. Despite their ninja training the blond was very rarely caught simply because of his knowledge of the village.

The couple rounded a corner and a large group of shinobi were hard at work removing rubble. The first thing that caught his eye was one shinobi laying back staring up into the sky watching clouds. "And here I thought you would have grown out of being so lazy Shikamaru." Naruto joked as he and Akimi approached the lazy genius.

"I'm supposed to be supervising the clearing of this section of the village but it's far too troublesome." Shikamaru replied not even looking at the pair. "So what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the village hero." Shikamaru said with a small smirk knowing Naruto would be uncomfortable with the title.

Naruto as Shikamaru expected rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well actually we were heading to Anbu headquarters to talk with Anko and Ibiki about something." Naruto admitted.

The blond had to stifle a laugh as he saw the Nara blanch at the thought. "Troublesome, those two are crazy. Good luck, you're going to need it."

"They can't be that bad." Naruto replied clearly unconcerned.

"Well maybe not for you, most sane people would do anything in their power to avoid an interrogation." Shikamaru reasoned while slowly sitting up and looking at Naruto for the first time.

"I have nothing to fear, so it can't be that bad." Naruto said calmly.

"Perhaps you're right, you should be more concerned with the newly formed Naruto Fan Club. It would be troublesome if they saw you walking around the village with a girl." the Nara replied with a smirk. This statement drew the reaction that Shikamaru was looking for. Naruto instantly paled at the thought while Akimi stiffened at the thought of fan girls. "Troublesome. A interrogation from Ibiki and you couldn't care less, but a group of crazed fan girls and even you tremble. It just proves how troublesome women can be." he added.

"What was that!?" Akimi asked firmly with a rather foreboding glint in her eye.

"Like I said, Troublesome." Shikamaru replied. Akimi was ready to rage on the young Nara but Naruto grabbed her hand giving a comforting squeeze to to calm her down.

"We better get going anyway, wouldn't want to keep old scar face and the crazy snake lady waiting for too long." Naruto said happily and waved goodbye to his lazy friend before the continuing towards their destination.

The Anbu Headquarters survived the the assault on Konoha mostly unscathed, befitting from having the majority of the complex underground. The building itself was hit by a small explosive from Deidara but caused only minor damage to the roof making the building seem rundown and uncared for. When Naruto arrived several masked Anbu were patching up the damage and didn't notice as Naruto and Akimi slipped past them undetected.

"Here we go, they're inside that room there." Naruto said pointing to the top floor of the building.

"And I take it that you mean to just jump through the window into a room of potentially dangerous shinobi rather than use the door like a sane person right?" Akimi guessed with a deadpan expression.

"Ah Akimi-chan you know me so well." Naruto said happily giving the speedy kunoichi a quick chaste kiss before jumping in one leap up to the window.

Ibiki and Anko were sitting at a large desk with Orochimaru's file on Danzo spread out infront of them when Naruto came vaulting in through an open window. Ibiki looked up in shock while Anko grinned. "Would you look at that, he knows how to make an entrance. To bad he doesn't have a banner to do his introductions for him though." the kunoichi smirked.

"Namikaze, I see that you received our request for a portion of your time." Ibiki said evenly ignoring Anko's enthusiasm for flashy entrances.

"Yeah Jiji said you wanted to ask me some questions about those files I gave him." Naruto answered calmly leaning against the wall without a care in the world.

Naruto's attitude seemed to almost stun Ibiki, Anko for her part was grinning wickedly. 'Oh this is not going to end well.' Ibiki thought seeing the look on his subordinates face.

"Looks like the little Gaki isn't intimidated by us Ibiki, you must be losing your touch. You don't instil fear into the hearts of those you meet anymore." Anko said her grin not faltering for a moment.

"Is there a reason I should be afraid?" Naruto asked passively.

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say as in the blink of an eye Anko lashed a kunai straight towards Naruto aiming to nick his cheek. Anko reappeared behind the blond as the kunai embedded into the wall. "I think it's wise to fear what we can do." Anko whispered into his ear only to have Naruto disappear in a burst of smoke a second later. '_A clone!_' Anko realized too late as she felt cold steal up against her own neck less than a second later.

"You're going to need to move faster than that Anko-chan, although I have to give you credit for trying to scare me, not many would try." Naruto spoke softer than a whisper so only she could hear.

"Careful with that cocky attitude brat it could come back to bite you." Anko whispered back as her snakes shot out of her sleeve to bite the young Yoinokuchi shinobi. However before they could strike their target Naruto was gone. 'What is this kid, he's amazing!' she thought looking around to find where he was but found nothing. The next thing Anko knew she was pinned to the wall with kunai each one catching her clothing but careful enough not to harm the kunoichi in anyway. "What the fuck?" she gasped as Naruto rose up from the floor out of her shadow.

"Have we been able to learn our lesson Anko-chan?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Ibiki for his part was stunned, he had no doubt that Naruto was a top class shinobi, he had defeated Pein after all. Regardless he was stunned when he failed to follow Naruto's movements as he toyed with Anko, one of the top kunoichi in the village. Only Kurenai and of course Tsunade could compete with the snake mistress yet this boy who was only sixteen was making sport of her.

'That technique, it was Jiraiya-sama's Hiding in the Shadows jutsu, but he was able to suppress his presences to the point he was completely undetectable.' Anko realized as she slowly freed herself from the wall. The snake mistress did not have the knowledge of Naruto's infiltration abilities that some had. His perfect chakra control took Jiraiya's impressive camouflage jutsu to a whole new level. "Well I must say that I am impressed Gaki. Maybe we can play again later." she said with a smirk.

"Maybe, but you will need to be able to move faster than that to keep up with me." Naruto said with a smirk of his own.

"If you two are done, we have work to do." Ibiki said becoming slightly annoyed with the pairs antics.

"Ah sorry Scarface, I was just having some fun while I waited for someone to arrive." Naruto replied.

"Who are you waiting for?" Ibiki asked.

His question was answered almost instantly as the door opened and Akimi was escorted in by two masked Anbu. "You see what happens when you use doors, you get held up." Naruto joked causing Akimi to send him a mock glare.

An owl masked Anbu bowed slightly to Ibiki before speaking. "This kunoichi insists that she is Namikaze-sama's companion. As she wears the same outfit we brought her here after minor questioning." the Anbu informed the room.

"That would never have happened if you just used the window like I did." Naruto laughed.

"The Gaki's got a point, you jump through a window like you own the place and nobody will ever question you." Anko said proudly.

Ibiki sweat dropped at this statement. Anko was constantly being reprimanded and questioned due to her rather unique entrances. "Can we please just get this done!?" he asked with an almost pained expression.

"Oh cheer up Ibiki, if you don't keep your cool then the Gaki wins." Anko replied with a grin.

"There is a difference, Anko, between losing my cool and using my temper to get our work done. Now the sooner we get this done you can go do what you please, but at the moment we have work to do. Now if you please Namikaze-san sit down." Ibiki replied with enough authority to portray just how serious he was.

"Aw looks like we will have to put off our little game for now Naruto-kun." Anko pouted with a small smile that seemed to be more threatening than friendly.

"What game are were you playing?" Akimi asked in a similar threatening yet sweet voice.

"Oh it was a fun game, the Gaki is rather hard to catch it would seem. I find myself intrigued, I bet hes blood tastes delicious." Anko smirked.

"I'm starting to feel like I'm a piece of meat." Naruto laughed weakly.

"Oh don't be silly Naruto-kun, meat can't give me half the amount of pleasure that cutting you will provide." Anko cooed lightly.

Akimi didn't particularly like the way Anko was looking at her boyfriend. It was like a hungry lion stalking her prey. The speedy kunoichi let her apprehension slide however guessing that Anko was simply a little different, and in the ninja world people often became sliglty quirky over time as a means of dealing with the stressful nature of their work, Anko just so happened to like cutting people and tasting their blood.

"Eh right. So anyway, Scarface what do you want to know?" Naruto asked turning away from the snake mistress but making sure to keep her well within his peripheral vision.

"These folders, I would like to know how you came by them." Ibiki questioned.

Wasting no more time Naruto started telling the story of Orochimaru's underground hideout and the sealed room that Naruto spend a fair portion of his time opening. When he come to what was inside the room however he paused. The information on Nagato was rather sensitive as were many of the other folders in Orochimaru's lab. However handing them over would further incriminate Danzo as they would validate that the files were indeed Orochimaru's.

"You are stalling Namikaze-san." Ibiki said his eyes probing Naruto's own searching for deceit.

"True, I guess it cant be helped. Inside the room was a lab, a large lab filled with experiments run on cells. For the most part his focus was on the Uchiha clan, more specifically the Sharingan. He was trying to combine Senju and Uchiha DNA perfectly through a catalyst." Naruto explained.

'_Like Danzo's arm_.' Anko and Ibiki thought having both seen what the old war hawk hid behind his bandages when the Anbu brought him in.

"Many of these were old but it seems all have failed. The only way to combine the two seemed to be if the person the DNA was added to was already a Senju or Uchiha. They were greatly compatible with one another." Naruto explained casually. "Quite shocking for two clans that have spent the better part of the past three hundred years trying to wipe each other out, there DNA syncs up perfectly." he added with a short laugh.

"While that is interesting, I fail to see what it has to do with Danzo." Ibiki said. This was not necessarily true at all, it was highly interesting and suggested that Danzo was just another one of his experiments.

"It does when you consider why Orochimaru was so desperate to obtain a sharingan, or to be more precise take over the body of Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto replied.

"He needed a Uchiha to complete the combination of Senju and Uchiha DNA, otherwise he could have just implanted any sharingan whenever he wanted to." Anko said.

"Yes I think it was how he hoped to create the perfect body, something that his presence would not kill." Naruto guessed.

"As fascinating as this tale is, I hope you have some form of evidence." Ibiki interjected.

Naruto sighed and ran through a set of hand seals before summoning Gamakichi. "Heya boss, you need something?" the large orange toad asked.

"Yes Kichi, I need the folders on Orochimaru's experiments that I took from the Oto base in the Land of Earth." Naruto explained.

Gamakichi nodded and when he opened his mouth again a large stack of scrolls were wrapped around his tongue. Leaving behind a few files that would hold no evidence that Danzo was involved with Orochimaru at all. Ibiki's eyes widened upon seeing the sheer number of files and scrolls that Naruto had produced. "That's quite a lot of information." he said his eyes gauging Naruto for a reaction. He still needed to rule out Naruto framing the former village elder.

"Well Orochimaru had a lot of time on his hands. I haven't even been able to read most of this stuff yet, I skimmed a few pages nothing more." Naruto replied before placing the information on the desk.

Ibiki and Anko scanned several files, every so often making a sound of disgust at what they had read. "It's certainly sick and twisted enough to be Orochimaru's handiwork, still there is no definitive proof." Ibiki said in a huff looking at Naruto expectantly.

"I don't know what more you want, the experiments that Orochimaru ran on Danzo's arm are as clear as day before your eyes. You have seen his so called crippled arm for yourselves, that in itself has to be a crime, it's certainly a crime against nature." Naruto replied.

"A twisted as it is, it's not illegal to run experiments on your own body in Konoha law. The most he can be punished for is stealing cells from Hashirama Senju." Ibiki replied.

Naruto was about to snap back in an angry reply when Anko caught the rooms attention with a very audible gasp. "This is Orochimaru's handwriting, I would recognize it anywhere. It's a step by step process on an experiment he must have done by himself with the DNA of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha."

Naruto smiled a satisfied smirk. "Told you it was his, now maybe you can stop trying to accuse me of framing that old Teme and get to work."

'_So he knew what I was doing from the start, kid's smart and strong, that's a dangerous combination, I certainly wouldn't want to take him on. At least not in a fight, if I had time and wanted to make him crack, well then that would be rather interesting._' Ibiki thought in mild interest. "Well this certainly adds some legitimacy to the accusations brought against Danzo. If you leave these files here we can have our Anbu file through the information contained in greater detail."

Anko meanwhile was seething at the sight of the files. "Damn Orochimaru! I swear I'll kill the bastard one of these days."

"Uh I think you are a little late there Anko, Itachi already killed him." Akimi informed the snake mistress.

"What?" Anko asked in disbelief.

"Well he's not so much dead, as had his soul sealed into Itachi's Susanoo." Naruto chuckled.

"Are you serious! He's gone?" Anko asked her arm instinctively moving up to her neck and shoulder where her curse seal was located. '_If he is gone why do I still feel his presence inside the damn seal._' she wondered bitterly.

"So do you need anything else, this was supposed to be a date!" Akimi said quite irritated by this point. What had started out as a heated encounter in the forests surrounding Konoha turned into a procession of one interruption after another.

"Very well I believe you can go now. We have what we need it would appear." Ibiki informed the pair.

Without enough time to even blink Naruto had crossed the room hoisted Akimi into his arms bridal style and jumped out through the same window that he had entered by. "Gotta admit the Gaki is good." Anko admitted once the young couple was gone.

**End Chapter!**

**Have to admit this isn't one of my best works. I haven't had much time to write while on holiday so the chapter didn't run together all that well. Still it's just a filler that I can easily put together while on holiday to keep the story moving. I'll try and get another chapter out before I return home in two weeks, after that I should be able to get back to posting on a weekly basis. **


	108. Kumo's Arrival

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 108: Arrival**

It was late afternoon by the time Naruto and Akimi finished inside the Anbu Headquarters, the setting sun set a warm orange glow over the village. The work on clearing rubble from the village was slowing down for the day and despite the heat several campfires were being lit to help light the village in areas that found themselves without power.

Naruto sighed in contempt as he walked through the village, every so often people would call out and wave to him. For the most part he would respond with a friendly greeting, although after awhile it became rather monotonous causing the Kyuubi jinchuuriki to simply give a nod in acknowledgment.

Akimi on the other hand was well aware of the varying looks of dislike, almost hatred being shot her way, she also noticed the looks of longing and lust being directed at Naruto by the vast majority of the women and even more disturbing several men. While gagging slightly at that last thought she had the sudden urge to mark her territory, in a matter of speaking.

Wordlessly the swift release kunoichi intertwined her fingers with Naruto's and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. '_That should do it_.' she thought and looking around she was not disappointed. The glares directed her way had intensified significantly as well as a few jealous looks from some of the men that had been lusting over Narutos dark haired busty companion.

Naruto chuckled slightly while blushing from Akimi's openness in such a crowded area. "You didn't need to do that you know. None of them would ever be able to compare with you." he whispered just loud enough for Akimi to hear.

"Maybe I just enjoy the look on their faces, knowing that I'm with you and they want to be." Akimi replied with a smug contented smile.

"Well aren't you mean." Naruto chuckled while giving her hand a reassuring squeeze as if still somewhat concerned that Akimi was worried about the other people that seemed to be staring at him like he was some type of delicious and rare delicacy.

"I'm not mean... I just don't play nice with others when they want something that's rightfully mine." Akimi replied.

"I didn't realize you owned me." Naruto chuckled.

"Well I do, so get used to it." she replied in a businesslike manner that left little room for arguing.

"I guess I can agree with that, as long as that means that you are similarly mine." Naruto smirked forgetting for a moment just how many people were in earshot.

"Of course, I was always yours. You just didn't know it." Akimi replied her usual confidence overpowering the feeling of embarrassment from having such a conversation in the center of a crowded street.

A few select "Aww how sweet." comments from a few elderly civilians quickly awoke Naruto to the fact that there usual banter had crept up in volume so that everyone could hear causing the blond to blush heavily.

"Ah, the old mans stall is this way." Naruto said quickly hoping to get out of the area as quickly as possible. In the blink of an eye Naruto was gone Akimi running after him still hand in hand.

(**Outside Konoha**)

"We must be getting close now, we have been walking for days now. Maybe we have walked right past Konoha and not even realized it, and we keep walking around in circles constantly until we are so old that nobody remembers who we are anymore." Omoi whined in honest concern.

"Will you shut up, that isn't going to happen idiot!" Karui the fiery red head yelled kicking a small rock towards her teammate.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on your perspective the rock missed the talkative Kumo chunin striking hard against a tree cracking it's bark. "What have you done, what if we are arrested for damaging Konoha property, these trees are like sacred to them! We could be taken and locked up for close to one hundred years, when I get out I find out that you all have died of old age and I attack the village for revenge." Omoi complained.

"That's not going to happen idiot it was just a tree!" Karui replied.

The Raikage was not at all impressed with the antics of his escort and the final member of his escort, Samui was took notice this. "Both of you shut up at once!" she ordered. When they both turned to retort she quickly cut them off. "No complaining, we are Kumo shinobi in a foreign country of equal standing as the Land of Lightning. As such you will be expected to act as diplomats which means none of your usual antics that Bee-sama allows." she spoke sternly.

"But what if some young Konoha kunoichi falls for me while I am acting all dignified and leaves Konoha to be with me starting a war only to find she doesn't like how I act normally?" Omoi asked with a somewhat serious expression crossing his face.

"I can assure you that will not happen, I believe I have told you in the past that you have to be likeable to have someone like you." Samui replied in a stoic manner that screamed seriousness.

Omoi face vaulted and moped but for once didn't complain, he did however mumble something along the lines of "I am likeable."

Meanwhile the Raikage, A, was once more berating himself for allowing his usual bodyguards, Shee, and Darui, to go with Bee while he came to Konoha. His reasoning for this was the fact that team Bee had been to Konoha once before and Darui and Shee were far better suited to protect the Hachibi Jinchuuriki while he was gone, they were two of the best Kumo had to offer and were the only two he trusted enough to be able to successfully watch over his brother in his absence. He had however underestimated just how annoying he would find his brothers team, Samui had become a well respected Jounin but Omoi and Karui were like children.

'We should be able to see the village from just over this next incline. Many years have passed since I have been to Konoha I wonder how it has changed?' A thought with mild interest.

"If I was being honest I expected Konoha to be a little harder to find, none of the other hidden villages are so easily accessible." Yugito said marveling at the large road that they knew lead to Konoha.

"Arrogance, they do not hide themselves well because they consider themselves the strongest." A scoffed.

"Hm well they have produced many of the strongest shinobi in the past hundred years. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha are still considered the strongest shinobi to have lived, both from Konoha. Then there is the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he is called the God of Shinobi." Yugito mused, as if trying to justify any arrogance that Konoha might show others.

"What about the Yondaime Hokage? He was as fast as you are Raikage-sama." Karui said finding the topic rather interesting.

"Then there was that kid who stole the legendary tools of the Rikudou Sennin. That was the Yondaime Hokage's son so he was originally from Konoha as well. He was able to fight Bee-sensei and you Yugito at the same time. He was even able to fight with Raikage-sama in taijutsu." Omoi added.

That statement hit a nerve with the Raikage who grunted angrily. "That little shit ran before our fight was over, I would have ended him if I had the chance." he scowled.

The team from Kumo made it to the peak of the hill and all five stood in complete and utter shock at the sight of Konoha in ruins. "What the hell happened here!?" A practically yelled.

"I don't know but it would seem that the village has been attacked, we have seen no signs of any army within the country however, this is indeed a surprising revelation." Samui replied.

"That doesn't really matter does it? What if the Hokage has been killed, Yugito won't be able to be healed. Or they might think that we were in on the attack and take us prisoner." Omoi guessed before reciting more scenarios of varying levels of ridiculousness.

"Regardless we need to head towards the village, they will most likely be on high alert after an attack that has caused so much damage to the village." Samui declared with a calm tone that silenced Omoi. The possibility that their group was seen as a treat was far higher than it would have been under normal circumstances.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Akimi arrived at a small caravan type hut that had somehow avoided adverse damage in the attack on Konoha. "Ah It's been awhile since I have had ramen from Ichiraku's." Naruto sighed happily.

"They got really lucky, this part of the village was hit hard by that man with the clay explosives." Akimi added looking around, the street. Many of the larger buildings were in complete ruin. The fact that the small ramen stall was so small protected it from Deidara's attacks.

Naruto simply nodded in agreement with the swift release kunoichi before taking a seat. "Hey old man how about some Miso ramen?" he called out to the old cook Teuchi.

"Oh my look who it is, I was wondering if you would show up. I'll get right on that. Hey Ayame look who's here." Teuchi called out clearly happy.

"Who is it?" asked a tall brunette wearing a apron and her hair tied back with a scarf.

"The village hero and he brought a beautiful woman with him." Teuchi replied.

Both Naruto and Akimi blushed, Akimi for being called beautiful and Naruto because of his so called title as a hero. "Uh Naruto is fine." he chuckled weakly trying to hide just how embarrassed he was.

"Ah Naruto-sama, it's great to see you again." Ayame said a small blush crossing her own cheeks.

"Just Naruto is fins Ayame, you were like family to me when I lived in Konoha. Besides I hate honorifics that elevate someone above others. As far as I'm concerned we are all equal." Naruto replied with a friendly smile.

"Ah such modesty, truly one of the good ones." Teuchi praised while placing a bowl of Miso ramen in front of both Yoinokuchi shinobi.

The couple ate their meal in relative peace, talking quietly with Teuchi and his daughter. Unsurprisingly Naruto had made sure to eat his fill and when he was finally finished he had several empty bowls on the bench waiting to be taken away. "Thanks old man, I've never found ramen anywhere that's as good as this." Naruto complimented.

After paying his favorite ramen stand owner Naruto left feeling contented with Akimi following close behind. "I hope that was worth it, because you just ate a weeks worth of ramen." Akimi joked.

"It totally was. I'm stuffed." Naruto replied.

"Good because when we get back you're not eating any ramen for a week to compensate." Akimi replied. She burst out laughing at the abject look of complete horror that had spread across her boyfriends face.

"That's not fair!" the blond whined only causing Akimi to laugh harder.

"Life isn't supposed to be fair." the busty kunoichi answered.

Naruto was about to reply but before he managed a single word he paused at the sight before him. Five Kumo shinobi including the Raikage and Nibi jinchuuriki. He was then extra conscious of the Rikudou Sennin's necklace currently hanging on his neck. 'This could end badly.' he thought and a second later he was forced to block a super powered punch from the muscle clad Kage.

"That's Kumo property, I demand you return it at once!" A roared his eyes locked on Naruto's with all the anger showing on his face.

"Funny I don't remember the old man giving it to Kumo. If I recall one of the previous Raikage collected then by force from all over the Elemental Nations. Kumo are no more the rightful owners of this necklace than I am, I simply stole from a theif." Naruto replied

A's response was to throw a powerful right fist at the blond who ducked the blow with sublime skill before kicking the Raikage back over to the other Kumo ninja who all had stunned looks on their faces. They were not the only ones however, all over the street shinobi and civilians alike had seen the confrontation each had their mouths open in shock.

"Just as cocky as the last time we met, only this time you have nowhere to run!" A yelled his Lightning armor sparking to life around him.

"Who says I need to run?" Naruto asked activating his Futon, Raiton combination armor. He knew his armor was not as well developed as the Raikage's as he was still working on improving the technique but he knew it would be enough to keep up with the Raikage if the fight was to draw out. "You want to fight me? Then catch me if you can." the blond taunted and in the blink of an eye he was gone.

Naruto had moved so fast only A and Akimi who had trained at moving at such high speeds could follow his movements. "He's become faster, this will be interesting." A practically shouted before bounding off after the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.

Once Naruto was far enough from the village in a rather large training ground he stopped qhickly spinning just in time to dodge the Raikage's vicious clothesline. "Not bad for an old man." Naruto joked.

"So you think you're quick do you Gaki? If that's the case then I won't bother holding back." A said through lightly clenched teeth.

"Not at all I'm still slow, but once I perfect this technique I will be much faster than you, and so will she." Naruto answered pointing in the direction of the village. At this point Akimi arrived in a blur landing on a tree well behind Naruto at a safe distance.

"Is that so, then I guess it is a shame that you won't live long enough to see that become reality!" A yelled his lightning armor spiking and thickening.

In the blink of an eye the muscular Raikage had disappeared and reappeared taking Naruto's head off with a lariat. However before A could even think of celebrating Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. A had to readjust to this revelation almost immediately as Naruto shot out of the ground and punched the older man in the gut sending him flying while hunched over through a few trees.

"Phew that was close, I need to be on guard." Naruto sighed indicating just how close the Raikage had come to hitting him.

Meanwhile, A was slowly getting to his feet easily picking a large tree off of him. '_Amazing, not only did he avoid my lariat he was able to counter it. But it seems his armor has not been developed to its fullest capabilities yet he's able to increase his speed but fails to harden the chakra to sustain for strength and for it to be augmented into other jutsu. As he is he cannot defeat me because he wont be able to pierce my armor with those attacks_.'

This was the scene that the other Kumo ninja arrived to see. Naruto instantly noticed that Yugito was being carried on the back of Samui but brushed it off as he realized that the Raikage was recovering from his attack.

Never one for calm discussion A burst forward however this time Naruto was ready for the attack and sidestepped the charge with ease. 'He's not used to having anyone that can match his speed so his attacks are rather obvious.' Naruto realized as he narrowly dodged another strike. In retaliation to A's constant attacks Naruto created several clones as another attack came in. One clone yanked the blond well out of harms way as the Raikage landed and the others combined to punch the speedy Kage away.

"Wow A-sama is losing, this is bad should we jump in?" Karui asked tentatively.

"I wouldn't recommend it." the voice of Akimi trailed as if somewhat bored by the whole spectacle of her boyfriend fighting against the Raikage.

"Akimi?" Samui asked somewhat surprised.

"You act as though you're surprised to see me. I was with Naruto-kun's team when we stole the Rikudou Sennin's tools from Kumo, so it makes sense for me to be here now." Akimi replied in a lazy tone. "The real question is why are you all here. I mean what could have possessed the Raikage to come to Konoha only to pick a fight the moment he entered the village with the very person who saved it no more than two days ago." she added hopping down from the tree she was sitting in.

Samui cast a deductive eye over the Yoinokuchi kunoichi. "You don't seem all that concerned, your friend."

"Boyfriend." Akimi corrected the busty Kumo shinobi.

"Then that doubles my inquiry, if he is so important to you why are you content to sit and watch as he fights against A-sama. If the fight continues in this way he cannot hope to win." Samui retorted.

"He's not really fighting seriously yet." Akimi replied casually.

Needless to say the declaration shocked the group from Kumo. "What do you mean he's not fighting seriously? He is capable to match A-sama for speed!" Omoi shouted.

"Yes Naruto-kun is indeed fast at the moment, faster than I am at the moment, the difference is his speed may have increased but what ever new technique Naruto is developing to gain these speeds he has also handicapped himself in doing so." Akimi answered.

"Handicapped? How so?" Samui asked taking the information passed on by Akimi far easier than her counterparts save Yugito who had yet to show any signs of surprise. She had fought Naruto herself along with Bee so she knew how strong he was and also that Taijutsu was not his strongest point. Naruto was by no means lacking in this area it was just his skills with ninjutsu were on a level that had far surpassed anything she had experienced. He never needed anything more than one hand seal even for the most advanced jutsu.

"It's obvious isn't it? He's unable to use any Ninjutsu. For Naruto-kun that's like a Kenjutsu specialist only being able to use a kunai. Still deadly but not as effective." Akimi informed the group. "In any case Naruto-kun is just using the Raikage for some training, if he was in any serious danger this fight would be over by now." she added.

"Why do you say that?" Yugito asked somewhat confused by Akimi's prediction.

"That's simple, can't you see all the people watching this fight?" Akimi asked. It took the Kumo group a few moments but then they saw them. A small group of shinobi sitting in a few trees at the far end of the training ground. Among them sat Itachi, Jiraiya and the rest of the Yoinokuchi. Along with Kakashi, Gai and a tired looking Tenzo who had apparently finished building houses for the day. "See, if there was even a slightest hint that Naruto-kun was about to lose that group would be over here in a flash and then, well I would say Kumo would be looking for a new Raikage." The group from Kumo paled when they realized just who it was that they were up against.

"There are Konoha shinobi in that group, they wouldn't risk starting a war for a kid!" Karui yelled back loudly.

"I believe they would." Yugito said in a reserved manner.

"That kid as you called him is the son of the Yondaime Hokage not to mention if what Akimi says is true a hero in his own right in Konoha. Just like A-sama would go to war for Kirabi that group looks devoted enough to fight for the young Namikaze without second thought." Yugito reasoned.

"I would agree, if A-sama does not calm down we could have yet another political situation with Konoha to diffuse." Samui said evenly.

"If he doesn't calm down I doubt we will live long enough to diffuse any situation. Those are some of the strongest shinobi within the Elemental Nations over there, even A-sama would not stand a chance against all of them. Speeking of which I noticed that your brother is not among them Akimi, from what I heard he was a part of your little mercenary group." Yugito added.

Akimi's voice was caught in her throat, she did not expect the group to bring her brother up in such a casual way. "He... ugh, he was... killed." The kunoichi choked out sadly.

Yugito's face did not change although it was still clear that she was surprised by how her body tensed slightly. "That is a shame, he was once one of Kumo's strongest, his ability of Raiton Manipulation was second to none. Darui and Shee will be saddened by this news, he was their teammate for years. How is it that he died?" the former Nibi jinchuuriki asked calmly.

"Two members from the Akatsuki attacked the Fire Temple where we were staying. I got away but Akaru didn't survive." Akimi replied sadly as if ashamed that she survived while her older brother did not.

Yugito was about to say something but was distracted by a loud explosion of earth being tossed up under the Raikage's fists. Naruto had just avoided the strike but couldn't land a counter attack due to the sheer amount of rubble picked up from the force behind the Raikage's punch.

"You will never hit me like that." Naruto declared as the Raiton wielding Kage fumed.

"Cocky aren't you brat, but you are not as fast as me yet." A replied angrily.

"Nor would I want to be if it means fighting like a rampaging bull with no subtlety. I may not be as fast as you yet, but while you're fighting like this I don't need to be." Naruto lectured.

"He makes a valid point." Yugito said from the sidelines. "A-sama has never had anyone able to keep up with him so his technique had suffered because of this. Now that he is fighting someone that has the ability to match his speed it is of little surprise that they find A-sama's attacks careless and full of openings." she explained putting an end to the questions that the other Kumo ninja may have had.

"So tell me, why are you in the Land of Fire, I didn't think a Kage would leave their village for anything short of an emergency or war." Naruto spoke seeing the first drop pause in the fighting.

"I have business with the Hokage, that's all you need to know." A replied.

"So you need Baa-chan for something huh. Her personally or just the Hokage?" Naruto asked.

"They are one in the same are they not? This conversation is quite pointless." A answered hotly.

"So you need her to heal the Nibi jinchuuriki over there." Naruto guessed nonchalantly.

"I told you it's none of your concern!" A yelled. Naruto, despite holding a small amount of concern for the Nibi jinchuuriki, couldn't help but smirk slightly, knowing he had hit a nerve with the angry Raikage. He didn't have long to dwell on this thought however as A closed the gap between the pair and quickly engaged in a blistering Taijutsu spar.

Naruto was slightly shocked by this, so far A's attack's had been rushed and often coming from a long distance giving the blond more than ample time to react to any threat. Now for the first time since A had attacked the blond he was on the back foot he had barely been able to get a punch away mostly being forced to use his arms and legs to block the Raikage's relentless assault.

'_Shit Even with my Futon, Raiton combination armor he's faster, this jutsu needs a lot of work._' Naruto thought while flipping back over a leg sweep. "Enough playing around. Shinra Tensei!" the Raikage was blown back with tremendous force as Naruto exited his combination armor. "I'm not ready to fight you in speed, but the question is can you keep up in Ninjutsu?"

The force of Naruto's Shinra Tensei had blown A through a large group of trees and even though he was still covered in lightning his body screamed out in pain. A made it to his feet rather more gingerly than he had anticipated and glared over at Naruto. '_His chakra has died down, it's no longer encasing him, did he expect that last attack to finish me off?_' the Raikage mused. What A didn't notice however was the dark orange pigment begin to spread out around his eyes that were currently closed. So when A shot forward you can imagine his surprise when Naruto once more blasted him away without even looking in his direction.

"How did he do that!? He wasn't even facing A-sama." Karui gasped.

Akimi smiled lightly enjoying the stunned looks on the faces of three of Kumo shinobi, Yugito was just watching impassively. She herself had experienced the power of Naruto's Ninjutsu so she was under no illusion that A would simply be able to walk over her fellow jinchuuriki, yes she knew just how strong he was. It also appeared that Naruto had become significantly more powerful since they fought in Kumo. '_His rate of growth is almost frightening. This boy is only sixteen, and he is able to fight on par with one of the strongest shinobi Kumo have ever produced like it was a common occurrence_'.

Akimi had a confident smile plasted across her face. "Looks like Naruto-kun is starting to take this fight seriously. He's entered Sage Mode, it might get a little dangerous now." she said not afraid to show just how confident she was in Naruto's ability.

"Sage Mode?" Karui questioned.

"It's an ability that allows a sage, in this case Naruto-kun, to utilize chakra from nature augmenting his strength and senses, multiplying them by several times over." Akimi explained.

By this time a rather large crowd had begun to form, all comprised of Konoha shinobi watching as their newest hero stood his ground against one of the strongest men alive. Although they were not all that surprised after what they had seen and heard of his fight with Pein. Several of the younger more idealistic Konoha shinobi wanted to jump in and help Naruto and it took many wiser heads to keep them in place. In a Kage level fight collateral damage is a fact of life, the less people involved means that there is less risk.

A once more picked himself up the second Shinra tensei hit even harder than the first thanks to Naruto's Senjutsu, A bristled with rage and was just about to attack when he a massive wall of fire erupted between the two shinobi and the area filled with tremendous killing intent that caused both Naruto and the Raikage to sweat lightly. "What is the meaning of this!" the unmistakable booming voice of the man known as the God of Shinobi rang out over the training field.

Naruto paled and began rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Uh it's just a friendly spar, right old man?" Naruto proposed although he was not fooling anyone.

A had a scowl, once he had gotten over the initial shock of Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrival his pride would not allow him to admit just how intimidated he had truly been. '_All these years and that man is still able to make anyone quake in fear. He's probably lost a step or two now though._' A thought, but he also knew that he needed Konoha's cooperation in healing Yugito and finding the bastards who stole the Nibi. "It's been awhile Hiruzen-dono, this boy is a wanted criminal in the Land of Lightning and I have the right to apprehend criminals." he said ignoring Naruto completely.

"It's like I'm not even here." Naruto mumbled at A's response.

Hiruzen walked forward not looking at all amused or sympathetic. Criminal you say, well I believe that Konoha does not fall within the borders of the Land of Lightning, in fact here in the Land of Fire Naruto-kun is thought of quite highly. You will do well to know that, wars have been started for less. But the real question I find myself asking is why would the Raikage and a group of Jounin and Chunin come to Konoha in the first place?" he asked. When there was no response the elderly Sarutobi turned his glare onto the group of spectators. "I believe if you have time to watch this then you most certainly have time to spend rebuilding Konoha! You are all just as much at fault if this turned into a political situation as they are!" he yelled at the crowd.

Very slowly the group of onlookers began to grow fewer and fewer. It may have been Naruto and the Raikage fighting, but neither were Konoha shinobi, so the duty to maintain the peace fell on the Konoha ninja's shoulders. Sitting in the tree at the far end of the training ground Kakashi was about as pale as anyone had ever seen him. He was the ranking shinobi, meaning any blame would fall on his shoulders. "He's going to do something horrible to me." the Copycat fretted.

Jiraiya could only sympathize, well that was not true, he could make things worse. "Yeah I feel your pain. I remember once when the old man caught Orochimaru and myself after we destroyed a building in one of our spars he had do something so horrible I still get chills thinking about it."

By this stage Kakashi was so pale it made Orochimaru look like he had a healthy tan. "What did he do?" Kakashi asked weakly.

Jiraiya visibility shuddered at the memory. "He made me teach an all seniors pole dancing course for civilians. I can still see them in my nightmares." he said his voice completely void of it's usual humor and life.

"A unappealing prospect, even for someone as youthful as I am." Gai said the serious tone of his voice overshadowed by his usual talk of youthfulness.

"Huh did you say something Gai?" Kakashi asked as if he hadn't been listening to the loud spandex wearing Jounin.

"Gah Curse your hip attitude, even in a situation like this you have to be so cool!" Gai whailed in anguish.

Meanwhile Hiruzen was now standing directly between Naruto and A. his attention slowly returning to the the Raikage. "A-dono I believe I asked you a question. Why are you here in Konoha?" he demanded.

"That is a topic to be discussed in private." A replied.

"That was a liberty you lost when you thought it wise to attack a guest in my village. You are still a hot head it would seem, acting before you think of the consequences." the elderly Kage lectured.

A scowled but knew he had to behave. "I'm here because of the Akatsuki." he replied begrudgingly. "I need to speak with the Hokage." he added after a moment.

"Well I am acting Hokage as Tsunade-Hime is currently unavailable." Hiruzen replied.

"What do you mean currently unavailable. I need to speak with her directly." A declared.

"Looks like the Akatsuki got to the Nibi huh. That's why you need Tsunade-Baachan. Still it's a wonder she is still alive." Naruto added earning a glare from the Raikage.

"Is this true?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yes." A responded curtly.

"In that case you better follow me, we can have our best medics run a diagnosis and see what they can do. Unfortunately Tsunade-Hime is out of action and I am the acting Hokage. She is however expected to wake any day now." Hiruzen said before turning back towards the village. He made it to the edge of the training ground and stopped. "Oh Kakashi-kun, I expect to see you and Gai-kun in my office in an hour. You do not want to be late." he called out before continuing his way back to the village.

A paused and turned his anger back to Naruto who was at this point resting against a tree. "This isn't over boy, we will finish this!" he warned venomously before stalking off after the Hokage, his shinobi following close behind.

'What a charming fellow.' Naruto thought with a sweat drop as Akimi and the remaining onlookers approached.

**End Chapter!**

**I'm back home tomorrow night. That said I want to get my hands on the new Call of Duty so the next chapter may take awhile like this one did. Sorry guys, this is a hectic time of year at the best of times. Hope you all understand, but I promise you this story won't be going on Hiatus any time soon. **

**Thanks again to everyone for the reviews I'm glad you have all stuck with the story for 108 chapters. Can't tell you how much I appreciate the kind words. But don't be afraid to criticize I know I make a few mistakes and the only way for me to improve is to be told. **


	109. Ominous Plans

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 10****9: Ominous Plans**

The hospital was one of the first targeted by Deidara when Konoha was attacked. But it was also the very first building to be rebuilt after the Akatsuki attack. The new ninja hospital was a massive complex of four buildings surrounding a courtyard varying between two and four levels in height. It had not been painted yet, and still needed work on some areas but Tenzo had outdone himself with the new buildings. Walking through the center courtyard was the longest serving Hokage of all five, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was not alone however, a small group was following a short way behind, four of which wore Kumo forehead protectors and the last was a large highly muscular man who towered over the others.

"I see no purpose in this Hiruzen-dono, our medics already inspected Yugito's condition." the Raikage said as the group approached the largest of the four buildings.

"That may be, but our own medics still need to assess the situation and do what they can until Tsunade-Hime awakens and returns to work. Two of the doctors are Tsunade-Hime's students so they may be able to help her without the Godaime." Hiruzen replied.

"If you say so Hiruzen-dono, but I have my doubts. The slug princess is without an equal in medical Ninjutsu. No matter how well trained a simple medic cannot compare to Tsunade" A replied. The Raikage did not like that the Sandaime Hokage considered the medics in Konoha superior to Kumo. He always resented Konoha's title as 'the strongest village' and was always trying to bring Kumo up to that level. Sure he did not go as far as his predecessor in kidnapping children from other nations but he was not above making his own set of rules when he preferred to his dealings with Akimi as a young girl, attempting to place her in a controlled breeding program spoke for itself.

"I am glad you have such faith in my pupil A-dono, but it is fate the the next generation will surpass the last in time. Tsunade-Hime's apprentice's are highly capable I assure you. But as you say Tsunade-Hime still has no equal at the moment with any luck she will awaken and take over in the healing process of your shinobi." the acting Hokage said with a small smile. Hiruzen was well aware of just how much asking another village for help would annoy the proud Kage from Kumo.

The group finally made it to the main hospital building, several medic were already there to greet them at the main reception area. "Sarutobi-sama, what brings you out here, so far there has been no change in Tsunade-sama's condition. She is breathing and physically we can find nothing wrong with her, however her chakra is replenishing at such a slow rate that we cannot foresee when she may wake." a nurse said with a respectful bow.

"Thank you for the update but at the moment I am here for other reasons. I need to see Shizune-chan, I am guessing that she is currently observing Tsunade-Hime's recovery." the acting Hokage requested.

"Of course Sandaime-sama, I shall fetch Shizune-sempai immediately." the nurse said bowing low and leaving the room.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto had gone to join the other members of the Yoinokuchi who had come to witness the confrontation between the blond and Raikage. He was for the most part unharmed however he did have some bruises as well as some sore joints, still for having a taijutsu match with the fastest man alive a few bruises was far from the worst thing that could happen.

"You all showed up quickly, were you worried about me?" Naruto asked with a slight smirk.

"More worried that you would do something stupid and kill a foreign Kage on Konoha soil, if that happened Konoha shinobi or not there would be a war." Itachi declared.

"Oh do you have so little faith in me, I wouldn't do something like that, why do you think I was only fighting with Taijutsu, I could have used Preta path to absorb that armor of his." Naruto replied casually.

"Don't underestimate the Raikage Naruto, nobody gains the title of Kage by solely relying on one ability alone. Do you think your father only had the Rasengan and Hirashin?" Jiraiya lectured.

"No I guess not." Naruto sighed.

"Exactly, Minato was the strongest shinobi in Konoha over many fields, true his ninjutsu and fuinjutsu were his best skills but in there were not many that could match him in taijutsu and his skill with genjutsu, while not, prolific was still at a level higher than my own." the toad sage replied.

"In fairness Jiraiya-sama most ranking genin are better with genjutsu than you are." Itachi interrupted with a small smirk.

Jiraiya blanched with a depressed face vault. "That's cold Itachi.I may not be able to use genjutsu but I still know how to escape it." the Toad Sage replied slightly depressed.

"As I said, most Genin can do that to a certain degree." Itachi replied causing the Yoinokuchi leader to sit under a nearby tree crying anime tears and whining about a lack of respect from his so called spent a moment staring at the sorry state of the Sannin before simply shaking his head in amusement. "Idiocy aside, Jiraiya-sama has a point. The Raikage may prefer to fight with taijutsu, but that by no means will mean that is his only skill."

Naruto nodded, he had to admit that they made sense, Jiraiya and Itachi would always keep Naruto's feet firmly grounded in reality, whenever they thought Naruto's head was getting a little too large they would make sure to puncture it. Arrogance would so often lead to a shinobi's downfall. "Yeah I guess you're right. Still I didn't start the fight, we were just walking back to our temporary housing when that crazy old man attacked me". He replied slightly defensively.

"Naruto-kun is right, we were just trying to enjoy ourselves when the Raikage came out of nowhere." Akimi added as if to justify Naruto's actions.

That statement instantly awoke Jiraiya from his sulking, in the blink on an eye he was standing next to Itachi with a very perverted grin on his face and his notepad out already scribbling down what ever inspiration he had just received. "Enjoy yourselves in what way?"

"Not in that way you perverted old man." Naruto yelled slightly flustered knowing what his sensei and father figure must have been thinking.

"You seem a little more agitated than you should be over such a simple question. Have you two been doing something that should belong in one of my books?" Jiraiya asked his lecherous grin not moving from his face.

Unable to help himself Naruto's thoughts traced back to the moment he and Akimi shared in the forests outside of Konoha, and what they nearly did before being rudely interrupted by Kakashi's world famous ability to show up at the most inopportune moments. The result of these thoughts combined with Jiraiya's probing forced a small blush to creep onto his cheeks.

"Now isn't this interesting. Tell me what have you two been up to." Jiraiya said his lecherous grin growing larger.

"Nothing!" Naruto yelled in denial. "We had to go see Jiji, then had a meeting with Ibiki and the crazy snake lady." he added trying to calm down.

Akimi was a different story however, Jiraiya's teasing had also drawn her mind back to the moment she had shared with Naruto in the forest but rather than attempt to deny it or even feel embarrassed she was more angry than anything. Her chakra began spiking and instantly caught the attention of both Jiraiya and Naruto who were still arguing about the possibility of something happening between the two. "Can't you leave us alone for a minute you perverted old man!" she seethed tiny sparks of lightning coming to life around the busty kunoichi.

Jiraiya paled somewhat, he may have been a legendary pervert that seemed to have a tendency to take a beating for his passion he always knew when he had taken it too far. It was now glaringly obvious to the Toad Sage that he had indeed taken things to far with his teasing of Naruto and Akimi. "Now now Akimi-chan don't you think that you are taking things a little bit too seriously." he said hoping to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.

Akimi just clenched her fists in anger. "That depends how would you like it if Naruto started trying to peek on you with women and relentlessly tormenting you with questions?" she asked.

Jiraiya paused for a moment as if in contemplation of what Akimi had said. "I would have to say that I... would love it! Naruto would finally be a true apprentice of the great Jiraiya-sama." he said with glee.

"Oh sensei, that was a very stupid thing to say at this point." Naruto sighed smacking his face in embarrassment.

Sure enough Akimi had not found Jiraiya's proclamation that he wished Naruto was a super pervert like the Toad Sage as amusing as was intended. "First you try to break into our bedroom, then you go fishing for details of what we do together, and now you say something like that." she said in almost a whisper that was more threatening that even the most killing intent filled of yells. "I am going to castrate you, you damn pervert!" she screamed in the end before disappearing in a blur.

It took all of Jiraiya's experience to block the angry kunoichi's fierce attack. Before he took of once more that day running for his life away from the swift release kunoichi.

"I get the feeling that this is going to be a common occurrence." Naruto deadpanned once Akimi had taken off after the self proclaimed super pervert. To which Itachi, Gaara just nodded while Zabuza laughed rather enjoying the fact that Jiraiya was forced to run to save his most prized possessions.

"Well it's good to see you picked someone who can keep him in line. Although you really don't want to get on her bad side". The Demon of the mist said before breaking out in even louder laughter.

"Yes it would appear that way. She seems to have become more violent since we returned from Iwa. I wonder why that is." Itachi mused.

Naruto felt the same way, he didn't know why it was. '_Maybe it's because she is embarrassed about the fact everyone seems to know that we are in a relationship now?_" Naruto guessed. While this was part of the reason for Akimi's pent up aggression towards the Toad Sage, it was not the full story. Since Naruto had left for Iwa she had been, for lack of a better term, saving herself. The sexual frustration that had built up over all that time was compounded by the thin walls, and Naruto's refusal to use a silencing jutsu because at the very least Itachi would be able to know what was going on.

"In any case I believe that letting her take her frustrations out on Jiraiya-sama is probably for the best." Itachi said in his emotionless drone.

"How do you figure? Oh I get it you think if Jiraiya-sama is all beat up we will get a holiday. It would be a nice change of pace not having to take on S class shinobi every other day." Zabuza chuckled.

"Yes that would be nice. However I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that if she is taking her anger out on Jiraiya-sama she will be less likely to attack us." Itachi replied with a very mild smirk.

"Good point." Gaara added. He was not afraid of the raven haired kunoichi by any means, but with that said he would still rather not deal with the hassle that he knew she could cause.

"Ah she's not that bad, guys. I think Jiraiya-sensei just got under her skin by being a pervert." Naruto reasoned. "Anyway Itachi I need to talk to you about something." he added remembering the little chat that he had with Hiruzen earlier that day.

Itachi nodded. "They want me to leave the village don't they." he guessed. The Uchiha had been expecting the village higher ups to force him out sooner or later.

Naruto let his shoulder sag a little not wanting to kick one of his closest friends out. "Yeah they want you to leave. it really sucks, you saved more lives than anyone during the Akatsuki attack, you're a hero." he complained.

"I am no hero Naruto-kun, like it or not I am still a criminal in Konoha and they have every right to kick me out of the village. It is for my own safety just as much as it is theirs." Itachi replied completely calm.

Naruto sighed in agreement, he by no means liked the declaration but he admitted that it was probably for the best. "You should go stay with Nagato and Konan, after what we heard from them it would be wise to keep an eye on Nagato, especially if that masked Uchiha needs a Rinnegan to continue his plans."

"I think that would be wise, I will be out of the village and still close enough to intervene should the group from Kumo give you any more problems". The stoic Uchiha agreed.

"Ah don't worry about me Itachi, I can handle myself, besides Jiji will murder us if something happens again." Naruto chuckles weakly.

"I suppose he would, he was not called the God of Shinobi for nothing, his killing intent was impressive." Itachi replied.

(**Meanwhile**)

The masked Akatsuki ninja was walking with Kisame and Zetsu following close behind. "do you really think that kid of a Uchiha can capture the Rokubi? I mean he may be strong for his age but he's certainly not at his brothers level, or ours for that matter." Kisame asked tentatively.

"No maybe not, but should his eyes become strong enough then he will be able to achieve all that I ask of him. Besides I need him to have nowhere to run. I want him to be so desperate he has to join us, I will need more peons if my plan is to succeed." Tobi declared deadly serious. All signs of the childlike joking Tobi were gone, in it's place was a seasoned and well trained shinobi that was not amused at the loss in Konoha.

"_**It will all be pointless if we don't get our hands on the Rinnegan.**_ _You may be able to control the Gedo Mezo as it is,_ _**but without the energy from the other Bijuu it will be impossible to complete the moons eye plan.**_" Zetsu reminded the real Akatsuki leader.

"I am aware of this Zetsu. In due time I will take the Rinnegan back for myself. I will take Nagato's eyes by force if need be." Tobi seethed. The thought of the elder Uzumaki siding with the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was a very sore point. '_How did he get Nagato to turn on me? He was twisted into my perfect puppet yet that damn boy was able to make him switch sides, unforgivable!_'

"So what are our moves going to be now? With the Uchiha brat going after the Rokubi we only have the jinchuuriki currently in Konoha and the Hachibi in Kumo left, and they will not be easy targets." Kisame said surprising calmly.

"The time for acting in the shadows has come and gone, the loss of the Nibi will force the Raikage into action. They will call a Kage summit, which will be the perfect time to declare war. Thanks to Zetsu's clones we outnumber all the five great villages combined." Tobi said darkly.

"There is a difference in the quality of fighters though. Someone like Kakashi Hatake could take out a large number of clones by himself." Kisame reasoned.

"That is true, Zetsu is not all that strong in a one on one situation. But Zetsu has a special ability that will help allow us to strike from the darkness, and spread mass confusion through enemy ranks". Tobi said.

"Sounds useful, what's the technique?" Kisame asked, clearly interested in Zetsu's technique.

In response a white Zetsu clone rose up from the ground, and a second later they were not staring at another Zetsu, rather a perfect copy of Kisame. "_I can copy any person I touch perfectly_, _**right down to there chakra signature**_". Zetsu said proudly while the Kisame clone gave a perfect replica of Kisame's shark like smile. "_Even if the body is killed it will retain the appearance,_ _**and chakra signature of the person copied.**_" the plant like Akatsuki member continued while the Kisame clone returned to having the appearance of a white Zetsu.

"Not bad, so they are perfect for undercover assignments, no wonder Zetsu is such a good spy." Kisame said grinning wickedly.

"Yes just imagine what he could accomplish behind enemy lines. Then there is the psychological warfare, make the enemy fight against their friends even themselves should it come to it." Tobi chuckled.

"Is there a limit? All jutsu have some form of weakness". Kisame asked.

"_**I can't copy the Jinchuuriki, Bijuu chakra has a adverse effect on my body**_, _the Kyuubi most of all._ _**Active physical bloodline limits**_, _like the Kaguya clans bone manipulation,_ _**or Dojutsu, **__like the Sharinagan and Rinnegan can't be copied as they require the correct DNA._ _**So the Kyuubi boy and Pein can't be copied. Neither can Kakashi Hatake due to his Sharinan always being active**_". Zetsu answered.

"And of course he won't know there jutsu or personality. If the enemy are smart it won't take long for them to begin creating pass phrases to act against Zetsu, which is why I have kept his ability hidden. Until we can cripple key members of those foolish enough to stand in our way." Tobi informed the group.

"So looks like we need a hit list, just when I thought we were running out of people to hunt down we get more." Kisame said eagerly. The former Kiri ninja was pleased for a new challenge he was more than eager to work for his leaders goals. Contrary to popular belief the Monster of Kiri was not the bloodthirsty creature that many believed. Yes he did not bat an eyelash at having to kill countless numbers of people, but it was not because he enjoyed it. Killing was his job, and he was very good at his job. He was also fiercely loyal, more than willing to die for those he served, which was and always would be the man in the mask he referred to as the Mizukage.

"Yes, I believe so. High priority targets will of course be the Kage and their top shinobi." Tobi agreed.

"_**The top priority should be Shikaku Nara from Konoha.**_" Black Zetsu informed the pair.

"He's been the Jounin commander of Konoha since the end of the last shinobi world war. But his skills are nothing out of the ordinary". Kisame replied.

"_That's true_. _**But in a wartime situation that Nara is more useful than a Kage.**_ _His ability to think ahead and formulate battle strategy are second to none_. _**In a war someone with that type of ability can turn the tide, **__without even lifting a finger._" Zetsu reasoned.

"Yes I am aware of this Nara, however getting to him could prove troublesome. As you said he is smart, too smart to be caught out by a doppelganger. For Shikaku a different approach is necessary, we will need to draw him out by putting him in a situation where he would need to be on the frontlines directing troops." Tobi said casually.

"That's easier said than done." Kisame spoke calmly. "you would need to have him placed in a situation where he was hopelessly out numbered. The only way to win would be to join in the fighting and give direct orders to stand any chance of winning." he added after some thought.

"Yes which is why when I consider the situation a straight out war would not be the best choice, we simply do not have enough of the Bijuu to be able to risk such an event. Instead we will strike at the lesser nations, control and fortify. It will take far longer than I had hoped but it is the only way. I can produce Zetsu clones faster than the other nations can produce decent battle ready shinobi, a prolonged war will in the end work in our favor." Tobi said seriously. The tone of his voice was calm but inside he was furious. '_I have waited so long, why must I continue to live in this imperfect world_'.

(**Konoha**)

The sun had gone down over Konoha and small campfires were springing up all over the village. The work was progressing fast but it would still be months before the damage caused by the Akatsuki would be completely repaired, the walls alone would take close to a year to replace. Inside the shinobi hospital the Raikage sat along with three of the group that traveled from the Land of Lightning, only Yugito was missing from the group.

While most of the group was waiting quietly the same could not be said about their eccentric leader. "Damn it how long is this going to take! They have been looking at Yugito for hours now." A yelled in frustration.

"Yugito-chan has a completely destroyed chakra network, it is surprising that she is alive at all. So it stands to reason that a medical evaluation will take some time." Samui said calmly.

"Still it's taking too long!" A roared.

The noise of the angry Raikage was so loud it could be heard all over the hospital. And just so happened to be exceptionally loud in a highly guarded room one floor above where Tsunade Senju lay asleep still recovering from her chakra exhaustion. She lay looking far older than the fifty years she had been alive, a side effect of her regeneration jutsu. The sound of A raging below them forced Tsunade's eyes open in an angry scowl. "What the hell is with all the noise!?" she asked, her younger appearance returning in an instant.

Sakura who had stayed by the Hokage's side while Shizune had gone to inspect Yugito shed a few tears of joy at seeing her master awaken. "Oh Tsunade-sama thank Kami you're alright." the pink haired kunoichi sobbed lightly before pulling Tsunade into a hug.

Tsunade for her part was slightly disorientated. The last thing she could remember was Naruto arriving just in time to prevent her from having her soul removed by Pein. "Sakura? Then I guess the Gaki beat Pein then?" she asked calmly.

Sakura released her hug and nodded. Yes Naruto was able to defeat Pein and the other members of his group helped protect the village as well." she declared a happy smile plastered on her face, unable to contain her joy at seeing Tsunade awake.

"So where's the Gaki and his perverted Godfather now? Have they returned to what ever hole it is that they continuously crawl out of to stir up trouble?" Tsunade asked slightly hopeful that she hadn't missed seeing the pair. Despite her harsh attitude Naruto was like the son she never had and Jiraiya was... well Jiraiya was Jiraiya, a complete detestable pervert that she cared deeply for regardless.

"No Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama and the other Yoinokuchi shinobi have remained in Konoha for the time being. They said they would stay until you were fit enough to return to your duties as Hokage." Sakura replied.

Tsunade nodded quite pleased that she would be able to see Naruto and Jiraiya before they left again. She slowly sat up and attempted to stand but found her legs gave out on her moments later. "Damn." Tsunade mumbled to herself.

"Are you alright Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked urgently.

"Yes I'm fine, my chakra levels are still very low, I need food... Lots of food." Tsunade informed her younger apprentice.

Sakura didn't need any more instruction. She jumped to her feet in the blink of an eye and was out the door racing toward the closest take away restaurant. "It would have been much faster if she just used a window." came a masculine voice from the far side of the room.

"Jiraiya, how long have you been there?" Tsunade asked wearily.

"Ah I just got here, I felt your chakra spike and I figured that it meant that you had decided to rejoin us in the land of the living." the Toad Sage chuckled before vaulting into the room through the window he was sitting in. "Besides I need a place to lay low for a few hours. Akimi-chan has really picked up a mean streak I swear she could rival you in scariness when she's angry." he shuddered.

Tsunade for her part was wearing a slightly scowl. She wouldn't deny that it was good to see Jiraiya again but vary rarely did a kunoichi look to harm her former teammate without good cause. "What did you do?" she asked threateningly.

"I didn't do anything. Not that I didn't try." Jiraiya answered honestly.

Tsunade stared at him suspiciously for a few moments but in the end shrugged accepting his stance of innocence. "So what did you try and do?" she questioned after a few moments now finding the situation rather more interesting now that she knew Jiraiya hadn't succeeded in his normal perverted activities.

"I was trying to break into Naruto's room this morning to catch the two of them sleeping together." Jiraiya admitted honestly.

"Akimi is sleeping with Naruto?" Tsunade gasped.

"Yeah they have been for awhile now from what I can guess. I know she ran to him after Akaru died but it looks like that was not a simple one time thing. They seem rather inseparable, and knowing just how she feels about Naruto it's quite obvious that they are a couple now." Jiraiya explained leaning against a wall to get comfortable.

"Well good for her, although I can't imagine that the Nanabi Jinchuuriki Fu will be taking it very well. So tell me why are you lot still here? From what little information our spys have picked up on your movements your group is never in one place for long." The Godaime Hokage probed.

"Well there are a few things we need to do in Konoha, as well as something that only you can help us with. Then we have to wait until the T and I department are finished with their investigation into Danzo." Jiraiya said in a matter of fact tone.

"Investigation into Danzo? I know the guy is a warmongering old fool, but whats he under investigation about?" Tsunade asked, shocked to hear that the elder was under any suspicion.

"He's been arrested for treason. We have lots of evidence as well." Jiraiya said calmly. Tsunade just gave the Toad Sage a look that said that he had better elaborate or he would feel pain. "We have evidence that Danzo has been working with Orochimaru, to conduct experiments on his own body in exchange for cooperation with helping Orochimaru slip into Konoha during the Suna invasion all those years ago. He has also been working with Hanzou the Salamander."

Tsunade's fist balled tight in anger. 'I'm going to have to look over this information personally.' "So why has he been doing these things?" she asked.

Jiraiya chuckled darkly at this. "I thought you were the smart one Tsunade-Hime. He's been trying to force his way into the seat of Hokage. He used the Akatsuki attack to finally make his move, claiming that the Shodai's teachings were making the village weak and because of them Konoha was all but destroyed."

"How did you stop him?" Tsunade fumed, pressing for more answers.

"How do you think? Naruto just showed up to the so called secure meeting and tossed out all the evidence, exposed Danzo for the backstabbing traitor that he is." Jiraiya answered with a proud smirk.

At that moment the door burst open and Sakura came through the door, holding what looked like a mountain of food. "Tsunade-sama I was unsure what you felt like and I know you will need to eat a lot to replenish your chakra so I grabbed a little of everything." the chunin said urgently.

"Did you get me any sake?" Tsunade asked. She was grateful for the food but at the same time news about Danzo had put her in a bad mood, the type of bad mood that only a stiff drink would be able to cure.

"No I didn't, I'm sorry. But sake isn't allowed in the patients rooms." Sakura replied.

"Sakura who runs the village?" Tsunade asked with a small smile.

"Uh you do."

"Good, and who runs the hospital?"

"Again you do Tsunade-sama."

"Then what I say goes and right now I'm saying I want some damn sake!" the sweet smile never left Tsunade's face, but somehow that made her even more threatening.

Sakura paled and nodded slightly handing off the food before fleeing the room in search of her masters favorite drink. Jiraiya having seen this couldn't hold back his laugh. "Poor girl, you're going to traumatize her." he chuckled.

"Oh shut up fool. Now sit down and grab some food, I don't feel like eating, or drinking alone." Tsunade replied.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry for the long wait. Really busy time of year... I'm not really a fan of Xmas. That and I've been enjoying the new CoD, although to tell the truth I'm not all that big of a fan of the new multiplayer maps. **

**On a different note, things are getting rather pathetic in the cannon. Kakashi and Gai were able to join the fight after leaving there division in almost an instant, then very next chapter the other divisions all said they were on the way... 50 chapters ago. **

**Then there is Naruto's new jutsu... when did he have time to invent a new jutsu? He didn't even have Kurama's chakra under control properly when he left that cave. This must be the almighty power of the Plot no Jutsu. Well at least it wasn't a sharingan jutsu for once. Although I can see it being countered by one. Then there is the fact that having so many people there is probably not a good idea, it just gives the Juubi more people to kill. **

**So I've decided to change things up in the war in this fic. A war is supposed to be that... A war. Not a large battle that lasts two days.**


	110. Stress Release

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 110****: Stress Release**

Shizune was not in a good mood, she had been dragged away from Tsunade's bedside several hours ago to assist in the treatment of a foreign shinobi only to find the kunoichi in question was very lucky to still be alive. But was she thanked for her hard work? Not at all, the impatient and rash Raikage had spent close to the last two hours complaining just outside the door, not helpful at all when you need to concentrate.

Despite this fact Shizune was nothing but professional, even if her sensei was not, often drunk even when in surgery. "I've just about finished up on your initial assessment Yugito-san. I must say you are very lucky to still be here with us. Whoever treated you did a very good job. Even if it was slightly rough around the edges, it got the job done." the medic said with a small yet tired smile.

"Yes I am aware that I am extremely lucky, if A-sama hadn't arrived when he did I would almost certainly not be speaking to you right now." Yugito admitted somewhat ashamedly. The Nibi jinchuuriki always prided herself on being one of the strongest shinobi in Kumo, only Bee and A could best her on a regular basis, so the loss to the Akatsuki had hit her particularly hard.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of Yugito-san, the Akatsuki did all this damage to Konoha and almost killed half the population. If it wasn't for Naruto-kun then Konoha would be nothing but a graveyard now. Luckily thanks to him we were all saved." Shizune said.

This comment struck the Kumo kunoichi as incredibly odd. "Are you saying that even with all the damage to the village that nobody died?" she asked, thinking that she must have miss heard the medic.

"That's right... well that is not technically true. One Aburame clan member has not been accounted for. But thanks to Naruto-kun's jutsu everyone else that would of died survived." Shizune replied happily. Like most of the village Shizune was unaware that it was actually Nagato that revived those that died during the invasion.

"That must be some extraordinary medical jutsu." Yugito admitted with a stunned expression.

"Yes I would love to know how it works, unfortunately it would appear that the jutsu is one the the abilities of his Rinnegan eyes, so I could not hope to learn it." Shizune replied with a small reserved smile.

"Sounds like that kids pretty big around here huh." Yugito guessed.

"Yes Indeed he is, and not just here, I hear that in Kiri he is much loved as well. The Mizukage in particular was quite taken with him." Shizune informed the Kumo kunoichi.

'_Seems like the kid has some powerful allies, A-sama may want to be careful when dealing with him from now on._' "So back on topic, do you think I stand a chance?" Yugito asked.

"Hm it's touch and go. If I were to perform even the initial operation, there would be a seventy five to eighty percent chance that you would die." Shizune admitted sadly. "However if Tsunade-sama performs it I would say that it would be about fifty percent chance that you would survive."

Yugito knew they were not the best odds but sighed in acceptance none the less. "I guess a fifty percent shot at living is better than being certain to die. So say this operation is a success, how long until I can go back to Kumo and work?"

"That could take months or even years I'm afraid. You see the initial operation would be to restore the main chakra network around your vital organs to prevent them from shutting down. Repairing the rest of the chakra network will be a long and very painful process." Shizune admitted.

"I see, and I guess that will mean that I have to stay in Konoha during the process as well. This is very troublesome, I did not have high hopes of survival when I came here, not because I had no faith in Tsunade-sama, just my injuries were in such a bad state. Now I might survive but not be able to be a shinobi again. A-sama will likely not wait or pay for my healing. I'm no longer a jinchuuriki so I hold no high status in Kumo anymore." Yugito admitted sadly.

Shizune's face fell slightly knowing that Yugito was probably right. Nothing that she had seen from the Raikage so far had lead her to believe that he would care about losing a shinobi that was no longer any use to him. '_No I cannot think in such a way. A-sama may come across as coldhearted, but that does not mean that he is_.' she thought chastising herself.

A loud noise from the room directly above them caught the attention of both kunoichi. "What was that?" Yugito asked wide eyed.

'_That was from Tsunade-sama's room. What could that noise have been?_' Shizune wondered. Her answer came in the form of Jiraiya being sent flying from the building out over Konoha. Instantly a large happy smile appeared on the once troubled kunoichi's face. "It would appear that Tsunade-sama is awake. And judging by the amount of force that hit must have had, she is feeling much better." she said in glee.

"Was that the Toad Sage, Jiraiya? I hope he is alright." Yugito said with a stunned look on her face.

"Oh I'm sure Jiraiya-sama will be fine, he has taken worse... Tsunade-sama had been beating on Jiraiya-sama since they were children. I think it's almost become a sign of affection now, not that Tsunade-sama would ever admit it." Shizune said happily. Who would of thought the sight of Jiraiya being thrown from a tall building could make all of her troubles seem to just fade away.

"This place really is strange, it's like everyone I have met so far is as crazy as A-sama and Kirabi." Yugito said mostly to herself, the thought of violence as a form of affection seemed as hard to comprehend as her fellow jinchuuriki's pointless rapping.

"Yes it is indeed strange. But at the same time it is vary rarely boring. Now lets go, we have kept the Raikage waiting long enough." Shizune replied while hoping that it wouldn't take long to relay the medical assessment of Yugito to A, she really wanted to go see her surrogate elder sister Tsunade and make sure she was indeed felling better.

The two kunoichi exited the room and came face to face with a rather angry looking Raikage. "It's about time!" A yelled.

"I am sorry, I needed to make a map of all the damage done to Yugito's chakra network. If I could have been done sooner I would have." Shizune said firmly.

A just scoffed at this, his impatient attitude was always an overbearing part of his personality. Yugito felt rather sorry for the medic who was just doing her job, but she knew better than to question him. Otherwise she would find herself teaching the remedial class at the academy faster than she could cast a fire jutsu.

"Well are you going to give me the results of your damn tests or not?" A asked after a short silence.

Shizune gave a small sigh and nodded. "Very well. Yugito is currently in a very critical condition, her chakra network has been ripped apart and despite being patched up is slowly degrading."

"I know that already. Get to the point." A interrupted.

A small tic mark formed on the medics forehead, she did not like being ordered around in such a way. "She can be saved, although it is highly risky. Even with Tsunade-sama the best chance I would give Yugito would be a fifty percent chance at survival. However, I would like to stress the case that should any surgry we perform fail she will die almost instantly. Given the tense past Konoha has had with Kumo we will opt against even attempting any procedure should there be any doubt that we may be blamed should something go wrong." Shizune warned.

"You want some assurances that if you mess up we wont blame Konoha?" A asked rather indignantly.

"That is correct. The operation involved will require a complete rebuild of Yugito's chakra network. Even if it all goes smoothly, there is still a chance that Yugito's body wont accept the change and she will die. If that is the case then we will not risk a war with Kumo by being blamed for your shinobi's death." Shizune answered sternly.

"And how do I know that you wont simply mess up on purpose?" A replied.

"I guess you don't, but what other options do you have? All you can do is trust us, or Yugito will certainly die in a little over a week." Shizune said with a hint of finality.

A knew Shizune had a point, he would just have to accept whatever happened was out of his control. "Fine, I guess I don't have much choice now do I." the Raikage grumbled.

"Now if that will be all, I am needed elsewhere." Shizune said, not looking back as she ascended a nearby stairway.

(**Meanwhile**)

On a large island within the Land of Water, four shinobi all dressed in black cloaks that has red cloud patterns on them were sitting inside a rather damp cave. "So nothing on this island either huh, maybe we should just give up." a young man with light blue hair complained.

"I will not give up. If finding and capturing the Rokubi will help me gain my revenge than that is what we will do." Sasuke Uchiha declared with a prominent scowl gracing his features.

"There are other ways to get strong. We are looking for one man inside an entire country. Not only that the Land of Water is the most difficult of all the elemental nations to locate anyone, there are literally hundreds of islands, many of which are still uninhabited". Suigetsu replied.

"That is irrelevant, I'll find the jinchuuriki and defeat him. Then I will go on and defeat anyone else who stands in my way." Sasuke seethed.

"Ah what ever, it's not like we will find the jinchuuriki anyway. Hell I don't know why I'm still hanging around, if we're not taking out Orochimaru then what's the point? I don't really have any business fighting a Bijuu." the swordsman replied.

"Then you can leave, nobody's stopping you." Karin, the the red headed kunoichi yelled.

"I didn't say I wanted to leave, you guys wouldn't last ten minutes without me. Besides, it's too much fun getting under your skin, Karin". Suigetsu shot back. The truth was Suigetsu actually had fun with the small group that had been enlisted by the Akatsuki to capture a Bijuu. Then there was also the fact that Suigetsu had nowhere else to go. Dangerous as tackling a jinchuuriki may be, it would not be any safer out on his own.

"Well then stop complaining, Juugo doesn't have any problems with our mission right?" Karin asked turning to the final member of their group.

Juugo was always a quiet one, rarely speaking without first being spoken to first. He was currently perched sitting cross legged on a high rock looking out of the cave into the night sky wistfully. At first he didn't show any signs of hearing what Karin had said but just as the kunoichi was about to yell the question again he began to speak. "Suigetsu has a point. But it does not matter, I will follow Sasuke as long as he wants me around. Still I do not trust that masked man, he felt tainted, even more so than Orochimaru just being around him made me struggle to keep my rage in check".

"He's an Uchiha, all you felt was power." Sasuke interrupted, his patented scowl as allways was firmly fixed on his face.

'_Is that what it was? Perhaps Sasuke is right. in any case I made my mind up to join Sasuke to help him achieve his goals and that is what I will do_.' juugo thought calmly.

Silence filled the cave for several minutes until Suigetsu decided to speak up. "So where to next? This island like the last six was a complete waste of time". He asked.

"We'll move on to the next one, and we'll keep going until we find them. don't forget that Zetsu is looking for the Bijuu as well, we will find him eventually." Juugo answered upon seeing Sasuke was no longer interested in the conversation.

(**Outside of Konoha**)

For the second time that day Naruto and Itachi stood at the entrance to the hidden cave on the edge of a riverbank a short distance from Konoha. This time however they were joined by Akimi who had finally given up in her pursuit of Jiraiya and decided to join Naruto as he went to see Nagato and Konan.

"You didn't need to follow us out here Akimi-chan, I would be back at the village in no time. Besides I thought you were busy teaching Jiraiya-sensei a lesson." Naruto said as they approached the entrance to the cave.

"He got away, he's too good of a hider when he wants to be, makes me wonder why he always gets caught by the women at the bath houses. Besides I want to see this Pein for myself." Akimi replied.

"Nagato, his name is Nagato, Pein was a mask he used to hide his pain." Naruto lectured.

Akimi was taken aback by this slightly, she knew Naruto let the man who had tried to desperately to capture and kill him go, but she never expected him to be defensive about using his title. "I'm sorry I didn't know. But he tried to kill you, why do you care so much?" she asked.

Much to Akimi's surprise it was Itachi who answered her. "Nagato is an Uzumaki, they are members of the same clan, while they are not blood related they are in a sense family." the stoic Uchiha explained.

"Besides, Nagato is a good person, he was just going about things the wrong way." Naruto added.

"That is one perspective Naruto-kun." A deep voice came from the darkness of the cave entrance. Deva Path stepped out with a mild smile on his lips and his Rinnegan eyes lightly illuminated in the darkness almost looking as though they were glowing. "Many would consider me a very bad man, even I would be one of them. But as you know, for good, or for bad, you need to be willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals." the path continued.

Akimi was somewhat taken aback although she had seen Pein's Deva path before she had never had a good look at him up close. He shared many similarities with Naruto, least of all his spiky hair that was orange as opposed to Naruto's golden locks. There was of course the same Rinnegan eyes, if Akimi didn't know better she would say the pair could have been brothers. Realizing she had been staring the speedy kunoichi quickly regained her composure. "He doesn't look so tough, you must be getting soft Naruto-kun." she joked not believing what she had said in the slightest, she had seen just how powerful Pein was.

"You are not a very good lier young lady." a new voice called out before Konan stepped out from the shadows. "The moment Nagato showed himself you instantly tensed up, interestingly enough positioning yourself in the best place to protect Naruto-kun should something occur." the paper wielding kunoichi explained.

"How long were you watching?" Akimi asked in shock.

"Konan was here the same time Nagato was, she was using her Origami as a cloak to remain hidden, quite genius really, only a skilled sensor would pick her up." Naruto said with a smile, he was secretly pleased that Akimi had acted instinctively to protect him even if he didn't need protecting.

"It seems you have devoted followers Naruto-kun." Konan said with a small smile of her own.

"They are not my followers, they are my friends. I do not elevate myself above them in any way." Naruto declared calmly.

"The way you see things and others see things differ in this world Naruto, you should know this. The way others see you and you see yourself is different. Just like our opposing views on how to bring peace to this world were. You may see you allies as simply your friends but they see you as something more." Deva path said casting a knowing eye over Akimi causing the young kunoichi to blush slightly.

'_Is it really that damn obvious? I need to learn to mask my emotions better. Itachi is a master of hiding his emotions, nobody ever knows what hes thinking. Even Jiraiya-sama uses his perverted attitude, and acting like an idiot to hide his true self._' Akimi thought looking anywhere but at the body of Yahiko.

Itachi for his part smiled and closed his eyes. '_A perfect analysis. Not one member of our group sees Naruto as simply a friend. Zabuza respects his strength and knows that by following us he will get the chance to do some good, not to mention have a fight or two along the way. Haku respects Naruto more than anyone for what he did for Zabuza. Gaara and Fuu both owe Naruto for saving them from an existence of hatred. Akimi, well its fairly obvious she loves him, her devotion has really grown stronger since her brother passed away. While Jiraiya and I both consider Naruto to be part of our family, even if we aren't blood related._' he contemplated.

"Anyway we're sorry to bother you again, but Itachi needs to stay here with you. Jiji was giving me a hard time because Itachi is technically a S class criminal in the Land of Fire." Naruto complained.

Deva path nodded and invited the three Yoinokuchi shinobi inside the cave. "You saw this coming back when our fight finished, it is of little surprise to us that Itachi will be staying here." he said.

"I know but I would have hoped with all that he did to help Konoha during the attack that they may have given him some time. You know, let him enjoy being back home for the first time in years." Naruto replied.

"That is not human nature, people will accept help when it benefits them yet turn on their savior once they are safe. Convenience and greed, that is the way of the world, this is what you have to defeat if you hope to create the world we desire" Pein lectured.

"Then I have a lot of work to do it would seem." Naruto sighed.

"If it was easy my answer would have been different in the first place, and our confrontation would not have been necessary." Deva path continued.

"I guess you're right. But I'll find a way, and I'm sure you will come back to kick my ass if I don't." The blond jinchuuriki laughed trying to lighten the mood.

The group talked for a while longer, they discussed what other actions the Akatsuki might take as well as discussing how long it may take Tsunade to heal Nagato's legs. It was getting rather late when Naruto and Akimi left the cave and began heading back towards the village.

"Nagato is not what I expected, I thought he would be some sort of menacing all powerful being, but when you see his real body he looks like a sickly old man." Akimi said once they were out of earshot of the cave.

Naruto nodded in agreement. He had thought the same thing when he first saw Nagato sitting in his chakra powered robotic platform inside the tree made of Konan's paper. "He was crippled a long time ago, so long ago that when I brought him back to life it didn't heal his legs. He must have spent a good portion of his life unable to walk unaided. His life mirrors my own in many ways, we both saw loved ones die before our eyes, and we each found a surrogate family, as well as being trained by Jiraiya-sensei." he explained.

"Is that why you let him live? You saw yourself in Nagato?" Akimi asked.

"That is part of it." Naruto admitted. He took a few more steps before stopping and looking up into the sky. "I wanted to hate him, for all the death he had caused, but I couldn't. He did what he believed in, he wanted peace for the whole world, I couldn't hate him for wanting that." he sighed.

"How is that peace? The Akatsuki almost destroyed Konoha." Akimi replied.

"He wanted to create a weapon that would force all the other nations into submission and for that he needed all of the Bijuu." Naruto answered.

"That's not real peace though." The raven haired kunoichi scoffed.

"No it isn't, but desperation brings out the worst in people. Nagato was a gentle person that despised needless violence. But when his best friend died, he was influenced by a masked man claiming to be Madara Uchiha and twisted into the being Pein that set the Akatsuki on a crusade to capture the Bijuu." the blond explained.

"Sounds like he has had a tough life." Akimi said.

"You could say that. Now lets go grab something to eat before all the open restaurants run out of food." Naruto said wanting to change the topic.

"We could do that" Akimi agreed before a smirk crossed her lips. "Or we could enjoy the fact that we are alone for the first time in a while." she purred seductively.

Naruto grinned while a light blush hidden in the moonlight crossed his face. He quickly recovered however. "What did you have in mind?" he asked playing innocent.

"Just a little game. You know how I like to play with my food." Akimi said in a predatory growl.

Naruto gulped, he find this animalistic attitude a real turn on. "So whats the game?" he asked still trying to play along.

"Lets call it tag. You run and I'll catch you." Akimi smirked.

Without further word Naruto was off pushing through the trees. Akimi needed no further invitation, licking her lips in anticipation she kicked up into the nearby trees and began her persuit.

Naruto set a pace that for most would seem fast, effortlessly gliding through the trees his feet only landing long enough to kick off again. However Akimi was easily equal to the challenge, in fact for the pair the pace set was little higher than a jog. So it was no surprise that the dark haired kunoichi caught up to Naruto in no time at all.

She was ready to pick up the pace and pull the blond from the tree tops when he bead her to it, moving in a blur almost till he was out of sight. '_Dammit, he's not going to make this easy._' Akimi realized before she kicked off much faster than before to catch up to Naruto again. This time it took her much longer to catch up Naruto, not only had he picked up his pace he also began picking out rather difficult routs through the trees, she often had to block her face from low lying branches. "You're going to pay for making it this difficult Naruto-kun!" she yelled after nearly taking a face full of leaves from a much shorter tree that had not reached the canopy yet.

Naruto stopped around one hundred yards in front to burst out laughing at the kunoichi but a second later she had tackled him, the pair fell from the tree in a high arc, the pace Akimi was traveling at took them out of the tree line. When they finally came to land Akimi found they had landed on something quite soft. "What's a Fuuton doing out here?" she asked blinking as if in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? look around, we're inside." Naruto smirked.

Doing as she was told she realized that they were indeed inside, in fact they were inside the house the Yoinokuchi were staying in, and their bedroom to be more precise. She was just coming to terms with that fact as a large opening from the outside closed. "You planned this on the run didn't you?" she questioned.

Naruto smiled back and leaned over to give her a kiss. "Maybe." he huskily whispered into her ear.

"You could have picked an easier path through the trees you know." Akimi replied punching him lightly.

"I needed time to get into positon, you would have caught me much sooner if I hadn't." Naruto explained while forming several hand seals.

"What are you doing?" the kunoichi questions in surprise to see Naruto performing a jutsu.

"Privacy jutsu." Naruto answered simply causing Akimi's eyes to bulge.

She needed no more invitation, quickly pinning Naruto to the futon and straddling his waist. "I missed you while you were in Iwa. I missed you so much, it was even worse than when you were away for three years because I didn't know what it was like to have you then." She admitted, once the privacy seal was up of course, she still had an image to maintain.

"I missed you too," Naruto admitted sitting up quickly to claim the dark haired kunoichi's lips with his own in a passionate kiss. They stayed that way until they were forced to break for air. "I missed you more than anything." he added before returning his attention to her soft lips.

**Lemon Warning!**

Akimi moaned into the kiss and deepened it before pushing Naruto back to the futon, never breaking the kiss.

"Mmmm I've been waiting for this." Akimi moaned as she felt Naruto's tongue lick her bottom lip invitingly. Complying she opened her mouth and let his tongue inside to explore her mouth while she ran her hands through the opening in his Yoinokuchi robes revealing his bare well toned chest.

Naruto casually removed his cloak that had fallen down around his arms thanks to Akimi's busy hands and slowly removed Akimi's own cloak to reveal a tight fitting black top and thigh length short pants that seemed to stretch greatly for free movement. She moaned slightly in disappointment as he broke their kiss. "This must be uncomfortable, allow me to help you." Naruto said.

Akimi was about to tease him back, but before she could reply she felt a light gust of wind and then looking down she saw her outfit begin to come off with shallow cuts, like he had taken a pair of scissors to her clothes. All she was left in now was a set of black panties and a bra with deep red lace around the edges"Baka that's dangerous you could have cut me." she said with wide eyes. Regardless of this she found the danger of it quite arrousing, that Naruto would be so forward as to slice open her clothes made her mind go numb.

"I would never hurt you, you're far to precious to me for that." Naruto replied before kissing her cheek lightly as if he was afraid he had crossed the line and wanted to reassure her that she was safe. Her answer came in the form of her slamming her lips into his, her tongue darting inside his mouth before he could even think to counter. Meanwhile her hands darted down to the belt of his pants quickly unbuckling him before ripping them open, the small button sent flying with the force. "Take them off now!" she ordered commandingly. The short moment of apprehension Naruto felt when he ruined the kunoichi's outfit was easily enough for Akimi to take control, and she liked being in control, especially when it was with Naruto.

"Yes maam," he cowered playfully while tugging his pants off quite skillfully with his feet, unable to use his arms as Akimi was still straddling his waist pinning him to the ground. "Satisfied?" he asked, his normal confidence returning.

"Not at all." she growled before fiercely claiming his lips once more.

Naruto's submissive streak was gone now however and the moment their lips touched both tongues were engaged in a fierce battle for domination that soon turned into a dance, they began caressing each other as they each gave the other a short spell of dominance, almost taunting the other with the thought of gaining control before unconsciously they would give up and the other would take command. Neither wanting to be the one that broke their engagement nor wanting to melt and be the first to moan. Like so many times in their past this was another competition for the pair, one that had them both losing the will to continue.

Naruto then went in for the kill,he brought a ahd up and softly squeezed her ample breast, he saw her eyes tighten from the heightened pleasure but refused to make a noise, however when he gently tweaked her nipple through the fabric of her bra she could no longer help herself. "Na-ru-to-kun." Akimi whined in pleasure. And just like that it was over, Naruto flipped them around so she was now under him, he broke their lip lock and began planting kisses along her jawline and down her neck. "Unfair." Akimi whimpered unable to fight back, her legs felt like jelly all she could do was lay back as Naruto continued his ministrations.

Naruto kissed his way back up her neck until he stopped to nibble on her ear. "You know what they say, 'All's fair in love and war,' and this is both.' he teased in barely even a whisper. His hot breath traveled over the sensitive skin that he had been kissing causing Akimi to shiver slightly in anticipation.

The somewhat veiled declaration of love allowed Akimi to regain control of her body, she snaked a leg around his waist and pulled him into her, his hardness rubbing against her stomach through his boxers. "Looks like you're a little excited." she smirked only to be met with a smirk of Naruto's own.

"You're not one to talk, I can feel your wetness through your panties already." Naruto said before rubbing a leg against her opening causing her to moan his name.

She silently cursed her self for being so weak as to know that she had lost, but secretly she didn't care. All she wanted now was Naruto, she wanted to make up ten fold for the week that he was gone, and if that meant she had to start by being submissive then so be it. "Well it looks like you win, you may as well claim your prize." she said slowing opening her legs invitingly.

"No not yet, I'm not finished having fun with you." Naruto replied before kissing a nipple through the thin fabric of her bra. He continued teasing her nipple as he snaked a arm around her back to undo the clasp before discarding her bra, throwing it without abandon into a corner to be forgotten.

Akimi's breathing was labored as Naruto continued his teasing, he would switch nipples ever couple of minutes leaving the kunoichi putty in his hands. She was starting to get slightly desperate for a release and began grinding her hips against Naruto's leg causing her to moan loudly.

Take that as a sign that Akimi wanted something more Naruto abandoned Akimi's breasts, kissing down her belly stopping to trace her naval with his tongue before continuing down stopping just as he reached the edge of the last piece of clothing the kunoichi wore. Rather than remove it as she expected Naruto instead ignored the fabric and lightly picking up one of her legs began kissing the inside of her thigh, each time getting closer to her now drenched opening. Once he made it back to her panties he gave her center a quick kiss, running his tongue along her slit through the wet fabric. Causing her to gasp in ecstasy.

Naruto shot up and claimed her lips with his own while removing her soaking panties, she hungrily returned the kiss, enjoying the light taste of herself that was on his tongue putting everything that she was feeling at the moment into it, all the love she held for the blond jinchuuriki as well as the feeling of lust that was becoming uncontrollable at that moment. She moaned breathlessly into him as she felt a finger slowly inserting itself into her honey pot.

This feeling was better than anything for Naruto, to know that he could please Akimi in such a way was so exhilarating, the knowledge that he had her like this, in a way that nobody else could had his heart doing somersaults. He broke the lip lock for a moment to stare down at the woman he had to admit that he loved, she was everything that he would ever want. "You are so beautiful Akimi-chan, I... love you." he said.

"I love you too Na-" her sentence was cut short as Naruto's tongue ran along her slit before dipping inside to trace her velvet walls. "Naruto-kun." she moaned finally finishing her thought as her hands clenched into fists and her back arched from the pleasure. "So good, don't stop." she begged as evenly as she could through rasped breaths.

Naruto had no intention of stopping and soon made himself a small path he would follow, tracing her inner walls with his tongue before licking the full length of her moist slit and finally flicking over the highly sensitive bundle of nerves that always sent an extra large spike of pleasure all the way through the kunoichi's body.

It did not take long for her to to start to approach the edge, each second that passed seemed to drag Akimi closer to losing her mind, she eagerly ran her hands through Naruto's hair as if begging him to taste deeper while her body contorted riving in pleasure as she felt a warm knot of pressure begin to build. "I'm close." she moaned causing Naruto to release an approving growl that sent shivers down her spine as it added to the pleasure she was receiving.

Naruto slowly inserted two fingers and began pumping her sex while his mouth turned it's attention to her clit, he tongue flicking over it repeatedly before rolling the nub in between his tongue and top lip. Akimi felt her muscles clench up and knew she couldn't hold on any longer. "Naruto-kuuuun!" she screamed in unbridled ecstasy as her warm juices began flowing over the blonds hand.

Instantly Naruto began lapping her honey up, not wanting to lose a single drop every time he would return his attention to her dripping sheath another jolt of electricity would spread through her body. Once seemingly satisfied Naruto propped himself up smirking down and the powerless beauty beneath him and brought his hand up to his mouth so she could watch as he licked away the last of her juices from his fingers, slowly finishing them one at a time. When he came to the last finer however Akimi sat up in the blink of an eye and wrapped her lips over it, the sudden urge to taste herself uncontrollable.

She made quite the show of cleaning his hand, her tongue sensually caressing his skin and wrapping around his finger to be sure she claimed every last drop. When she finally let his finer go she stared at Naruto with eyes filled with lust and love and enticingly licked her bottom lip in what felt like slow motion. Naruto couldn't control himself and planted a heated kiss on her lips.

Akimi felt like she could cum again just from the kiss, it held all the love and longing that she had hoped Naruto felt for her. Her own flavor was still heavy in his mouth but that just aroused her more. "You know, I believe I have said it before, but you taste divine, Akimi-chan." he purred.

Akimi's response was to pull him back down to her before rolling the pair over so she was once again straddling his waist, she could feel his member still restricted in his boxers press lightly against her still tender and highly sensitive opening. "No more games, I want whats mine, and I want it now." she declared.

Naruto thought about denying her, after all he liked being the one in control as well. But for now he decided to let the woman he loved have her fun. With force Akimi yanked his underwear off and placed a light chaste kiss on the tip of his sword ever so tenderly. She made a show out of crouching between his legs and slowly tracing her tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip then all around the head before closing her lips over his shaft and slowly bobbing her head back and forth, her tongue wrapping itself around his length as she continued her ministrations.

"Akimi-chan that's amazing." he groaned as his head rolled back and landed on a pillow. Akimi purred at the sound of Naruto's pleasure, the vibrations adding to the stimulation of her mouth.

The pace was both blissful and agonizing for Naruto, she slowly tortured him, trying to make everything that he was hers. He couldn't help the groans of pleasure that escaped his lips and each time it felt like Akimi rewarded him by gazing up into his eyes seductively as she continued to work.

Seeing Naruto in such a way gave Akimi more confidence and began taking him deeper until she felt the tip of his member kiss the back of her throat, this provoked a loud moan from the blond so she attempted it a few more times.

"Akimi-chan I'm close." Naruto said hoarsely after several more minutes, his eyes were closed trying to prolong his enjoyment.

Akimi pulled back till only the head of his shaft was in her mouth. "Good, I want to taste you." she murmured and began feverishly stimulating the tip of his member to end the blonds resolve as quickly as she could.

Her hard work was rewarded moments later, Naruto groaned loudly in pleasure and his seed began to fill the busty kunoichi's mouth. Akimi waited until she had milked out all that she could, and began mixing his cum with her saliva, swishing it around in her mouth before audibly gulping it down and opening her empty mouth for Naruto to see.

If he hadn't just finished cumming that simple act would have been enough to make him hard, without a care that she had just had him in her mouth he pulled the dark haired goddess up to force their lips to meet. She still held the pungent taste of his seed in her mouth but he could not care less, in fact it just turned him on even more. Just over a minute passed when Akimi felt Naruto hardening again beneath her. "Looks like you're coming back for more." she teased.

"Oh of course. You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you." Naruto replied.

Akimi placed a few kisses on his neck, before playfully biting down on the crook of his neck while slowly grinding her hips against his length bringing it to full attention while sucking on his neck. "I would be incredibly upset if it was." she smirked while looking down at the large red mark on his neck secretly pleased he couldn't see it.

Naruto leaned up with the intent of flipping Akimi onto her back so he could take charge, but before he could act she had pushed him back to the futon with force. "I don't think so Naruto-kun." she teased before positioning herself above his fully erect shaft the tip lightly kissing her still drenched opening. She whimpered lightly at the stimulation before dropping herself, taking in his sizable length in one go. She gasped loudly and collapsed on his chest from the sudden jolt of euphoria, her hands lightly scratching against his chest leaving red marks. "Oh Kami." she panted. No matter how eager she was, she was still relatively new at this and taking Naruto in one go was a little much sending her over the edge with a small yet powerful orgasm.

"You're so fucking tight Akimi-chan, it's amazing." Naruto groaned wrapping his arms around her protectively. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly kissing her lips with a small amount of worry etched across his face.

She nodded and kissed him back. "I just need a second to adjust." she admitted and Naruto relaxed considerably. They stayed like that in silence, wrapped together unmoving in a tight embrace. Several moments passed before Akimi slowly began rocking her hips, her face was buried in the crook of his neck but they both moaned at the same time from the stimulation. Slowly her movement became larger until she was soon rocking her hips against his lifting slightly at the end of each movement.

It was not long after that Naruto joined in thrusting up at the moment Akimi let her hips drop deepening the contact between the pair. "So good Naruto-kun. More I need more." Akimi ordered between panted breaths.

Naruto complied, without thought thrusting harder, his hands came up and grabbed her hips to help her up and down increasing the pace.

After a few more minutes Naruto seemed to have enough of letting Akimi take control and quickly sat up and flipped Akimi onto her back, his sword still sheathed inside her. "My turn." he growled possessively and started to thrust quckly.

Akimi was angry, she wanted to be in control when they climaxed. She opened her mouth to argue but all that came out was a weak. "More." Without even realizing if her hips had started rocking in sync with Naruto's own, and her legs gracefully slid around his hips, interlocking them to help the blond penetrate deeper.

"Akimi-chan, I'm close." Naruto warned through pleasured groans.

"Me too. Naruto-kun, I want your cum inside me." Akimi screamed, her arms snaking up around his neck to pull him into a heated kiss, their tongues gliding against each other. Naruto gained a devilish glint in his eye at this piece of information and slid a hand down her abbs and past the small patch of well groomed pubic hair and eventually found the small nub highly sensitive nerves he qicking began lightly rubbing it between his thumb and index finger while the pace of his thrusts became faster and harder.

Akimi was forced to break the kiss as she felt her release, it was euphoria like she had never felt before. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, and her tongue fell numbly out the side of her mouth.

Naruto's eyes closed tightly as he felt her walls tighten around his shaft, he could feel her heartbeat through her walls attempting to milk him. "Oh Kami, I can't hold on any longer, I'm cumming." he groaned before his seed shot out coating her insides. The added seed sent another wave of pleasure through the kunoichi who had once more seemed to lose control of her body.

Naruto thrust several more times but each was erratic, they were both just riding the high as best they could.

**Lemon End.**

Eventually Naruto collapsed rolling onto his side so as not to land on the angel beneath him. Akimi did not have the same noble attitude and immediately rolled over onto his chest. "That was amazing." she said with a blissful smile on her face.

"You don't need to tell me. You know I never thought I would hear myself saying this but Jiraiya-sensei was right." Naruto declared.

"Right about what?" Akimi asked.

Naruto smiled and brushed a strand of hair back, tucking it behind her ear. "He said the most beautiful thing any man would ever see was the sight of the woman he loved naked."

Akimi was quite torn at this, on the one side she felt a need to hit Jiraiya for being a pervert but also thrilled from what Naruto had just told her. "If he's so smart, what did he say the most beautiful thing a woman would ever see was?" she asked. Naruto began quietly laughing at this. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that is the same thing I asked him when he told me." the blond admitted.

"Well what did he say?" Akimi questioned growing slightly impatient.

"He said that was easy. For a woman the most beautiful sight she will ever see, is the first time she sees her first born child." Naruto said fondly.

"I did not expect that kind of an answer from him." Akimi admitted, her anger at the perverted Toad Sage fading.

"Now how round two?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

Akimi's eyes widened not sure if she could last longer than five minutes if they went again, but her mind was made up as Naruto claimed her lips with his own.

**End Chapter!**

**Hadn't done a Lemon in awhile, so I thought I would put one in as I'm still not very confident in writing them. **

**I have probably been slowing the pace of this story a little bit to make sure I don't end up in a similar situation to the Toad Sages Apprentice where I run out of storyline to follow. That shouldn't be all that much of a problem because I plan to change things more and more as I head into the war Arc... next arc will probably focus on Naruto learning to control his Bijuu, although due to the relationship with Kumo I will probably go about it a different way, sorta feels unfair that the one place that a Bijuu can be controlled is the falls of truth on the Island turtle. **

**Next week I'm going to do a chapter of A Price for Peace, so this may not be updated for a week but if I finish the other chapter quickly I will update this as soon as I can. **


	111. Unnatural Solution

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 111****: Unnatural Solution**

Two days had passed since Tsunade had awoken from her self induced coma, and she had yet to go back to work. There were several reasons for this. First of all, and similarly most important in the Senju princesses mind, was the fact that if she went back to work, she would have to deal with all the paperwork that her beloved sensei was being constantly bombarded with. Tsunade did not enjoy paperwork at the best of times, but post village devastation would have to be right up the top in terms of amount of files flooding into her office. If that wasn't bad enough, there was the problem with a certain group of visiting shinobi from Kumo. The more she looked at Yugito's chart and test results, the more complications arose. Repairing a damaged chakra network was hit and miss at the best of times, even for her. So the same medical procedure on a jinchuuriki, who's chakra coils had expanded to deal with excess chakra that was no longer there, was a headache the Godaime Hokage didn't need.

The final and most troublesome issue that was keeping her away from returning to work as Hokage was the Yoinokuchi, or to be more precise a request made by Naruto and Jiraiya to heal the man who was responsible for all the damage to the village. If the elders found out they would all have heart attacks. Tsunade knew she didn't need to tell anyone that she healed Nagato but she did not share Naruto's sentiment that he was being manipulated, and he had changed now.

'_Chances are, all healing Nagato will do is make him harder to beat next time. Why would I do something like that?_' she asked herself as she sat up in her bed reading up on Yugito's medical file.

"You seem troubled." a voice called out from the Hokage's window.

Tsunade jumped slightly. "Jiraiya! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" she scowled.

Jiraiya laughed and hopped into the room. "I can't remember. The only lesson I can recall you ever teaching me, was not to peak on you while you were bathing. I'll never forget that one." he replied wincing once more from just how bad of a beating that was. Normally getting hit by civilians and even other kunoichi would do less than phase the Toad Sage, but Tsunade's super powered strength was never something to mess with.

"Well in the future, if you have to enter through the window at least don't sit there watching me for a few minutes." Tsunade replied.

"It was only a few seconds really. Besides it didn't take me long to see that you're troubled." Jiraiya said calmly.

Tsunade sighed and let her head fall back onto the pillow of her hospital bed. If there was one thing that Tsunade didn't like about claiming she was still unfit for duty was the hospital room. Dull and boring with nothing but her medical books and the occasional visitor for entertainment. "Of course I'm troubled. I have been stuck in the room since I woke up." She scowled.

Jiraiya laughed and took a seat at the edge of the Hokage's bed. "Well yes, I can't say I am a fan of hospitals either. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that isn't the whole reason. Something else is making you look your actual age." the Toad Sage said jovially.

"Fine you want to know whats got me frustrated? This whole thing with Naruto, the Raikage and lets not even start on Pein." the Godaime answered.

"Nagato." Jiraiya corrected.

"He destroyed half of Konoha and killed close to a third of our ninja! So he is Pein, he does not deserve a name. Naruto just felt pity for him because he was an Uzumaki." Tsunade scoffed.

"He did not kill anyone that was the other Akatsuki ninja. Also Naruto didn't save him because he was an Uzumaki... Naruto brought him back to life after he revived everyone in the village." Jiraiya replied.

"He what?" Tsunade asked in shock, she had not had the chance to talk to Naruto for any great length of time about Nagato as everywhere the blond went he was currently being hounded by a group of highly devoted fan girls. The only way he could get any privacy was to stay outside of the village.

"It appears that the jutsu used, The Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life comes at a cost. A small portion of users life force, often aging the user considerably. Strangely enough on the few occasions Naruto has used the technique neither Itachi or myself have seen any adverse physical effects. Itachi believes it has something to do with the Kyuubi's chakra, but without testing it we can't know for sure." Jiraiya explained.

"So then Nagato, is old?" Tsunade asked trying to comprehend what she is hearing forgetting to callthe older Uzumaki by his old title.

"Yes. He had his chakra drained to nothing and his life force along with it. Judging on appearances he would be around twenty years older than sensei. For someone in their late 30's to early 40's that's saying a lot. It's also incredible that he had so much life force to survive for so long." Jiraiya replied.

"Well he is an Uzumaki. They were called the clan of longevity he must really be an Uzumaki. The amount of shinobi he revived is the probable reason why Naruto has not shown any adverse signs of aging from using that jutsu." Tsunade theorized.

"Maybe, only way to be sure is to monitor his body in a controlled experiment." Jiraiya agreed.

"Anyway if Naruto revived Nagato why are his legs still crippled? That jutsu supposedly heals all injuries." Tsunade asked.

Jiraiya shrugged. "To tell the truth, I don't know. Naruto believes that because Nagato has spent a large portion of his life injured the jutsu returned his body to the state it was most familiar with." He guessed.

"Which is why you need me to heal his legs." Tsunade mumbled before a light spark went off in her head. "How does that jutsu work on chakra coils?"

"I would say it restores them as well. There were several shinobi who lost limbs that had them regenerated along with the chakra pathways, so chakra coils shouldn't be all that different. You would know about that sort of stuff better than I would." Jiraiya replied.

"Hm then I may have just thought of a way to solve two problems at once." Tsunade mused with a small smile.

"What might that be?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'll have Naruto use the Outer Path on Yugito. We can monitor his body for any adverse effects and at the same time heal the Kumo kunoichi, getting the Raikage out of my hair." the busty blond answered confidently.

"Clever, but how do you plan on getting Naruto to agree to that, or A for that matter. If you stick them in the same room the Raikage is more likely to burst a blood vessel than accept Naruto's help with anything. You already know Naruto's feelings towards Kumo. It's also obvious that Yugito is no longer a jinchuuriki so he will not feel even the slightest bit obliged to help her. She also needs to bedead for the jutsu to work." Jiraiya reasoned.

"We'll just have to use that against them although it would probably mean a fight, we just need a way to manipulate it so neither dies, last thing we need right now is Kumo up in arms because their Kage was killed in Konoha." Tsunade replied.

"You're not worried about Naruto?" Jiraiya asked with a rather puzzled expression.

Tsunade broke out in laughter at the question. "It's been years since I have worried about Naruto. He's strong Jiraiya, he surpassed us both a long time ago, all he needs now is some more experience. His fight with Pei- Nagato was perfect but he needs another challenge to reinforce what he has leaned."

"But the Raikage is no pushover Naruto may have fought him to a draw before but I know A. The angrier he gets, the stronger he becomes. He's the typical berserker." Jiraiya replied.

"And the angrier he gets the more foolish he becomes. Naruto will win. Besides don't you have Nagato as a little insurance. He dies, and Nagato can revive him, simple as that. Still I don't think there is anything to worry about. Naruto needs to learn to not play around with his opponents and the Raikage wont let him if they fight again. It will be a good lesson for him to learn." The Hokage declared.

"So how do you plan on pitting them against each other? I can hardly seem them coming to a friendly agreement for a spar." Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade smirked rather pleased that Jiraiya asked. "Simple, I will bring them both together and explain that the best way to save Yugito will be to have Naruto do it. A will refuse of course, but that is what I am planning on. Naruto, despite not liking Kumo will want to save Yugito due to the fact that A will refuse his help. He will see it as Yugito being punished because of him, so will agree to heal her."

"Thats two handed and conniving. You really are a Hokage. Too many lies and secrets for me, that's why I would never take up the job." Jiraiya laughed.

"Save me your hypocrisy you old pervert. You want this just as much as I do. This is our best option to find out if Naruto is hurting himself or not, and to heal Yugito. We're killing two birds with one stone so to speak." Tsunade spoke firmly.

Jiraiya chuckled lightly, he was never one to be put off by Tsunade's aggressive attitude. "So how do you want to do this?"

"Bring Naruto to the cave where Nagato is staying. Tell him I'm going to heal Nagato but would like his assistance. I will bring A and Yugito there, say it is a benefit for her recovery." Tsunade explained.

Jiraiya nodded in understanding. "Far enough out of the village so a fight can go on unnoticed, but what if Konan and Nagato decide to get involved?"

"You stop them of course, they will listen to you. Well you and Itachi, you for will prevent the others from Kumo from getting involved." Tsunade explained. She paused for a moment thinking over her plan. Tsunade had been somewhat fortunate during her time as Hokage that she had not had any major coverups, or had to lie to any close friends. She knew however that these were part of what it meant to be Hokage, and she would need to accept them as part of her life. "Where is the Gaki anyway? I haven't seen him since the day after I woke up. Even then he just came to ask me to heal Nagato, and a quick check to see if I was okay."

"Probably off with Akimi somewhere. Those two have been basically joined at the hip since we got here, sometimes literally." Jiraiya hummed a small perverted smile crossed his face at the end.

"Damn pervert, I can't believe you would spy on them." Tsunade snarled ready to send her closest friend flying with one of her super punches.

Jiraiya waved his hands in front of his face in a defensive and pleading manner. "No I didn't, I swear." the Toad Sage pleaded. The last thing he wanted was a trip to the hospital, well at least not for his health.

Tsunade glowered at the ever perverted sage but lowered her fist. She could always tell when Jiraiya was being honest in these situations, only because it was such a stark contrast to the multiple times he had received a well deserved beating from the Slug Princess. "Alright, their young and in love, the last thing they need is you barging in on them or kami forbid them ending up in one of your damn smut novels. Naruto isn't like Minato who would tell you all the details later."

Jiraiya chuckled slightly. "He truly was the best student I could have hoped for. He gave me all the details in exchange for me never trying to peak on Kushina, not that I would be game to try, she would have butchered me." Jiraiya barked a laugh.

"From the sounds of things you may have another Kushina on your hands in Naruto's little girlfriend. Kakashi tells me she gave you quite a run about the other day." Tsunade smirked while making a mental note to thank Akimi for keeping the Toad Sage in line while she was out of action.

"Yes I guess so, I knew who ever he would fall for would be a handful, but Akimi was a difficult one to handle even without this. Still she had calmed down quite a lot over the last few days." Jiraiya said with a knowing smirk that left Tsunade with little doubt that his mind was once again in the gutter.

"Alright, get out so I can get changed. It's time I got back to work, Sensei has been here four times to check on when I would get back to work. He must really hate the paperwork." Tsunade said flatly not wanting to hear anymore of Jiraiya's theories on what her surrogate little brother has been doing.

Jiraiya couldn't help himself, the thought of Tsunade undressing was too much. "I could always hel-"

"Get out!" she roared slamming her fist into the side of Jiraiya's face sending the poor hermit flying. "Go find that damn apprentice of yours!" she ordered as he soared out over the village.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Akimi were both lying on their backs at the base of a thin waterfall a short distance from Konoha. Akimi appeared to be tired and was not dressed in her usual tight black battle attire. She wore a dark red bikini two piece set that revealed just enough cleavage to retain some modesty. She didn't care what Naruto saw, he had already seen for more than what she had covered. "It's so close, I can feel it. Cutting this damn waterfall is exhausting, it's almost painful." she sighed looking up at the tall waterfall towering over the pair.

Naruto laughed slightly earning a scowl from the kunoichi. "You should be able to do it now, you just keep losing focus at the last second and the flow of your chakra breaks. Fuuton is not like Raiton. Lightning is fast, it lasts a moment then it's gone. Wind on the other hand can go fast or slow it can come in a brief burst, but it can also be sustained and constant. It's so flexible, that's why it's my favorite element to use." he explained hoping to escape his girlfriends wrath. Like Akimi he was not wearing his Yoinokuchi cloak, as always his torso was bare but he was wearing a pair of dark burnt orange shorts as opposed to his usual black Anbu pants.

"But there are Raiton jutsu that are sustained for long periods of time." Akimi retorted.

"Yes but the power inside them fluctuates and is partly unpredictable even when you control the jutsu. You won't be able to master cutting the waterfall until you can master the sustained burst of Fuuton chakra without treating it like Raiton." Naruto declared.

"Then why didn't you tell me this when we started trying to cut the river back home?" Akimi asked angrily.

Naruto shrugged. "I wanted to see if you could figure it out for yourself. Well that and I thought you could do with bolstering your chakra levels. The more chakra you can put into your speed the faster you become." he said nonchalantly.

Akimi seethed slightly. Even if Naruto had given her a decent explanation, she was not happy. "If I finish this training I will be faster than I ever was before anyway!" she yelled rolling over to hit the blond but he was ready for it quickly rolling out of the way. "Hey get back here so I can hit you." she pouted.

Naruto brought a hand up to his chin as if to signal he was thinking about it. "Um, no I don't think I will."

"It's not up for discussion Naruto-kun." Akimi said with her sweetest smile that held the promise of great pain.

"Wow creepy, you're getting good at that. But the answer is still no, sorry Akimi-chan." Naruto teased.

In the blink of an eye Akimi-chan rolled again determined to make contact with the blonds arm only to have him kip up to his feet at the last second. Pushed herself up in a single fluid movement. "You can't run from me forever Naruto-kun, it will only hurt for a second." she said almost eager for the game of cat and mouse that was about to take place.

"Yes but where is the fun in giving you everything you want." Naruto teased jumping back slightly to create a small amount of separation.

As expected Akimi jumped forward fist cocked ready to swing. Laughing Naruto jumped out of the way. Akimi was quick to follow after him, and the processes repeated several times. Despite the yells of anger and swearing, neither shinobi was moving with any chakra at all, it was all a game to test reflexes rather than speed. When you moved as fast as either Naruto or Akimi the only way to avoid them was to have better reflexes and instincts. Their game of cat and mouse enabled the pair to improve reflexes without wasting copious amounts of chakra, even if Naruto could go at full speed for days regardless.

So the two teens continued for what seemed like an age, Naruto always staying just out of reach, his heightened awareness and eyesight capable of noticing the slightest twitch of movement greatly gave him the advantage, but even so at times Akimi came very close to her target. "You're legs tense up to much before you attack Akimi, it's telegraphing your movements. Naruto your shoulders are stiff, if she was really trying to hit you then you would be exposed down to the elbow. You haven't become accustomed to refining the slower movements, it's effecting your reaction times and creating openings. I would say... you both suck." Jiraiya's voice traveled from atop the waterfall, the Toad Sage making his appearance sitting atop a large dark orange Toad twice the size of Jiraiya wearing a blue shirt.

"Yo boss!" the toad yelled happily waving down at Naruto.

"Hey Gamakichi, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Jiraiya summoned me to find you. It wasn't that hard, you weren't suppressing your chakra." Gamakichi replied.

Naruto paused not sure whether he believed the toad or not, Jiraiya should have been able to find him without any trouble, after all he wasn't hiding like Gamakichi said. 'Maybe jiraiya-senei wanted someone I knew with him to stop us accusing him of peeking on us?' he mused. In the end he nodded in acceptance and waved the pair down to join him. In the end Gamakichi had never lied to him before, the toad was his personal summons after all. "So Jiraiya-sensei what brings you out this far, I would have thought you would be spending your time trying to get Tsunade-baachan to go on a date or at one of the newly built bath houses." he said once the sage landed.

"The bath houses have opened!?" Jiraiya asked in shock.

Both Naruto and Akimi face palmed. Jiraiya could act completely serious one moment, only to say something ridiculous the next. "Just answer the question." Akimi sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Oh yeah, Tsunade wanted me to come get you, she's going to assess Nagato's condition and would like you to be there. I don't think she trusts him, even if we do." Jiraiya explained flicking from teenage pervert back over to wise and serious sensei in a flash.

"I guess when someone impales you with thick black spikes that disrupt your chakra a simple 'sorry' doesn't cut it huh." Naruto sighed.

"Then there is also the fact that the Akatsuki attacked Konoha on his order." Akimi added.

Naruto shook his head. "It wasn't on his order. It was on the order of that masked bastard parading himself around as Madara Uchiha. But I see your point, Nagato hasn't exactly been faultless. He has taken responsibility for his actions and because of it he died making things right. I just decided he was worth giving a second chance." the blond said.

"Well we don't want to waste time sitting around talking about things we can't change. Lets go, Tsunade will be mad if we make her wait for long." Jiraiya said patting Naruto on the back almost to emphasize his point. '_She didn't tell me how long to wait, but I know A. The moment he finds out Tsunade is out of the hospital, he is going to burst into her office. I would really like to get to the cave first rather than have Tsunade and A be confronted by Nagato and Konan._'

"Alright, let's do this, once Nagato is healed he will be a great sparing partner." Naruto agreed eagerly.

"And what am I?" Akimi said placing her hands on her hips.

"You're a great sparing partner two, but I'm a ninjutsu specialist like Jiraiya-sensei and Nagato. For Taijutsu there is nobody better than you. Well that is unless I want to put up with the yells about flames of youth on a daily basis. Just like Itachi is perfect to help train in genjutsu, my weakest art." Naruto said quickly not wanting to upset Akimi.

"He's right, besides it's always best to train against a large variety of people to get used to different styles of fighting. This is one of the reasons shinobi cells are often comprised of shinobi with vastly contrasting abilities. While having an answer for almost any situation is vital it is also key that the groups learn to fight against shinobi with different styles. If a taijutsu specialist is completely useless against genjutsu then they have a weakness that can be easily exploited. So training against Genjutsu users becomes a priority." Jiraiya lectured.

"Fine I get it, let's just go so we can get this over with and get back to training." Akimi sighed. She didn't like to be lectured, even if she knew Jiraiya had a point.

(**Hokage Tower**)

Tsunade had only been back in her office for a few minutes and she was already regretting her decision to return to work. Paperwork stacked up like she had never seen before, requests from civilians and shinobi alike ranging from simple requests for time off to the utterly ridiculous. All hoping that in the chaos of the Akatsuki attack and village being rebuilt that their requests would be overlooked and accepted without thought. Clearly the people of Konoha didn't think that she nor Hiruzen would check their work properly.

"This damn village. They wait until times like this to make their requests." she scowled. She could understand some of the requests for time off from her shinobi, many of them may have been killed. She was no expert but she guessed that dying would make anyone look at the world slightly differently. Regardless, they were shinobi of Konoha and they were needed more than ever at the moment.

While she filled out her papers she was silently counting the time she had been back in her office. Hoping, if not begging for a distraction to arrive. She would not be disappointed when not even an hour after she had sat down there was a knock on her door and Shizune entered with Tonton safe in her arms. "Tsunade-sama, the Raikage is here and is demanding a meeting." she said respectfully.

Tsunade let out a sigh of relief. "I was expecting him... Maybe not this soon, but expecting him none the less. Send A-dono in Shizune."

Shizune bowed quickly before leaving without further word. Regardless of how Tsunade acted and how informal the last Senju could be at times, Shizune would always act with the highest dignity and professionalism when working for her master. Truth was Tsunade wished she would relax and act a little more like Naruto. That said Naruto would have never put up with her gambling and binge drinking the way Shizune had.

A moment later the door opened again, this time there was no knock or respectful greeting. A strolled into the still unfinished Hokage office and stood with arms crossed in front of Tsunade's desk. '_Looks like his impatient attitude has not changed much, I wonder if his manners are similarly poor._' the busty blond thought passively. "It has been a long time A-dono. I was sorry to hear about you losing the Nibi."

"We did not lose the Nibi, it was stolen. We know how to control our shinobi in Kumo, unlike Konoha. This village has a terrible record of many of it's most promising shinobi becoming missing nin. Even someone who was as loved as Orochimaru." A replied.

"Yes, we do have a rather poor record at times. I guess that is what we get for allowing our shinobi basic freedoms." Tsunade replied stiffly. A bringing up Orochimaru was a low blow, even to this day that was a wound that still hurt. Not just her and Jiraiya either, Hiruzen felt responsible for his students failings.

"Freedoms like having your jinchuuriki run out on the village, becoming a no good criminal?" A taunted.

"Criminal is a rather loose term. I suspect that those who live in Konoha and Kiri would have largely conflicting views to yours. Now how about we dispense with the pleasantries and move on to the real reason you are in my office at the moment." Tsunade replied.

"Very well, I am here for treatment of one of my shinobi. You already know which one." A replied.

"Yes, but at the moment the hospital is not complete and incapable of performing the operation. We do however have another medical facility a short way from the village. The equipment there is needed to save Yugito. You are aware that her chances of survival are not good I assume." the Hokage pressed.

"Yes fifty percent at best." A replied.

"Yes the smallest complication and she will die. Now let me ask you a hypothetical question. If there was a way to guarantee your kunoichi's survival and return her to close to her best without risk what would you give?" Tsunade asked.

A scowled, he did not like Tsunade's question. '_Is she telling me that she has a way to save Yugito without risk? Or is she simply questioning me on how much money she should charge for the procedure?_' he thought. Eventually he decided to avoid the question all together. "I do not work with Hypothetical situations, they tend to end up badly, no matter how nice they sound." the replied eventually.

"Fair enough, I assume that Yugito is waiting for you outside?" Tsunade guessed accurately.

"Yes, I would like to get this out of the way as quickly as possible." A answered.

"Then there is no point in waiting. If you would follow me." Tsunade said. She slowly rose to her feet and moved to the door. A waited a few moments before following after the Hokage. '_This should be interesting. I can't wait to see Naruto kick this bastard around too much. His blind attitude that Kumo can do no wrong is frustrating to say the least._' Tsunade thought with a small smirk.

**End Chapter!**

**Merry Xmas everyone. Sorry to say this but I'll be going away for the Xmas - New Years period. But fear not, I will be back writing again in the new year. And we will kick it off with Naruto vs the Raikage.**

**Thanks for reading, and all of the reviews that you have given me, they have made writing this fic that much more enjoyable. Have a great festive season.**

**On a new note, his Naruto's unbeatable jutsu was not much of a jutsu. He should change the name to Cannon Fodder jutsu. Kinda sucks Neji died. Why can they never kill off the useless main characters... like Sakura, I saw Kakashi save her from the attack. Still I'll admit the deaths are adding some edge to the story, just hope they don't do the whole, bring everyone back to life thing again. Whats the bet the Juubi's final transformation is Goku, lol. It's looking like it will become strong enough. Overall the last few chapters of the cannon have been a marked improvement, but it's been drawn out way too long. If this is really the last arc of the cannon, which I don't think it will be. (My guess is one more after this. Naruto vs Sasuke) then give us some form of development of the story not just brand new jutsu invented on the spot after another, I'm finding it frustrating. At least Bleach has become interesting again, I'm finally starting to get into the arc now. **

**Sorry about the rant.**


	112. Jinchuuriki vs Kage

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 11****2: Jinchuuriki vs Kage**

"Well it looks like Tsunade-Baachan isn't here yet." Naruto sighed in relief as he arrived in front of the secret cave housing Nagato, Konan and now Itachi. Behind him came Akimi, who was riding atop back the large toad Gamakichi, and finally Jiraiya. He had not changed his clothes and neither had Akimi, he had however added his white Yoinokuchi cloak over the top of his swimming trunks. Akimi had done the same, not trusting Jiraiya not to use some jutsu that would cause, for lack of a better term, a wardrobe malfunction.

"No she isn't you were expecting her so soon?" Itachi's voice greeted the group appearing from the entrance.

"Yeah she told Jiraiya-sensei she was going to have a look at Nagato's legs." the blond replied eagerly.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at Naruto's declaration. '_I would have thought it would take more time to convince Tsunade-sama to heal Nagato. He destroyed a large section of Konoha, not something that is so easily forgiven in the ninja world. Many village leaders would see it as a sign of weakness, almost like they were surrendering in hopes that nothing happened to the village again._' Itachi thought reflectively. Itachi had exiled himself in order for the village to save face in the dealing with the Uchiha uprising. So he found Tsunade's decision to heal Nagato so quickly rather odd. He then took in several of the key differences in the situation. First of all nobody in Konoha had actually seen Nagato's face, if they saw him they would just see another Uzumaki with the Rinnegan. Then there was the fact that all but a select few thought that the man they knew as Pein was dead. "I am sure Nagato will be pleased to be given this information." the Uchiha spoke, his passive stoic mask effectively hiding his disbelief.

"Well she just wants to assess his condition first. I'm not Tsunade-Hime has made her mind up whether to heal him or not yet." Jiraiya said guessing what Itachi was thinking. '_I need to find a way to pass the plan to Itachi so he doesn't try to interfere when the Tsunade-Hime arrives. Actually knowing Itachi he will probably figure it out when the Raikage shows up._'

"How long do you think she will be? We were busy you know." Naruto huffed.

"Well after the amount of times you have shown up when I have been with women I think it's about time you feel what it's like to have your good time ruined." Jiraiya lectured.

"You mean the times Itachi and I had to drag you out of brothels and strip clubs because you were wasting all of our hard earned money? I hardly think that you can make any comparisons. Besides we were only training." Naruto replied.

"Is that what they are calling it now days, I really must be out of touch." Jiraiya drawled. A small smirk appeared on the Toad Sages face when a red flush crossed both teens cheeks. "Oh my is that a blush I see." Jiraiya teased.

"Yo boss you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend. Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama will be ecstatic. Partly because if you have a girlfriend you won't start summoning the toads to help you peak on naked women like this old perv." Gamakichi said happily.

Jiraiya face dropped and curled up into a ball crying. "Not even my beloved Toad Summons treat me right." he sobbed, causing everyone else to sweat drop.

After a few moments Jiraiya recovered acting like nothing had happened at all. Incidentally this coincided with Tsunade appearing from the nearby forest with both Shizune and Sakura following her close behind. "Why is the pink haired one with her? I can understand Shizune, but not her, wasn't she on Itachi's brothers team?" Akimi asked clearly puzzled at Sakura being part of Tsunade's group.

Naruto was opening his mouth to answer when a few new arrivals caused it to hang open. First the Raikage landed from a nearby tree branch with Yugito on his back and soon after the three other Kumo ninja landed behind him. "What the hell is going on!" Both Naruto and A yelled at the same time that their eyes met. Cold anger meeting indifferent coldness.

"Ah I see you're here, I need a little favor Naruto-kun. That is if you want me to heal Nagato for you." Tsunade said kindly. She completely ignored the looks of hatred A was sending Naruto and vice versa. She knew all about the history between Naruto and Kumo. Tsunade knew that both through themselves as the victims in their little relationship and neither would give help willingly. As such Tsunade decided that she needed some leverage over her little adoptive brother as she called him.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked already having a bad feeling that he knew what Tsunade was going to ask.

"I want you to heal Yugito. By summoning the Outer Path King of Hell using your Nakara Path you can restore Yugito here to perfect health." Tsunade said flatly.

'I figured that was why the Raikage was here.' the Kyuubi jinchuuriki sighed. He had no desire to help Kumo in any way but he would do it for Nagato's sake.

"I will not allow it!" A roared angrily surprising Naruto.

"You won't allow me to heal your own shinobi?" The blond asked in confused shock.

"No I will not owe you anything!" A answered flatly.

"But A-dono, Naruto-kun here can heal Yugito with no risk of failure and almost instantly. The best I can do is keep her alive. then it will be years before she is capable of being a working kunoichi again." Tsunade spoke up acting as a voice of reason.

"I would rather see her dead than accept help from that thieving brat." A answered with some finality.

This struck a chord with Naruto, he no longer cared that Yugito was from Kumo, now she was just a kunoichi who was being denied treatment because of a stubborn grudge. "Well today is your lucky day. Because for the Outer Path's regeneration jutsu to work she will need to be dead regardless. Are you so set in your ways that you would refuse to save one of your own kunoichi. I have heard that in recent times jinchuuriki have been treated with almost reverence in Kumo. Yet you are willing to throw her away?" Naruto asked with a scowl.

"If it is a question of coming to a petty criminal like you for help then I would see all my shinobi die before I came to you for help." A seethed.

"Then I guess I will just have to go through you first." The blond declared boldly.

"Just try it brat, you will not get so lucky this time." A replied lightning beginning to spark to life around the Raikage's arms.

Naruto was about to use a gravity jutsu to blast the Raikage back when Nagato's Deva Path, and Konan made their appearance. "I would strongly advise against what you are planning Naruto-kun." Deva path spoke.

"Huh why? Seems like it should be some fun to to me." Naruto replied determination etched across his face.

"That woman was the Nibi jinchuuriki, if she dies even for a second the remaining Bijuu chakra she has will be sucked from her body and absorbed by the Gedo Mezo. If that happens then the sealing of the Nibi will be finished. That means that Tobi and the remaining Akatsuki ninja will be able to hunt for the next jinchuuriki." Nagato answered.

"But you said yourself, without a Rinnegan eye they can't seal anything into the statue. So this shouldn't matter anyway." Naruto answered.

"That is true for now. But I would not put it passed Tobi to find a way around that little hurdle when the time comes." the Deva path pressed.

"It will not make any difference, Yugito only has a few more days of life left anyway." Tsunade interrupted the little private discussion that was going on between the two Uzumaki's.

"Oh Tsunade I am glad to see that you have returned to full health." Nagato said with a short bow.

"No thanks to you. Regardless, the sooner Yugito is healed the sooner everyone can get the hell out of my village." Tsunade declared.

"Right, thanks for the warning Nagato. But I think it's time I settled things with this steroid junky anyway." Naruto said with a slight smirk.

Tsunade suppressed a small snicker at Naruto mocking the Raikage's overly muscle clad body. "Maybe it's for the best. Then you can both stop fighting every time you run into each other." she declared.

"That's right, because there will not be anything left of the brat when I am finished with him." A yelled.

"Must you be so loud? We can all hear you perfectly fine already." Naruto sighed while shrugging off his Yoinokuchi cloak. "Let's go you muscle bound freak."

A did not need anymore encouragement in the blink of an eye he had crossed the distance a huge cloud of smoke had been kicked up as he landed. When the smoke cleared it revealed he had only hit the ground and Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

A began looking around searching for the blond jinchuuriki only to come up empty. "Are you running from me?" He asked loudly still scanning each direction. 'So if he's not ahead, behind, or to either side. Then he must be...'

A didn't get to finish his thought as Naruto came bursting out from the ground beneath A's feet ready to plant his fist into the Raikage's face. A reacted at the last second swatting Naruto's arm to the side and brought his own knee up into the blonds chest. Naruto had been anticipating this move however and using his free hand caught the angry Kage's knee using it as leverage to spin his body around into a kick that was once more aimed for A's head.

A was not Raikage for nothing however, he was able to jump back in the nick of time avoiding the blonds trailing leg. Once more both stood staring at each other. "Not bad for an old man." Naruto taunted with a confident smile plastered across his face. '_As things stand I won't be able to defeat him in taijutsu, even if I use my Fuuton, Raiton combination armor. He simply has too much experience in taijutsu, he's also so fast many ninjutsu will be completely ineffective, unless I get him mad enough that his judgment becomes impaired._'

"I'll show you old you damn Gaki!" A yelled this time a phased right through the blond. 'A clone. Where is he hiding, he must be foolish to try the same trick on me again.' he thought before slamming his fist into the ground beneath him. Unfortunately for the Raikage, Naruto was not using the same trick and was currently descending upon the Kage who was shrouded in the dirt he had kicked up.

Naruto formed a rasengan in each hand but unfortunately that is what gave him away. A's Raiton Armor fastened the synapses of his body giving the Raikage heightened awareness, something that was required to travel at such fast speeds for any length of time. Due to this the Raikage was able to hear the spinning balls of chakra and roll out of the way at the last second.

Seeing Naruto in an exposed situation the Raikage struck. "Nowhere to run this time!" he bellowed.

Naruto just had time to bring a smirk to his face as he spoke. "Shinra Tensei" A was tossed across the clearing as Naruto rose to his feet.

"Naruto-kun was much stronger when he was fighting me. If this is his warm up he is taking too long. Also his use of the Rinnegan's abilities could use work." Nagato said as he analyzed the fight.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akimi asked.

"Naruto has only used Deva path, and so far it's only been as a last resort. It's almost like he is trying to disadvantage himself. A Taijutsu user like the Raikage should not be a match against someone as skilled as Naruto-kun. If I still had all of my paths I could end the fight in a few minutes tops. In that situation Asura paths weapons would have been more effective in dealing with the situation. By using gravity manipulation he created the separation but caused very little damage." Nagato explained.

"Well Naruto-kun doesn't use the paths like you do. and I have to say I'm thankful for that. No offense Nagato, but I find a bunch of dead bodies walking around kinda creepy." the dark haired kunoichi replied.

"Regardless he has a point. Naruto is underestimating his own abilities. He fights to a level not all that far above his opponents and only improves when he is in a bind. He's been fighting like that far awhile now. I was hoping his fight with Nagato would have made it click that he is far stronger than he has been showing. Yet so far in this fight he hasn't shown it." Jiraiya said sagely.

"If he doesn't learn to take things seriously from the start soon then it may come back to haunt him in time." Tsunade added.

While the discussion was taking place on the sidelines A had picked himself up from where he landed after the blonds gravity jutsu. It was also clear that the Raikage was not very happy at all. His Raiton armor was sparking violently around him and getting stronger by the second. The moment the angry Kage set his eyes on Naruto he all but disappeared in a blinding streak of light. Naruto reacted at the last moment just blocking A's strike before his fist made contact with the blonds chest.

Regardless of making the block it was now Naruto's turn to be thrown away this time crashing into the forest a short way behind the onlooking crowd. "He's brought this on himself. By not taking the fight seriously from the start Naruto is now on the back foot. He should not have attempted to fight someone like the Raikage without Sage Mode." Jiraiya sighed.

"The fights not over, lets see what Naruto-kun does next." Akimi replied.

In the forest Naruto was picking himself up from under a tree that came down on top of him after the Raikage's attack. '**Well you sure got yourself into a little bit of trouble here didn't you. Kami you're pathetic.**' Kyuubi taunted.

'_Ah man why do you always pick times like this to bother me. Can't you just go back to sleep?_' Naruto sighed while getting to his feet.

'**And miss all the fun of you getting your ass kicked? I don't think so. The question is how long are you going to let yourself be pushed around by that man? Stop fucking around and destroy him already, this is just like that peon of Orochimaru's you are not fighting at full strength and allowing yourself to get pushed into a corner before you fight seriously.**' The fox answered angrily.

'_Who says I'm not fighting at full strength?_' the blond asked.

'**I am! You are not even in that Sage Mode of yours. In fact for this fight even that shouldn't be needed. With your control over Fuuton you should be able to counter that Raiton armor of his without a problem. Then you have your Rinnegans abilities that you never use.**' Kyuubi scoffed.

Naruto arched an eyebrow thinking over what his prisoner had said. '_You know, if I didn't know better I would say you were helping me.'_ he replied with a small smirk.

'**Shut up boy. I am simply sick of you making me look weak and your hopeless style, of fighting at levels far below your own. You represent me, now go out there and destroy that man. If you want I can even give you some of my chakra.**' the Kyuubi spoke surprisingly calmly.

"Thanks, but I can win this without your chakra Kyuubi. You're not such a bad guy, I needed that, maybe having a condescending angry voice in my head isn't so horrible after all And I guess it can't be much fun being locked away in that sewer I would probably be angry too if I was locked away for such a long time. But you're right, no more messing around I'm going to kick this guys ass!" Naruto said out loud. six clones instantly popped into existence before they split up with one sent to gather senjutsu within the forest.

Meanwhile A was just smirking at the the forest where Naruto had been sent flying. "He sure talked big for a little Gaki to think I would have swatted him away so easily. Now that's over how about we get to healing Yugi-" A was cut off as a incredibly powerful gust of wind tore out from the forest, trees were uprooted and thrown towards the Raikage who stood his ground while many of the others were struggling to remain standing. From the edge of the forest Naruto appeared at the center of a small tornado of wind.

"What is that?" Akimi asked in awe.

"It's just Fuuton manipulation, it's not even a jutsu. He's manipulated the wind to spin around his body." Tsunade gasped.

"Fuuton was always Naruto's strongest element. But manipulation on such a level is almost unheard of. Only Tobirama Senju has ever shown this level of skill with elemental Manipulation." Jiraiya spoke even he was stunned with what he was seeing. '_Naruto, what have you been hiding from us? Is this it? Have you finally decided to stop hiding your true strength?_' the Toad Sage thought hopefully.

"It's about time." Nagato said almost lazily. He then saw the questioning glances from the other shinobi. "That look on his face, the determination to win. He had that look at times during our fight, those were the moments when he became almost impossible to stop. This fight will be over soon." the elder Uzumaki declared through Yahiko's body.

As if to emphasize Nagato's point at that moment the vicious tornado encircling Naruto broke out shooting forward and stripping the Raikage of his Raiton armor, several small cuts lacerated his arms and legs causing the Kage to grunt in pain. "I hope you didn't think this fight was over. Because I have just finished getting warmed up." Naruto spoke in a quiet voice that seemed to travel to fill the entire clearing, as if his voice was part of the wind itself.

A predictably didn't take Naruto's declaration well and instantly recharged his Raiton armor. No sooner had he done this than Naruto formed a hand seal for Fuuton and a overwhelming push of wind blew the Kage backwards and once more stripped him of his protective cloak. '_What the hell, that should be impossible. My armor should be able to withstand some simple Fuuton attacks._' A thought but he did not have time for much else as Naruto had quickly crossed the distance rasengan in hand. The Raikage was much slower now, and it took all of his training to avoid Naruto's jutsu.

Instinctively the Raikage rolled around and through a kick at the back of Naruto's head. But at the last second Naruto caught the Kage's leg while facing in the other direction. "You seem to think that attacking my blind side will work. It really is too bad that I do not have a blind side." Naruto said before effortlessly lifting the Raikage and throwing him across the clearing sending his body crashing into the cliff side.

"Impressive, he's using the strength supplemented by the Rinnegan without relying on his Sage Mode. That's what makes Naruto's Sage Mode so deadly. His body is already several times stronger than that of a normal person. So when you add Senjutsu to it it's no surprise that a single punch is deadly." Jiraiya marveled.

'_Amazing, he's finally beginning to reach his potential, using all of his gifts and not just one at a time. It's frightening to think what he may become if his development continues at such a level. Watching him __like this reminds me of the times when I was told the stories about Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju as a child. He's unstoppable._' Itachi thought. It took quite an effort to impress Itachi Uchiha, but even he had to admit that as Naruto was right now he would dominate the Uchiha even with his enhanced eyes.

Meanwhile the Kumo ninja on the sidelines were stunned beyond belief one moment they were fighting on par, the next moment A was being thrown around like a rag doll. "Should we do something?" Karui asked.

"What can we possibly do? None of us would last five seconds. Even Bee-sama can't match A-sama. Yet this boy, younger than us is so dominant. It's beyond belief." Samui stammered. Her normally cold stoic attitude was shaken by what she was seeing.

"But if A-sama is killed then we will be killed next it makes sense. Then he will know he is strong enough to go and destroy Kumo, if we don't stop him here then everyone in Kumo will be killed." Omoi reasoned.

"I doubt that. While I have little doubt that this boy holds Kumo responsible for something that has happened in his past, I doubt he will actually target Kumo for destruction. Bee-sama actually said he likes the kid." Yugito replied. '_Not to mention that he warned us about the Akatsuki, if we listened then this situation wouldn't have happened in the first place_.' she added in thought.

A fell from the cliff side on all fours but he didn't stay in that exposed position for long, kicking himself up. '_So it looks like I can't rely on my Raiton armor this time huh then I'll have to go a different rout._' the Raikage thought and instantly began running through hand signs. He finished on Raiton and several massive bolts of lightning shot down from the sky looking to pierce their target.

Naruto stared passively at the incoming bolts of lightning and extended a arm. As each bolt came in contact with Naruto's body the jutsu was simply absorbed into his body though Preta Paths ability. "Thanks for the top up of chakra. I didn't really need it though." Naruto laughed. The moment he finished talking Naruto formed a Doton seal and the ground beneath the Raikage's feet began to soften and turn into a small swamp.

The Raikage was able to avoid the jutsu by jumping up onto the side of the same cliff he had been thrown into a few moments earlier. Naruto wasn't finished however once more forming a Doton seal and pillers of stone rose out from the cliff surface and began heading to impale the Raikage. A simply used his arms and legs to shatter the jutsu proving that his muscles were not just for show.

"He's gotten good at wordless jutsu." Tsunade commented.

"Yes, but the Raikage wouldn't have been able to escape either jutsu so easily if he had used the names." Itachi replied.

"But he would have known what jutsu was coming. Giving someone like the Raikage a warning is counterproductive, his reflexes are too good." Jiraiya reasoned neither taking their eyes off the fight.

Naruto was not one to be disgruntled by having his doton jutsu destroyed, it was the main weakness with the Doton element, a solid surface can always be destroyed by a equal or greater opposing force. Especially when that force channels Raiton chakra through their body. This time he formed the seal for Suiton and several whips of water shot out from the ground flying at the Raikage. A had to act fast racing through hand seals he created a small shield of Raiton chakra that disrupted the flow of water effectively ending the jutsu. "Is that all you can do brat?" the Raikage asked.

"Not even close, try blocking this one." Naruto replied confidently and with the click of his fingers one of his clones appeared beside him jumping out of the forest. They each formed a separate seal, Naruto for Fuuton while his clone used Katon. "Combination Jutsu: All Consuming Flames!" Both Naruto and his clone yelled while each took a deep breath in before they blew out a stream of Wind and Fire respectively. The two jutsu combined and the flames expanded to monstrous size the heat from the jutsu caused the spectators to cringe away from the jutsu.

A was not so lucky however, he quickly activated his Raiton armor again and shot out of the way. When the flames resided the devastation that they had caused was evident the face of the stone cliff was blackened and several stones were glowing red from how the heat. What A did notice was the fact that Naruto was not looking in his direction. A also knew that his Raiton armor had not been countered yet. "I've got you now, I'll end this here!" A spoke to himself before kicking off the tree branch flying towards the blond. As he traveled across the distance he saw a change in Naruto's appearance a orange hew had appeared around his eyes that were now a golden color. This was an unwelcome distraction so the Raikage put it out of his mind and focused on delivering a killer blow to the blond.

A's plan was not to come to realization however. Naruto raised a palm and blocked his strike while one more using Preta Paths ability to absorb his Raiton armor. "I thought I told you that I don't have any blind spots. You are a Kage, rather than think I was lying you should have tried to figure out why." Naruto spoke not even looking at the bewildered Kage. Naruto closed his hand over A's fist and began to squeeze down. A could feel several of the bones in his hand begin to break under the extreme pressure of Naruto's Senjutsu enhanced strength. A couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried, his chakra was being absorbed as quickly as he tried to use it. With one last crack the final few bones in his right hand were shattered and Naruto released his arm. Allowing the Raikage to create some distance between himself and the blond. "This fight is over, your Raiton armor is useless against me and now that right hand is useless, you can't even form any hand seals to summon protective jutsu. Give up."

"This can't be happening, how can I be defeated by a boy. Dammit I am the fastest man in the elemental nations, I'm the strongest Kage!" A yelled looking down at his crippled right hand.

"Just because you say something does not make it true. You probably discredit old man Oonoki because his old and Mei-chan and Tsunade-Baachan because they are women. They are all Kage for a reason but not one of them believe themselves to be all powerful the way you do. Now stand aside. I'll heal your kunoichi and you can go. Maybe this loss will teach you something." Naruto said coldly. If he was being honest with himself he wanted to kill the muscle bound Kage but that would be bad for Tsunade and Konoha who would take the blame from Kumo for a dead Raikage.

Naruto slowly turned and walked towards the area that the other Kumo shinobi were sitting. Tsunade, Shizune and and Sakura moved to join them. Naruto had come close to the Kumo shinobi when he felt a massive spike in chakra. Turning around he saw the Raikage cloaked in his Raiton armor once more. "Give up huh. I would never give up to someone like you!" he yelled.

Naruto let out a audible sigh and with the thrust of a palm sent out a powerful wave of wind that weakened the Raikage's armor considerably. 'He must be running on empty. I drained most of his chakra before.' "You're really getting on my nerves now." Naruto growled forming a small Rasenshuriken in his palm only slightly larger than a normal Rasengan. 'I'll just kill him then bring him back he will be too weak to keep fighting after that.' he decided before tossing the small spinning ball. The jutsu exploded as it hit A in the chest the jutsu ripped A's arm from his body the added senjutsu tearing the body apart at a cellular level. "It's done." Naruto said as the Raikage fell to the ground lifeless.

The Kumo ninja looked stunned in complete disbelief. 'He just killed A-sama!' They all thought collectively.

Their thoughts were shown on their faces. A dead Kage was grounds for war regardless of who was at fault. "Don't worry about him. I'll bring him back, I just needed him out of the way so I can heal Yugito here." Naruto said reassuringly.

"About time Gaki, we were beginning to wonder if you had it in you to go all out on an opponent." Tsunade said kindly from the other side of the Kumo shinobi.

"Is that why you wanted us to fight?" Naruto asked accusingly.

"Well in part, I also needed you to heal Yugito for me." Tsunade replied with a small smirk.

"If you needed me then why did you bring Shizune-neesan and Sakura?" Naruto said pointing to Tsunade's apprentices who both seemed at a complete loss for what was going on. Sakura seemed somewhere between awed at Naruto's strength and horrified by the fact that Pein was standing among them like they were old friends.

"Well I wanted them to monitor you. I want to know what harm you may be doing to yourself when you use Naraka Paths ability to summon the King of Hell statue to revive people." Tsunade explained.

"So basically you used me to satisfy a medical curiosity?" Naruto surmised.

"That's about it." Jiraiya chuckled arriving beside him patting the blond on the back in a fatherly fashion.

"And you were in on it as well right." Naruto guessed his voice completely even but that frightened the Toad Sage more than if Naruto had been yelling.

"Ah well that's... You see we uh, we just wanted to make sure you weren't hurting yourself when you used that jutsu." Jiraiya stammered.

"Okay then." Naruto said with a simple smile.

'_That went better than I thought it would_.' Tsunade thought.

'_Oh man we're so screwed. He's going to do something horrible to us._' Jiraiya shivered.

Naruto then turned his attention back to Yugito. "We should get this over with, I'm afraid that this may hurt a bit and when you wake up you might be low on chakra." he informed the former Nibi jinchuuriki. Placing his hand ontop of Yugito's forehead he wasted very little time in ripping her soul from her body. "Alright if you're going to run your tests you better start." Naruto said as he began the hand seals required to summon the Outer Path.

Tsunade nodded and she along with the two other medics raced forward with their hands glowing green as they began monitoring several of Naruto's vitals. The large Statue of a mans head with Rinnegan eyes wearing an ornate head ornament rose from the earth between where Yugito and A now lay.

The statue slowly opened it's mouth and two green orbs of light shot from the statues mouth the first stopped on Yugito while the second landed on A. slowly the Raikage's body regenerated, his arm grew back along with all the minor wounds that littered his body. Slowly the light faded and as the statue began to descend both Yugito and the Raikage opened their eyes slightly confused about where they were. "What just happened to me?" Yugito asked.

"You died, and I brought you back. Your body should be completely healed although it may take awhile to get used to not having you Bijuu anymore." Naruto explained.

A on the other hand just lay still taking in everything that had happened to him. '_I died. There is no doubt about it. But the kid brought me back... Why?_' he wondered.

"So Baa-chan what did you find?" Naruto asked realizing that Tsunade had finished her experiment.

"I'm not sure yet. We will need to go over the findings." Tsunade answered.

"Well I guess we will have to hang around a little longer then. Anyway I kept up my side of the deal so now you have to heal Nagato." the blond said happily.

The hokage couldn't help but smile at Naruto's positive attitude. "Hm I guess you did. In that case I better get to work."

**End Chapter!**

**Happy New Year! Thanks for a great year and all the support for this fic and my others. I look forward to writing more and I hope you all have a happy and safe year. **

**Not sure about this chapter, maybe because I wrote it after coming home from a mini holiday. Did I make things a little two easy for Naruto? I kinda figured that in some of the past fights I made Naruto seem too weak. So I tried to explain that a little here. Hope I didn't over do it the other way. Oh well he still has to fight Madara and Tobi those two are so overpowered anyway. **


	113. Setting of the Board

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 11****3: Setting of the Board**

Tsunade was standing over a large operating table in the center of a dark room lit by a single very powerful light that disorientated anyone who was foolish enough to stare into the light. Not that Nagato had much choice at this point in time. The elder Uzumaki was lying back on the bed while Tsunade ran her hands, that were glowing green with a medical jutsu over his legs.

"There is horrible nerve damage in your legs, and the muscles look as though they have been completely burnt away. This is by no means an easy fix." Tsunade said in a businesslike manner. Her medical jutsu mapping the damage done to Nagato's legs.

"Yes a Konoha Ninja under the command of a man named Danzo caught me with a Katon jutsu. This was before I had discovered many of the Rinnegan's abilities. I have come to live with my condition. I do not blame you for not being able to heal me or any distrust that you may show." Nagato replied.

"Who do you think you are talking to. I never said I couldn't heal you. I just said it wouldn't be easy. It will also be rather painful we are going to have to force cellular regeneration in your legs. It will feel like your legs will be on fire for almost a full day. Normally I wouldn't even suggest the treatment, because the pain will kill the patient before the process has finished." The Hokage replied.

"I will be able to walk and move freely again?" Nagato asked.

Tsunade smirked confidently. "Like you were never hurt at all. You may have to get used to the movement again after being unable to move for so long but if you are anything like the Gaki I would say you wont have any problems. I do have a question for you, on a different topic. Before the other day how many times had you revived someone.?"

"Several I needed to summon the outer path whenever one of my paths were killed beyond repair. It did not take as much effort but the effects were the same." Nagato replied.

"You mean aging?" Tsunade questioned.

Nagato nodded in the affirmative. "Yes in exchange for the returning life a small fragment of our life force is taken. But the Rinnegan has the bodies chakra system working so effectively that dying from an illness is almost impossible." Nagato replied.

"I can see that, the state your body is in at the moment would be that of a hundred and fifty year old if not older. Even for an Uzumaki that is impressive. Has this happened every time you used the jutsu or have there been times where you used it with no side effects or seen them reversed?" Tsunade pressed.

"I have felt the effects every time, that said I have not used it often. May I ask why you are so curious. I can understand from a medical perspective, the ability to bring people back to life is an ability like no other. But I am guessing that there is some other purpose to your inquiry." Nagato mused.

"As a matter of fact there is. When Naruto used the King of Hell statue to revive the Raikage and Yugito he began to age but a second later the process was reversed. His aged cells all regenerated returning to the same state they were in before he used the jutsu. I can't make heads nor tails of it. I know that through the Uzumaki clan a few people have had powerful healing abilities and each have been unique so they have never been classified as a bloodline limit. But healing injuries is not the same as reversing the aging process." Tsunade sighed.

Tsunade finished running diagnostics on Nagato's legs and ended her medical jutsu before stepping back away from the table. "Perhaps you are looking at the wrong source. The Kyuubi's chakra may have restorative properties." Nagato spoke evenly.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "That may be so. But I have seen Naruto use his Bijuu cloak before and anyone who was foolish enough to touch it wouldn't say it's chakra was restorative."

"When it is uncontrolled maybe. But what happens when a medicine is released in an uncontrolled dosage?" Nagato reasoned.

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly in understanding. Most of the worlds deadliest poisons were also considered medicines in small quantities and similarly the main ingredient in any antidote is the poison itself. '_If that is the case and Naruto's cellular regeneration is aided by his Bijuu. Then it could be impossible for Naruto to die of natural causes. He could potentially live forever and not look a day over thirty, depending on just how effective the cellular regeneration is of course. No it's far to soon to start jumping to conclusions I would need some evidence that he is not simply returning to his natural age to age properly. Naruto's body hasn't even finished developing yet. It will be several years before I could even begin to test something like that. Besides Naruto wouldn't want Immortality, he isn't like Orochimaru._' she thought trying to quench her scientific curiosity. Regardless she couldn't help but snigger slightly at the thought that after everything that Orochimaru went through to reach immortality that Naruto may have gained his goal without realizing it. "That is an interesting theory Nagato, I may have to look into that deeper. I'll let you rest for now and I'll prepare your treatment to be applied tomorrow morning." Tsunade said before exiting the room.

To little surprise of the Godaime Hokage she was greeted on the other side of the door by Konan and Naruto. "So Baa-chan how is he, can you fix Nagato's legs?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"I am also interested in Nagato's condition." Konan added.

"I can heal him, but it will be an extremely painful process, any painkillers that I can give will do little good. But once the treatment is finished he should theoretically be able to walk again. He has been crippled for such a long time he may have to learn how to use his new legs." Tsunade answered.

Naruto grinned happily. "That's awesome, would love to see the look on that masked bastards face when he finds out that Nagato is no longer a cripple." Naruto laughed.

Tsunade puzzled at what Naruto meant by that, however she decided to ignore it. At the moment she had other things on her mind. Namely what if any highly advanced healing properties that the Kyuubi's chakra may have. Luckily she had a perfect source of information that she could look at. She was Mito Uzumaki, the first Kyuubi jinchuuriki's granddaughter after all. That gave her access to certain files that even the past Hokage could not read, namely her Diary. She would look for something from Kushina as well but she knew Naruto's mother far better than to think that she would keep a Diary, it was hard enough for her to keep focused at the best of times and she was never one to write her experiences down. She would probably have more luck with any notes Minato may have taken during his brief time as Hokage.

"When will you begin treatment?" Konan asked breaking Tsunade from her revery.

"I will be back tomorrow morning, I'll need to prepare the medicine that will help restore his legs." Tsunade answered kindly. "Now if you will excuse I have a mountain of work that needs to be done back at my office." she added with a slight groan just thinking about all the requests that were constantly flooding into her office.

"That would be right, what a horrible job. If I was Hokage I would just create a new position to take care of the majority of the paperwork." Naruto laughed.

"I'm sure you would but who would ever be stupid enough to take that job... All the responsibility of the Hokage with none of the perks." Tsunade replied bitterly. It's not like she didn't have the same idea. She was sorely tempted to give it a trial run at the moment. The problem was that if the Hokage didn't have the final say on the things that went on in the village then someone with less power would. The only people she would ever consider for such a role were too important to the village to be stuck in a room filling out papers. The Hokage's main job was to keep Konoha safe which is why they so rarely left the village. If she passed the paperwork onto someone then they would no longer be able to fulfill their normal duties. Her original thought was that Shizune could do it, but Shizune was running the hospital most of the time. Shikaku also jumped to mind but he had enough on his plate as the Jounin commander and head of Anbu.

(**Elsewhere**)

In a high security room in the deepest part of Anbu headquarters Anko and Ibiki both sat around a large table. Papers were scattered across the room in what seemed like a case of organized disaster. Neither interrogation specialist could move without disturbing the files Naruto had loaned them for their investigation into Danzo.

"This is taking forever. Tell me again why we didn't have one of the peons do this?" Konoha's first and foremost snake mistress Anko Mitarashi asked with no small amount of annoyance. A bottle of Sake and a large plate of Dango sat to either side of the kunoichi who looked rather rattled for someone who was an expert in interrogation techniques.

"I thought that would be obvious Anko. This is a classified case against one of the village elders. It is of the utmost importance that it stay need to know. Besides what else would you be doing with your time? Hanging out in that forest of yours? Or maybe chasing after a certain village hero to get payback for embarrassing you the other day." The Head of the Torture and Interrogation department, Ibiki Morino explained.

"Ah what do you know. We have been going through these files for days, everything points to the fact that the asshole is guilty. Fuck if this was anyone else they would be given a public execution from half of the fucked up shit in these files." Anko scoffed. She took a swig of Sake straight from the bottle to vent a bit of the frustration she was feeling before grabbing a stick of dango.

Ibiki nodded slowly. "Yes I would have to agree on you there. But again this isn't a normal shinobi we are dealing with. As one of the village elders he has privilages that the rest of us simply don't. Because of that we need to go through every last file and every misdeed even if it's only for the history books. We also have to check to see if any of these are fake, several seem to have been written by other shinobi. But many of those appear to match the handwriting of Kabuto Yakushi, giving some form of validation to the them. He was Orochimaru's second in command, so it makes sense he was involved at times when Orochimaru was not present." Ibiki replied. He fully understood the kunoichi's frustration at being locked away in a room, going through page after page of writing and experiments that Orochimaru had performed. He was also aware of how this may be effecting Anko, she was one of the poor souls who Orochimaru had performed at least one of these experiments on. The only positive part being that she had survived both mentally and physically.

"So what do you think will happen to the old fart?" Anko sighed while reading over another folder.

"It's hard to say, there has never been a betrayal like this before. If he is allowed to live then I would highly doubt that he will be allowed to live once we give our report." Ibiki informed the snake summoner '_The closest thing we have had to a situation like this is when Fugaku threatened Hiruzen-sama. He was never officially punished because Itachi killed him and the rest of the Uchiha clan not even two days later. But that confrontation was kept a classified secret._'

Anko sighed while taking another swig from her bottle of Sake. "At least we're almost finished. Then I can finally get out of here... It's really that damn Namikaze brats fault he didn't need to give us so damn much stuff to go through." she complained while signing off on another file for authenticity.

(**Meanwhile**)

Another person in Konoha was having similar thoughts regarding his time in captivity. Since he had been locked up Danzo Shimura had been completely silent, he had not said a single word. For the guards he was the perfect prisoner, even if they had no idea why one of the most respected shinobi in the village was currently in an Anbu holding cell.

But if you thought for a moment that the old war hawk was sitting around waiting to be executed you were sadly mistaken. Danzo controlled a small army of fiercely loyal shinobi that he had little doubt would be working to free him at this very moment. And how right the Root commander was.

In all of Root the two shinobi Danzo had the most confidence in were Fu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame. They each had abilities that could rival some of the best in the village. Torune had come to pair with a special type of insect that even other Aburame could not handle. Making a simple touch from the Aburame Root member deadly. Fu Yamanaka was no less extraordinary his mastery of the mind switch jutsu was unrivaled not even needing direct eye contact, he could use puppets to complete the exchange.

Knowing this Danzo was not overly surprised when one of the chunin Anbu guards knelt down in a bow before his prison cell. "Danzo-sama." the chunin said with a hint of reverence despite a voice being void of emotion.

Danzo cracked his exposed eye open to take in the sight of the chunin. "Fu, what are you doing here? We need to remain patient." he said flatly.

"There is no time. The seals you placed long ago in the interrogation department had revealed the outlook for you being found innocent is all but non existent. The files delivered by the Kyuubi jinchuuriki are extensive and unfortunately rather accurate. If you stay here we have little doubt that they're planning to have you executed for treason." The mind swapped Yamanaka explained.

"I see then we should move to escape this confinement. I assume you are prepared to leave Konoha? Tsunade, and Hiruzen, for all their faults are not stupid. They will know that you helped in my escape." Danzo spoke.

"I am aware of this Danzo-sama. We are planning the retrieval for two days time." Fu answered a voice void of emotion giving none of his thoughts away.

Danzo sent a questioning gaze towards his subordinate. "Why not just leave now? I can deal with any Anbu peon that attempts to impede my escape."

"We are currently unaware of the whereabouts of Tsunade Senju, Naruto Uzumaki, and Jiraiya. Also at the moment the Raikage is currently staying in Konoha to seek treatment for the Nibi jinchuuriki, we expect them to be gone soon regardless we have a plan to deal with them should they get involved. If we attempted escape now with those variables unaccounted for then the chances of success diminish greatly. We have a plan to keep the Hokage and the group known as the Yoinokuchi occupied during our escape. We will also send operatives to confront Kakashi Hatake, Miteo Gai, and Asuma Sarutobi. The distraction should allow ample time for our escape from Konoha." Fu explained.

"Well done, you have thought logically and not let any attachments influence your judgment. We may have to leave Konoha now but we will be back in time and then I will rule over the village like I was always supposed too." Danzo declared.

"If I may take my leave Danzo-sama, prolonged time spent talking is increasing the risk of being caught. I will modify the memory of this chunin so he has no recollection of what happened to him. I will be back on the second morning." Fu spoked evenly before he took his leave.

Time moved so slowly in confinement, Danzo was so used to have thie freedom of the village, he could move anywhere he pleased and be treated with the utmost respect, all that is stripped from you when you were in confinement. He had no say on anything, they even told him when to eat. Needless to say Danzo found his time in the Anbu holding cell tiring, he was very pleased to know that he would soon be getting out. '_But where to go? Otogakure, most of it has been destroyed by that meddling Kyuubi brat and the fool Jiraiya. But there will still be a few of Orochimaru's secrets still hidden._'

(**Land of Earth**)

In fact one of those hidden little secrets was just resurfacing from underground. Kabuto pulled himself out of the earth with a horrible scowl gracing his features. Features that had somewhat changed from when he began attempting to retrieve Orochimaru from the snakes collapsed hideout. He was dirty and his clothes torn from his toil sure, but that was not the main change. He no had eyes that closely resembled the snake like slits of Orochimaru and had the same tribal markings under his eyes that the snake sannin wore. Not only that, his skin was paling at a visible rate. "I will have my revenge." the medic declared before walking off down the mountainside not looking back even for a second.

In fact Kabuto walked in a straight line for hours without rest, almost like he was a man possessed. If his destination was unknown before it was now. A large village in the Land of Earth, close to the size of

Iwa appeared in the distance and a slight smile formed upon his face. "Perfect, I am going to need quite a few sacrifices for my plan." Kabuto declared. It took a few more hours for the traitorous spy to reach the village. Instantly he stopped and began searching for any chakra signatures that would be useful. '_Damn peasants. In a village this large, only four people have chakra capacities that are of any use. But I guess beggars can't be choosers._' he thought as he began his hunt.

The first target was easy. The man was a thug leading a small gang that operated in the back ally's of the village picking a fight with those they thought may be weak. Much to their bad luck Kabuto always had the appearance of being weak, he had thin arms and his glasses seemed to make him scream vulnerability, not that the expert spy cared. In fact it worked in his favor as his target and the merry group of followers attempted to ambush Kabuto for what ever money he may have... It did not end well for them. Once defeated Kabuto sealed the body he wanted away and left the others in a pile of corpses.

His second target was far more difficult. A young woman with her family enjoying an afternoon together. Kabuto stalked his prey for close to an hour. He had no qualms about killing the whole family, the problem was he did not want to be seen doing the deed. Exposing himself allows others to know that they may be targeted. Finally an opportunity presented itself. The young woman slipped away to the bathroom. Kabuto ambushed her as she went to return to her family, slitting her throat before sealing her body away.

The final two were together. Both were members of the town police force. While this was a very public job that was never overly hidden from the public it did not take Kabuto long to isolate the pair. He used the dead bodies of the gang that he killed as bait, simply waiting until their patrol moved on to the area before acting like a scared yet dutiful citizen who had the misfortune of stumbling upon a few dead bodies. Once he took them to the dark back street he effortlessly finished the pair off with a kunai to each heart before they had the chance to radio in.

His work done Kabuto stalked out of the village unseen by any and took off in the direction of the next village that would feel his wrath. '_I'll need more people for my jutsu, maybe I will harvest one of Orochimaru-sama's remaining bases. Perhaps as a last resort, a few subordinates may be useful._' he thought with glee as his resolve strengthened. He would do all that it takes to accomplish his goals.

(**Konoha**)

A had not been having a good day. Although dying is sure to do that. That said it's rare that anyone would be able to die yet still be able to complain about it. A feat that the Raikage was currently accomplishing with amazing enthusiasm. "That damn brat, I didn't ask for him to revive me." A seethed bitterly.

"Actually A-sama, it would be impossible to do that when you were dead." Yugito replied with a small smile. She had severely mixed feelings on the situation. On the one hand she was a loyal Kumo shinobi so the Raikage was her leader. On the other, she would not even be alive right now if it wasn't for Naruto and for that matter neither would the Raikage. Overall she would say that no harm was done so there was no reason to get upset.

"Being saved by a criminal is humiliating if he thinks that I will forgive him from stealing from Kumo just because of this then he has another thing coming. I refuse to be in the debt of that damn Namikaze!" A yelled back not even listening to what Yugito had said. She could have been insulting the muscle bound Kage and he would have been none the wiser.

Yugito sighed, this had been going on all afternoon, ever since the initial shock wore off. He too tired to attempt to fight Naruto again and Yugito could understand why he left him in that situation. For her part Yugito felt like she had before her encounter with the Akatsuki, however the deep well of power that she could delve into was now gone. The Nibi had been her trump card, her ace in the hole should she find herself in a bind. That was all wishful thinking now even her control was not as good as it once was. Still she would take the hit to her power over being dead any day of the week. "I'm going to go for a walk. I wouldn't mind finding a quiet training ground to retrain my control. I haven't been putting enough chakra into my jutsu since I was healed." she said calmly.

A didn't pay her any attention until the door opened and the kunoichi was half way through. "Yugito wait." A ordered suddenly serious.

"Yes A-sama?" the kunoichi questioned.

"We will be heading back alone tomorrow. I am sending Samui and her team to the other major villages. I'm calling all the Kage together and we are going to do something about the Akatsuki. As long as they are active then Bee is in danger wherever he is. If they are desperate about capturing all the Bijuu even Kumo may not be safe in time." A said.

Yugito nodded, she had not expect her capture to be taken so seriously by the Raikage she knew the Bee would have attempted to save her. '_He's actually serious about this. I'm surprised. I expect this kind of thing from Bee, but not A-sama. Then again Bee always looks out for his fellow jinchuuriki, even those from other villages, and enemies. In truth I had never seen him have so much fun as when he fought Naruto in Kumo. I didn't know what he saw in the kid but I guess now I do, he's not just strong he's also forgiving. I do not know many people that would use their own abilities to grant life to an enemy_.' the former jinchuuriki thought.

"We will be moving quickly as to get back to Kumo as soon as possible to prepare for the Kage summit so do not wear yourself out." A added.

"I will take it easy, thank you for the warning A-sama" Yugito said with a slight bow before exiting the room out into the streets of Konoha quietly.

Yugito found herself out in the middle of a section of Konoha that was mostly unscathed by the Akatsuki attack, children ran around most of them were pretending to be ninja throwing paper shuriken and kunai she recognized one of the children as a Hyuuga boy from his pale eyes. His forehead was unsullied so she guessed either a member of the main branch family or still too young to receive the caged bird seal. She couldn't help but marvel over how despite having their home all but destroyed these kids still carried on without a care in the world. But the more she looked around the more she realized that it wasn't just the children that were happy it was almost everyone. The shinobi patrols would stop and relax with the civilians who were delivering wood and stone for the repairs, even they seemed to have a joyous smile on their faces.

Yugito was in awe at just how different Konoha was to Kumo. A, and the Raikage before him had all been so concerned with Kumo's standing among the five great villages that Kumo was run like a military facility, their were very few civilians living in Kumo at all only the families of shinobi and enough to run the various food stalls and armories. At that moment one of the children miss through one of their paper shuriken, and it flew straight at Yugito. Being a child's toy the shuriken was never going to be dangerous, even if it hit the kunoichi. Yugito however saw this as the perfect chance to test her reflexes. She waited until the last second before snatching the shuriken out of the air, her hand moving so fast the young boys playing couldn't even see it move. "Wow that was amazing, I have never seen anyone move so fast. How did you do that?" the young Hyuuga boy asked running over to Yugito.

"Yeah that was amazing. But, uh... Sorry about throwing that at you, it was an accident, honest." another young boy said, he had light brown spiky hair and dark brown eyes that were almost black.

"That's alright. But maybe you should be more careful in the future, if that was a normal shuriken you could have hurt someone." Yugito said while handing the paper shuriken back to the young brown haired boy.

"I will, thanks miss. I'm Ganjo Sarutobi and this is Iba Hyuuga." the brown haired boy declared with a large smile.

'A Sarutobi huh, they are renowned as the best Katon element users in the Elemental Nations, I always wanted to test my katon jutsu's against the best of them. I doubt I would be able to convince the Sandaime Hokage to give me a demonstration and his eldest son if a Fuuton user, not Katon.' "I am Yugito Nii. It is nice to meet you both. May I ask what you are doing?" she replied after a few short moments, and realizing that they boys were waiting to hear her name.

"We're playing of course." The Hyuuga said in a matter of fact tone although he seemed bereft of the usual Hyuuga pompousness that haunted their clan.

Yugito was not used to such a simple custom, she had been trained from a very young age to be a jinchuuriki and to uphold Kumo's image. She did understand the concept of playing however. "What game are you playing?" she asked with slight interest.

"We're playing Ninja. Our private tutors are busy helping with the repairs to the village so we have had a lot of free time... would you like to play? It's easy all you have to do is hide not get his with the shuriken." Ganjo said happily.

Yugito gave the boy a sad smile. "I'm afraid that I can't right now, I just recovered from a rather serious injury and I need to do a bit of training. I am surprised you would ask a shinobi from another village to play with you though." she admitted.

"Why, it shouldn't matter what village you come from that's just stupid." the Hyuuga boy scoffed.

'_Looks like this particular Hyuuga has not read into the past between the Hyuuga and Kumo yet. In a few years I doubt he would let me get anywhere near him._' Yugito mused. "You're right it shouldn't. But the world doesn't run on the way things should be. It is quite unfortunate but that is just the way of the world... It was nice meeting you both." She gave both boys a curt bow of her head and then left to find the closest training field.

Yugito found what looked to be an empty training ground and took up a defensive stance. Jinchuuriki or not Yugito's senses were sharp, so she could tell when she was being followed. Even if the followers were highly skilled. She didn't say anything and just kept her stance up. Several seconds later a Hyuuga teen wearing a jounin vest landed in front of the kunoichi. "It would appear that your chakra network has been completely healed." the Hyuuga said flatly.

"You are well informed, I would ask how you know but I am similarly well informed on the Byakugan's abilities." Yugito replied.

"You can lower your stance I would not act so foolishly as to attack a foreign shinobi in the village and start a war. I simply have a few questions to ask." the teen said flatly.

"Didn't anyone tell you that it is rude to demand answers from a lady without first introducing yourself." Yugito retorted. She could understand why the Hyuuga had been watching the group from Kumo. They shared some rather dark history and old wounds can be reopened if a trigger appears. Despite this she had no desire of being interrogated by this boy when she should be training.

"Forgive me, I must have forgotten myself. My name is Neji, and as you have already guessed I am a Hyuuga" Neji said although the tone of his voice had no sense of tenderness nor did it show even the slightest hint that he truly desired to be forgiven.

"It's nice to meet you Neji, my name is Yugito Nii. But I am sure you know that already." Yugito said earning a curt nod from the young jounin.

"You were talking to the young boy from my clan." Neji said a hint of accusation in his tone but mostly it was as flat and held very little emotion.

"He came up to me. But essentially yes I spoke to him." Yugito answered.

"With the past dealings between the Hyuuga and Kumo you must understand why that makes me feel uneasy especially with that boy not holding the Caged Bird Seal. Last time you attempted to steal the Byakugan I lost my father, that will not happen again, our clan will not bow to pressure a second time." Neji warned the kunoichi.

'_This must be the son of Hizashi Hyuuga. I was only a genin when the Raikage thought he had acquired the byakugan from the Hyuuga clan head only to be given a decoy, he was not happy when he found out._' Yugito realized. She was also well aware of the animosity that Neji must have towards Kumo for taking his father. "I can assure you we are not here for the Byakugan." She said attempting to reassure the suspicious Hyuuga.

"I am aware of why you are hear, Kumo's emissary to Konoha was not exactly in Konoha for the sole purpose of kidnapping the clan heads eldest daughter all those years ago either. So now that you are healed and no longer need our cooperation you will find the Hyuuga clan to remain somewhat suspicious certainly if you are around unsealed members of the clan." Neji assured the Kumo kunoichi.

"Very well, I have no objections to that, if it will give you and your clan peace of mind feel free to watch my training, although it will be rather boring. A side effect of my treatment has been I am under supplying chakra to my jutsu so I need to work on control." Yugito warned her new chaperone.

"That is perfectly understandable, you lost a huge supply of chakra that alone will take time to readjust to. But menial task or not my orders were to watch you and that is what I shall do. You are not special though, your other shinobi have tails but chances are they will not be seen. You found me because I made a mistake when you were talking to the children, the others will not make the same mistake, I allowed personal feelings get in the way." Neji replied.

The pair stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. Until the pair broke eye contact and Yugito began to practice water walking while Neji watched on from the tree line.

(Myobokuzan)

The Toad summoning clan lived atop a tall mountain yet despite this fact the temperature was anything but cold, the water and air was warm and the bugs were large. Long story short it was a perfect environment for the amphibian summons. The toads were also one of the oldest clans that had been around for generations. Because of this they had developed an organized and structured system of leadership with the oldest and wisest being in charge. The problem was that this wise leader was just as likely to forget what day it was rather than have anything interesting to say. Which is why the two lesser Toad Sages were rather surprised that the ancient toad had called to see them.

"What did you call us here for you old coot?" Shima asked. The Matriarch of the toads was anything but subtle or kind when she was taken away from her kitchen when she was preparing supper.

"Ma, let's at least hear him out before we accuse him of something." Fukusaku suggested hoping to calm his wife.

"Oh don't start me on you, you're getting just as bad as he is." Shima replied. What followed was an argument that became so heated that it sounded like no words were spoken in a recognizable language only toad croaks.

The great sage obviously could understand them as a large sweatdrop appeared as their, uh, conversation, died down. "Now that you two are finished I have something I wanted to tell you. Fukusaku I want you to... uh that is I need you to." The large elderly toad paused scratching his chin in puzzlement. "What did I need again?" he asked.

"How are we supposed to know!? You called us here!" Shima yelled clearly exasperated at the forgetfulness of the elder toad sage.

"I did? Oh yes that's right I did." The elder said happily. "I have been watching the destined child. He is ready to finish his training."

"Naruto-chan is ready to finish his training? But it's so soon, I thought it would take years." Shima said.

"The child of destiny is a strong one, it seems he is finally ready to believe in his own power. It is time to control the beast that he contains. It also means that another war is soon to descend. One that will decide the fate of this world. I have seen it." the Elder decreed sagely.

"You can't see more than twenty meters in front of you." Shima mumbled under her breath. She had never put much weight in the elder sages prophecy, although when she saw Naruto arrive in Myobokuzan for the first time with the Rinnegan and able to perform such amazing feats even she began to believe.

"Shall we fetch him now?" Fukusaku asked, the gray haired toad was eager to see if Naruto would be able to become the first person to truly master the Kyuubi's chakra.

The great sage shook his head slowly quashing Fukusaku's hopes spectacularly. "No not just yet. I'm in need of rest, I will call you again when the time comes, you may go for now."

the two toad elders gave a curt bow before they left the great sage in his chambers. "Damn old fool, he probably just can't remember Naruto-chan's name again. He probably wont even remember the conversation we just had in a hour or so. If he spent a little less time looking into the future and more time in the present then he might actually realize the world still moves around him." Shima scoffed.

"Ya, the ol man is a'lil senile, but he knows what he's doi'n so I'll trust im." Fukusaku sighed.

**End Chapter!**

**Gah another chapter, sorry no action but next time there will be. **

**Should Danzo get away yes or no. on one hand he was mostly used as a useless plot character to give Sasuke someone to kill without doing any hard work...**

**That kinda sounds like everyone of Sasuke's fights so far in the cannon. He either wins for some stupid reason or loses but gains some massive power boost. Like the Deidara fight... are you seriously telling me that just because he was a Raiton style Deidara was effectively useless, by that logic any Raiton user would kick his ass. Yet then we have Naruto's Rasenshuriken, that is supposed to dominate Raiton and it won't break through a Raiton armor? Not saying I didn't enjoy either fight, just saying some consistency would be nice at times. Then when he loses to Itachi I was thinking finally! The prick gets what he deserves. But no, he gets the Mangekyo Sharingan and he didn't have to kill anyone! Naruto = works his ass off for 500 of the 600 chapters... Knows three jutsu. Sasuke = Uchiha, so therefore learns a new jutsu every second chapter for the hell of it. Okay rant over sorry about that. **

**As I was saying before getting lost on a ill advised, and rather harsh (Although in my opinion totally justified.) anti Sasuke rant. Keeping Danzo alive, could have some pro's a third side in the war might spice things up. Obviously due to lack of numbers they would not be a major threat to either side at first but that doesn't mean they can't be involved. **

**Need to think about what I will choose. I'll do a chapter of 'A Price for Peace' next week to give me some time to decide so leave your choice, or don't. I can't honestly say that what everyone will want is what I will write, but your feedback and suggestions are really welcome, I have received a few good ones this week. Unfortunately it's not possible to make everyone happy. **

**In any case thanks for reading. **


	114. Sentencing

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 11****4: Sentencing**

It was yet another hot day in Konoha those in the village that were not currently rebuilding were spending it relaxing in the coolest area's they could find. Naruto was no different in this case. He was laying back in a stream of water, his eyes closed and out to the world or so it would seem. The forest that surrounded them perfectly shaded the area from the scorching sun with several tree branches stretching over the river. "So do you think you will be done anytime soon? Not that I mind relaxing like this doing nothing." Naruto said suddenly.

The target of his question was standing a few feet away from him at the base of a waterfall. "Oh shut it I am close, I can feel it. Just because you have insane control over Fuuton, doesn't mean that everyone does." Akimi replied while panting heavily from her exertions. Water splashed against the rocks kicking up a powerful mist that filled the air.

"Well at least we're not working on Katon, it's far too hot for that, really what better way to spend a hot day like this, than in the water." Naruto replied blissfully.

"Says the one who is laying on his back accomplishing nothing." Akimi scoffed.

"When you can cut the waterfall, I will be able to help you train. Until then the more time you spend complaining the longer it will take." Naruto answered her calmly. He was enjoying his time off. As long as he was in Konoha he didn't have to worry about what mission he would take next or what countries were best to avoid. '_She was really close last time, she should be able to move on to the learning some Fuuton jutsu very soon._' he thought to himself. He would never admit it but he was impressed with how quickly the kunoichi was progressing with the Fuuton training. She had a small advantage due to her swift release bloodline drawing on the Fuuton element but in all honesty to separate both elements to a highly advanced level like Akimi was planning in hopes of completing the black lightning jutsu of her brother was a Kage level elemental manipulation ability.

Akimi clenched her fist in frustration. 'Damn lazy ass, I would kick his ass but I barely have the energy to stand. I need to do this!' she declared to herself as her focus turned back to the large waterfall. From where Naruto was laying in the water he could feel the pull of the wind around him. 'She's going to do it.' he realized opening his eyes to see first hand. Sure enough a few seconds later Akimi pushed her hands forward into the water and the lower half of the waterfall fell away. "I... I did it." she panted weakly while admiring her work. It was then that the exhaustion finally caught up with the swift release kunoichi and she fell backward of her rock.

She did not hit the water as she expected however, she was caught bridal style by Naruto who was smiling broadly down at the kunoichi. "Looks like you are ready for the real training to begin. But why don't we wait until tomorrow so you can get your energy back. Akimi just nodded sleepily and nuzzled into the blonds chest. Naruto smirked slightly and brushed a hand through her hair. He then proceeded to drop his girlfriend unceremoniously into the river.

Akimi reappeared a few seconds later, her face was red in embarrassed anger as Naruto was cracking up laughing. "What the Hell! I was just getting relaxed and you drop me, some boyfriend you are." she yelled. Naruto wasn't listening however as he was still laughing so loudly it drowned Akimi's rage out completely.

This did not go down well with the Swift release kunoichi and quickly shot her hands out to grab the blonds legs. "Hey wai-" Naruto tried to protest as he was dragged under to no avail.

"Serves you right jerk." Akimi scoffed as Naruto resurfaced his hair sitting flat over his eyes to obscure his vision. The look on his face when he turned to look on her made the kunoichi pause for a few moments however. "Now Naruto-kun calm down it was only a joke." she spoke apprehensively.

Naruto's scowl then turned into a smile that caused Akimi to relax only to have the blond tackle her back underwater a second later. She struggled against his grasp until she felt his warm lips against her own. The pair slowly floated to the surface readjusting themselves to a standing position. When they broke the surface Naruto ended their embrace. "Sorry, thought that you might want to cool off and relax a bit."

"Fool I was standing under a waterfall all day, there are not many places cooler than that. Then I was relaxing when you dropped me." Akimi replied scolding the blond.

"Yes but this way was more fun." Naruto answered showing his large fox like grin.

Akimi just sighed knowing she really wasn't all that angry with him and he had a point their brief water fight was rather relaxing and also seemed to revitalize some her energy, although that may have been the kiss. She was about to steal another kiss when Jiraiya landed on a nearby tree branch that was overhanging the river. "So it seems like you two have finished training. But maybe I should have waited to make my appearance." the Toad Sage chuckled.

"Yeah Akimi finished cutting the waterfall. We will start learning Fuuton jutsu tomorrow. So why are you here Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto replied.

"Oh I came to tell you that Tsunade-Hime has given Nagato the medicine he requires. Not a pretty sight I can tell you, he's in serious pain. She gave him the strongest sedative that they could without killing him but it doesn't seem to be doing anything." Jiraiya answered from his lofty perch in the tree.

"How long will that last?" Akimi asked. She held no great love for Nagato. Even if she was willing to admit he was being manipulated, he still had attempted to kill Naruto and capture the Kyuubi. Still knowing that he was in a severe amount of pain was not something she would wish on her worst enemy.

"He should be all better by tomorrow morning. Tsunade-Hime has really out done herself with the medicine, she improved the formula to take less time. It's a shame she couldn't do anything about the intense pain felt. That is why ninety percent of the people who are foolish enough to risk taking it end up dead. It must be an incredibly horrible way to die, screaming in agony. Like I said not a pretty sight." Jiraiya said quietly.

"Sounds unpleasant, and here Akimi was complaining about being exhausted." Naruto said teasing the kunoichi.

"You wouldn't let me leave that damn rock until I completed the training. I have been standing still on that rock for over six hours while you sat back relaxing doing nothing to help but comment when I came close, of course I was complaining." Akimi yelled back.

"Ah definitely a graduate of the great Toad Sage, Jiraiya. I have taught you so well." Jiraiya said gleefully wiping a fake tear from his eyes.

"What is that fool talking about?" Akimi asked waving an annoyed hand up at Jiraiya.

"That's how I was trained, he showed me what he wanted me to do then left to go peek on women and get drunk until I completed the training. Probably why my father was the only worthwhile ninja on his squad." Naruto scoffed.

Jiraiya almost fell out the tree making a show of being hurt by Naruto's words. "I'll have you know the others became Anbu. It's just Minato was so exceptional that the others have been overlooked."

"See, at least I stayed in the area to offer encouragement." Naruto said proudly.

"Only because every time you go into the village you are bombarded by fan girls wanting to go out with you or fan boys wanting you to teach them something 'cool'." Akimi scoffed causing Naruto's pride to deflate quite spectacularly.

"I don't have fan boys." Naruto grumbled knowing he couldn't argue with the first half of Akimi's statement.

"Konohamaru?" she said with a small grin.

"Point taken." Naruto groaned the young genin had been almost as bad as the so called Namikaze fan club that seemed to grow in numbers by the day. It had been half of the reason Naruto chose a training ground so far away from the village although many wouldn't consider the forest of death to be a viable training location. Many considered that you would have to be insane to train in a forest filled with animals that would like nothing more than to kill you in the most painful way possible. However since entering the forest Naruto found most of the animals to be nothing he couldn't handle with ease it also served his purpose that their was a waterfall that was not currently being used by civilians escaping the summer heat.

"Anyway Jiraiya-sama is there another reason why you came all the way out here?" Akimi asked deciding to show some form of respect to Jiraiya.

"Oh yes, I believe that Ibiki and Anko are finished looking through the files you handed them. I believe they found them most enlightening on what our friend Danzo has been up to since Orochimaru left Konoha. Multiple acts of treason I expect Tsunade-Hime will make a statement sentencing him to death sometime this afternoon. Regardless I was told that Ibiki wanted to see you to return the files in person." The Toad Sage replied casually.

"Yes it's probably best that they are not allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The toads can look after them better than anyone else. Not that I don't trust Baa-chan, it's everyone else in the village that I don't trust." Naruto said calmly. The young jinchuuriki swam to the edge of the river and quickly dried himself off with a Fuuton jutsu. He then grabbed his Yoinokuchi robe and flung it over his shoulders. "Yo Akimi-chan you coming?" he asked turning back to where the kunoichi was still in the water.

"Oh sure, give me a sec." Akimi answered. She hopped onto the waters surface and landed next to Naruto in the blink of an eye. "Wow! I am a lot faster, amazing." she said in awe.

Naruto had a satisfied grin plasted on his face. "I told you learning how to use Fuuton jutsu properly would help. By the time we're finished you will be even faster." he said smugly.

"Oh quit taking credit, all you did was show me the exercises, you were about as useful as that green spandex wearing jounin is at blending in, with a crowd." Akimi replied.

Naruto face vaulted and miniature storm clouds of depression formed over the blonds head. "I wasn't that bad." he told himself with a depressed grumble.

Without another word Naruto began to walk slowly towards the village still brooding. "He acts just like you do when he's upset Jiraiya-sama." Akimi giggled before running after the blond and jumping on his back before kissing his cheek. "Oh cheer up. Sulking doesn't suit you." she teased.

"I'm not sulking. Come on lets go see Scarface and the crazy snake lady." Naruto replied having cheered up considerably.

Konoha was changing by the hour. With the help of Tenzo large groups of buildings were being erected by the hour. Upon arriving at the still fractured city walls Naruto pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and instantly took to what shadows the village buildings provided.

"I don't get it, you can defeat the Raikage in almost an instant yet you hide from a bunch of civilians." Akimi laughed as she followed behind the blond. Granted she was never a fan of the various groups of fan girls that would throw themselves at Naruto but at the same time she didn't see why Naruto would go through such an effort to hide from them when he could escape them with ease anyway.

Naruto shivered at the thought "Gah, give me a Kage with a bad case of roid rage, any day over a bunch of crazed glory obsessed fans." he said gliding from one building to another always careful to not be seen by anyone that was not at least wearing a chunin vest. It took awhile longer than it would normally have had to travel across the village to the Anbu headquarters. Once inside the compound Naruto relaxed lowering his hood. Even this did not stop some Anbu from giving the blond a bow or greet him with a 'Namikaze-sama'. '_Kami can't they just treat me like everyone else?_' he asked himself with a shake of the head.

The door opened up to reveal Ibiki sitting behind a desk. Naruto had only taken two steps into the room when Anko made here appearance landing behind the blond with a blade to his neck. "You disappointed me I thought you would have been expecting me." she hissed lightly in his ear.

Anko drew her kunai up to cut his cheek but stopped when she felt the point of a blade against the back of her head. "Who says that I wasn't." Naruto said before disappearing in a burst of smoke.

"A clone... clever boy. You suppressed your own chakra while giving me this clone to play with." she said while licking her lips hungrily. Anko was certainly not a fan girl in fact she despised them more than anything. She loved a challenge however and having the blond defeat her so easily during their confrontations made her a challenge. Even if that was brought on by her slightly sadistic side.

"I am surprised that we're willing to believe that I wouldn't be expecting you. Maybe I should be the one that is disappointed." Naruto replied with a smirk.

"Oh stop playing around Naruto-kun we're here for a reason." Akimi said entering the room slightly annoyed at the small amount of flirting that appeared to be going on.

I agree, Anko, you can play with the boy later. We have a job to do. The hand over of sensitive information is not a time to be joking around." Ibiki said agreeing with the swift release kunoichi.

"Well I already did half of our work. There is no way this is anyone but the boy that defeated Pein, nobody else would be able to get the drop on me so easily." Anko said defensively.

"Well that's debatable." Ibiki replied.

"Oh what would you know, I was an infiltration and tracking specialist in Anbu before I transferred to the T and I department, a far more enjoyable branch." Anko said contently. She may have hated Orochimaru for all the horrible things he had done, but she had to admit that he had taught her well.

"Any by that you mean you get to sit around reading files?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Not at all this is the only downside of working here. Besides I can usually pass this menial work on to some of the others from our division. It's a standard task of the Anbu first years of the division." Anko replied bitterly. She was still quite annoyed at the fact she had spent the past few days sitting in a room reading files.

"Anyway if you needed anymore proof that it is me. This should prove it." Naruto replied. Before racing through a few hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu"

"Heya Boss!" Gamakichi said from inside a large puff of smoke.

"Hey Gamakichi. I have those files for you to take back to Myobokuzan for me." Naruto said happily.

"Huh sure. Actually it's a bit of a relief to be honest. Pops and the old sages have everyone really busy for some reason. So even a small break is worth it." The Human sized toad replied.

"Well that is certainly enough proof. Here are the files, we made sure to return them to the way we found them." Ibiki said taking out a large scroll handing it over to Naruto.

"Thanks for returning everything. Yo Kichi catch." Naruto said tossing the large scroll to the toad who opened his mouth swallowing the scroll whole. "It looks like we are done here then. I guess I'll see you both around. Now that you're done here I bet they will get you both back to work building with the rest of the villagers." he added turning back to face Ibiki and Anko.

"Nah we're too important to do those tasks." Anko said confidently.

"Actually Anko you have been asked to report to Kakashi and Tenzo tomorrow morning. Those two are in charge of organizing the reconstruction of the civilian areas of the village. Looks like you are not all that important after all Anko." Ibiki responded with a smirk.

Anko looked like her world was coming to an end. "You can't be serious. That damn fool Kakashi knows I don't play well with others doing menial tasks like that."

"Kakashi is many things, but he is certainly no fool. As for not getting along with others? You would have to talk to Hiruzen-sama about that, he was the one who gave you your orders." Ibiki replied.

Anko was left stuttering as Naruto and Akimi left the room. "Well at least that ended quickly. So do you want to go train or do you want to relax for the rest of the day?" the blond asked once they exited the Anbu building.

"Uh I still don't have any energy for training, lets just have the rest of the day off. What is everyone else doing?" Akimi asked.

"Well Zabuza and Fuu have been training their assassination techniques and Gaara has been turning one of the training fields into a sandpit while sparring with Haku. Jiraiya-sensei... Well I think you can probably guess what he has been doing." Naruto answered.

"Huh, even when we have time off the only people not training or doing anything productive are you and that damn sensei of yours." Akimi said shaking her head.

"Well you can get stronger by relaxing sometimes. Since I came back from my training trip with Jiraiya-sensei we have been almost fighting non stop. It's good to have a break every once in awhile, we needed this." Naruto said defensively.

"Whatever, lets go. You can buy me some lunch." Akimi said nonchalantly already walking towards the center of the village. "And no ramen this time."

"You make it sound like it's some reward that I get to pay, I always pay anyway." Naruto sighed before tucking his hood up over his head and following after his girlfriend.

(**Village Gate**)

The Raikage and his entourage stood at what was once the main entrance to Konoha. Opposite the group stood Tsunade and Hiruzen. "I will not thank you for healing Yugito. I will also not belittle myself and thank that good for nothing Namikaze gaki. Still I will have sufficient payment sent here for your services." A said sternly. He had not gotten over the fact that he had been by all accounts toyed with by someone half his age.

"It's Naruto-kun that you should be paying, not us. I was told that it was not Tsunade-Hime that healed your shinobi." Hiruzen said in a matter of fact tone. The Sandaime took quite a bit of enjoyment out of the Raikage's irritation at the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.

"He is a thief and will not be payed for anything. The items stolen from Kumo were of far greater value than the services provided." A replied curtly.

"It could also be said that Kumo stole the seven tools in the first place. Previous Raikage's invaded many smaller countries to possess them. The Necklace was once worn by Mito-sama's grandfather if I recall correctly. So as an Uzumaki, Naruto-kun could argue that he has rightful ownership of at least that item." Hiruzen lectured.

"Still living up to your moniker as the professor it would seem Hiruzen-dono." A scowled.

Hiruzen let out a small grandfatherly laugh. "Not at all A-dono. Retirement has given me time to catch up on my reading. I find looking at the past can give an understanding of mistakes that have been made and will help us avoid repeating them. It is a shame however that history is always written by the side that wins. Bias and half truths are everywhere." he said fondly, ignoring the scowling Raikage.

"I don't know why you're complaining, Konoha has won all their wars." A replied.

"Yes but for a true picture of what happened both sides of a story must be told. If it is not then the history we read is wrong and mistakes will be repeated. Before the time of the great villages all the clans lived separately. Because of this wars were a constant occurrence. Clans with bloodline's we have never seen were wiped out. Just look at the history of the Senju and Uchiha clans, warring over everything from land to power for hundreds of years before Hashirama-sensei and Madara Uchiha called a truce and formed Konoha." Hiruzen lectured.

"And how exactly did that turn out? I may not be as smart as you Professor but I recall Madara and Hashirama fought to the death not too far from here. A power struggle if memory serves me correctly." A scoffed.

"Yes that is true, what isn't told is the heart of the matter. Why it was that Madara felt betrayed and sought to take power by force. Hashirama-sensei preached cooperation with the other nations and villages. While Madara thought that as Konoha should rule over the other nations by force if necessary. In the end even his own clan sided with Hashirama-sensei. So once more the heads of the Senju and Uchiha clans crossed blades, and Hashirama-sensei won, and his version of history was written." The Sandaime Hokage said calmly.

"Does this have a point?" A asked. Even Tsunade was confused as to where this was going.

"It does. One look at it and we can see why. If Madara had won that day he would have become Hokage and the world would have divulged into a war. Madara was dead set in his belief that, he could bring order to the world by controlling it. But as we look back at history again wars happened between our villages regardless. Who's to say Madara losing saved lives. Wars are not thought on weak ideals Madara despite threatening war wanted peace in his own way. He would stop at nothing to get it." Hiruzen continued.

"So what?" A said getting quite frustrated that the Sandaime Hokage was not getting to the point.

Hiruzen sighed slightly disappointed that his point had not dawned on the Raikage. "I thought you would have figured it out by now. The Akatsuki are just like Madara was back then, the more frustrated they become in their persuit of the jinchuuriki the more dangerous and desperate they will become. War is coming, all the signs are pointing to it. The only question is, how will the shinobi world respond to the threat, separately the villages are weak to external threats, this time of peace has seen out military strength wane. The Akatsuki would have never begun to target the Jinchuuriki unless they were sure that they had the strength to take on all of the villages. But would they be prepared to take on the combined might of all the villages together?"

"So you are saying that we should unite to take on the Akatsuki? I see no need to do something so foolish. They number at less than a handful and that kid defeated their best shinobi. Regardless I am calling a meeting of the five Kage, to be held in the Land of Iron. We can discuss the Akatsuki then. Now if you will excuse me, I have a long trip ahead of me." A declared.

"I will make sure to attend. I shall see you then A-dono." Tsunade said stiffly. She would be glad when the Raikage was gone. He looked down on others and compared everything to how he ran things in Kumo. Then there was the constant tension whenever a member of the Yoinokuchi was around. While she was glad the group had stayed in the village for added protection the added stress of wondering if the Raikage would snap and challenge Naruto again was more than she would ever welcome. '_You would think he would have some humility, considering that he had just died not too long ago. Here's hoping that he just needs some more time to calm down._' she thought as the A and his group turned their backs on the village gates.

After they had taken a few steps A paused for a moment. "I have left a note with your assistant detailing the exact time and date of the Kage summit. Do not be late." those were the last words that the Raikage spoke as he disappeared into the distance.

"Interesting. He did not take the idea of forming an alliance as badly as I expected. Perhaps there is hope." Hiruzen mused once the Raikage was out of sight.

"He certainly didn't take it well." Tsunade scoffed.

"No, but I did not expect him to consider such a thing as possible from the start. He was apprehensive and against the idea, but did not rule it out completely." Hiruzen said sagely.

"I find it hard to believe that any of the other villages would agree to such a thing. Still it would be worthwhile suggesting it at this meeting. I think I could get some support from at least the Mizukage." Tsunade sighed.

"I think a unified front will be the only way to save this world. It is of vital importance. Jiraiya told you the man in the mask was claiming to be Madara Uchiha. While I agree that it is bemusing it can't be denied that Madara would attempt something like this. It follows how he would have done things." Hiruzen warned.

"Are you sure sensei? It seems like a stretch to think that Madara could be responsible for this even if he's not directly involved." Tsunade replied.

"Yes I know, by all accounts he should be dead, just the way several events have occurred in the past eighty years or so. It's almost like someone has been manipulating the elemental nations for some time. Where the akatsuki are concerned it is too soon to rule anything out. Remember that Tsunade-Hime." the Sandaime pressed.

"I was not ruling the possibility out, but it just seems so unlikely. At any rate I need to go make an announcement on Danzo's guilt. I did not want to do anything while the Raikage was here." Tsunade said calmly.

"A wise move. It would not have done well to show a weak side to A." Hiruzen agreed.

The two Kage, past and present walked back to the Hokage tower discussing the various implications that an alliance with the other shinobi villages could have. The Hokage tower was now looking somewhat like the old version, towering over the village with a large platform on the roof, this was Tsunade and Hiruzen's destination.

Upon landing on the roof Tsunade activated a jutsu that allowed her voice to travel over the entirety of the village and training ground areas. "Attention people of Konoha. You have all been through so much these past few days, it is this very reason that it pains me to announce that during this time we have received information of one of the more influential shinobi in the village having conspired to overthrow not only myself as Hokage but also Hiruzen-sensei before me. During this time he has conspired with enemies of Konoha including but not limited to Orochimaru of the Sannin and Hanzo the Salamander. He is also guilty of supplying both of these two with information on Konoha's defenses and kidnapping members of our most prestigious clans including the Yamanaka and Aburame. Supplying Orochimaru with genetic material of my grandfather, the Shodai Hokage and Great Uncle the Nidaime Hokage, and other shinobi of note that have passed away in service of Konoha."

The normal sounds of reconstruction or training had ceased. It was completely silent, like a ghost town. Even the animals had fallen deathly quiet. There was a feeling of anger and tension that was rising in the village. Just as Tsunade had hoped for. She wanted the support of the village before sentencing Danzo to his fate.

Hiruzen stepped forward his voice echoed out over the village just as Tsunade's had. "The information supplied has been verified by the top two shinobi in the T and I department of Anbu as well as myself. The punishment for treason is death regardless of motive."

A loud roar of affirmative went out from the village. They clearly wanted the man responsible to pay for his crimes. That was all that Tsunade needed to give her the green light. "It is for this reason that I sentence Danzo Shimura to death in the style of his choosing set at noon tomorrow. It will be a private execution due to the years of service and position that Danzo has held in the village. Allow this to be an example that regardless of your stature the laws of the Land of Fire apply to us all. It is a shame that such a crime has been committed, but together we are strong. From the Ashes Konoha will rise stronger than ever before, my grandfather believed that united we are strong, we should remember this sentiment in this hard times." Tsunade finished speaking and once more silence fell over the village.

"You did the right thing Tsunade-Hime, if I acted like this when the Uchiha clan revolted then perhaps many of them could have been saved." Hiruzen said calmly once the voice amplifying jutsu ended.

"They deserved to know the truth. If they agree with my decision or not? Well we will have to wait and see. For now I have paperwork to do." Tsunade said calmly

**End Chapter!**

**Ah didn't get to any action in this chapter, next one I promise. Problem was I was still deciding whether Danzo should live or not. It's quite the conundrum. **

**So uh this is normally where recently I would go on a rant about how bad the cannon has been recently. And while it has improved quite a bit over the last few weeks I do have a few grievances so uh semi spoiler warning.**

**So uh I am thinking they are gonna screw us with another scene change in the cannon. Just as things get good again. Cannon is getting really good at annoying me with scene changes. Every time something good happens, scene change and we have to wait six weeks for the story to return. Not saying it's not going to be interesting, just wish they would wrap this up already. Fairly sure this arc has been longer than part one in it's entirety lol. My prediction... Sasuke gets a massive Dues ex Machina power up to put him on level terms with Naruto again. Am I the only one at this point who wants Orochimaru to take control of Sasuke's body. Even if it is just for something different to happen, and to not have the 'All Powerful Uchiha' jutsu repeated over and over again. Besides Orochimaru at least has decent character development, can't say that about any of the Uchiha. Madara shows up out of nowhere, Obito has a massive case of creepy stalker syndrome, and Sasuke is just an emo for the sake of being an emo. **


	115. The Root Rebelion

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 115: The Root Rebelion**

Danzo sat in his cell with crossed legs in a meditative position. He had heard Tsunade and Hiruzen declare that he was to be executed for crimes against Konoha and the Land of Fire. While Danzo was not afraid to die, he would not simply willingly give in. He had his pride as a ninja. No, if Danzo Shimura was going to die, then he would die in combat. Certainly not as a prisoner that had been dishonored and exposed as a traitor. For now all the leader of Root had to do was wait, confident that his subordinates were even at this moment preparing his extraction from his cell and Konoha as a whole.

Yes things may have gone off plan for Danzo but their was nothing that couldn't be fixed with enough time and effort. In his mind things were starting to look up. '_Not long now, I will leave Konoha and begin to build a new utopia, I will take control of the elemental nations one way or another_.' he thought.

Lightning cracked across the early morning sky and the loud crack of thunder that proceeded it shocked Naruto awake. A quick glance out the window showed the sun had not risen but a dim glow of light still illuminated the village and allowed the blond to see the dark storm clouds that had moved in. "Well it looks like this heat might finally break." He sighed to himself ignoring Akimi's groan in protest of him moving around while she was curled up against his chest. Naruto knew he was not going to get anymore sleep, he had always been a light sleeper, it was a necessity for any shinobi. When someone has enemies or is out in the field with potential hostile shinobi all around them, a shinobi can't afford to sleep through a possible threat.

Naruto slid out from Akimi's grasp and rolled out of bed. His hopes of not waking the kunoichi were dashed immediately when she let out an annoyed huff. "Naruto-kun, it's too early to be out of bed, come back." she whined clearly disappointed to have been woken.

"Sorry Akimi-chan, I won't be able to get any sleep now that I am up." Naruto replied leaning down to kiss the kunoichi lightly before moving towards the door. Another loud clap of thunder resounded as the door shut and signaled the start of a downpour.

Naruto was not all that surprised to see Zabuza and Gaara already up out of bed when he looked around the small living room of their temporary accommodation. "It looks like today will be a break from the heat. I am relieved." Zabuza grunted.

"This heat was not so bad, in Suna the summer heat was far worse." Gaara replied.

"Well we didn't all live in the middle of a dessert. Kiri was always surrounded by water so even on the hottest days it was nothing like it has been here." Zabuza retorted. Naruto chuckled lightly to himself and walked over to a window. The rain had created a thin mist that blanketed Konoha. "And what's so funny?" the mist swordsman asked.

"Oh nothing, I just found it amusing that you both prefer the weather from your home countries despite not living there anymore." Naruto replied.

"It's not that interesting. In any case it doesn't look like it's going to stop raining anytime soon. What are your plans for the day?" Zabuza asked.

"Well to be honest we really don't have any reason to stay in Konoha any longer. They are finished with the files I took from Orochimaru's hideout, and Tsunade-Baachan woke up. So we can set off home once every is awake. I just want to see Nagato one last time before we go, make sure his legs are working." Naruto sighed. A flash of lightning lit the room for a split second followed by another crash of thunder.

Gaara nodded and moved to join Naruto staring out the window. "Best to just sit and wait out the storm." but just as the Ichibi jinchuuriki finished speaking a large explosion a short distance away shook the earth and painted the sky red.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto shouted sticking his head out the window to get a better look.

"I don't know but it sure sounds interesting." Zabuza said jumping to his feet and grabbing Kubikiribocho before heading for the door.

"I agree, let's go Gaara." Naruto said eagerly racing to his room to grab his own sword.

"Rain makes my sand heavy, and my attacks slower. I will stay behind." Gaara replied stoically.

"Ah you're no fun. See ya soon." Naruto answered before jumping out the window and into the rain.

'_There he goes getting himself involved in other peoples business again._' Gaara sighed as he shut the window behind his fellow jinchuuriki.

It didn't take long for Naruto to catch up to Zabuza and soon the pair found themselves standing at the edge of a large crater that was once densely overgrown forest. "What happened here? It certainly wasn't done naturally that's for sure." the blond said with clear interest.

"It looks like the result of an extremely powerful Ninjutsu." Zabuza agreed. "The question is who used it?"

Naruto didn't have time to deliver an answer because just as he was about to speak another explosion rocked appeared a short distance away. "Over there let's check it out!" he exclaimed and the pair took off again.

(**Elsewhere**)

It had not just been the members of the Yoinokuchi that had heard of felt the explosions. Tsunade, a very heavy sleeper as long as she felt secure had been awoken by her apprentice and longtime friend Shizune. She now stood sleepily in her office as a third explosion rung around the village outskirts. "Get me Kakashi and Gai. Make sure Kakashi comes immediately, drag him here if you need to." she ordered seemingly snapping from her daze.

"At once Hokage-sama!" came yelled reply's from the shadows.

'_It's nice having Anbu everywhere at times._' she thought to herself as she sat back down behind her desk.

A few minutes passed and suddenly their was a puff of smoke in the center of the room and an cat masked Anbu stood with a disheveled looking Kakashi behind. "I found him sneaking out of his apartment Hokage-sama." the Anbu said with a disguised yet feminine voice.

"Were you going somewhere so early in the morning Kakashi?" Tsunade asked in a pleasant voice that promised immense pain should the he give the wrong answer.

"Not at all Tsunade-sama. I was just heading out to do some training before I had to report to reconstruction duty." Kakashi replied with one of his patented eye smiles. One look at the copy ninja and you could tell that he had been lying, he only wore a black long sleeve top that looked like he had slept in and some lose fitting Anbu pants that he had clearly thrown on quickly in hopes of avoiding the incoming Anbu messengers. Even Kakashi's hair had the look that he had just been chased out of bed. The only piece of clothing that looked in perfect place was the Copy Ninja's trademark mask and slanted forehead protector. Despite all of this, even Tsunade had to admit that his lie was far better than any of his normal excuses.

"Is that why I caught you climbing out your bathroom window, Kakashi-sempai?" the cat Anbu asked.

Kakashi face vaulted and his shoulders slumped at his sides. "Yugao why?" he whined.

"Kakashi-sempai it is not wise to give out the names of Anbu operatives, you need to call me Cat or Neko when I am on duty." The masked woman said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Mah it's far to early to be receiving lectures. The sun isn't even up properly yet." Kakashi replied with a yawn.

"Then what about orders?" Tsunade asked stiffly, she was no more happy about being dragged from her peaceful slumber than Kakashi was. "We just need to wait for the other member of your team to arrive."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow slightly "Hm team? With just one other person? But then that means... oh no please, I can't deal with that this early."

The door suddenly burst open and in came Miteo Gai, walking on his hands. "Yosh! Kakashi my eternal rival it seems you have been called here as well. I take it that this has something to do with the issues taking place in the forest surrounding the village." Gai beamed.

Tsunade had her head in her hands wondering why her two top combat shinobi had to be so eccentric. '_I should have called in Asuma._' she sighed. "Yes it does, but why are you walking on your hands?... Wait in second through don't tell me. I want you both to investigate what is going on, you are to leave immediately!"

"Hai Tsunade-sama." Kakashi whimpered.

"Yosh, lets go Kakashi, no more of that accursed hip attitude of yours." Gai yelled enthusiastically.

"Huh did you say something Gai?" Kakashi asked before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"A clone?... That bastard, Kakashi-sempai tricked me!" Yugao yelled.

"Are you really that surprised? Since when has anyone seen Kakashi in such a state?" Tsunade sighed.

"Then where is he?" Yugao asked.

"My guess is he already left to check on the explosions." Tsunade answered.

"Then what am I waiting for. Yosh! That damn hip Kakashi running off on his own!" Gai yelled before bolting from the Hokage's office at the same time another explosion rang out around the village.

(**Meanwhile**)

In the Konoha holding cell Danzo could hear the explosions quite clearly and a satisfied smirk spread across his face. "So it's time." he said to himself while slowly standing.

He was not at all surprised when a guard entered the room a few moments later. "Danzo-sama we need to go at once. The next shift guards will be here in a few minutes. I disabled the shinobi on the way out so we can walk out of here quickly." the guard said quietly.

"And once we are out of here? Have you dealt with the possible meddling from the Yoinokuchi and Tsunade's favorite pets?" Danzo asked while walking for the exit.

"They are being led out of the village, once the alarm goes off here we should be out of the village, but for added insurance several groups of Root shinobi are sent to give us a few more minutes to get a safe distance away from Konoha." the guard said.

"Then let's go. But first, Fuu remove me from my shackles I need to be able to release my arm should things come to a fight." Danzo said calmly. The Root commander was always most comfortable when he was in control of a situation. Something that over the last few days had not happened very often at all. "How have you disabled the Anbu guards?"

"I took the body of the man in charge of delivering the food for their dinner last night, it was a slow acting poison in a few hours they will wake up without having thought they simply fell asleep." Fuu answered in a matter of fact tone.

The pair moved briskly through the halls of the Anbu holding cells they passed several guards that were peacefully sleeping. Finally they broke free and out into the outskirts of the village just as another explosion, far louder than all the previous rang out across the other side of Konoha. "Where are the rest of the men?" Danzo asked. Rain quickly drenched their clothes and a flash of lightning lit the sky.

"That was the last of the explosives. Several groups of Root ninja will now engage the groups sent to investigate. They are all talented shinobi but against the likes of the Namikaze boy and Kakashi Hatake they stand no chance. But a they are a necessary loss for the plan to succeed. Regardless the rest of Root is waiting a fair distance from here. I have no more use for this body and my mind switch jutsu has lasted for far too long. I will end the jutsu so knock me out then head west. We will meet you soon." The Yamanaka said briskly.

Once the Anbu closed his eyes Danzo wasted little time in knocking him out. '_This is goodbye for now Konoha. I will return to claim my rightful place one day._'

(**Elsewhere**)

Naruto and Zabuza landed at the edge of the last explosive crater. At the same moment Kakashi arrived at the scene. "No sign of anyone here either huh." Zabuza sighed slamming the blade of Kubikiribocho into the ground.

"Well I can't say I am all that surprised to see you here Naruto. Have you been able to figure out anything about these explosions yet?" Kakashi asked from the other side of the crater.

"No but I am guessing that they know something." Naruto said pointing to a patch of forest. He waited a few seconds but there was no response. "Oh come on don't think you can hide from me." he called out again.

The trees shook slightly and eight shinobi landed on bent knee at the edge of the forest. "Those are interesting Anbu masks, they're completely blank." Zabuza commented.

Kakashi on the other hand was already on edge. "Anbu from Root, their Danzo's lapdogs. I should head back to Konoha if this is a trap then Tsunade-sama needs to know."

"Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and Zabuza Momochi. Only three of the targets are here. No matter the others will deal with the rest of our targets. We cannot let you leave Danzo-sama's orders are quite clear on that." one of the Root shinobi declared.

'_Others, that means they are going to be going after Akimi-chan and the others._' Naruto thought angrily. "I can guess what they're up to. Danzo is either attempting a coup de tat, or they are trying to break him out of his holding cell." He reasoned.

"So basically they sent us these peons to stop us from interfering in their plans huh. Do we really inspire such a poor response?" Zabuza asked jokingly.

"It seems that way, but don't underestimate them they have all been training rigorously since they were young children. Each one is at the very least low jounin in level." Kakashi warned.

"That's fine. If they are going after the others then I don't care what rank they are. Kakashi go back to the village and inform Baa-chan about what's going on. I'll take care of these fools." Naruto said with a scowl. He slowly held both hands out and formed a rasengan in each. "Zabuza you know what to do."

"Heh I thought you would never ask. So how do you want to do this? Four each?" Zabuza asked.

"Sounds good to me." Naruto answered.

Quickly mist began to flood the area. Blocking the Root Anbu's sight sight. "I would wish you two luck but I don't think that it is really necessary. Gai should be on his way here, if I see him on the way back I will tell him what is going on. If not please inform him upon his arrival." Kakashi said before kicking off in the direction of Konoha.

"Stop Kakashi. We can't let anyone leave here." A large heavily muscled Root Anbu declared. Two others moved to catch Kakashi as he left the large crater. They didn't make it half way when Naruto appeared in front of them and slammed the two rasengan into their chests.

"Sorry you're not going anywhere." The blond said said seriously.

'_Incredible! I didn't even see him move._' the Root Anbu in charge thought his eyes widening upon realizing just who he was up against. "Forget Kakashi, everyone attack the boy!" he ordered.

Being Root Anbu there was no hesitation. In an instant the group was moving as one towards the blond. But before they could reach him a wall of water arose separating the Root ninja from Naruto. "I believe you head us say that we would divide you fools evenly four each. No way am I letting Naruto have all the fun." Zabuza declared. At that point the mist that had been slowly filling the large crater became so thick that nobody could see more than a few feet in any direction.

This didn't really bother the Root Anbu they didn't care about the situations, only their orders ever mattered to them. In response to the mist the group formed ranks in a circle to cover all angles while still moving in Naruto's direction. "Don't think a little loss of vision will stop us." the leader said confidently.

"No I never thought that it would. But we will. Now who wants to die first?" Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist.

"An audible form of Genjutsu to attempt to intimidate your opponents. But intimidation will never work on the shinobi of Root. With out that your silent killing technique is all but useless. We have studied you, Zabuza Momochi. One look at you shows everyone just how weak emotions make shinobi." The Anbu replied passively.

"Haha looks like they know everything about you Zabuza. Why don't you educate them otherwise." Naruto laughed his own voice echoing in the same way that Zabuza's had moments earlier.

"With pleasure. This weather is perfect for my jutsu. You just pick off the others." Zabuza smirked. In the air above them the crater the rain that was falling began to form together into a massive ball of water that a second later crashed down in between the group of Anbu tossing them in six different directions.

'_Now!_' Naruto thought. Through the mist all that could be made out was the sound of metal slicing through the rain. Naruto's sword sliced right through his first target with ease the sharpness of the blade passing through the Root Anbu's body like it was not even there coming out clean. It was a few seconds later that his target collapsed in a pool of his own blood, the arterial spray tinting the mist red.

Zabuza's Kubikiribocho was far less elegant. But just as effective, the extra length of the cleaver effectively was able to remove the head of two of the shinobi. "I'm so disappointed, one swing and half of my targets are gone." he scoffed.

"Well we can't play around with these guys. I'll take the leader, then go after back to the house. You can have some fun with the other two if you really want to." Naruto replied. At that moment a loud alarm sounded from Konoha. '_Looks like Danzo has escaped, I'll have to deal with him after I make sure __Akimi-chan and the others are safe_.' he thought calmly.

'**And risk losing your target? Have you learned nothing. You might be willing to use your full strength but it is not always the strongest that wins. Otherwise I would have destroyed Konoha the night you were born.**' Kyuubi scoffed.

'_I don't care. There is no way that I will abandon my friends._' Naruto scowled.

'**Then you will always be weak.**' The fox said condescendingly.

Naruto frowned in annoyance at his Bijuu's taunting. '_We have differing opinions of what strength is obviously. But maybe in time we will see who is stronger_.'

"Don't think I am the same as those others. I am one of Danzo-sama's top men." the leader yelled from inside the mist.

"Well forgive me for not shaking in fear. But my friends could be in trouble so I'm going to make it quick. I don't use swords often so I guess that would be a bit of a handicap." Naruto taunted while examining his blade. Seconds later the Root Captain landed directly behind Naruto swining a Katana diagonally across the blond jinchuuriki's back. The blood and scream of pain that the captain had been expecting never came. Naruto had blocked his slash with ease, his back still turned on the Root shinobi. "Not bad, but do you think you're the only one who can sense movement."

The Root captain jumped a few feet back into the mist as Naruto knocked his blade back. The Anbu then made to circle around Naruto to make himself harder to sense his actual location. Naruto simply stood on guard as he ran. He was able to follow the captains movements easily, but as he was not overly competent with his sword he decided to wait for an opening rather than force one.

Round and round the Anbu captain ran. Every so often he would jump in to try and catch Naruto off guard, however Naruto would parry with ease. This continued for almost two minutes when the captain came to strike at Naruto once more Naruto's parry sliced right through the Anbu captains blade. "No way!" he said in complete surprise. "Our swords are made to resist any force."

"Maybe but I guess it couldn't withstand my blade when infused with Fuuton chakra. The mist hid the changes in my blade, each time I parried I stuck the same spot. In time it would have broken anyway, I just sped up the process because this was boring me. Normally I don't like killing shinobi from Konoha, but I think I'll make Root an exception." Naruto said calmly. The Anbu captain attempted to flee but Naruto reached out and grabbed his arm. A second later it was over Naruto's blade moved without the Anbu captain even seeing his arm move. "Ah man, swords sure are messy. At least with jutsu I can keep my robes clean at the very least." Naruto sighed as his opponents blood stained his Yoinokuchi robes. "Zabuza, I'm heading back don't take too long playing with them." and with that Naruto left the clearing.

(**Several Minutes Earlier**)

Gaara sat gazing out of the window as the rain continued to fall, steadily getting heavier. It hadn't been long since Naruto and Zabuza had left but the explosions were still occurring so he guessed that they had not yet found the ones responsible. The last explosion had been particularly large and had driven Haku and Fuu out of bed. Now only Jiriaya, who could sleep through anything and Akimi who was too stubborn to get out of bed for something she considered so trivial, were left in their rooms.

"It sure is loud this morning." Haku sighed while stretching.

"There's no way that last one was just thunder." Fuu added a slight hint of worry on her face.

Gaara nodded and turned away from the window a brief flash of lightning lit the sky behing him. "No it wasn't, it seems like something is going on. Naruto and Zabuza have gone to investigate."

Suddenly there was a flash of red outside the house and and instant later it was engulfed in flames. "Looks like they weren't all that great after all. We should report in to Danzo-sama, Fuu-taicho will have broken him out by now for sure." A plain masked Anbu with the kanji for root on the forehead said confidently.

That confidence was short lived as the flames died down to reveal a dome of sand protecting the stone house. "A shield, it must be the work of the Ichibi Jinchuuriki from Suna. It seems we have been discovered." Another Root member scowled. He was well aware of the power of Gaara, he had seen what the red head had accomplished as a child he knew this would not be an easy fight even with a numbers advantage.

Slowly the door opened and out walked Gaara followed by Haku and Fuu. "A foolish attack. I knew you were outside for awhile now. I was wondering when you would make your move." Gaara spoke in his flat voice but it traveled easily to where the Root shinobi were hiding.

A few seconds later and two teams of Root ninja landed a few feet in front of the Gaara. "As expected of a jinchuuriki. Regardless our mission was to defeat the members of the group known as the Yoinokuchi and as members of Root we will complete our mission or die in the process." their leader declared.

Gaara's eye twitched almost as if he wanted to scowl, but his passive demeanor prevented it from appearing. "If that is indeed the case then I guess that there is no point in trying to convince you to save yourselves and leave." he said. Sand from the protective shield began to swirl around him threateningly.

"Gaara Subaku, ranked fourth behind Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, Jiraiya of the Sannin, and Itachi Uchiha. His ability to control sand is similar to his fathers Kekkei Genkai of gold dust but has been changed due to his status as the Ichibi Jinchuuriki. Rank S, avoid confrontation." The captain said passively.

"Looks like they know you pretty well Gaara-kun." Haku said with a smile. All the information in the world was nothing when you hadn't experienced it first hand. Granted it would allow them to know his basic fighting style, but for someone like Gaara that would not make much of a difference to him.

A loud alarm sounded from Konoha at the same moment that a large spear of sand shot towards the root ninja who were just able to roll out of the way. Gaara's attack was not over there however, a second later the large spear of sand split into eight smaller jets of sand each targeting a separate shinobi.

Every time the Root Anbu would dodge out of the way Gaara's sand would change course. For several minutes this continued, occasionally a Root shinobi would attempt to destroy Gaara's sand projectiles but they would simply reform seconds later and go straight for their targets again. Gaara may not be the strongest in the Yoinokuchi in a one on one situation but against multiple enemies he was easily the most efficient. In fact, he had yet to so much as move his arms in dealing with the attackers.

"This is folly on your part. Regardless of what your orders were, Konoha has obviously been alerted. Leave now and your lives will be spared." The Ichibi Jinchuuriki declared.

"We don't answer to the likes of you. Katon: Consuming Flame!" the Root captain replied stoically. He then blew two large balls of flame that hovered behind him for a second before they shot off, the first one engulfing Gaara's sand spear while the second was directed at Gaara. The red headed teen simply used his sand to swat the fire away, as though it was no more dangerous than a fly.

"Well you should have taken up my offer. Because now you are going to have to deal with him, and he does not look happy." Gaara said with a slight smirk.

"Deal with who?" One of the Root ninja asked.

"That would be me!" Naruto yelled exiting the forest in a blur and slamming a rasengan into the back of the man that spoke.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry it's so late, we had a massive storm and went a few days without power over the weekend. Meaning the time I get most of my writing done I was unable to do any. Also it took out my phone line so I have no Internet at home and it's still not back yet. Because of that this chapter might seem a little disjointed. I'm posting this from a friends house, No internet really sucks. Thanks for being patient.**

**I wanted to do more with this chapter to be honest, but shit happens as they say. **

**Man I knew they would screw us with another scene change... for fucks sake nobody cares about what Sasuke is doing, just finish this fucking Arc already. Flashbacks and back stories should happen once the fight is over not every other chapter to make it last three years. Seems to me like a Massive middle finger to the readers. Kishi builds the tension up but rather than reach a peak he fucks off to a different story. since this has started we have had at least six scene changes. I could probably take it if things didn't just become more and more ridiculous every time they skip to something else.**

** I'm not saying they have been boring, just maybe try finishing one thing first before moving somewhere else. Normally I would have been excited to see what happened at the end of the latest chapter but now all I can think is 'Fuck you Kishi go back to the fight!' **


	116. Izanagi

**I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter**** 116: Izanagi **

"It does seem like you have everything under control here. But where are Jiraiya-sensei and Akimi-chan?" Naruto said casually as he observed the scene around him. Several spears of sand were chasing a large group of Root Anbu around.

"Well up until you showed up I was trying to sleep." Akimi said appearing from their bedroom window with a slightly annoyed scowl on her face. She was fully dressed but her hair was not as well groomed as it normaly was, sticking out to the side where she had been sleeping.

"And Jiraiya-sensei? I don't see him anywhere." Naruto questioned.

"He's awake, just to lazy to help unless he is being directly threatened." the Dark haired kunoichi sighed while fixing her hair.

Naruto sighed and shook his head in mild disappointment. "Typical, he just wants to show up at the most dramatic moment so he can do his stupid dance of an introduction."

"I fail to see the issue, we can easily defeat these guys by ourselves without breaking a sweat." Gaara said passively.

"Well now that everyone is accounted for let's finish these guys off then go find out what's happening in the village." Fuu replied.

"Five of us seven of them, Gaara-kun and Naruto-kun can take the extra's." Haku agreed.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go." Naruto said before disappearing in a blur of speed.

Gaara's sand instantly stopped chasing most of the Root shinobi and focused on two. Haku formed a large dome of Ice around her target, while Fuu had already trapped hers in a genjutsu. The last to move was Akimi, she hadn't tested out how much completing the Fuuton training would effect her speed. As it happens the answer was a lot. Only Naruto was able to track her movements as she raced forward and slammed a fist into the mask of her target shattering it immediately.

A small smirk appeared on Naruto's face that went unnoticed by everyone. '_Impressive, that speed matches the Raikage. If she was pushing herself she will surpass him with ease. I doubt I would be able to defeat her without using ninjutsu now. She's simply too fast even for me. Still she needs to be more efficient at dealing with minor nuisances like these peons. Perhaps a demonstration is in order._' He mused. Instantly Naruto appeared behind his target before piercing the man with his blade. Quickly he extended his hand toward his second target as he dropped his sword while it was still stuck in the Root Anbu's chest. "Bansho Ten'in!" He yelled while forming a Rasengan in his other hand.

The next second it was over Naruto's Rasengan struck his second target in his chest instantly killing the man. "Show off." Akimi teased while waiting for her target to pick himself up off the ground.

"I don't see it as showing off, just completing my objective in the most effective way. You would have killed that guy in one shot if you targeted a vital organ rather than looking to embarrass him by shattering his mask he would be dead and you wouldn't have to waste any extra energy. In truth this is a lesson have only recently embraced myself." Naruto replied.

"Look at you spouting philosophy. I'm starting to wonder who you take after more, Jiraiya or Itachi. You're lazy like Jiraiya yet you can be incredibly cold in a fight, just like Itachi." Akimi said passively.

"Obviously it's been awhile since you have seen Jiraiya-sensei fight anyone seriously. He can be just as ruthless as Itachi-sensei, even more so. I've seen him turn people into toads. Regardless finish what you started, your opponent looks ready to go." Naruto replied nonchalantly.

Akimi disappeared in a blur of speed, reappearing directly behind the still staggered root ninja. The next second it was over, three kunai slammed into his back each targeting a vital organ. "There I'm done, you happy now?"

"Well you did waste a lot of time talking." Naruto replied.

"I was talking to you!" she yelled in frustration.

"They're at it again." Gaara droned, shaking his head at Naruto and Akimi's antics.

"I know, sometimes it's hard to tell if they like each other or not. They argue over the most petty things, but they almost seem happy about it." Haku sighed from inside one of her ice mirrors.

"Regardless they've already finished so we should as well." Fuu said.

"Very well." Gaara replied. His sand sped up and rather than adjusting to his opponents movements became erratic forcing them together before smothering the pair.

Fuu and Haku finished soon after. Haku's opponent fell with ice senbon needles covering his body, while Fuu's opponent collapsed from the stress of her genjutsu. Unlike the others Haku and Fuu's opponents were still alive, if only by the slimmest margin.

It was that moment Jiraiya decided make his presence known appearing with his arms crossed in front of the Yoinokuchi group. "Not bad, but Naruto, why did you come back. You wasted a chance to catch up to Danzo."

"I wanted to make sure everyone was safe, that's all." Naruto said defensively.

"Well it was stupid. Besides where is Zabuza?" Jiraiya replied.

Naruto shrugged. "Well if I was to guess I would say hes having some fun. That doesn't really matter though does it? Zabuza will have no problem dealing with them like you said, we need to go find out which way Danzo fled." he chirped.

Jiraiya nodded but before either could make a move towards Konoha they both disappeared not even leaving any smoke behind. The remaining Yoinokuchi shinobi just stood wide eyed and puzzled as to what happened to the pair. "What the fuck was that!" Akimi yelled. She was slightly worried that something may have happened to Naruto but refused to show that to the others.

"They just disappeared? You think they were clones?" Haku asked.

"No that was not how a clone despells they have been transported somewhere, like a summoning jutsu." Gaara drawled.

"Who would be able to summon those two? It sounds impossible." Fuu stated in disbelief.

"Well whatever happened we should at least carry out the plan. Let's head to Tsunade-sama, she might know where Danzo has gone. One of us should go get Itachi, if something goes wrong we might need him." Gaara said.

"I'll go, you guys haven't been to the cave before so it will be easiest if I go, besides I'm the fastest one here." Akimi suggested.

"She has a point. Very well Akimi go inform Itachi of what is going on, the rest of us will go see Tsunade-sama" Gaara agreed. Without further word the group split up each moving in a different direction.

(**Myobokuzan**)

Naruto and Jiraiya appeared at the base of the toad oil waterfall looking incredibly confused. "What are we doing here?" Naruto asked scratching the back of his head in wonder.

"Looks like we have been summoned by the toads for some reason." Jiraiya observed.

"They really picked a bad time for this to happen." Naruto huffed.

Jiraiya nodded in agreement."No use complaining about it, have faith in the others, they can deal with Danzo just fine. Now lets go find Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama, I bet they know what's going on."

As it turned out they didn't have to go far the two elder toads were waiting for them just out of sight. "Ah Jiraiya-chan, Naruto-chan, it is good to see you both again." Fukusaku said happily once he set his eyes on the pair.

"It is also good to see you again Fukusaku-sama. Although to be honest, I am a little confused as to why we are here." Jiraiya said with a bow.

"We summoned ya of course. Now come along, we need to get going before the senile old coot forgets that he asked us to summon you." Shima declared.

"Uh am I missing something here?" Naruto asked rubbing the back of his neck slightly confused.

Jiraiya slapped the back of his young apprentices head lightly. "Idiot, it's obvious, they're taking us to see the Great Elder Sage of the Toads."

"Oh right the forgetful toad that can never remember anyone's name. I wonder what he wants?" Naruto wondered. Jiraiya simply shrugged and when the toad elders didn't answer him Naruto decided that he would just have to wait and see what they had in store for him.

(**Land of Fire**)

Akimi landed in front of the cave where Itachi and the Ame orphans were staying. '_Come on they should have heard me by now, even if they couldn't feel my presence._' she thought while banging on the entrance to the cave. She sighed and slowly entered the cave. "Hey Itachi are you in here!?"

several seconds passed with no response. Akimi was about to give up when Itachi appeared in front of her. "Akimi-chan, why are you here?" Itachi asked.

"There is trouble in Konoha, Danzo has escaped, we need to go after him." Akimi answered with a hint of urgency.

"That will not be necessary Danzo will not escape this country. We don't need to do a thing." Itachi replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Akimi queried.

"Simple Nagato is going to kill him. His legs are working perfectly, Konan went with him for safety but I don't think there is going to be much of an issue." Itachi said passively.

"What, Nagato? As in Pein?" Akimi said shocked.

"Yes, Naruto knew that Danzo would escape so Konan has been watching him for a few days now. The moment he escaped Nagato and Konan left to go after him. Those two have some personal issues with Danzo, they should be the ones to deal with him. After hearing the story from them I would have to agree." Itachi explained.

"Huh, so that's why Naruto-kun came back to check on us, rather than run after Danzo. He knew Nagato and Konan would be able to do the job. In fact he was working for it in stalling us." Akimi realized.

"I would say that would be an accurate assumption." Itachi agreed.

"Then he must have organized to have himself and Jiraiya summoned once he was certain we were safe." Akimi added.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "They disappeared? That's not something that can be accomplished with ease, and neither Naruto-kun or Jiraiya-sama would willingly involve the Toads for something so trivial. They must have genuinely wanted them for something." Itachi guessed. '_So it must be time, they are going to begin preparations for Naruto-kun to control the Kyuubi._'

"So what do we do now?" Akimi asked.

"Go join the others, by the time you find Danzo it will already be over." Itachi answered in his usual stoic way.

"Kami I'm going to kill Naruto-kun for not telling me about this. It could have saved us so much trouble." she said bitterly.

"The more people that are aware of a plan the less secure that plan becomes, even if it is with people that he trusts more than anyone in the world. If we did not act as we should then Danzo and his Root followers would know that something was up. It was nothing personal. Only Jiraiya-sama, Naruto-kun and myself were aware of the plan." Itachi reasoned.

(**Several Minutes Earlier**)

Danzo, Fuu Yamanaka, and Torune Aburame ran through the forest that surrounded Konoha at great speed, most shinobi would never be able to keep up. "Not much further now Danzo-sama." Fuu declared.

Danzo's visible eye widened and came to an abrupt halt a second later a large group the trees around them seemed to dissolve into paper that stuck to the remaining trees in the area. "Akatsuki." Danzo said expressionlessly.

"Close but not quite." the disembodied voice of Konan said calmly. The remaining paper in the area came together to form the face and shoulders of the paper manipulating kunoichi. "It is rather annoying to think someone capable of causing so much pain to me is this decrepit old man." She said scathingly.

"Do you have a problem with old people, Konan?" Came Nagato's voice as he appeared at the base of the tree. He looked every bit as aged as after his fight with Naruto, his scarlet hair turned white as snow.

"You know what I mean, Nagato. Besides you're not really old." Konan chirped.

"So Namikaze left you alive. Now who's the traitor." Danzo chuckled to himself.

"Naruto-kun is not a shinobi of Konoha so he did not betray anyone." Konan corrected the Root commander.

"We are no longer members of the Akatsuki. The attire is simple happenstance. We couldn't leave Konoha until Tsunade healed my legs from the damage your shinobi did to my legs all those years ago. Think of it as payment for reviving all those killed in Konoha by the Akatsuki." Nagato replied calmly.

Danzo unfolded his arms, revealing a large amount of sharingan, for a moment both Nagato and Konan thought they were tattoo's but once one of them blinked they realized the truth. "So you're here for revenge then." The Root commander stated.

Nagato smirked before jumping on a nearby tree that didn't have one of Konan's tags. "This has nothing to do with revenge. Naruto-kun gave us this opportunity to deal with you ourselves. He seemed to think revenge or not it's best to confront the demons of our past. Truth is, if it wasn't us it would have been him. You were dead the moment you were captured."

"Talking isn't solving anything and we need to escape before the Tsunade sends teams after us." Torune said taking a defensive stance.

Nagato smirked slightly "I agree. Konan if you will."

a massive explosion wracked the area, each of Konan's tags exploded with tremendous force. When the dust cleared all three Root members were still standing protected by Torune's beetles.

"Impressive explosive tags, probably the most powerful I have ever seen." Danzo said casually.

Nagato chuckled lightly at Danzo's observation. "You misunderstand the purpose of the attack. Konan wasn't trying to kill you. She was just trying to clear and area for a proper fight. I haven't had any working legs in awhile. But enough talk, lets go. Asura Path." Nagato's arm dismantled revealing a large cannon with several massive blades protruding from the edges. Nagato pointed the weapon at Danzo before firing several rockets.

Danzo and his men split scattered to avoid the explosives but they agjusted course to follow the Root shinobi's movements. '_So that's why they got rid of all the trees. No cover for us to hide._' Danzo realized.

Torune was able to disable the rocket chasing him by sending his beetles to interfere with the projectile. Fuu and Danzo did not have the advantage of the Aburame clans Kikai beetles. Fuu took out an explosive with a kunai while Danzo drew his sword and sliced Nagato's rocket clean in half. He didn't have time to celebrate his victory however as Nagato appeared behind him, the blades extending from his arm piercing the back of his chest.

Blood poured from the Root commanders wounds and he bent over coughing up blood. Danzo collapsed onto the floor, but much to Nagato's surprise Danzo disappeared. "What the?"

"Surprised?" Danzo said ominously from directly behind Nagato, his sword blade slicing down at the elderly Uzumaki's back.

"Shinra Tensei" Danzo flew away before his strike could hit.

"It appear your Rinnegan is more advanced than Naruto's. Our research has shown he can only control one path at a time yet there you were able to use gravity manipulation while having your arm transformed to that of a robot." Danzo observed.

"That was a high powered gravity blast from close range, you should have had your chest crused yet you talk freely and then disappear after being stabbed in the heart, interesting." Nagato observed slowly turning to face the man who was joined by his subordinates a few seconds later.

"Danzo-sama let us deal with him, you should not waste your sharingan." Torune said.

"I cannot allow that, your opponent shall be me." Konan said while sending paper shuriken at Danzo's subordinates forcing them away from the Root commander. "He's all yours Nagato."

A grim smile crossed Danzo's face as Konan left to chase after the two Root shinobi. "That girl must be overly confident to think she can take on both Fuu and Torune at the same time."

"Confidence is irrelevant. Konan will win because she if far stronger and smarter than they are. Now how about we find out how many times I have to kill you before you stay dead." Nagato replied. He thrust his palm forward and a thick chakra rod stretched out passing through Danzo with ease. Once more Danzo disappeared without a trace. "That is a rather annoying ability, how many times do I need to kill you before you stay dead." The Uzumaki said before slowly turning to where Danzo was standing at the edge of the clearing.

"You can't defeat me, I control the ultimate sharingan technique the Izanagi. With this I cannot be killed." Danzo replied.

Nagato scowled slightly. '_Interesting this ability obviously comes from those sharingan he has imbedded in that arm... In that case._' He sped across the clearing, his legs were working perfectly.

Danzo countered by racing through hand seals and creating two large shuriken of spinning air, one from each palm. As they tossed them the compressed air tore up the ground. Nagato saw it coming and in an instant spat out a massive ball of fire that engulfed Danzo's jutsu.

The former village elder had to act quickly to escape the flames. Before racing through hand seals again. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough" He said firmly blowing a powerful gust of wind that picked up the embers left burning from Nagato's jutsu and exploded with tremendous force.

Nagato formed the seal for Doton before slamming his palms to the ground forming a massive wall that shielded himself from the flames. '_He dodged my attack rather than use that ability of his, there must be a reason. It's not a time limit, enough time passed between regenerations for that to not be an issue. It makes sense then that there must be a finite number of times that he can die and come back, so he won't needlessly throw his regenerations away. Still a few questions remain, can he use them at any moment or does he need to activate the jutsu before he dies?_' Nagato thought while the flames and wind slammed into his stone shield.

From around the wall Nagato fired several more rockets that instantly targeted Danzo who fired several bursts of compressed air knocking the projectiles out of the air, sending one crashing into the stone wall blowing a large hole large enough to expose Nagato who was standing with a smile on his face. "You look rather smug brat. Don't tell me you still consider yourself a God, even after being beat down." Danzo smirked.

"I wouldn't say that, just marveling at how stupid you are to think that I wouldn't find the way that your jutsu works." Nagato replied his smile not faltering while three black chakra receiver rods protruded from Danzo's chest. Danzo fell to his knees forming a hand seal with his last remaining strength before disappearing leaving Nagato staring at his Deva path. While Danzo's body reformed a short distance away. "So that's it huh, you use Ying Yang release to control your reality, but like all powerful jutsu it has a cost, each time you use the ability it costs you one of those eyes you had implanted in that arm. It explains why you need so many. All of your strength comes from stolen abilities. You do have some skill with Fuuton manipulation but in the end you are nothing."

"That remains to be seen. The useless one will be the one that dies, you still have to kill me numerous times, I only have to kill you once." Danzo answered stoically.

"I see no difficulty in accomplishing that. A man that never fights or gets his hands dirty is concerned with only one thing, not losing his power. That is why you covet those sharingan, you see them as a symbol of your power. But I will rip them from your arm if I must." Nagato replied.

Danzo showed no outward signs of emotion but despite this he was in deep thought. '_Perhaps fighting __is not the way around this, I have no surefire way of defeating him. Although claiming one of those eyes would be the ultimate prize. He is well prepared for a long fight, and the longer we wait the more likely it is that Tsunade will have ninja find us._'

(**Myobokuzan**)

"Kami I don't remember the walk to the old guy taking so long." Naruto sighed, his hands folded behind his head as he followed the long winding path that lead to the home of the Toad Sage Elder.

"It's not far now Naruto-chan, just around the next corner." Fukusaku answered him happily. The two elderly toads, Fukusaku and Shima were riding atop Jiraiya's shoulders.

The small toad was right upon rounding a nearby bend they came to a large tanned yellow building with a green roof. Statues of toads ran along the sides of a steep set of stone stairs at the end of path leading to entrance that was already open waiting for their arrival. Once they reached the entrance they were greeted with a dark hall that only had a small light coming from the ceiling that lit the far end of the hall were the large wrinkled toad sat sagely. "So you have come... Uh what was your name again."

Naruto smacked his palm to his forehead in disbelief. "You called me here and you can't even remember my name? It's Naruto." He said with a deadpan expression.

"Oh yes the child of destiny. You have grown powerful in your absence. Now tell me have you recently had your connection with the Kyuubi return correct?" The Elder Sage questioned.

Naruto nodded. "That is correct, it happened while I was fighting one of Orochimaru's experiments." He admitted honestly.

"I see and how how has the Bijuu been?" The Toad pressed.

"Well most of the time he is quite, but he has been surprisingly helpful at times." Naruto admitted. He was not ashamed that he had taken the Bijuu's advice on a few occasions, but now he was becoming slightly worried that they may be planning on tightening the seal again. It wasn't that Naruto liked having the Kyuubi poke his nose into Naruto's business at the most inopportune moments, but he also knew that he was the only person that the Kyuubi could talk to. He had to admit that he would be angry as well if he had spent an age locked away in a dark cell.

"I see, then perhaps this may go easier than even I had hoped." The Sage said happily.

"What will?" Naruto asked.

"You are going to complete the training to control the Kyuubi." Fukusaku declared, hopping off of Jiraiya's shoulder to look Naruto in the eye.

"It is a three stage process, we brought you here to complete the first stage." The old sage continued.

"Really? You want me to control the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked with a small stutter.

"That is correct. We brought you here so we can give you the key to the seal that keeps the Bijuu prisoner." Shima said.

"Well it's happening far sooner than I would have imagined but I guess if they say you are ready then you must be ready." Jiraiya sighed.

**End Chapter!**

**Still no internet at home it's pissing me off, how did we live without it for so long lol. Anyway thanks for reading and next week will be an update for A price for Peace, then I'll conclude this arc and move on towards the Kage Summit. **


	117. Danzo's Downfall

**I do not own "Naruto" or any characters that are featured on the Manga or Anime.**

**Nightfall!**

**Normally I would put an Author Note at the end of the chapter but this time it's more of an apology. This chapter came so late because my computer for lack of a better term... Died. So in the end I brought a new one, forcing me to rewrite this chapter. Sorry it took so long.**

**Chapter 117: Danzo's Downfall**

Nagato stood still, his eyes focused only on his opponent. If he was feeling worried or in someway stressed, it didn't show. Nagato's face was as always, A picture of perfect calm with his arms crossed simply waiting for Danzo to make his move.

Danzo on the other hand was flustered, a rare sight for someone who preaches the suppression of emotions. His perfect escape plan had been ruined by the arrival of the Ame orphans, and now he had to fight against someone capable of taking on entire villages of shinobi all by himself. '_This isn't good. I have to get out of here and time is not on my side, even now Tsunade is probably sending shinobi after me. Although I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that Rinnegan or Kakashi's Sharingan. But when I look at it logically my chances of achieving such a goal are remote. Pein even in his current state will be a formidable opponent, while if Kakashi shows up that means Jiraiya and his little band of followers won't be far behind._'

"You are hesitating, do you not wish to escape? The only way out is through me. I suggest you stop waisting your time and attack with everything you have." Nagato said calmly.

"You act as though the shinobi from Konoha will treat you without hostility. From what I can tell the majority of the village thinks you are dead, and they're happy at that fact." The Root commander replied.

"I can live with not being liked, even hated. Besides I can escape at any moment that I want to. After all I am the man who would have been Kami. Do you think the possibility of them attacking me had not crossed my mind before coming here?" Nagato asked, his arm morphing robotically while he spoke into a large cannon. "Perhaps you need some encouragement?"

Several explosive projectiles rocketed from Nagato's arm flying towards Danzo who had been anticipating this move and began racing through hand seals. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough" tsking in a deep breath he released a breath of wind at tremendous force that blew the rockets off course. He then took out several shuriken tossing them in the direction of the stoic Uzumaki.

Nagato held his non robotic palm out and stopped the shuriken in mid air with a gravity jutsu before jumping back as Danzo appeared from the side with a Katana in hand attempting to remove his head. "Impressive use of clones but I have seen much better." The former leader of the Akatsuki said with a smirk. He was actually enjoying being out in the open, in a real fight, something that he hadn't experienced since before his legs had been injured.

'He's right, our research on the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki shows the boys mastery of that particular jutsu. I had hoped a similar trap would work but it seems Pein has learnt quite a lot from his fight with the boy.' Danzo noted. He didn't have much time to think however as several rockets flew from above crashing into the ground surrounding Danzo who was just able to roll out of the danger zone in time. He quickly got to his feet but soon found Nagato's Deva Path standing behind him.

"Shinra Tensei" The body of Yahiko said with a monotone drawl that seemed to make the words seem more ominous. Danzo's body was thrown away, the pressure crushing his ribs and spine, causing him to cough up copious amounts of blood. Danzo didn't even hit the ground when his body disappeared and another Sharingan on his arm closed. Danzo reappeared a few feet away unharmed but the annoyed look on his face caused Nagato and his Path to both smirk. "Time is ticking away Danzo. Today you will answer for your wrong doings. I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to see you die, so this is somewhat enjoyable for me, I will have to thank Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sensei when this is over." '_speaking of which, I cannot sense either of them in the area, The majority of their group is currently in the Hokage's office and Itachi would still be in the cave. But where are those two?_'

(**Meanwhile**)

The truth was Naruto and Jiraiya were nowhere to be found in or around Konoha, they were currently standing in what could be considered the largest hall that Naruto had ever seen, atop the mountain of the toad summons, Myobokuzan. They were not alone however, as they were joined by the two two toad sages, Fukusaku and Shima as well as the Great Sage of the Toads. The Great Sage towered over the others, his size rivalling that of the warrior class summons like Gamabunta or Gamaken, as opposed to the small toad elders that could sit quite comfortably on Naruto or Jiraiya's shoulders.

"I always thought all that I needed to do to open the seal was tear of the small sealing tag over the Kyuubi's cage." Naruto asked the group.

Jiraiya shook his head in response. "No that tag is an extra filter that is designed to keep you in control when accessing the Kyuubi's chakra in moments of high tension. It also helps maintain the strength of the seal in place, preventing it from breaking due to the power of the Kyuubi's chakra." he explained.

"Alight I get it, I think. So where is this key then? You brought me out here to give it to me but I can't see it anywhere." Naruto asked while looking around, half expecting something to magically appear.

"Ah that's obvious ain't it Naruto-chan. There is only one person your father would trust with the key to your seal, if he couldn't leave it with you that is." Fukusaku answered sagely.

Despite being somewhat vague Naruto knew who the elder toad was talking about instantly. "So you have the key Jiraiya-sensei?" he guessed accurately.

"Damn right I do, who else would Minato trust to turn you into a top shinobi. I do have to admit that due to Sarutobi-sensei's wishes I stayed away for longer than I should have. If I had come earlier than perhaps we wouldn't have both become hermits." Jiraiya said slightly reserved at the end almost in an apologetic manner.

"It's alright, because if things didn't turn out how they did we wouldn't have joined up with Itachi or met Akaru or Akimi-chan. We wouldn't have saved Zabuza and Haku, and who knows what may have happened to Fuu and Gaara. It may not have been the easiest life but I don't regret anything." Naruto said calmly.

"Spoken like a true sage. Naruto-chan is right, don't live in the past. Look forward without regrets, now Jiraiya-chan please call out Gerotora." Fukusaku said with a small measure of restrained pride.

Naruto was about to ask who Gerotora was, but his answer came before he could have the chance. Jiraiya's mouth opened to what seemed like inhuman proportions and out came a large black and burnt orange toad with a body that seemed to curl around like a spring that had been compressed. "Jiraiya what did you call me for?" The toad asked blinking before he realised just where he was. "OH Fukusaku-sama, Shima-sama, and the Grand Geezer Sage as well! What's going on here?"

"Ah Gerotora-chan, it has been quite some time since we have seen you. We called you out so we can transfer your contractor from Jiraiya-chan to Naruto-chan." Fukusaku informed the latest arrival.

You're giving me to Naruto? Elder forgive me, but isn't that dangerous, that was why Minato didn't leave the key with the boy in the first place." The dark orange toad asked skeptically.

"Minato always wanted Naruto to control the Kyuubi when he was ready, and he's ready now. You just have to trust us." Jiraiya said calmly. The truth was the Sannin didn't really like the idea anymore than Gerotora, but he knew better than to argue with Fukusaku and the Grand Elder Sage.

"That is right, The child of prophecy will need the power of his Bijuu to deal with the trials that are to come." The Great Sage said knowingly.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly, he knew that the old toad could supposedly see into the future but he never gave anyone a clear picture of just what it was that he saw. 'What will I face in the future that is so tough that I will need the Kyuubi's power? I was able to defeat the Raikage without too much difficulty. I wonder what he has seen, that he has not told me?' he thought cautiously.

"There are three stages in controlling a Bijuu, The first stage in is taking the key for the seal for yourself. That is why Gerotora is here." Fukusaku suddenly spoke.

"Three stages? I get use the key to open the gate, and I guess the third would be defeat the Kyuubi but what's the second stage?" Naruto asked.

"A decent question. For the second stage you will have to confront the darkness in your heart. We have a place where this can be successfully accomplished. Once leaving here Fukusaku and Shima will take you where you need to go." The giant elderly toad spoke.

"Uh, can I ask why?" the blond asked.

"The Kyuubi can use darker emotions to control you, the stronger these are the more control over your body the beast has. If you cannot face your true self then defeating a Bijuu is impossible." The old sage declared.

"Wow you really know a lot about this stuff." Naruto said amazed that the toads knew so much.

"Ideally we are not the best ones to train you in this... That would be a giant Octopus that trains on a island. However I cannot see any peaceful means of you meeting at this point." The elderly toad sage informed the blond.

'_A giant octopus?_' Naruto mused wondering just how an octopus could help him with something like this. Then the image of Killer Bee's jinchuuriki cloak crossed his mind. The tails of the Hachibi looked like tentacles and with eight that would make him appear to be an octopus. '_That makes sense, who better to teach someone to control a Bijuu than the one person that has been able to tame one._' he surmised. "I think I know who you are speaking of, personally I do not think he would prove to be overly hostile towards me, however his brother is another story." the blond said thinking about the aggressive Raikage. Even though he had defeated A in one on one combat, Naruto was by no means under the impression that he would allow Bee to help him control his Bijuu.

"This talk is informative and all, but perhaps we should begin the transfer of the key?" Jiraiya suggested.

(**Outside Konoha**)

"It would appear that you seem to be running low on those precious eyes of yours." Nagato taunted lightly. Despite his voice staying in a monotone it was no less painful for the old war hawk to accept.

He also spoke the truth, Danzo's feeble attempts to flee had been completely useless. While Nagato had his Deva path to cover his back there was no avenue that Danzo could take to escape the elderly looking Uzumaki. '_I cant expect to be able to escape anymore, not only that it seems like Fuu and Torune will not be able to help, the kunoichi using the paper is highly skilled. Looks like I have no choice but to fight to the death, one of us will walk away. But time is on his side, once the peons from konoha arrive I will not be able to escape due to the sheer number of them._' Danzo realised, and for the first time took up a more offensive stance.

Drawing a Katana Danzo sped towards Nagato ready to cleave the Rinnegan wielder in two. Nagato had other plans however and parried the blow by using Asura path to turn his arm from the elbow to fingers into a blade, the angle caused sparks to fly in every direction. Not deterred by Nagato's effortless defence Danzo brought his blade back for a second swing. This time he forced the elderly Uzumaki to move, jumping back to avoid having his neck sliced open.

It was then Nagato who pushed the fight forward, his arm like a blade he stabbed at Danzo as if going for a knock out blow. This forced Danzo back pivoting on his supporting leg while swatting the blade away. Nagato had expected this however, despite the fact that he was not trained to use a sword. As talented a shinobi as Jiraiya was, he was less than adept at Kenjutsu, as such his students never found the art of the sword to their liking. Sure they would use them if necessary but for the likes of Naruto, Nagato, and Minato, that was very rarely the case. While Danzo was off balance a second saw like blade extended from Nagato's back, and bent around. Off balance Danzo could not avoid the strike and was once more forced to use Izanagi.

This time instead of reforming a safe distance away, Danzo reappeared directly behind Nagato, Katana already pointing at his back. With no chance of dodging the tip of the Root commanders blade left a deep cut across his back before he was blown away with a Shinra Tensei. Unlike other times when he had used the technique to crush bones, Nagato had no chance to strengthen the power of his blast so Danzo landed completely unharmed. "So you do have some bite after all. I had come to the conclusion that you were a weak man that hid behind his far more talented men as a sign of power. Then again how many times have I killed you now? From the looks of it you have three lives left, how long can you make them last?" The Uzumaki said ignoring the dull ache of pain, as well as the blood spreading across his back.

Danzo let a scowl spread across his face, not a small sign of annoyance as the usually stoic shinobi would produce but this time a look of pure hatred directed at Nagato. "You talk big but without those eyes of yours you are just a boy looking for revenge because his friend died." Danzo scoffed while two spinning disks of compressed air began to form in the palms of his hands. Without warning Danzo tossed the large wind shuriken in his right hand, moving in an arc behind Nagato in an instant the released the second jutsu at Nagato's, kicking off once more to draw his Katana and charge from the side.

'_Clever, he timed these attacks perfectly to prevent me from absorbing the jutsu or repelling them._' Nagato realised. Still it was not enough to outsmart the Uzumaki, from the opposite side Nagato's Deva path extended a hand and with a few simple words pulled his original body out of harms way just before the first of the wind shuriken would strike their target.

Not disheartened Danzo pushed forward counting the seconds in his head, each one that passed giving him less time to land his blow. But as the old saying goes, two heads are better than one, even if they are controlled by the same person. Nagato jumped back while the body of Yahiko moved to the side giving Danzo a choice, to go after Nagato's real body and risk being caught from behind or move to remove his Deva path from action.

Danzo chose the the latter, turning mid step to charge at the Deva Path. Nagato had been expecting this, after all it was the logical course of action. It would be far easier to defeat Nagato if his Deva path was not hanging around. "Summoning Jutsu" Nagato said quickly slamming his palms to the ground as Danzo's blade came close to piercing Yahiko's chest, and then the next second he was gone, once more having fallen into one of the elderly looking Uzumaki's traps.

The ground underneath Danzo's feet exploded and a large saw like blade ripped up the ground before cutting the war hawk in half in a vertical arc that ran straight through the middle of his body. Blood sprayed in every direction but as always Danzo changed his own reality in order to preserve his life.

Fuu and Torune were not doing much better against Konan. Whilst they had not died yet, the two Root captains had not been able to touch the kunoichi much less harm her. Her paper kept the Root shinobi constantly on the move, while never staying in the one place long enough for either ninja to use their clans techniques. Konan had studied the clans of Konoha for a long time, so she knew all about the Aburame clans beetles and the Yamanaka clans mental jutsu's.

The truth was Konan could probably have killed the pair several times over in the time that she had been fighting them, but that was not her goal. She wanted to capture them so they could be sent back to Konoha. Naruto and Jiraiya had guessed that once Danzo was out of the picture, the Root shinobi would only have the Hokage to take orders from, which for shinobi without emotions was the only important thing. For that reason she had been sending her paper to capture Fuu and Torune rather than kill them.

Fuu was proving to be highly problematic, his beetles would eat the chakra out of her paper every time she would come close to capturing either of the two, they had reached a rather un satisfactory stalemate. Even so this worked in the Ame kunoichi's favour, as long as Nagato killed Danzo and the shinobi from Konoha arrived her task would be complete.

A loud series of explosions caused all three shinobi to glance to the other side of the clearing Konan made. Danzo was standing with both arms outstretched as a massive burst of wind blew all around him, trees were ripped out of the ground yet Nagato stood his ground with ease, it didn't take Konan long to know why, he was absorbing the jutsu as it hit him but the sheer size of the attack was causing a great deal of collateral damage. '_He must be getting desperate, to use a move like that wasting so much chakra is pointless unless you have the chakra levels of Nagato or Naruto-kun._' she mused.

She was also entirely correct, Danzo now only had one eye remaining in his arm and it was closing before their very eyes, leaving the Root leader with only the Mangekyo Sharingan implanted in right eye. His over the top use of his chakra was an attempt to create a fair distance between himself and the Uzumaki who was clearly in control at this point. Danzo had spent so long hiding away in his underground lair, avoiding all the fights that had come Konoha's way that he was no longer the skilled shinobi that had been a rival to Hiruzen Sarutobi, no his skill now was not that far advanced of a standard Jounin. He had confidence in his Fuuton jutsu, but when your opponent could absorb all chakra that did not count for much.

"I would ask you to give up, but you don't believe in that do you. In a way we are very much alike, or should I say, we were. I was changed while you still remain inside your own world unable to change." Nagato said darkly while forming a hand seal. The next moment four thick walls rose up to box Nagato and Danzo in a close area.

It didn't take a tactical genius to guess that Nagato had made the walls heavily reinforced, at least enough to withstand a barrage from his Fuuton jutsu's. 'This must be to stop me from escaping, I wonder what he has planed?' The rood commander thought desperately, his few remaining lives feeling shorter with each passing second.

In the blink of an eye Nagato ran through a number of hand seals and summoned a giant chameleon that instantly camouflaged itself with the stone behind it. "This ends now!" Nagato yelled surprigly out of character while the invisible summons beneath his feet spewed forth a jet of flames. Nagato added to those flames with a large gust of wind that caused the Katon jutsu to expand and the heat to become almost unbearable, even for Nagato.

Danzo attempted to use a Suiton jutsu to protect himself, but it was no use, the heat from the flames turned all water instantly to steam, the old war hawk was engulfed by the flames yet stubbornly refused to let out so much as a whimper while his flesh burned.

The walls came down and there was no sign of Danzo, not that Nagato had expected there to be, he still had one more Sharingan after all, the one implanted in his eye. Nagato had assumed that Danzo was hiding hoping that he did not know about his final Sharingan, so he was hiding, waiting for Nagato to leave giving him freedom to escape. "I know you're out there, suppress your chakra all you want, it won't fool me. You have no more lives to lose and no closer to defeating me than you were at the start of this pointless fight." Nagato called out.

Danzo knew his time was up, he was starting to feel the drain of fighting constantly with multiple Sharingan, the drain was immense, even with Hashirama Senju's cells making up his arm. Now that it was useless and his adrenalin began to fade from hiding the wear on his body was coming to light. Nagato had said he was suppressing his chakra, but that was only a half truth. He no longer had any chakra left to fight with, he used a good portion of it up using Izanagi that last time with Shisui's Sharingan, the eye that had let him gain so much influence over the politicians of Konoha in the past twelve years.

'_I may not be able to win, but perhaps I could at least take that bastard out with me. I still have my last resort._' Danzo mused slowly taking a few steps out from his hiding place at the edge of the clearing Konan had created. "Why are you going out of your way to help Konoha, don't you supposedly hate Konoha shinobi?" he asked once he saw the snow white hair and purple rippled eyes of Nagato.

"I did, but they were not all responsible, it was you that sided with Hanzo, your men crippled my legs, it was you who ordered your men to capture Konan and use her against us. Most of the sins committed against my family by Konoha shinobi were orchestrated by you, for the sole purpose of becoming Hokage." Nagato answered calmly as Danzo slowly walked towards the elderly Uzumaki like a man who knew that he was about to die.

Danzo kept his eyes down as he inched closer to his death, he knew there was no escape now, even if he did he could feel the approaching chakra signatures of Kakashi and Gai along with Gaara and the other Yoinokuchi shinobi. '_Just a few more feet and I will be within range to capture him within my seal._' Danzo eventually stopped an arm's reach from Nagato and looked expressionlessly into his eyes. "Well what are you waiting for? You have killed so many people that one more won't be much of an issue for you." he spoke in a lifeless tone.

"Not at all, I may have put my faith into Naruto-kun's vision of peace, but while you live that peace is not possible. I will do my part for his vision and kill you." Nagato passively spoke while a long chakra rod slid into his hand. "I'll make it as quick as possible."

They moved at the same time, Danzo ripped his shirt open while the chakra rod pierced his heart, but rather than blood a large seal began forming on his body. Nagato paused for a moment marvelling at the development. However he soon realised that his body would not move and the seal had begun spreading over his skin.

Danzo's arm had started to become unstable and the Shodai Hokage's cells began taking control, his arm started to grow leaves and expand out into a massive tree while the seal spread still further outwards.

Acting quickly Nagato began absorbing the chakra from the seal covering his body and with Deva path's help was able to escape just as the seal had finished. A fifteen foot area surrounding Danzo's body in each direction exploded before being sucked in leaving a large crater and Danzo laying at the bottom perfectly still.

"The seal on my tongue is disappearing!" Torune gasped while rolling out of the way from a wave of paper butterflies attempting to swarm the Yamanaka shinobi.

"Mine too, then Danzo-sama must have lost." His Aburame counterpart said flatly.

"He never stood a chance agains't Nagato." Konan said with a satisfied smile. Knowing the last man responsible for Yahiko's death was gone for good felt good, she felt like she could smile for the first time in years. "You have no more reason to fight, surrender to the Konoha shinobi and save your lives to fight and die another day. Is that not a wise choice, Kakashi of the Sharingan?" she said turning to the tree line where Kakashi and Gai landed a second later.

"That does sound like a smart thing to do, but Root shinobi are not known for being able to think for themselves." Kakashi said with a friendly eye smile while Gai was somehow lost for words at the sight of not only Konan but also Nagato, who he recognized due to the fact that by his side stood his Deva path.

"Kakashi, that's Pein and his accomplice! we should go get Tsunade-sama." The energetic taijutsu master shouted once he was able to find his voice.

"That won't be necessary Gai, they are no longer members of the Akatsuki, nor are they a treat to the village. Naruto spared them after Nagato brought everyone in Konoha back to life. Tsunade-sama knows this as well." Kakashi explained.

"It also seems that they have done our job for us, or more likely than not, Naruto and Jiraiya-sama orchestrated this for them to be involved." Gaara said as he landed along with Fuu, and Haku.

Nagato let out a rare smile and nodded. "Indeed they did, you are a smart one to figure it out."

Gaara smirked in response. "It really was not that hard to figure out. With Akimi's speed she and Itachi should have arrived here a long time ago, yet as I can't feel their chakra I would say they didn't leave the place you have been staying." the Ichibi Jinchuuriki explained.

"But surely we can't just let them go, they're responsible for damage to over three quarters of Konoha!" Gai yelled.

"Then don't let us go we will simply escape." Nagato said before he and his Path disappeared.

Gai's eyes bulged, there was no smoke indicating that they were summoned or simple clones, no trace of a Shunshin, they just vanished. Gai didn't even have time to ask where they went when the same thing happened to Konan.

Even Kakashi was amazed by this and quickly lifted his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan. With his Sharingan revealed the Copy Cat Ninja could clearly see the outline of a large lizard, to be more precise a chameleon standing in front of them. "Well it looks like they got away." he said, once more covering his eye.

"The only question now is, what do we do with these two?" Gai replied, slightly relieved the situation with Nagato and Konan didn't escalate.

"They were simply following orders from their master, so if they come quietly they will most likely be able to rejoin the ranks as official Konoha shinobi." Kakashi said eyeing the two Root captains.

It was a no brainer for the pair, their loyalty to Danzo had died along with the man. Just as he had trained them, they now only served Konoha. "We surrender unconditionally." they both chorused in unison.

"Looks like our little problem resolved itself in the end." Kakashi said with an eye smile that he directed at the invisible Rinnegan summons. "Let's go report to Tsunade-sama, I think she will have quite a few questions for you two." he added. The two Root ninja nodded and Kakashi crossed the clearing to collect Danzo's body. '_He used a forbidden seal on his own body, by the looks of it, it triggered when he received a fatal wound. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all he was willing to put his body though for the sake of his own power_.'

(**Meanwhile**)

"So how are you feeling?" Jiraiya asked with a knowing smirk.

"Well I feel like I just had a human sized toad shoved down my throat... But that might just be because, that is exactly what just happened to me!" Naruto yelled in annoyance.

"There was no other way, you needed the key, and Gerotora was the key." Jiraiya replied.

"Save it, I am still struggling to figure out how it was physically possible for a toad to live inside my stomach." The blond sighed.

"They shrink just like Gamakichi and Gamatatsu can. Scroll toads are the rarest type and they stay with their contractor until they die in order to preserve his secrets. You are the third contractor of that scroll, I was the second and and your father was obviously the first." Jiraiya explained.

"So it has more than just the seal on it?" Naruto asked slightly shocked by the revelation.

"Indeed it does, but now is not the time to go into that. We're here for your Jinchuuriki training." Jiraiya answered curtly, forcing Naruto's attention to return to the task at hand.

"Ah indeed it is, Jiraiya-chan, let's go, we have a bit of a walk before we arrive at our destination." Fukusaku said whilst hopping back on the elder shinobi's shoulder.

"So where are we going?" Naruto asked curiously.

"A sacred place we toads have only used a hand full of times during our time. A place for summoners who have lost their way, who no longer are worthy of the right to be a summoner of the Toads." Fukusaku declared.

**End Chapter!**

**Once again I am incredibly sorry this is so late coming out. I'm a little behind on my work now, but I wanted to get this chapter out because you have all be waiting so patiently, hope it all turned out well. Oh and on a side note, I am no longer going to attempt to write with United States English, I'm Australian, so if just to be easier on myself I will write to that. **

**On another note. The current chapters of the Manga would be interesting, if they didn't happen in the middle of Naruto's fight. This is like the sixth time during the fight with Obito and Madara they have had a massive scene change and it's pissing me off. In the end we will get 6 or 7 chapters that could easily be done in three or four, for the simple fact that Kishimoto want's to drag this out and make it as painful as possible until the point we all just wish Sasuke was dead... Never mind I was at that point about 350 chapters ago, give or take 25. **

**Next week I'll update A Price for Peace. **


	118. The Battle of the Soul

**I do not own "Naruto" or any characters that are featured on the Manga or Anime.**

**Nightfall!**

**Chapter 118: The Battle of the Soul**

Naruto walked along the streets of the toad village. He wore a smile but in truth he was apprehensive of what was to come, Fukusaku and Shima hadn't told him anything about what he would face in the second stage of learning to control his Bijuu. But what he did know, or rather guess, was that it was bound to be far more difficult than simply signing his name in blood and swallowing a human sized Toad, something that for common men would be a physical impossibility.

The toad village really was a sight to behold, bent stone peaks had hot spring water cascading all around them and running along the edge of the village into the giant pools that the large warrior toads like Gamabunta would use to bath. The few building's, made for the smaller toads and summoners wouldn't look out of place on the edge of a beach aiding to the tropical feel of the plants. If you didn't know that you were standing near the top of a sacred mountain then you would think that you were on a tropical island.

"There is still quite a ways ta go Naruto-chan." Fukusaku said, the small elder sage was leading the way along with Shima from atop Jiraiya's shoulders, they seemed to prefer this mode of transport to walking themselves, and silently Naruto agreed that if he was small he would take the same liberties.

"You never told us where we're going though." Naruto sighed. He didn't like being kept in the dark, it was bad enough he had no idea what he needed to do, it was even worse that he had no way of knowing where he was even going.

"We're tak'in ya to a place I 'oped we would never 'ave to use again. But it seems that the Grand Old Geezer can't foresee you completing this task any over way as ya are at tha moment." Fukusaku replied.

"It's horrible, we shouldn't be sending Naruto-chan there, it hasn't been used in almost five hundred years. There must be some other way for him to confront his demons." Shima said bitterly.

"If there was another way, tha Grand Old Geezer would 'ave sent Naruto-chan there instead." Fukusaku replied.

"I don't get it what do I have to do?" Naruto asked.

"Ya have to confront the darkest parts of ya soul Naruto-chan. Throughout the world there are several locations like this, often used by people seeking enlightenment. This one however, is dangerous, we said tha' it was used by summoners who had lost their way for a reason. It is considered one of tha ultimate punishments of tha Toad clan to be sent there. If ya fail, ya will not die, but nor will ya live. You won't be turned to stone like those who failed the Sage training and ya will not stand eternal to be remembered.

Naruto gulped audibly, he did not like the sound of that. "So what does happen if I fail?"

"You will be trapped inside your mind in the sealed room for until your body dies." Shima said bitterly. It was clear that she was no fan of using this method of teaching and the more Naruto was hearing about it, the less enthusiastic he was becoming.

"That's why we didn't wanna be tha one's to teach this to ya Naruto-chan. But it seems we have no choice." Fukusaku added.

Naruto nodded, he had faced death plenty of times before, this was just going be yet another time where he was put in a must win situation. '_Such is life I suppose._' The blond sighed as the path they were taking led them out of the village and down to the toad oil waterfall.

Fukusaku motioned for Jiraiya to stop and both small toads jumped from the older shinobi's shoulders. "Are you ready Ma? I hope you still remember the song."

"Of course I remember it ya old fool." Shima replied.

A tick mark appeared on the small grey haired toads head. "Well I had ta check, it's been so long and ya never train." And just like that the two descended into an argument that neither Naruto or Jiraiya could understand.

"Uh, not to intrude, but we're kind of waiting here." Jiraiya said meekly. He had made the mistake of trying to separate the two toad sages in the past, it never ended well for the summoner.

On cue Jiraiya was struck in the head by a rolling pin and walking cane held by Shima and Fukusaku respectfully. "Be patient!" Both toads yelled in unison. Despite the violent repercussions Jiraiya's words did break them from their argument.

The group stood for a moment in what Naruto had thought was complete silence, it wasn't until the water from the Toad oil waterfall began to slow and split that he heard the very quiet croaking that was emanating from the two small toads. '_It must be a Genjutsu to control the flow of oil._' The blond Theorised.

His hypothesis proved to be correct as a few seconds later the waterfall stopped falling and the pond seemed to drain away. In it's place stood a dark tunnel that traveled upwards. Before turning out of sight. "This is as far as we go. From here on out, you're on ya own Naruto-chan." Fukusaku said calmly.

Naruto sighed, his eyes closed as he gathered his resolve. '_It's now or never_.' he decided, taking a few steps forward nearer the exposed passageway. "I guess I'll see you when I'm done." He spoke with confidence, not because he thought he could do what ever task lay ahead of him, but because he couldn't afford to fail, so many people depended on him to return unharmed.

Naruto passed through the now dry waterfall and ascended the stairs casting curious glances around him as he entered the tunnel, the walls had images of people and toads standing side by side, each one had a mark across their faces running through their eyes. He silently wondered if there was some significance to the carvings but knew that he wouldn't find an answer by standing around marvelling at them.

Once Naruto was out of sight the toads released their Genjutsu causing the toad oil to once more fall and the bond to refill. "Now we will have to wait. I do hope Naruto-chan will be alright." Shima thought out loud.

"All we can do is keep our faith in Naruto-chan, and believe that he'll be able to overcome tha obstacle that lies in his path." Fukusaku sighed his eyes focused on the falling oil that hid the secret tunnel.

Naruto continued through the tunnel at a slow pace, after a few hundred feet he could see nothing, forcing him to hold his hands out to the wall to help guide his progress. Naruto had always been rather competent at judging time, but after awhile in the dark he had no idea if he had been inside for ten minutes or ten hours. That was until in the distance the blond saw a dull light. '_Looks like I made it._' he thought with a small sigh of relief.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki had taken a few steps towards the source of the light when it appeared to be far closer than it should, in fact from what the blond could tell, the source of the light was moving closer towards him. Naruto paused, he wanted to be on the side of caution, but he also knew that what ever was waiting for him he needed to face head on.

The small light seemed to change as it approached the cautious Jinchuuriki. Naruto could see what looked like clouds and buildings, he could even feel a cool mountain air breeze. Before Naruto could contemplate what was happening the light stopped directly in front of him in the form of a doorway. Naruto hesitated a moment but stepped through.

He arrived in what looked like a busy town square, large groups of men and women walking around enjoying their day. Upon closer inspection the blond found that it must be a shinobi village as large groups were wearing Hitai-ite, although for some reason he could not make out the symbol that they wore. "Excuse me." Naruto spoke approaching a young kunoichi with tanned dark skin and long white hair tied back into a long pony tail.

The woman didn't answer, in fact she acted like she had not heard Naruto at all. Not one to be ignored Naruto tried again but once more found the kunoichi to be unresponsive. The blond opened his mouth to yell, knowing that it was sure to get the young woman's attention, but fate seemed to have other ideas. Loud explosions rang out around the square, the shinobi and civilians alike panicked heading in all directions. Naruto looked to the young kunoichi that he had been talking to, she turned, her face filled with fear she ran, she ran right through Naruto passing through him like he wasn't even there.

Naruto stood stunned, he was not part of this world, what ever it was and as such he couldn't be seen or touched. "What the hell is this?" he asked himself slowly.

What he wasn't expecting however, was an answer. "_**This is what you desire.**_"

Naruto spun around, looking for the source of the voice but finding nothing. "That's not true, I would never desire to see so many people be killed." He replied.

"_**Lie's.**_" the voice replied scathingly. "_**You cannot lie to yourself, you wanted this to happen.**_"

"I don't know what you're talking about, this is mindless killing!" Naruto shouted back.

"**No, it's revenge for the pain they have caused you.**" In response to the spectral voices words a shinobi was struck down in front of Naruto, who looked down and his eyes widened in shock, the symbol that had been so blurred before had come into focus, they were in Kumo. "_**See, it feels good doesn't it, they deserve this.**_"

"No!" Naruto shouted back, unable to take his eyes off the scene playing out in front of him.

"_**What!? You say no, after everything that they have don**_**e?**" the world around Naruto morphed, it seemed to shrink until he was standing in an empty bedroom, two single beds were pressed up against the wall on opposite sides of the room and a large window let in light from a small yard surrounded by forests.

Naruto knew he had been here before, but he was struggling to remember when. He exited the room and was confronted with the sounds of a woman crying from down stairs. Acting quickly Naruto raced in the direction of the noise but stopped dead in his tracks. "Why?" he asked, his voice cracking.

At the other side of the room Naruto was face to face with himself as a young boy, tied to a chair struggling to free himself while Kumo ninja began to murder his adoptive family. "_**Do you remember now? The hatred, the need for vengeance that you felt. The pain that those shinobi caused, are you saying that they don't deserve to die?**_" The spectral voice asked mockingly.

Naruto couldn't answer, he stood, dead to the world as he watched the first family that he knew, slaughted before his eyes for the second time in his life. '_This was where I had awoken the Rinnegan._' Naruto thought, he waited for the legendary Dojutsu to appear, but nothing happened. "What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"_**Ah, that's for you to decide. Do these people deserve to live? Do you want to see them dead for what they did?**_"

Naruto was at a loss for words. "I hate, them." he admitted darkly. "I hate them more than I have hated anyone or anything in my entire life. But revenge is not the answer." he sighed a lone tear escaping his eyes.

"_**So be it!**_" The voice bristled with anger. The Kumo shinobi moved in a blur and plunged a blade into the young Naruto's chest as the scene began to change again.

This time Naruto found himself standing on a snow covered hill. This time Naruto was less concerned. "What are you going to show me this time?" he asked in mild annoyance.

The voice didn't answer. But it didn't take long for naruto to figure it out, in the distance he saw a shinobi and a young girl with dark hair fleeing a small group of Kumo Jounin. It was Akaru and Akimi. Naruto realised. He remembered this day, he had killed the Kumo shinobi that had been attacking the pair fleeing. Naruto waited for himself to show up but he didn't appear. Naruto watched in horror as Akaru was defeated and killed, having to protect his sister. He was forced to watch as Akimi was dragged hands and legs bound away.

"_**You were expecting something else?**_"

"That isn't what happened!" Naruto yelled, his heart was screaming in agony as he watched Akimi dragged crying from her brother.

The voice laughed in glee. "_**But it is. Your choice led to this future, you died if you don't remember.**_"

Again the scene changed. This time it showed Jiraiya being killed by Nagato. Again it changed, showing Itachi die succumbing to his illness that Tsunade had cured while fighting Sasuke, Zabuza and Haku dying on the bridge, Fuu having the Nanabi ripped from her, and finally Gaara Dying with his body discarded in a cave, consumed by his hatred.

Naruto collapsed onto his knees, as the scene continued replaying all these horrible false memories. "This didn't happen, show yourself!"

"_**You're right this didn't happen, because you made a different choice to the one a second ago.**_" The voice replied and the world around them changed into a small grass covered field.

Naruto looked around and saw a dark tunnel behind him. Unlike all the scenes before him he could tell he had never been here before. Naruto let out a sigh of relief while slowly returning to his feet. That was when he noticed that someone was in the clearing with him. Quickly spinning to face this new arrival his eyes widened when he saw what confronted him.

There stood an almost exact replica of Naruto, the only discerning features were a smug yet angry look on his face and his Rinnegan was not purple like his, but black with red concentric circles. "Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"_**I am you. You should be able to recognise that much.**_" The copy sneered, the voice sounded the same as the disembodied voice in his visions.

"You are not me." Naruto replied.

"_**Then prove that I am wrong.**_"

"With pleasure!" Naruto yelled and sped across the field, a move copied by his imposter. The pair clashed, each move was marched in mirror by his counterpart. Naruto jumped back and released a powerful gust of wind at the other blond, who once more did the same.

"_**You can't win. I am you, I am the truth within your heart.**_" The imposter said with a leer.

'What is he talking about, still I am not going to give up so easily.' Naruto thought forming a rasengan in his right hand. Once more his copy followed suit.

They clashed and the force of the jutsu threw them both to opposite sides of the clearing, both landing in a crouched position. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" both parties roared in unison. The flames combined and heat became so intense Naruto had to look away, but in the end the jutsu canceled each other out, perfectly in balance.

"_**I know all your moves, even before you're going to use them. Defeating me is impossible**_"

"I don't believe in the impossible!" Naruto replied before kicking off the ground and engaging his copy once more, in a fierce Taijutsu spar. But once more, every move the the teen made, his copy would follow and match perfectly, to any watching it would seem as if the two were performing some intricate dance that required perfect synchronisation.

(**Konoha**)

"Kakashi you're back so soon, I would have thought Danzo would put up more of a fight than that." Tsunade said as Kakashi entered the room followed by Gai.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment. "It seems that our job was already done for us when we arrived. Nagato beat us to the punch if you will. They did hand the other members of Root over as prisoners, unharmed. We had them taken to Ibiki and Anko for interrogation and they're all cooperating fully." the Copy Cat said sheepishly.

Tsunade sighed taking out a bottle of sake and pouring herself a cup, despite it still being fairly early in the morning. "Naruto and Jiraiya planned this, now that Danzo is gone, the Root ninja will follow my orders to the letter, only Jiraiya would have been able to give Nagato that information." Tsunade spat accusingly.

"I came to the same conclusion." Kakashi reported with a slight bow of his head.

"Where are they, I'll teach them for using me as a pawn in their plans." The busty Hokage seethed cracking her knuckles.

"It appears that they both disappeared shortly after Danzo escaped." Kakashi replied.

Tsunade sighed and downed her sake in one go. "Figures, escaping their own responsibilities once again. Damn forgetful fools." she muttered.

"I'm not sure I understand." Kakashi said confused by the Hokage's statement.

"It's nothing to worry about, I just wouldn't want to be them if they ever run into the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage again. It seems that after the attack on Pein, Kurotsuchi arrived in Konoha alone to receive the shinobi left here as insurance by the Tsuchikage on Naruto's safety. They were supposed to be her escorts and she was not happy to be left out of what was happening." Tsunade replied.

Kakashi chuckled, for most people it wouldn't be smart to get on the bad side of the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, but for Naruto it seemed like something he would do just for the fun of it. "Has she left the village?" he asked.

"Of course she has. Otherwise we would have received letters from Iwa demanding answers as to her whereabouts." Tsunade answered.

"Still as long as he stays out of Iwa it shouldn't be a problem for him to avoid her." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Yes you're probably right he was able to go sixteen years without Iwa even knowing his existence so, it shouldn't be a bid deal to keep his head down for awhile." Tsunade sighed.

"Yosh, Naruto-kun's flames of youth leave lasting impressions on those he meets, it may take awhile for the Iwa maiden to forget such a event." Gai yelled.

Tsunade sighed, the green clad Jounin was always far to enthusiastic for her liking. '_Half of what he says doesn't make any sense at all._' she thought.

Kakashi on the other hand had other ways of dealing with his self appointed eternal rival. "Huh, you say something Gai?"

"Gah, curse you Kakashi and your cool hip attitude, I will break you from your ways, or I will run one thousand laps around Konoha on my elbows!" The green clad shinobi shouted enthusiastically.

"Well if you have to do that, could you do it somewhere else, I am trying to work here." Tsunade replied, she should have known better than to expect Kakashi to help the situation with Gai, every time the two of them were together it was insufferable.

"Yosh come Kakashi, we must feed our youthful flames in one of the training grounds around here, so what will it be this time? A push up competition? Or would you prefer an all out spar?" Gai asked in some glee while holding the door open for Kakashi who already had his nose buried deep in his little orange book once he had been dismissed.

Tsunade sighed once more knowing what was about to happen. "What was that Gai, did you need something?" the Copy Ninja asked off handedly, not taking his eyes off the joys that were Icha Icha.

Gai cried anime tears as he left the room following the aloof smut loving shinobi. His cries about Kakashi's hip attitude could be heard throughout the building but gradually became softer. Tsunade grabbed another cup of Sake and downed it instantly. "Why is everyone that becomes a top ranking shinobi in this village so weird?" she asked herself with a shake of the head.

(**Myobokuzan**)

Naruto landed on his hands and knees panting lightly. Every move that he tried was canceled out by his so called clone. "_**You should give up, you can't defeat me, you would sooner destroy the world.**_"

"Then what do you want?" Naruto asked while standing back up.

"**What do I w**_**ant? I want the real you back.**_" the copy said bitterly.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you taking about?"

"_**I showed you at the start, the thing that you wanted more than anything. For a long time it was all that you wanted.**_"

"You mean destroying Kumo? That is not what I want."

The copy's face distorted in anger at Naruto's response. "_**Yes it is! Don't you hate them for what they did to you!? When the family that adopted you died you barely shed a tear because all you could think about was destroying the people that put you though that pain! You used to kill Kumo shinobi on sight!**_" he yelled.

Naruto nodded. "You're right, I was like that." he admitted. The memory of it all was still so real. "But I changed, I don't think that way anymore. Before I was alone in the world, everyone hated me. Now I have my friends... no a family that helped me get over my hatred for Kumo, and the people who treated me poorly in the past. I don't need that anymore."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realised something, his copy was crying. "_**What do you mean, you don't need me anymore? Without me you would have died years ago, the hatred kept you alive, forced you keep fighting.**_" He wept.

Then he realised just what it was that was standing in front of him. This copy was a manifestation of his darker emotions. He remembered being told a few times by Fukusaku during his training that the Kyuubi fed on the darker emotions and would use them to take control of his body. '_But I can't just defeat emotions? If I could do that I would be a zombie like those freaks in Root, I don't want that. There must be some other way, no matter how I think about it, he is part of me, a part I didn't want to acknowledge._' Then it hit him, Naruto knew how he could win. "I get it now, you asked me to make a choice earlier, and I made the wrong one."

"Huh?" The copy asked looking up at Naruto.

"I was weak as a child and I needed you to help me though everything. As a child I had no other way of stopping them. Sometimes death is unavoidable, but now I am strong enough to move on without needing to rely on that. So I guess I owe you my thanks, you saved my life, more times than I care to admit. Also I'm sorry." Naruto replied with a genuine look of regret.

"_**Shut up, what do you think you're doing, I want the old you back, this isn't what I wanted at all!**_" his darker emotions yelled in anger. Naruto just smiled in pity back at his clone which caused the anger to bubble up closer to the surface. "_**Don't think that I am weak!**_" he yelled and began running at Naruto, for the first time attacking on his own.

Naruto waited with eyes closed waiting for the strike that never came. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw a fist stopped inches from his face unable to strike him. Naruto smiled and rather than return hostility, Naruto embraced his darker self like a brother. "I understand now, you are the feelings that I have repressed my whole life. That is what dark emotions are after all, the feelings you refuse to accept."

"_**Then what will happen to me? I don't want to die.**_" The dark Naruto asked.

"I can't say, but you said it before, you were me, I guess now I will just be complete, you will once again become part of me." Naruto answered.

"_**You won't suppress me anymore?**_"

Naruto shook his head. "I have no need to. I need to accept that I will hate things, and not everyone can be saved. Some people deserve death, and if I hesitate it could mean my own."

"_**I think I can live with that.**_" The copy agreed with a genuine smile. The next second he was gone, fading away like he was never there to begin with.

The world around Naruto began to morph as well, the luscious green field that had been the scene for their encounter grew darker, walls started to form around him and the sky seemed to be turning to stone. Once the transformation was finished Naruto found himself in a massive room that was lit only by a few dull lights. '_Was it all a Genjutsu?_' He asked himself taking a few steps forward towards what looked like the exit.

He had barely moved a few feet when a large seal matrix began to glow beneath him. At the far wall an image of Naruto began to glow beside two small toads, the detail was immaculate, a perfect copy of Naruto carved into the wall, and unlike many of the other carvings he had seen, his face remained unblemished. Naruto moved to marvel at the work done but before his first step could hit the ground he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I knew he would do it." Naruto heard Jiraiya's voice coming from the other side of a thing cloud of smoke.

"That's tha child of prophecy for ya." Fukusaku beamed in pride as the smoke began to clear.

Naruto found himself standing in front of the toad oil waterfall. "Huh I'm back?" Naruto said slightly confused as to how he got there.

"The Sage's trial automatically reverse summons ya after determining if ya pass or fail tha test." Fukusaku explained.

"So I did pass." The blond sighed in relief.

"Course you did, otherwise we would 'ave never seen ya again Naruto-chan. Ya would 'ave ended up as a dead soul trapped in tha wall shown as a carving." Shima replied.

"Huh but I saw a carving of myself as I was being summoned." Naruto replied slightly scared that he did fail and this was his version of the afterlife.

"Ya, but your image would 'ave had eyes, those that fail don't see tha truth before their eyes, so they are drawn blind. It is tha only clue that is given ta those that are forced ta take tha trial." Fukusaku explained.

"Those that cant except the darkness in their hearts." Naruto surmised.

"Indeed Naruto-chan. Every human, toad, or any other animal fa that matter 'as dark thoughts and desires, even tha most kind and caring being. Accepting that fact is what tha trial's all about." Fukusaku said clearly proud of the young blond for figuring it out.

"So let me guess now I have to confront the Kyuubi right." Naruto replied.

"Yes ya do, but not 'ere, It's too dangerous ta go releasing a Bijuu's chakra in our sacred land, fa one thing most of tha country would feel it, despite never being able ta get 'ere, they would come searching for ya Naruto-chan." Fukusaku replied.

"So I need to use a place where the Kyuubi's chakra won't escape then." The blond replied.

Fukusaku nodded in agreement. "Yes, also ta be on tha safe side, 'ave Itachi and your new Uzumaki friend there with ya, they may be able to help suppress the chakra from outside the seal ta stop it escaping."

Jiraiya chuckled quite contently. "We already have all of those things back in Konoha. Talk about a stroke of luck, although if you fail, Sarutobi-sensei and Tsunade-hime are going to kill me, last thing they need is another Kyuubi attack."

"Then it's a good reason to make sure not to mess up then isn't it." Naruto replied.

"Good ya will need that determination Naruto-chan. Before you go you need to know that you cannot simply beat the Kyuubi into submission. Ya will need to pull the chakra from tha fox's body and make it ya own. However this 'as risks, Tha beast will try to steal your chakra in tha process. It's like a tug of war between chakra's. If you succeed the power ya have now will multiply exponentially, that is tha power of a Bijuu. Should you fail the Kyuubi will be free once more." Fukusaku said.

Naruto nodded, his face sten, he knew what he had to do and he was adamant that he would succeed. "Alright, I won't let you down Fukusaku-sama. I don't see any sense in waiting, it's time to tame the fur ball."

**End Chapter!**

**Alright I changed things from the cannon here, but used the same principle of accepting his darker self, added the sort of threat that should he fail, he would die and only give him one shot at it. Probably could have come up with something better had I stopped to think more ****throughly about what I write and not just write the first thing that comes to mind like always. **

**Can someone remember how many chapters ago this War started... I believe it was about two years ago, and in that time apparently only one - Two days have passed, not only that... has there been any story progression or character development that didn't involve an Uchiha in any way? Don't get me wrong I like a decent fight scene as much as the next person, but I have stalled The Toad Sages Apprentice two years back at the start of the war and I am trying to think up how many chapters it would take to get to where they are up to now... and I can't see that many chapters with much substance in there. Maybe he's trying to annoy everyone into not caring when he kills off Naruto so we just breath a sigh of relief, and say thank fuck it's finally over. **

**Oh well enough bitching about things I can't change. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, cheers until next time. **


	119. Before the Seal

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 119: Before the Seal**

"This is horrible!" Naruto gasped in shock.

By Naruto's side, the older sage stood equally dejected, he looked to be on the verge of tears. "It's definitely the worst thing she has ever done to us." Jiraiya agreed solemnly.

As the pair stood contemplating their next move they received a guest. The spiky gravity defying silver hair and masked face of Kakashi Hatake appeared from a tree. "Yo." he called happily with an eye smile before moving to join the two members of the Yoinokuchi "What are you two doing standing about out here looking like a couple of lost puppies? I think Tsunade-sama wanted to talk to you both about what happened this morning."

"Well we want to go see Baa-chan, but we can't get in." Naruto whined.

"Huh why?" The Copycat asked somewhat apprehensively, he had a feeling that he wouldn't find the answer to be serious at all.

In response Jiraiya and Naruto simply pointed up at the newly constructed Hokage office. "She's shut all the windows." They sighed in unison. Their shoulders slumped as if they had accepted a horrifying defeat.

"You could always just use the door?" Kakashi suggested.

"Never!" The pair chorused

'_Well at least they are determined._' The silver haired Jounin thought with a sweat drop. "Where have you two been anyway, you both just disappeared?"

"We were taken to see the old toad that is in charge of all the other toads." Naruto replied happily.

"He means we were summoned to a meeting with the Great Sage of the Toads, he wanted to read Naruto's future and begin his training into controlling the Kyuubi." Jiraiya corrected for his less than respectful apprentice.

Kakashi's eyes widened somewhat at the mention of controlling the Bijuu, he had seen just how strong Naruto could be without the help of his burden, but the thought of Naruto in full control of the most powerful of the nine Bijuu was truly frightening. "So how far along is he?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly, he knew that to be able to control a Bijuu takes years of training, even then there had only been a handful of people to learn the art.

"Good, if all goes to plan, I will have complete control of the fox's chakra by tonight." Naruto chirped in reply.

'He can't be serious, they only had him start the training this morning' The Copycat thought in awe.

"I doubt it will be that easy, having a new toy and mastering it are two different things Naruto, you know this better than anyone, you still don't know the full capabilities of your Rinnegan and you have had it for years. Anyway what are you doing here Kakashi? I thought you would be rounding up all the Root shinobi Danzo had hiding around the village."

"I was actually on my way to see Tsunade-sama, I'll tell her that you're waiting out here if you want?" Kakashi replied.

"Really? Thanks Kakashi, that would be awesome." Naruto said happily.

"Mah, don't mention it Naruto, I can't leave you two standing around out here all day, it would draw too much attention to this part of town, and your fan clubs would have a field day." Kakashi said with a short wave of his hand while entering the large Hokage tower that had been rebuilt after the Akatsuki invasion. Naruto gave a small shudder of fear, he was already contemplating just breaking a window to get in.

Tsunade had not been having a good day so far. Apart from the copious amounts of paperwork she was already dealing with, she also had the fallout from Danzo's attempted escape and subsequent death at the hands of Nagato. Nagato's involvement had not been expected, and the Godaime knew that if word got out that the man known as Pein was still alive and around Konoha there would be mass panic.

When the door to her office opened Tsunade was not at all surprised to see Kakashi. "What do you want Kakashi, I am very busy. "Well I was coming here to ask who you would be leaving in charge when you go to the Gokage summit. You have named Shikaku Nara as your other guard, but that will leave the village without yourself and the Jounin commander, As your other guard I would strongly suggest leaving Shikaku here to take care of village issues."

"Shikaku is the best man to have in a meeting like this, his tactical knowledge will be far more useful if our villages do decide to work together in coming up with a successful strategy to counter the Akatsuki. The only other options would be Anko, Asuma or Gai. I can't stand the constant chain smoking of Asuma, Gai would constantly be challenging you to stupid contests and do I need to into why taking Anko would be a bad idea? My mind is made up both you and Shikaku will accompany me as my guards during the summit. Sarutobi-sensei is more than capable of running Konoha in my absence, he's been in charge of this village for half of his life after all." Tsunade replied.

"Yes Sandaime-sama is the best choice, no doubt. But I would have suggested taking Hiruzen-sama along with you, he has past experience with the other Kage especially the Tsuchikage. Taking Hiruzen-sama would also give an extra weight to what you have to say, and it would strengthen Konoha's position if you have two S class shinobi there. At the moment I wouldn't be surprised if several villages were looking at us after the Akatsuki invasion and wondering if we are as strong as we once were, taking two Kage level ninja to a summit of the five great villages sends out a message that we are still at the top." Kakashi explained.

"This isn't your plan is it Kakashi, it's far to well thought out, you're just the messenger boy. That lazy Nara is trying to get out of a mission again." Tsunade replied. She let out a huff and grabbed a bottle of Sake off the desk. She had to admit the plan made sense, going to a summit with Hiruzen and Kakashi was a great show of the strength Konoha still possessed. If they did form an alliance then later meetings would be where most of the tactics would be discussed. "Still when you put it like that I have to agree. Shikaku will stay as acting Hokage in my absence. I'll tell Sarutobi-sensei as soon as possible. Now was there something else you wanted?"

"Oh yes, Naruto and Jiraiya-sama are outside. I believe they would like you to open a window so they can get it." Kakashi said with a deadpan expression. '_I can't believe those two. Two of the strongest ninja alive, but are defeated by a closed window_.' he sighed.

"I know, I may not be a sensor type ninja, but I can tell when that pervert is around. I'm just not opening the window for them, it's punishment for not telling me about their plan to have Nagato kill Danzo, if Gai let the rest of the village know I would be flooded with requests to hunt him down." Tsunade said sternly.

"Yes I can see how that could happen. Still I believe Naruto made the right choice on this occasion. If we acted differently because of knowledge that Nagato would take care of Danzo, then it could have tipped off his men." Kakashi reasoned.

"I know that. But I still don't like being manipulated, especially not by Jiraiya." Tsunade replied. Regardless Tsunade stood up from her desk and approach the window along with Kakashi. Both Yoinokuchi shinobi were sitting below staring up at the Hokage with wide eyes. "Wow those two really should never use the Puppy Eyes jutsu." she said with a slight shiver.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean, if anything it makes Naruto look more threatening. The Rinnegan may be many things but cute is certainly not one of them."

"Maybe I should leave them out there, it's about time those idiots learned how to act like normal people." The Hokage mused.

"I wouldn't recommend it. I doubt Naruto would simply give up like that." Kakashi replied.

"You're right, if I leave them outside for long, I would end up getting hundreds of complaints about Jiraiya allowing himself to get caught peaking on women, and there is no saying what mischief Naruto would get up to, and I don't really want to find out either." Tsunade sighed and opened a large window, quickly moving out of the way as Naruto and Jiraiya leapt into her office.

"It's about time Baa-chan, we have been outside for ages." Naruto whined.

"Well if you would use a door like a normal person, that wouldn't be an issue." Tsunade scoffed ignoring the fact that Naruto had once again called her old.

"I don't tell you to not to go drinking Sake in the middle of the day and stop gambling." The blond jinchuuriki retorted.

A tick mark formed on the face of the Godaime Hokage "Because if you did I would make sure you never do it again." she replied in a ice cold voice that Naruto didn't need to be a genius to know that it would not be wise to push Tsunade any further. "So what do you two want? If you hadn't noticed, I am busy cleaning up the mess your new friend made of my village."

"Well it's kind of a sensitive subject to bring up. But I guess I don't have any choice but to just jump in. I'm going to open up my seal, confront the Kyuubi, and gain control of it's chakra." Naruto answered.

Whatever Tsunade had been expected, potentially releasing the Kyuubi was not it. "Naruto that's insane why do you need to open your seal for something like that, you used to be able to control a degree of the Kyuubi's chakra without resorting to this."

"No it has to be this way. I need to be able to draw on the chakra without bringing the conciousness of the Bijuu along with it. The only way to do that is to separate the chakra from the mind allowing me to freely tap into the Kyuubi's chakra with no chance of it taking over." Naruto replied.

"Do you know how dangerous this is? If you fail or make one slip up in judgement we will have another disaster on our hands." The busty Senju asked, seriously worried about her fellow blonds wisdom in this choice.

"I know how dangerous this is, but I have to do it. As long as the Akatsuki exist I will be hunted because of the Kyuubi. To ensure that they never get there hands on it, or any of the other Bijuu for that matter, I need to be stronger." Naruto said with determination etching his every word.

"You're plenty strong now, you defeated the Raikage with little trouble, I bet there is not a person alive that can defeat you in a one on one fight as you are at the moment." Tsunade retorted.

"I'm strong, but I am not strong enough. I will keep going until I can find the peace that Nagato wanted. Tonight I will be releasing my seal in the cave where Itachi and Nagato are staying." Naruto informed the highly apprehensive Hokage.

"That's far too close to the village, that's where your mother was when the Kyuubi escaped last time, if you do it there there is a high chance that the village will be attacked again." Tsunade replied this time flat out rejecting Naruto's request.

"I'm sorry Tsunade-hime, but it has to be in the cave. It's the only place available that won't let his chakra escape. While Naruto is confronting the Bijuu he will be defenceless, we don't want to risk anything, if the Akatsuki find out they could use the chance to disrupt the process or simply rip the Kyuubi out of the open seal." Jiraiya replied.

"Rip the Bijuu from a seal, Is that even possible?" Tsunade questioned.

Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "I believe that it may be. Nagato and Itachi's interactions with the man claiming to be Madara have led us to believe that he has the ability to control Bijuu with his mastery of the Sharingan. He also uses a time space ninjutsu to appear anywhere he likes, I think that this man is responsible for the Kyuubi attack sixteen years ago. The more I think about it the more it makes sense. The only time a jinchuuriki has their seal weakened is during child birth, for that reason Minato was with Kushina watching over her seal, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to Kushina so that only leaves an outside interference."

"But Kushina was inside that very cave when it happened. The only way he could have known where they were would be if he were watching Kushina for awhile and knew when she would be expecting. He would also need knowledge of Konoha, but if he's an Uchiha I can see how that wouldn't be an issue. But who could it be, Itachi killed most of the Uchiha clan yet this man survived, he would also be older than Itachi having been there at the Kyuubi attack." Tsunade wondered.

"I don't know, but I am not taking any risks this time. I will have Itachi and Nagato in the room with Naruto to help suppress any of the Kyuubi's chakra that leaks out. I'll also be there to watch over the seal and if necessary reseal the Bijuu into myself." Jiraiya replied.

"That's suicide, your chakra pathways would never be able to cope with the Kyuubi, that's why the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi has only ever been an Uzumaki." Tsunade said.

"If I do it at least it will force the Akatsuki to wait until the Kyuubi reforms in this world." Jiraiya answered darkly.

"You're talking nonsense because there is no way I am going to let the fur ball beat me. I'll take it's chakra fair and square." Naruto spoke up confidently.

"Fine you win, but I am going to be there to witness this myself." Tsunade replied unable to stop from smirking about just how confident Naruto was. '_He'll do it, anything that he says he will do he does, damn Gaki._'

(**Unknown Location**)

"How are the preparations doing Zetsu?" Tobi asked impatiently. The masked Akatsuki ninja sat on a large stone chair that looked eerily similar to a massive thrown, that he had made for himself. The room was completely empty save for a giant statue directly opposite the masked Uchiha. The statue had several eyes open but still far too many were shut for his liking. The process was going far to slowly, he was impatient and no longer wanted to fight from the shadows.

"_**It's nearly there**_, _the target locations have almost been reached._ _**We should be able to attack within a few days**_." Zetsu replied.

"Good, but timing is important. I still need to see that I give those five Kage the ultimatum, hand the remaining jinchuuriki over or be annihilated." The masked man said with a hint of a laugh.

"_Do you think they will take the deal?_ _**It's highly unlikely that they would simply give us the jinchuuriki**_, _a large group of them are not even part of a village._" Zetsu questioned.

"No they won't but I will finding crushing the five villages together far more entertaining. Then there is always the chance that one of the Kage will refuse an alliance or even agree to my offer." Tobi answered with a cold laugh.

"_**What about the Kyuubi jinchuuriki?**_ _He's too strong to fight one on one_, _**and he always has that **__**group of troublesome shinobi with him.**_" Zetsu asked.

"Yes he is proving to be quite the nuisance, it would almost make sense to wait for the brat to simply die, but he's a Uzumaki, and a jinchuuriki on top of that. He will probably outlive me, even with Hashirama's cells. All we will have to do is manipulate the war in our favour If I can get Sasuke stronger he and his group along with the other Akatsuki members should be able to take the boy down.

"_It is still a long shot_, _**to pull that off would be very dangerous.**_ _Most likely they would leave the boy either on the front lines_, _**or safely behind to avoid the possibility of them being captured**_." The plantlike shinobi theorised.

"Which is why we are going the extra mile, and attacking several key locations over the elemental nations before they can be fortified." Tobi replied.

"_Why not just use the opportunity to cripple the villages?_ _**They would have no hope of fighting a war then**_." Zetsu questioned.

"Two reasons. First I want them to have all of their hope crushed before I bring an end to the war. Secondly fighting them within their own villages will be difficult even if we do get manage to catch them by surprise." Tobi answered.

(**That Night,** **Konoha**)

Naruto landed in front of the cave, despite the fact that he had been and gone from this particular sight many times before it seemed more intimidating now than it ever had before. The cave entrance seemed to tower over him almost like a warning signal for him to stay away.

"You're late." came a feminine voice from the shadows.

"I told you that I would be here tonight, I never specified a time. It's not my fault that you showed up a few hours early like all old lady grabbing the early bird special at dinner." Naruto retorted.

"What was that you little shrimp?"

"You heard me Hag!"

"I'm going to kick you ass for that Naruto!"

"Bring it on Tsunade-Baachan!"

There was silence for a moment as the two glared at each other before breaking out in laughter. "Damn Gaki, you still haven't learned to respect your elders." Tsunade chuckled giving the younger blond a warm motherly smile.

"Ah you know me Baa-chan, disrespect is my form of respect, besides calling you something like Tsunade-sama just doesn't feel right." Naruto replied.

"I guess for you that is true, I wouldn't know how to act if you did start showing me respect." Tsunade laughed. Her lightheartedness died down and she soon became serious again. "Are you sure about this? Nobody will think less of you if you put it off and try in a few years when you're stronger ninja don't hit their prime till they're in their thirties."

Naruto nodded, his face showing the seriousness behind his conviction. "Yeah I'm sure. I can do it now, besides there is no telling when they Akatsuki will make their next move, I want to be ready for what ever they have to throw at me."

"You don't have to do everything yourself Naruto, you have Jiraiya and Itachi. You also have me, I will support you as best I can, even if it means going to war. The Akatsuki have to be stopped and I am going to make sure that everyone understands that." Tsunade declared.

"Thanks Baa-chan that really means a lot, I know I have You, Jiraiya-sensei, Akimi-chan and everyone else backing me, but I still want to do all that I can. If I don't do this and the Akatsuki take Gaara, or Fuu then even if I couldn't do anything about it, I would feel responsible for not being strong enough. I don't care if this is an all or nothing deal, that just makes it impossible for me to lose." Naruto replied kindly.

Tsunade smiled at the young jinchuuriki's conviction and sincerity. "Well then I guess we better get started, where is the pervert?"

"He's inside already, Nagato, Itachi and Jiraiya-sensei wanted time to prepare, while I had to go find the others and tell them what I am planning." Naruto answered.

Tsunade nodded and walked inside. Suddenly the whole thing didn't seem so large to the young jinchuuriki, the talk with Tsunade had just proven how strong his determination to succeed was. '_Alright let's do this._' he thought with a confident smirk as he took those last few steps to where the other were waiting.

Upon entering the main hall of the cave Naruto found everyone already waiting for him. Itachi was sitting a fair distance away, his nose buried into a small black book that Naruto recognised as one of Jiraiya's sealing journals. "So you showed up, I was beginning to think that Akimi had tied you up to prevent you from completing the process." Jiraiya laughed.

"Well that was a very real possibility, I can't say that it was easy explaining that I had to do it. Even harder to tell her that for her own safety I didn't want her here. She almost killed me herself." Naruto replied with a sheepish grimace. His girlfriend had not taken the news that he was going to attempt to take control of his Bijuu's chakra as well as he had hoped. It was only upon his promise to come back alive that she finally relented and let him go without further complaint.

"I am interested to see how this works, a jinchuuriki with full control of their Bijuu is a very rare thing, only the Hachibi jinchuuriki from Kumo has the ability." Nagato stated from a dark corner where he was sitting with Konan.

"I have to say that interests me as well." Tsunade agreed. Then she took in who it was that had spoken and a new thought occurred. "You two made quite the scene this morning, it took quite an effort to keep your involvement in the events quiet." She said sending a half sincere glare at the ancient looking Uzumaki.

"That man, Danzo was rather difficult to kill, he just wouldn't stay dead. It was not my intention to have your shinobi become involved at all, but it was also the best way to ensure that we removed Danzo without any of his, or should I say your, men getting harmed permanently. In the end Danzo was taken care of and you gain all his Root ninja to your roster, it sounds like a fair trade to me." Nagato replied in a calm voice.

Tsunade had to admit he was right, even if she didn't like having to. "Yes we saw his body, that arm of his was disgusting, to use my Grandfathers cells and the eyes of the fallen Uchiha clan members in such a way, despicable."

"That is in the eye of the beholder, what you or I may consider a crime another would see as necessity. He did what he had to do to achieve his goals, from that outlook I can somewhat understand. I am not a paragon for all that is good in this world, nor is anyone here." Nagato replied.

"That is true, we all have blood on our hands, All shinobi do, it would even be rare to find a civilian that had never done anything that hurt another. It's just human nature, but that doesn't mean we cannot have peace in this world. Regardless we should focus on the reason we are here." Jiraiya added with a nod.

"Did you set the room up?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Of course we did, not a speck of chakra no matter how powerful will be able to leak out, added to the natural protection of this cave, there will be no chance of detection." Jiraiya replied. The Toad Sage walked over to a closed door, pulling it open to reveal a small stone room that Naruto recognised as one of the bedrooms that had all the furniture removed. The walls were all covered in a very intricate sealing matrix. "If you fail those seals activate and the room will be sealed giving us enough time to come up with a permanent solution. Even that seal can't contain the Kyuubi for long in an inanimate object." He added.

"We won't have to find out, because I am going to win." Naruto declared as he stepped through the door and walked into the middle of the room at the centre of the seal matrix and sat down cross legged. '_Let's see if I can remember how to do this._' he chuckled.

Itachi and Nagato followed Naruto inside while Jiraiya and Tsunade waited outside. "We can't go in, Itachi has to activate the seal from inside should Naruto fail, and Nagato will be syphoning off the extra Bijuu chakra that will leak out while Naruto is confronting the Kyuubi. We need to be out here to perform a sealing should everything go wrong." Jiraiya said when Tsunade moved to join them.

Tsunade bit her lip in annoyance but relented. '_Dammit Gaki, you better go this quick._'

Naruto found himself ankle deep in a familiar looking sewer. "Man this place really is a dump, I should fix this up." He laughed as he walked down the halls towards the source of overwhelming chakra. '_So I need to wrestle the chakra from it's body with my own, in other words I need to connect our chakra together. So it's like a game of tug of war with chakra, and the winner takes both._' he thought as he came face to face with the large gate that held the Kyuubi in place.

The Kyuubi lay on it's paws seemingly asleep on the other side of the gate and it let out what naruto would assume was a small growl as he approached the cage. "**Isn't this a surprise. It has been many years since you have come to visit me here Naruto.**" The large fox said half opening one eye to look at his warden.

"Well I have been busy, not much time to spend chatting with someone who would very much like to kill me, not that I don't enjoy our little chats." Naruto replied.

Surprisingly Kyuubi laughed in response. "**You're here to challenge me then. You feel different, I can no longer sense you darker emotions, I am guessing that you overcome them then.**"

"That's right, I'm here for your chakra, we can work on your attitude another day. But you also deserve the right to fight for your freedom. You have been locked away for over one hundred years, I can't imagine what that would be like. But know that if I win I won't treat you badly." Naruto replied as the water around his feet condensed and formed a pillar under Naruto's feet that lifted him up to a small tag with the kanji for 'seal' written on it.

"**Then I promise to make the deaths of your friends quick and painless when I escape this seal.**" Kyuubi replied backing away slightly from the gates allowing Naruto to continue without the risk of a cheap attack when he opens the gate.

"Thanks for that." Naruto answered before ripping the tag off in one swift motion.

(**Elsewhere**)

Kabuto had been traveling non stop since he discovered the body of Orochimaru during that time he had stopped at every town he had come across, collecting people in every town with larger than average chakra signatures. He had shown no signs of slowing down as he moved across the countries towards his destination. Nobody he had targeted had been able to escape him in his quest.

The former medic's features had begun to change, becoming more snake like as each day passed, his skin became pale, and his eyes slitted while purple pigment markings around his eyes had appeared. In the distance he saw a yet another village that was fresh for the picking.

"Just a few more and I will be ready to put my plan into motion." he said to himself with a smug smirk. The night sky was illuminated by the lights of the village as he approached his target, judging from the village walls he saw Kabuto guessed that it was either a military village or a vacation area for shinobi on leave from their respective villages. Either way for Kabuto it meant that he had found a promising place to harvest more sacrifices for his jutsu.

**End Chapter!**

**Cue evil cliffhanger. I didn't get all that I wanted into this chapter, but I didn't want to start the confrontation between Naruto and the Kyuubi in the middle, or near the end of a chapter. So I was left with this option. **

**Little late, I have been really busy at work sorry guys. **

**Can someone explain to me the thought processes behind the Uchiha in the cannon lately? Madara's family doesn't believe that Tobirama would have them killed (Which didn't happen anyway) and he decides that he want's to turn against his friends and kill them. Obito sees a girl die and decided to destroy the world. Seriously wouldn't it have just been better, and easier to cast the eternal Tsukyuomi on himself? If all of this was to get Rin back, why does everyone else have to be in the jutsu? I mean it will kill everyone after about a few days without food and water anyway. Finally we have Sasuke, who finds out his brother killed his family because he loved his village and decides that they were not worthy of his sacrifice so wants to destroy the very village Itachi tried to save. **

**Basic reasoning I have come to understand is this... Uchiha Stubbs toe on tree root, burns down every tree he sees. They have the reasoning skills of a three year old refusing to eat vegetables.**


	120. jinchuuriki and Bijuu

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 120 Jinchuuriki and Bijuu**

The Gate slowly swung open and much to Naruto's surprise the Kyuubi didn't move to attack. "**You are serious about taking me on in a fair fight then? Even when you know what I am?**" The large fox asked.

Naruto nodded. "The way I see it I'm fighting for the people I care for and can't afford to lose, but it is probably just as important for you, if not more. You deserve the right to fight for your freedom, so why not give you that chance." He answered calmly.

"**Then that's all I need to know**." Kyuubi said with a devilish grin. The next moment three large tails were all looking to impale his body.

Naruto spun out of the way to safety just in time as the appendages crashed into the ground. '_I'll need to watch out for that and he has six more just like them._' He thought letting out a small sigh of relief. He didn't have much time to think however as yet another tail came down on him, this time he was ready however ad darted forward while forming a hand seal for Fuuton. Taking in a deep breath he released a powerful gust of wind that sent the Kyuubi rocketing backwards. "I guess there is no back to this thing huh? Maybe when I win I'll do something about improving your scenery." The blond mused.

Kyuubi was getting back to it's feet when thick chains shot passed Naruto and pinned the Bijuu to the ground. "**I know this chakra... Kushina!**"

"What the hell is this... let him up!" Naruto yelled as he watched the Bijuu struggle for freedom. He spun around to find the culprit but froze when he saw a woman with flowing red hair and piercing purple eyes.

"Naruto-kun?" the woman questioned. She had expected to see the warm blue eyes that she had only been able to gaze upon on the night she had died. Instead she was met with metallic purple.

"Kaa-san... Why are you here?" he asked in shock.

Kushina smiled warmly when she found out that Naruto recognised her. "Minato sealed part of my chakra into you during the night you were born. He wanted to give me a chance to meet you if only this once. He also wanted me to help you when it came time for you to control the Kyuubi's chakra." she said in a motherly tone.

That was when Naruto remembered the fox wrapped in the thick chakra chains. "Let the Kyuubi go." he said firmly. Kushina's eyes widened at the statement, and her's were not the only ones. "This isn't fair, I want to prove to the fox that I am strong enough on my own without him only then do I genuinely earn the right to use his chakra. So please save your energy and release the fox."

Kyuubi could hardly believe his ears. No human had ever thought of fighting fair where he was concerned, it was almost like Naruto was treating him like an equal. '_**What an interesting boy, maybe there is something special about you other than those eyes. If I actually lose this fight, it **__**might even be entertaining to see how this one grows. Maybe he could be the one that father spoke of before he died.**_' The fox thought temporarily forgetting about the fact that it was pinned to the ground by chains.

"Naruto are you listening to what you're saying? That's like the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" Kushina replied.

Naruto shook his head not willing to give up. "I will win, you just have to trust me. Now release the Kyuubi, save your chakra while you can."

"But like-"

She was cut off by a new arrival. "Do as he says Kushina-chan." The man had long yet spiky yellow hair, with two long bangs that perfectly framed his youthful face, and he wore a long white trench coat with flame at the base and the Kanji for 'forth' written vertically down the back.

"Tou-san! Well I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, if my mother is hear why wouldn't my father do the same for himself." Naruto said surprised.

"Well truth is I wasn't expecting to appear like this, you turned into more of an amazing shinobi than I could have ever dreamed considering the position we left you in." Minato sighed regretfully.

"As fantastic as this little reunion is... why don't we save for afterwards. I have a giant fur balls ass to kick right now. Well as soon as Kaa-san releases him and we can fight fairly." Naruto replied, he was unable to contain the joy at finally being able to meet his parents, but he had to remember that he had a job to do first.

Kushina looked at Minato questioningly. "Do it Kushina-chan, it's the parents duty to believe in their child, no matter what, and Naruto is more than capable of taking care of the fox, Itachi-kun and Jiraiya-sensei have taught him very well." he answered.

She nodded her head in acceptance and released the chains binding the large fox. "**I hoped that I would never have to lay my eyes on either of you two again, Kushina, Yondaime. But it seems like luck has given me a chance to crush your hopes and dreams, while you watch.**" Kyuubi said with a scowl. He may have had some small form of begrudging respect for Naruto beginning to form, but his former jinchuuriki and the one that sealed him were another story.

"That may happen, it all depends on Naruto-kun. I know that he is more than capable of taking your chakra Kyuubi." Minato replied calmly.

"Enough talk. Like I said, we can save the family reunion for when this is over." Naruto replied before the pigment of his eyes changed to a golden colour and dark orange tribal markings spread around his eyes.

"**I was wondering when you were going to get serious, let's go Naruto!**" Kyuubi roared in response.

This time when one of the large fox's giant paws came down to impale the blond Naruto didn't move. He grabbed the claw with both hands and stood his ground. His feet slid underneath him but he did not let the claw get closer to his body. With a mammoth show of incredible strength Naruto lifted the Bijuu and threw him a fair distance away.

"Amazing!" Kushina gasped in awe.

"Yes he's really something else. I wish I could have been alive to teach him myself." Minato agreed.

Kyuubi landed in a pile but rather than have an angry scowl the large fox almost seemed happy. The satisfied grin didn't leave the beast's face as Naruto held a arm high above his head and began focusing his chakra forming a Rasenshuriken.

Naruto ran a few feet forward before tossing the giant spinning disk of chakra. Kyuubi quickly formed a small Bijudama and the two jutsu collided creating a massive explosion that felt like it would rip Naruto's mindscape apart from the inside. "Now that's impressive." Naruto said with a low whistle.

"That's nothing brat I have a near endless supply of chakra, beating me in a straight fight of chakra is impossible." The fox scoffed.

_'It sounds like he's almost helping me, I don't understand Kyuubi at all._' Naruto thought as he quickly came up with a new plan. '_Fighting one on one isn't going to work, I will need to hit him from multiple angles at the same time. It looks like I'll need to use some clones._'

Six clones of Naruto popped into existence before splitting up, surrounding the large fox. Kyuubi swiped his tails at each of the clones but they were swift enough to avoid the strikes and get into position, the seven bodies of Naruto perfectly surrounding the Bijuu. '_**Hm an attack from all sides, clever boy.**_' The fox thought, his eyes trying to keep as many of the clones in his eyesight as possible.

Naruto, and each of the clones created a giant rasengan and began closing in, they made sure to alter their path every few steps to avoid the counter attacks from the Bijuu's tails and claws. Rather than rush in head first Naruto made sure that each clone was extremely careful not to be hit, freely jumping back and allowing one of the other clones time to close in should the Kyuubi have it's attention focused.

"You damn flies why don't you just die already!?" Kyuubi roared in frustration.

Naruto smirked at this, he knew that even a Bijuu would make mistakes and become more vulnerable if they became frustrated. That is exactly what was happening, the once methodical and precise swings and strikes from the Kyuubi were quickly becoming more erratic allowing Naruto's clones to get closer. '_It's just a matter of time now._' Naruto thought as he quickly jumped away from one of Kyuubi's claws.

Kyuubi, getting frustrated with the several copies of Naruto buzzing around him, rasengan in hand. It lashed out at a particular clone that was at that moment closest to the fox, all nine tails moved together and crushed the clone.

"I've got you now!" Naruto yelled triumphantly, all the remaining clones descended in a blur, slamming their rasengan into the side of the fox, forcing it to the ground.

A thin stand of chakra shot out from the downed Bijuu and connected to Naruto via the seal. Naruto could feel the power of the Bijuu starting to flow into his chest. The Bijuu got to it's feet, eyes burning in anger. "Dammit Naruto! Don't make me angry!" Kyuubi roared and began pulling it's chakra back pulling Naruto's chakra with him.

"I don't think so, I won't lose here Kyuubi!" Naruto replied the chakra stalling, both sides mentally fighting against each other.

"How do you think he will do?" Kushina asked a slightly worried as both Kyuubi and Naruto stared each other down, their chakra tilting either way as they fought a battle of wills.

"It's hard to say, but I would always put my faith in our son. All we can do right now is believe in him, he would get upset if we intervened. Just watch, I think he has quite a few tricks still up his sleeve." Minato said with pride.

"Your right." The red headed former jinchuuriki said smiling at her husband. "You can do it Naruto-kun, kick that foxes ass! We both love you more than anything, and we believe in you!" She yelled loud enough for Naruto to hear.

Naruto despite Kyuubi having his full attention heard his mothers call and smiled. "Well that's a first, I never realised just how good that felt." Naruto said with a calm smile, his angered firm features being replaced with those of relaxation.

Suddenly Kyuubi realised that he could no longer pull Naruto's chakra "**What the hell is this... Damn it what did you do Kushina!?**" The fox roared, somehow he just knew it was his old hosts doing.

"I feel so calm, like the last bit of doubt has been ripped from by body, I feel amazing." Naruto said as he realised that he was not even struggling against the Bijuu for possession of his own chakra anymore. 'It's funny what a few words can do. Seeing my parents made me feel so anxious but now, now I know that despite everything that has happened they really do love me.

'_**There's nothing, not a single shred of a negative emotion, how can a few words take away my last shred of a chance.**_' He thought when the Bijuu felt a slight tug on his own chakra. "**No you will not use me as you will! I won't be controlled again!**" Kyuubi yelled slightly desperate.

Naruto just stared back at the fox with impassive eyes. 'I can move freely again, even with the chakra still connecting us. Then that means I have control of my own chakra.' The Yoinokuchi shinobi realised. "Sorry about this Kyuubi, but I guess this is it. I will keep my, word and treat you well. Maybe in time we can even become friends." he said calmly, raising his arms out in front of him.

"**Don't!-**" Kyuubi roared in desperation but it was too late, he knew what was coming and he also knew that there was very little he could do about it in his current situation.

"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto spoke with authority, and his eyes rippled as his gravity jutsu rocketed away from his body, striking the giant fox. Naruto had pumped so much jutsu into the jutsu that even Kyuubi couldn't hold it's ground. The beast was thrown backwards, it's chakra being ripped from the body before slamming into his chest.

The effect was instantaneous, Naruto's body seemed to come alive, bright yellow chakra coated him from head to toe and flicked around like an uncontrolled flame. His eyes kept their purple hue, but at the edges a light tint of red could be seen, and his hair shot up straighter than before with what appeared to be two horn like manifestations of chakra becoming the peak of Naruto's new form. His seal had changed as well, no longer was it just situated on his stomach, instead the seal now spread over his Bijuu chakra cloaked body.

Naruto could just stare in awe, and he was not the only ones, Minato and Kushina were both clearly impressed and proud, they embraced each other whiles't still beaming at their son.

Kyuubi was the only one not to have taken in Naruto's appearance, it had only just returned to it's feet. "I warned you Naruto, not to make me angry." Raising his head high into the sky a giant ball of condensed chakra began to form.

"Amazing, he still has so much power, you really are amazing Kyuubi." Naruto said with almost a hint of regret as he tweaked the seal on his stomach, using his hands to reseal the Bijuu safely.

Large wooden arches appeared in the sky above Kyuubi and slammed the Bijuu into the ground before it had the chance to fire it's Bijuudama. Only then did the Kyuubi send Naruto and incredulous glare, but it froze upon what it saw. '_**This truly is, the Sage of Six Paths.**_' It thought before the cage shut on the fox.

"I will let you up in a minute Kyuubi, but I have some things I need to take care of first." Naruto spoke with a calming tone and the Bijuu simply grunted in anger.

"You did it Naruto-kun. I like knew you could!" Kushina shouted triumphantly, rushing over to hug her son for the first time in sixteen years.

Minato was much more reserved, he felt hesitant to say anything, after all it was his fault that the boy had to fight the Kyuubi in the first place. It was his fault Naruto had such a hard life. In the end he settled for a light pat on the shoulder. "You did better than I could have hoped for Naruto, I am so proud of you."

Naruto smiled warmly at his father. "Thanks dad, but do you think you could help me with something?" he asked.

"Of course, anything."

"Uh how do I turn this off? I don't really want to look like an mobile fire for the rest of my life." The younger blond chuckled.

Minato broke out in laughter. "Yes I can see how that would be a bit of an inconvenience. Don't worry, all you have to do is separate the Kyuubi's chakra and place it somewhere in your mindscape to call upon whenever you need it." He explained.

Naruto nodded and did as his father suggested, creating an area of his mind to store the Bijuu chakra. Just like that he was back to his old self, not a trace of the thick golden chakra cloak anywhere. "Ah that feels better... Well better isn't really the word I would use to describe it, I would say normal." Naruto said stretching. "So how the hell are you both here?" he asked seriously, taking a seat on the ground.

"Well you see when I sealed the Kyuubi inside you I also sealed some of our chakra into the seal as well. I wanted to give you a chance to meet us one day. Although to be honest I didn't expect it to be like this." Minato admitted.

"What were you expecting?" Naruto asked.

Minato had a slightly sheepish look on his face. "Well I designed the seal so that should Kyuubi ever get close to escaping and the eighth tail formed I would be able to repair the seal. You broke it when you ripped of the barrier seal and opened the gate."

"And I was supposed to appear on the day that you would come to claim the Kyuubi's chakra for your own, it was the only way we could think to help you." Kushina added.

"We have more time than I anticipated, neither of us needed to use our chakra to stop Kyuubi so we have some more time to talk, I'm glad because there is a question I really wanted to ask." Minato spoke slightly reserved. "Can you ever forgive us for what we have done to you?" He asked desperately.

Naruto suddenly found his feet to be incredibly interesting as he started to answer. "When I first found out from Jiraiya-sensei that you were my father I was angry. I wanted to know why it had to be me, but it didn't take me long to understand. The Hokage's duty is to protect everyone in the village, you wouldn't have been a very good leader if you had grabbed some random kid off the street and even asking another family to donate their child for a something like becoming a jinchuuriki if you wouldn't give your own would not only make you unworthy of being a Hokage, but also unworthy of being someone I would call my father."

Minato's eyes widened in surprise. "Then?"

"I am glad that you chose me to become the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and more than that I am proud to say that I am your son. I may have been shunned in Konoha, hated even. But in the end things changed, now they think I am some hero." Naruto said.

"You were always a hero, from the very first day that you were alive, holding back something as powerful proved that point." Minato replied.

Kushina smiled, rubbing a lone tear from her eye as the two blonds hugged, all past events forgotten. "Alright now I have a question. Like what happened to your eyes? I remember them as clear as day, they were the most beautiful blue I had ever seen. Not what ever this is" Kushina said pointing to the Rinnegan.

"Ah yeah I I have a Dojutsu, the Rinnegan. Unfortunately I can't really turn it off, I guess I am just used to it now."

Kushina looked amazed while Minato simply nodded. When the red haired kunoichi gave her husband a questioning gaze he answered without the need of a question. "In times when Naruto was in great distress or when he would tap into the Kyuubi's chakra, I would gain slight glimpses into the outside world from the seal. I knew about Naruto's Rinnegan, still it's really amazing to see it for myself though."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in mild embarrassment to hear his father talking about his eyes. "Well I guess it is really amazing to meet you both so we're even on that one." he chuckled.

"Don't be a smart ass." Kushina said lightly hitting the younger blond atop his head.

"Ow." Naruto whined rubbing his head despite the fact that he wasn't really hurt in the slightest. "I always wanted to know, what happened on the night I was born? Jiraiya-sensei told me what he knew, but he couldn't never know exactly what happened."

"The Night you were born we were attacked by a man wearing a mask." Minato said.

"With a Sharingan eye?" Naruto asked.

"Yes have you met this man already?" Kushina questioned.

"Not personally, but he has had several interactions with Itachi." Naruto replied. "He claims to be Madara Uchiha." he added upon thought.

Minato nodded with a mild look of anger on his face. "Then we are talking about the same person. Yes on the night you were born I was watching over your mothers seal. For female jinchuuriki their seal weakens significantly during childbirth. You had just been born when Madara showed up. I was trying to reinforce Kushina-chan's seal and he appeared out of thin air and killed Biwako, Hiruzen-sama's wife as well as the body guards we had with us."

"He's not really Madara, at least Itachi doesn't think so." Naruto interrupted.

"Is that so, he was the only person who has ever been able to control the Kyuubi in such a way, and his skill left me to believe that it couldn't have been anyone else." Minato said in slight wonderment.

"I know, but Itachi said Madara's Sharingan eyes had different capabilities. Each Mangekyo Sharingan is for the most part unique, and have three techniques, one for each eye and another that combines the power of both eyes like Susanoo. This fake Madara is using a time space ninjutsu not unlike your Hirashin but the jutsu is coming from his Mangekyo Sharingan. Madara didn't possess eyes with that ability." Naruto explained.

Kushina and Minato were both stunned to hear there son speaking so authoritatively. '_He certainly didn't turn out how I expected, I would have thought he would turn out more like me, craving attention and prone to rash behaviour._' Kushina thought in wonderment. She couldn't say that she was not pleased that he had turned out so much like his father, but in some sense she wished that he shared more of her traits.

"Amazing, looks like growing up outside of Konoha really helped you mature." Minato complimented.

"Well Itachi helped quite a bit there, he stopped me from becoming a loudmouth, although I think that was mostly because it irritated him." Naruto chuckled remembering the times Itachi would refuse to train with him unless he calmed down and constant reminders to control myself in dangerous situations." Naruto answered somewhat embarrassed.

"Anyway back to the story. The man claiming to be Madara appeared so suddenly, and I was busy repairing the seal holding in the Kyuubi, because of that he was able to take you hostage. There was no way I would let him harm you so I was made a choice to take my attention away from Kushina-chan's seal and save you." Minato continued.

"Unfortunately that gave the masked man enough time to rip my seal open and pull Kyuubi out. Most jinchuuriki would die instantly but as an Uzumaki we have incredibly powerful life force energy." Kushina added somewhat smugly at then end, clearly proud of her heritage.

"I'm guessing after that he fled, summoning the Kyuubi into the village?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly, I chased after him, once I got you and Kushina-chan to safety. By that time quite a bit of damage had already been done. To protect the village I transported myself and the Kyuubi well out of Konoha and then I went to face Madara, or at least the man claiming to be him." Minato explained.

"You fought him?" Naruto asked.

"Yes and to my shame I should have killed him that night, but I was so worried about everything else that had happened. He is an incredibly powerful man, the only way to fight him is to wait for the moment in which he attacks, only then do you stand a chance at hitting him. His time space ninjutsu allows him to become intangible, my attacks would simply phase right through him. In the end I was able to land a hit with a rasengan using my Hirashin to appear behind him. But I hesitated on the follow through and he was able to escape. That was when I knew that I needed to trust you with the burden of the Kyuubi."

"You forced it upon him, I could have sealed it back into myself before I died." Kushina huffed, still sore about having to make her only son a jinchuuriki.

"I know you could have, we talked about that very night. If you had done that, it wouldn't have solved anything in the end. The Kyuubi would just reform a few years later and that man would be back to claim him. I did what I thought was best, for the village, who else could I trust with something like the Kyuubi but my own son. He's proven today that my trust was well placed. Just like I had hoped he's learned to control the Kyuubi, he's the hero I always hoped he would be. I gambled that night that you were the boy, that according to Jiraiya-sensei's prophecy would lead this world to peace. I still believe in that, you will do amazingly." Minato said with a proud smile directed at his son.

"Enough of this gloomy talk tell us about you, I want to know everything. Do you have many friends, are you staying away from the three shinobi vices, I swear if you let Jiraiya corrupt you I will make you wish you were death with us. Finally tell me you have people that love you, when I was a young girl, just about to become a jinchuuriki Mito-sama said that the only way to make a jinchuuriki, is to first fill the vessel with love, only that love can overcome the power of a Bijuu. We may not have had much time with you Naruto-kun but I can assure you we both loved you more than anything in the world." Kushina said looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"Everything is quite a lot, but I will tell you what you want to know. I made lots of friends, although they didn't all start out being so friendly, I know Gaara did his best to kill me at first. I don't gamble, Tsunade-Baachan showed me how dangerous that could be, never seen someone with such bad luck in my life. I do have the occasional drink, although I wouldn't consider myself to have a problem, and I spent enough time dragging Jiraiya-sensei out of shady bar's to know all about the final vice." Naruto laughed at the end at the thought of his godfathers antics.

Kushina did not find that quite so funny. "I am going to like hang that pervert up by his toes and use him as a punching bag!" she yelled, her hair swaying around behind her seemingly defying gravity.

"How does it do that?" Naruto asked in awe.

"I still have no idea." Minato admitted, feeling somewhat frightened himself.

The younger blond chuckled. "Yes Jiraiya-sensei is a no good pervert, or as he would say, a super pervert. But he was also the man who taught me how to be a ninja, and more importantly how to be a man. He also cared enough to take me and train me, he even retired from being a Konoha shinobi for me. As far as I am concerned he's someone that deserves respect." Naruto said happily.

Naruto successfully calmed his mother down and her hair fell back to it's natural position, as smooth as if it had just been brushed. She realised that as angry as she was, she couldn't stay mad at the man who had looked after and raised her son. "Well it seems he hasn't corrupted you at least." she spoke with a smile.

'_Not for lack of trying though, but I don't think she needs to know that right now._' Naruto thought.

"So tell me Naruto-kun is there a girl that you like?" Kushina asked, she seemingly transformed into a giddy high school girl eager to find out the identity of her best friends crush.

Naruto hadn't expected that situation nor that it would be so hard to actually answer. "I uh, well I guess you could say that although I think it's probably something more." he admitted somewhat bashfully.

"Oh please don't tell me she's pregnant, I'm too young to be a grandmother. Minato-kun we're so, so old." the fiery red head wept into her husbands chest. Minato just sent Naruto a pleading look asking for an explanation.

Naruto sighed and nodded his head at his fathers gaze. "It's fine Kaa-san, Akimi-chan isn't pregnant. I mean that we have moved past the point of just liking each other. We're in a committed relationship and I love her."

Kushina instantly stopped crying and had a happy smile once more across her face. "She better be one hell of a kunoichi, if she hopes to keep you in check."

"Well she is certainly strong enough, although she can be a little difficult at times." Naruto said fondly.

"Sounds like your mother." Minato laughed only to catch himself a moment later.

"Who's difficult Minato-kun?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice that Naruto recognised all too well. A voice that meant imminent pain for the one the woman had directed it towards.

"Uh, your mothers sensei?" Minato replied pleadingly.

"A swing and a miss." Kushina replied before whacking Minato over the head.

It warmed Naruto's heart to see his family acting naturally. He knew it was only for a short while but it was better than nothing. "How long do you both have left?" he finally asked wanting to save as much time together as he could.

"It's rather hard to say, we were both supposed to use most of our chakra to help you, but as we didn't need to do that I can only guess, perhaps an hour maybe a little more judging by the rate in which my chakra is fading, but we will only lose our chakra while you are in the seal, a safety measure to insure we both were able to meet you properly." Minato answered.

"So that means I would have time to leave and bring Akimi-chan into my seal to meet you?" Naruto questioned.

Kushina beamed at the though, and secretly she wanted to judge the young woman who had supposedly claimed her sons heart. "That would be a great idea, and anyway your friends outside the seal must be getting worried, you stopped fighting with the Kyuubi quite a few minutes ago." She said honestly.

"Alright just sit tight, I'll be back before you know it. I also want to try out using the Kyuubi's chakra so it's good that I have Nagato, Itachi and Jiraiya-sensei waiting for me." Naruto said standing up and reluctantly leaving the pair.

(**Outside of the Seal**)

"The Kyuubi's chakra has died down, but he is still hasn't awoken, has something gone wrong?" Nagato wondered out loud.

"No Naruto-kun is still in there, he must be doing something inside the seal. Maybe something has gone wrong and he had to back out." Itachi mused.

At that moment Naruto's eyes popped open. "Oh no, I don't back out on anything. Idid exactly what I needed to do." he said with a slight smirk.

**End Chapter!**

**I didn't really see the need to go into full detail into what happened on the night of Naruto's birth, as it was the same as the cannon. Also how did Kushina know exactly what happened in Minato's fight with Obito anyway? She wasn't there, and for the parts she was they hardly had time to go over what happened to to them both during the few minutes they were apart. **

**Spoiler Alert... Shout out for Karin this week, for single handedly taking all women 40 years backwards. She should be the poster girl for domestic abuse. Stabbed in the chest and left for dead, only to run right back into Sasuke's arms the very next time she sees him, that's just sad and pathetic. What self respecting kunoichi, or woman in general would do something like that. It also kind of gave me the shits how easily Sasuke supposedly became 'good' again and Orochimaru's excuse made even less sense. **

**I saw the latest Naruto movie, it was interesting to say the least. Potential to be used in this fic, tell me what you think, that said I will of course change it significantly to fit around my own characters, and Sakura will certainly not be the person to get caught in the jutsu with him. **

**I did find it quite amusing that all his friends were the complete opposite of how they normally act. Best being that Sasuke was a womaniser, the joke of course being that in the normal universe he is gay. Also I don't think I will be alone in thinking that Hinata would be a better character if she was her Road to Ninja self in the Manga, she was badass, along the lines of Mei or Anko, although she didn't get much air time. **


	121. Naruto's New Power

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 121 Naruto's New Power**

Jiraiya and Tsunade were sitting in a nervous silence when the door opened and out walked Itachi and Nagato, followed by the young blond they had been waiting on. "So how did it go?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"How do you think it went?" Naruto replied while tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra. Instantly his new Bijuu cloak formed.

The chakra was so oppressive that even for someone like Jiraiya and Tsunade it felt like the air was as thick as water. "Amazing." They both whispered in awe. Sentiments that were shared, yet not verbalised by Itachi Konan, and Nagato.

"Impressive, but what does this add to your abilities?" Konan asked stoically.

"Uh well to be honest... I am not sure, I know I feel a whole lot more powerful, like I could accomplish anything. But I won't know the full extent of my new abilities until I start to train with them." The teen admitted somewhat reluctantly. "Well I guess there is only one way to find out, I'll meet you all at the closest training grounds."

"Wait Naruto don't!" Tsunade and Jiraiya yelled, but it was too late, the first word wasn't even out of their mouths when he all but disappeared only Itachi and Nagato were able to trace his movements.

"Such incredible speed." Itachi said showing genuine surprise. '_It rivals his fathers Hirashin, yet it's pure speed, amazing._'

"Is that what you're thinking about? How fast he is? You felt that chakra, it may not hold even half of the malevolence that Kyuubi wielded but the sheer force of it will send the village into a complete panic, and the idiot just left the one place his chakra is able to be contained." Tsunade sighed.

"Well now, this should be interesting. I did get the feeling Naruto-kun was looking for a spar." Nagato said with a smirk and walking for the entrance to the cave.

"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked.

"I wish to watch the show, It is not every day you get to see someone freely use the Kyuubi's chakra." The elder Uzumaki replied.

Jiraiya perked up at the thought as well. "You know Hime, he has a point. Plus he won't know how to use his new cloak yet, it will be fun to watch him struggle."

"You, are a horrible sensei." Konan deadpanned before dispersing in a flock of tiny paper cranes, flying out to follow after the young jinchuuriki.

"I'm not that bad am I?" Jiraiya asked sending a hopeful glance to Nagato.

"No... Through suffering he will know pain." Nagato replied with a smirk, for a moment sounding awfully similar to his alternate persona, Pein. The statement sent shivers down the spines of both Tsunade and Jiraiya. The next moment Nagato too was gone, disappearing to follow after Konan.

"I can't get any respect from my students." Jiraiya half cried, curing up into a ball.

"Shut it pervert, and come on, we better go before he destroys something important." Tsunade sighed grabbing the Toad Sage's arm and dragging him out after the other leaving only Itachi remaining.

"What are they hoping to see? Even if Naruto-kun can't control that power yet he won't do anything reckless... I hope." The Uchiha said somewhat unconvincingly. "Oh I better go too, if Nagato is right and Naruto-kun is looking for a spar, then it will at the very least be interesting." He added before bursting into a murder of crows.

Naruto stood in the middle of a large clearing, he could feel the power at his fingertips. The sensation was different to controlling his normal chakra. To him his chakra was like a calm river gently flowing. While his Bijuu cloak was like a damn bursting at the seems, every second trying to explode outwards in every direction.

He had no idea on the effect that his chakra was having on those around him. In Konoha it felt like an invisible weight was pressing down on everyone, several civilians were visibly shaking in fear. In a Jounin bar several groups of ninja all had worried looks on their faces, most of them had felt this ominous chakra before, and it was not a memory that any of them wanted to remember. "Kakashi, you don't think?" Asuma said not wanting to complete his thought.

Kakashi shook his head. "No it's inconceivable that Naruto would lose control of the Kyuubi. Still we should go check it out." the Copycat replied.

Many of the other Jounin looked at the silver haired man like he was insane, however he was soon out done by the one person in the bar that most of them knew was insane. "Yosh, a most youthful suggestion. I would have expected nothing less from you Kakashi, my eternal rival!" Gai yelled seemingly unaffected by the Kyuubi's chakra that was being felt all over the village.

"Huh you say something Gai?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly.

Gai almost fell over, loosing his supposed 'cool'. "Gah, curse you and your cool hip attitude Kakashi."

"We don't have time for that, Gai. Let's go see whats going on. Asuma you coming?" Kakashi said moving for the exit ignoring Gai's shouts of indignation.

"Uh you know what, I think I will sit this one out. I have already died twice, and I am not keen to find out if the third time really is the charm just yet. Still you better go grab Tenzo, he will have a better shot at subduing the Kyuubi than most." Asuma replied.

Kakashi nodded, he knew Asuma was no coward, but he also knew that Kurenai was pregnant, he certainly wouldn't be needlessly risking his life if he had a child on the way either. "With any luck this will be nothing to worry about. But I think Tenzo will be exhausted from all his rebuilding efforts." Kakashi said with one of his patented eye smiles before disappearing in a shunshin.

"Damn you Kakashi don't act all cool and leave without me!" Gai yelled in frustration before he too disappeared in similar fashion.

"I don't know why they are bothering, half the Anbu in Konoha will show up with that chakra hanging around." Asuma said taking a long puff on his cigarette before a swig of Sake.

The massive surge of chakra could also be felt in the Yoinokuchi safe house on the outskirts of the village. Unlike Konoha however the mercenary group seemed to be taking everything in their stride. "It would appear that Naruto has been successful." Gaara said passively.

The others nodded, while they had guessed the same as Gaara, they were less calm about it, in fact Zabuza was practically giddy with excitement. He had seen Fu use her Bijuu's chakra many times, but this felt different, the potency of the Kyuubi's chakra put the Nanabi to shame. "It's Magnificent! Such wonderful destructive power." The Demon of the Mist said a hint of his old sadistic self coming out.

Most of the others looked at him questioningly, Gaara always took anything the swordsman would say with a grain of salt, he had no right to judge anyone for having psychopathic tendencies, he had been just as bad in his youth, if not worse.

That had been enough for Akimi however. The swift release kunoichi taking a page from Naruto and Jiraiya's book, jumping out of the closest window and making a beeline towards Naruto's location.

"Kami where is everybody, they should have caught up by now." Naruto sighed getting impatient that at the very least his sensei hadn't shown up to help him get control of his new power.

Suddenly a flock of paper cranes flew into the clearing coming together to form Konan. "You are going to cause a international incident." she said with a small smirk.

Naruto was surprised, not just because of what she said, but the fact that she was not keeping up the cold and distant act. "What are you talking about? Besides where do you get off lecturing me about international incidents?" Naruto asked.

"Can't you feel your chakra? You would be able to feel it in Ame right now. But I guess you have a point with the whole attacking Konoha ordeal." Konan replied, only slightly exaggerating.

"Well as far as statements go, this is a one I certainly would have taken notice of." Nagato said appearing from the edge of the clearing followed soon after by Tsunade dragging a sulking Jiraiya.

"Dammit Gaki, you are going to give half the village a heart attack!" The Hokage yelled.

"Huh I can't feel anything... actually that's not true, I feel fear and worry, coming from the west approaching quickly." Naruto replied.

Tsunade was about to ask what he was talking about when three masked Anbu appeared from the tree line. "Hokage-sama, what's going on?" a kunoichi in a cat mask asked urgently, she had a long purple hair and a Katana already drawn ready for a fight.

"Stand down Neko, the village isn't in danger." Tsunade replied.

The cat masked kunoichi nodded slowly but froze when she saw Naruto. "What the hell is this?" she asked forgetting her role as an Anbu for a moment.

"Naruto has gained full control over the Kyuubi's chakra, he was simply hoping to test hes new abilities, it is just a shame that he has not figured out how to contain the overflow of chakra yet." Tsunade replied, doing her best to explain the situation.

Then the horrible realisation dawned on Tsunade and the three Anbu in the clearing, standing next to Naruto was not one but two former members of the Akatsuki, Nagato and Konan. "Tsunade-sama, isn't that Pein?" one of the other Anbu replied, this one had a smooth brown hair and a masculine voice. He was wearing an eagle mask.

"I have given them both a pardon for reviving the people of Konoha, they are no longer threats to the village, however this information will remain a S ranked secret, do I make myself clear?" The Godaime ordered.

No sooner had the three Anbu shouted an affirmative than several more groups of shinobi arrived. Many of the clan heads, along with Kakashi, and Gai. "Wow I didn't think that I would merit this sort of response." Naruto chuckled rubbing the back of his neck.

'_Thing's seem calm, that's a relief, Tenzo was in no condition to help, he's been building new buildings all day, and suffering from chakra exhaustion, there was no way he could have helped to fight a Bijuu._' Kakashi thought with a slight sigh of relief.

Tsunade was close to banging her head against the closest tree, she knew that nothing she could do now would keep the fact that Nagato was both alive and somewhat of an ally a secret now. '_Oh I am going to have so much paperwork over this. First Danzo escapes, then Nagato kills the traitorous bastard, and now this, I don't know how, but I will make you pay for this Naruto._' She thought, clearly frustrated with how the events had played out.

Surprisingly it was Shikaku who was the first to respond. "It seems we have arrived at a troublesome time. But I see no real threat here."

"What are you talking about Shika, those two reek of danger plus you can obviously feel that ominous chakra." Tsume Inuzuka growled directing her attention towards Konan and Nagato who were wearing their Akatsuki robes.

"I believe Shikaku is referring to the fact that, those two are not posing any threat to anyone here, and judging by appearance, it seems as if that Naruto-sama is in fact controlling the Kyuubi's chakra." Inoichi Yamanaka replied. His masterful knowledge of battlefield psychology coming to the good use.

"That's right. Nagato and Konan are no longer members of the Akatsuki, and have been pardoned for attacking Konoha." Tsunade said loud enough for everyone to hear. '_Kami I hate it when I have to repeat myself._' She added as an afterthought.

"So we basically came all of the way out here for nothing then?" Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan said quite frustrated he had dropped everything that he had been doing to race out for a false alarm.

"Well not exactly, you could all help me with something." Naruto said suddenly.

Hiashi eyed the boy tentatively. "What request would you have of us?" he asked.

"A test of my new physical abilities. I am not foolish enough to attempt any of my jutsu just yet in this new form. My first step is getting control of my new strength and speed." The young jinchuuriki answered.

The group was hesitant, Naruto's speed and strength was already somewhat legendary in Konoha, but judging from what he was saying, and the power that they were feeling radiating off of him they could assume that these aspects had improved significantly. However they did have the advantage of numbers and knowing he wouldn't be using any jutsu.

"I am afraid I do not fight on your request." Hiashi said haughtily and made to leave.

He only made it a few steps however when he was stopped by Tsunade's voice. "Then I will make it a mission. You will each receive an A rank mission pay and a weeks leave from village reconstruction to focus on your clans." Tsunade said. '_Wait till I give the damn brat the bill for this. That will make up for all the damn work he will have me doing because of this stunt._'

"If you wish Hokage-sama, shall we start right away or would you prefer that we wait for the boy to be more prepared?" Hiashi asked.

'_They are all B to high A ranked shinobi, Kakashi and Gai could even be considered S ranked if they go all out. But I can't even see them even landing a hit on Naruto like this, Gai would need to open most of the eight Gates and Kakashi would need his Mangeko Sharingan. Even if I went all out, he would probably beat me without much difficulty, he's truly a monster, like Grandfather and Sarutobi-sensei in his prime._' "Don't hold back, if you are to have any hope at winning you will need to take this seriously. Now begin!" Tsunade ordered before jumping back out of the way along with Nagato, Konan and the Yoinokuchi shinobi.

Straight away Shikaku's shadow extended and wrapped around Naruto's body. A second later Choza Akimichi's arm shot out growing several times lager before gripping Naruto's arm's pinning them to his side. Inoichi ran forward running through hand seals to complete the trio's combination when with a simple bust of chakra, Choza's grip was blasted open and Shikaku's shadows destroyed. '_Incredible, he did that with his chakra alone._' Shikaku thought in awe.

In the blink of an eye Naruto had disappeared, all any of the group could see, was a yellow flash. "Impossible, it can't be... The Hirashin! But I don't see any markers!" Tsume gasped in shock trying to follow Naruto as he would disappear from one spot only to appear in another almost instantly.

"No, it's not the Hirashin, it's all super fast movement, no normal eyes would be able to pick it up, my Sharingan can, but only just." Kakashi said, truth was all he could really see was a blur, even with the Sharingan, it would be easier if he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, but the chakra drain would be immense when Naruto wasn't even attacking yet. He knew that when Naruto started to attack that most of them wouldn't stand a chance, he would take them down like a house of cards.

Listening to Kakashi's assessment Hiashi focused his Byakugan and only then did he see it, Kakashi was right, Naruto was quite literally running circles around them. '_he can't change direction properly yet, he's too fast for his own body, that's why he has to stop all the time. But he won't attack until he get's used to his movement, this boy is a genius like I have never seen before. Curse Ko for what he did to you as a child Uzumaki, you should have become the crown jewel in Konoha but we chased you out._' He thought realising himself just how futile the situation was at that point in time.

In the tree's the group watching were to say the least impressed. "What is he waiting for?" Konan asked.

"Naruto-kun knows better than to rush in unprepared unless it is necessary, he is so fast at the moment that his legs can't keep up and change direction properly. But putting Naruto-kun in a fight like this is the perfect way for him to learn, it won't be long before his body get's used to this new speed." Itachi said from a nearby branch.

"When did you get here?" Konan asked somewhat surprised that itachi had been watching the fight without her knowledge.

"Around the same time as Akimi-chan." Itachi answered unhelpfully pointing to the other side of the clearing where the young kunoichi sat on a branch with Jiraiya, her eyes darting around attempting to follow Naruto's movements.

'_How does this keep happening! Every time I take a small step closer to Naruto-kun he leaps forward. I just became significantly faster,fast enough to leave even his Fuuton, Raiton armour in the dust, then I see this. I swear if I didn't love him so much, I would kill him myself just for being a pain in the ass._' Akimi thought just barely able to follow Naruto's movements, she had the advantage of her swift release Kekkei Genkai that enabled her to move and track high speed targets.

It had only been about a minute but the many Konoha shinobi struggling to figure out where Naruto would appear next it felt like an eternity. The time limit between points where Naruto would appear and disappear were getting longer, each time he moved, his body was becoming more and more in tune with the Kyuubi's chakra. The massively oppressive feeling was even beginning to lift, as he gained more control. Finally Naruto disappeared and it was two seconds before he appeared again. Only Kakashi, Hiashi and Gai could follow the blur as it sped in a constant circle several times around the group without needing to stop. "Alright, I think I am getting the hang of this now. Let's see how it works in an actual combat situation." Naruto mused talking to his potential victims as if they were a class listening to a lecture.

The group visibly tensed as the blond disappeared. The next moment he was appearing behind two masked Anbu. A light chop to the back of the neck sent the the pair tumbling to the groun unconscious. "Hey Gaki, if you break them you buy them!" Tsunade yelled seeing how hard the two fell to the ground.

Naruto paused rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ah sorry about that Baa-chan, I still don't know how to control my own strength it seems." He replied slightly embarrassed. He had no time to dwell on the thought of how it would be best to control his new strength as a hail of kunai and fire jutsu descended upon is location. Quick as a flash Naruto jumped to the side, effectively slipping out of harms way.

This time Kakashi was following his movements, as best he could while forming hand seals. The second Naruto stopped he fired. "Doton: Mud Dragon Bullet" the head of a large stone dragon rose from the ground and upon opening it's mouth a large ball of mud flew from it's mouth. Kakashi timed the attack perfectly, but sometimes even the perfect attack can fail.

Naruto thrust an arm forward prepared to absorb Kakashi's jutsu, what he wasn't expecting however was a thick arm made out of the chakra of his cloak to fly forward, swatting the ball of mud out of the air before coming crashing down into the ground where Kakashi had been standing moments earlier. He managed to escape by substituting himself with a log at the last second. "Woah, I didn't know I could do that." Naruto said, shocked as his chakra arm retracted showing the substantial extent of the damage done.

"This is far too troublesome, none of our clan Jutsu are strong enough to hold him, he can simply overpower anything we throw at him. He's too fast to hit with simple kunai or shuriken. Shibi, what about your Kikai beetles?" Shikaku asked.

"My beetle's cannot get near him, the chakra is too potent and potentially dangerous to my beetles, the way I see it, a fight can only be won against this opponent if we had significantly greater numbers to overcome the differences in the level of chakra." Shibi, the head of the Aburame clan reasoned.

"Troublesome, I came up with the same conclusion, maybe if we had a large group of shinobi from our clans, then we would be able to hold Naruto in place. But even then he has not used any jutsu, one use of his gravity jutsu or the ability to absorb chakra would render the techniques useless. The only people here with the ability to fight against him would be Kakashi, Hiashi and Gai, the question is how long can the rest of us hold out. If we had the help of Itachi and Pein, those two may be able to fight with him on a somewhat level playing field." Shikaku said as even the great strategist seemed to be coming up empty for ways their small group could defeat Naruto.

Naruto once more disappeared, he sped towards Kakashi, testing out his new dexterity by weaving in and out of Konoha shinobi that were blocking his path. Kakashi went bug eyed as he quickly spun around to see Naruto appear in front of him. "Don't worry Kakashi, I'll save you for last." he said with a boyish grin.

Gai appeared in Naruto's blind spot, trowing a powerful kick aimed at the back of the blonds head. At the last second Naruto ducked and Gai's attack missed. "A most youthful evasion Naruto-kun, but how did you see my attack?" Gai asked clearly stunned.

"I didn't, it's more like, I felt your emotions, your intent to harm me told me exactly where you are. Because the Kyuubi is so in tune with negative emotions, almost feeding of them I can feel them as well while I am in this state." Naruto explained while dodging a series of strikes from the green clad ninja.

"Mito-Baasama could do the same thing, she was a complete empath, she could feel what anyone was feeling at anytime." Tsunade said surprised to find Naruto shared an ability with her grandmother.

"Yosh! Your flames of youth burn brighter than a thousand sons, I will be the one to land a hit on you, and if I can't I will run one thousand laps around Konoha on my fingers!" Gai yelled.

"Huh did you say something Gai?" Naruto asked trying to suppress a smirk.

"Gah, Kakashi, my eternal rival, you have corrupted Naruto-kun with your cool hip way's, this is most certainly unacceptable!" the green clad ninja yelled, he then turned to challenge Naruto only to find the blond already gone, disappearing and reappearing at random as he disabled one Konoha shinobi after shinobi, some like Aoba and Genma were able to defend themseved for a few strikes but ultimately wound up on the floor.

Once more Shikaku attempted to trap Naruto in his shadows, using the magnitude of this chakra to hold him, Naruto and all the spectators had to admit it was a perfect trap, he had used the last of the masked Anbu, as bait, having quickly deduced that Naruto was saving the clan heads along with Kakashi and Gai for last. " Go now, I won't be able to hold him long, my chakra is draining fast." the Nara clan head Admitted.

Not waisting anytime Hiashi ran in, ready for a juuken strike, aimed at the blonds stomach hoping to disrupt chakra flow from his seal. His hand came within an inch when it was stopped by a chakra arm that grew seemingly out of the blonds chest. "Hm seems these things can be controlled mentally and created from almost anywhere." Naruto said in slight wonderment. He didn't have time to dwell on that thought however, as the Giant fist of Choza descended down looking to crush the blond. It was a direct hit, dust was thrown everywhere, or so they thought. When the smoke cleared Naruto was standing beneath the giant fist holding it up with one hand. Choza's eyes widened in wonderment, nobody had ever been able to stop his jutsu like that before. "That was close, I can see why you all became so famous as a team." Naruto complimented.

"This is so troublesome, I can no longer fight, I'm out of chakra, I used everything I had trying to keep him on one spot for a few seconds, even that wasn't enough." Shikaku sighed.

"Yes to continue this fight would be to risk injury, you are truly something special Naruto-kun." Choza agreed.

"I know when I am outclassed, a shinobi need's to know when to back away." Shibi said with a bow. One by one the remaining shinobi surrendered knowing that it was a pointless fight. Even the proud Hyuuga clan head graciously admitted defeat, with a bow.

Soon all that was left was Gai and Kakashi. "So what about you guys?" Naruto asked sending the pair a questioning glance.

Kakashi really wanted to test himself against Naruto, the only problem was, had had now had his Sharingan exposed for such a long time while using it liberally to follow Naruto's movements. He had also used it at times earlier that morning when Danzo had escaped. "Sorry Naruto, I would love to have a match, but looks like I over used my Sharingan for one day." He admitted bitterly.

"Yosh then it looks like I will be your only opponent Naruto-kun, like I said before, if I cannot land at least one hit, I will run one thousand laps around Konoha on my fingers." Gai yelled giving his famous nice guy pose.

"That's going to be fun to watch." Naruto said with a smile, he was confident but he knew that Gai was one of the best Taijutsu specialists in the world, probably the second best behind the Raikage, and while it would be no problem if he was using Ninjutsu, he was not yet ready to attempt any jutsu while using his fox cloak. A miss calculation in power and a jutsu could potentially destroy a portion of the Land of Fire.

"Yosh let's show them our flames of youth Naruto-kun!" Gai said sternly. "Gate of Opening, Kai!" Gai's speed increased dramatically as he darted forward. Still to Naruto it was child's play, despite Gai's incredible skill in Taijutsu Naruto was ducking and weaving around his strikes without even using his hands.

Gai leaped into the air attempting to trap Naruto under him as he dropped his leg, more than ready to crush the young blond's skull, he had far too much respect for Naruto as a worthy shinobi to give anything less than one hundred percent. Naruto waited, allowing Gai to get closer and closer, wanting to test himself as much as the green clad Jounin did. At the very last moment Naruto rolled out of the way, watching as the ground exploded behind him. '_Maybe I should be a little more careful._' the blond thought with a small sweat drop.

"As I thought, you are too much for this level, then how about I kick it up a notch. Gate of Healing, Kai. Gate of Life, Kai. Gate of Pain, Kai!" Gai said looking like he was loving every minute of their little duel. Again Gai's speed and strength increased dramatically, his body began to turn red as he flew forward. Naruto was still considerably faster, but Gai was a Taijutsu master, his moves were fluid and close to impossible predict due to Kakashi being Gai's so called eternal rival.

'_Damn if I could use some Ninjutsu this would be a whole lot easier, I have a lot of work to do before I can use the Kyuubi's chakra in an actual fight._' Naruto thought as he used his chakra arms to pull himself away from a powerful kick. Using that as inspiration Naruto sent one of his chakra claws at Gai, he had very little control over the strength of how tight the claw would grip and not wanting to crush one of Konoha's elite shinobi Naruto used the claw to fight Gai in a rather modified Taijutsu at a distance, sending a second long armed claw to help.

Unlike Naruto himself, his claws did not have anywhere near the same speed, he guessed that they would improve upon training, but that hardly helped him here. Gai danced around his attacks just as Naruto had been doing earlier. "Gate of Limit, Kai!"

"He's taking things a little far at the moment isn't he?" Choza said from the sidelines.

"I would agree, but Gai was never one to give up. Naruto is going to have to end this before things become dangerous, as things stand Gai will need medical attention." Shikaku mused.

Gai shot towards Naruto like a kunai propelled by a Fuuton jutsu. The blonds chakra arms little more than a nuisance now. Gai came close to striking the blond before Naruto once more put on an impressive burst of speed. "How far are you going to push this?" He asked appearing a short distance away. He had been in his bijuu mode for quite awhile now and it was starting to make him tire somewhat.

"You can't defeat Gai by tiring him out Naruto, we used to have competitions that lasted for days at a time, you will have to make a move to end this, before he takes it to the next level, this will become incredibly dangerous if Gai goes to that extreme." Kakashi said from the sidelines, resting against a tree.

"Thanks Kakashi, I don't know how well I will go up against Gai in a straight Taijutsu fight, but there is only one way to find out." Naruto sighed. Just like two stampeding bulls Naruto and Gai charged at each other. Gai swung high, looking to strike Naruto in the chest but with less than a fingernail before hitting his target Naruto ducked using his speed advantage and driving his fist into the green clad Jounin's stomach.

Gai blanched but as he began to be propelled backwards on instinct the Jounin brought his hands together scoring a direct hammer blow to the back of the young jinchuuriki's head. "What a youthful event thank, you Naruto-kun." Gai said breathlessly with a hint of accomplishment as he rocketed into the ground before passing out, while Naruto stumbled forward a few paces himself readjusting to force of Gai's hit.

Naruto got his footing back a second later, his Bijuu cloak fading away and rubbing the back of his head. "He really packs a punch, almost as bad as Baa-chan." He complained.

Gai regained his consciousness but moving was difficult after pushing his body so close to the limit. "Next time we spar I will land two hits!" He declared weakly as Tsunade approached him already reprimanding her subordinate for opening five of the inner gates during a spar.

Naruto moved to join Nagato, Itachi and Konan. "That was a good start, but I still need to do a lot of work if I am going to master my fox cloak." he admitted, first he needed to learn to control his chakra arms to a higher degree, then he would work on performing jutsu.

"Yes but for a first attempt, it was quite impressive, I think I would enjoy a spar against you in that form myself." Itachi said stoically.

"As would I." Nagato admitted.

"Well with people like you two to help me train I will have this thing mastered in no time." Naruto said confidently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Akimi approaching "Hey Akimi-chan, I told you I would do it didn't I." he said with his fox like smile.

"I guess you did, why can you never make things easy for me, we're supposed to be rivals, yet ever since you came back from training with Jiraiya-sama you have been leaving me in the dust. Oh well I guess I will just have to train harder to kick your ass then." The Dark haired kunoichi said, she attempted to sound angry but she was still smiling broadly, happy to see the young man she loved safe.

**End Chapter!**

**Sort of a filler chapter. The only thing that annoyed me when Naruto first unlocked his Fox cloak was that despite Kisame being there we didn't really get to see him fight. I didn't care that much because the Gai Kisame fight was pretty good, just there was such a long wait for Naruto to join the war I wanted to see him try out his new Bijuu mode.**

**It's kind of typical for them to give us no new chapter last week, just as things were picking up again. Anyway with any luck we won't have to endure another elongated break from the fight before it ends. The so called climax was about three miniature arcs ago. Well I must be getting bad because now I am complaining about the Cannon when there hasn't been one lol. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. **


	122. A Desperate Plan

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 122 A Desperate Plan**

Naruto sighed as he slowly approached the village, Jiraiya, Akimi, and Tsunade walking by his side. "You know I am starting to believe having you inside Konoha is far more trouble than it's worth. All you do is create more work for me." Tsunade sighed as the lights of Konoha came into view.

"Well at least it's not boring with us around Baa-chan, I mean I bet you have been out of your office more often in the past week than you had been for months. But if it makes you feel better we should be able to leave soon" Naruto replied casually, his arms folded behind his head.

"Yes, it does make me feel a little bit calmer. Still I am going to be in my office for hours cleaning up all the damn mess you have caused. Even now I have to go and reassure the village that the Kyuubi is still sealed and they are safe." Tsunade said with a hint of annoyance.

"I don't know why, I mean if I was a Bijuu and I was finally free after one hundred years of containment why the hell would I attack the one place that has been able to seal me away? The fox is simply too smart for that. He was controlled to attack the village, by that masked Uchiha claiming to be Madara." Naruto said in a matter of fact tone. The blond was quite bitter, it had been awhile since he had openly hated someone. But the man that stole his family from you on the night of his birth had made the list. He no longer felt guilty about having hate, he was the master over his darker emotions now, but that didn't mean he stopped having them.

'**Quite insightful Naruto. Do you think I would bat an eyelash at the threat caused to me by these pathetic villagers? I fear nothing, not even you!**' The Kyuubi spat from within Naruto's mind.

'_Which is exactly why you wouldn't bother destroying Konoha, what would it accomplish?_' Naruto replied in thought.

'**I would get revenge for the past one hundred years.**' Kyuubi answered flatly.

'_Then what? You know as well as I do that you would be sealed back away if you attack the village. I know you're not afraid of Konoha or anyone including me, but you are smarter than that_.' Naruto thought confidently.

'**And this is the reason why you thought it was safe to challenge me to a fight? Ah enough, your ignorance and lack of self preservation annoys me.**'

Naruto started chuckling, confusing those walking with the blond. '_What do you know, and here I was thinking that you were always annoyed. Try to liven up a little Kyuubi, you will live longer._' It was then that he noticed the looks he was getting from Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Uh, I was just talking with the Kyuubi, I think he's still a little bitter that he lost."

"So he can talk to you through the seal? Is that safe?" Tsunade asked.

"It's fine, most jinchuuriki communicate with their Bijuu, and that link will have only gotten stronger after the seal was completed with the key, and the cage opened." Jiraiya said reassuring the busty kage.

"So why did it take you so long to defeat that weird Jounin? He was no faster than you were before you took control of the Kyuubi, and you beat the Raikage with such ease." Akimi asked.

"Well the truth is I didn't want to use any jutsu until I have finer control over the chakra, I think if I had tried to use something like Shinra Tensei powered by the fox's chakra I would have levelled half of the countryside, it's just so overwhelmingly powerful. What makes things harder to believe is that the part that I took was still probably only a little over half of it's chakra." Naruto answered.

"I have to say it was the right decision, besides defeating someone like Miteo Gai in a pure Taijutsu match is next to impossible, I doubt even I could do it, without sage mode that is." Jiraiya said knowingly. Gai was one of the hardest working shinobi Jiraiya had ever met, and for that reason became one of the strongest, he was not considered one of the strongest in Konoha for nothing.

"Yeah maybe you could learn something from him Akimi-chan, he's technique is flawless much better than mine." Naruto agreed.

"That doesn't really matter all that much considering how fast you are, I swear if I didn't know better I would have thought you were using the Hirashin." Jiraiya praised.

"Yeah but I had to be careful, otherwise I wouldn't stop in time and hit something. I still need a lot of work before I can safely use the Bijuu cloak in a real fight." Naruto sighed.

"We'll start working on that tomorrow." Jiraiya said with a smile, it had been awhile since he had been able to help Naruto with any part of his training, the teen developed so quickly that he was rarely needed to help Naruto improve anymore.

"Well if you're going to do that your first task is getting that monstrous chakra contained so the village doesn't have a heart attack, now come on pervert, you owe me a drink after this." Tsunade said splitting off in the direction of one of the many Shinobi bar's that were spread around the village.

"Well I gotta go. Make sure you take the rest of the night off you need a rest, it's been one hell of a day." Jiraiya said before racing off after Tsunade.

"Poor Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-Baachan says a few words and he runs off after her." Naruto sighed with a deadpan expression.

"She is truly a god among women, I need to learn how to do that, that way I could stop you from doing stupid things, like challenging the strongest Bijuu to a fight." Akimi half joked.

"I won didn't I?" Naruto pouted in reply.

"That doesn't stop what you did from being incredibly reckless." Akimi retorted as the young couple entered the village through one of the remaining holes in the wall.

"Gotta admit that it's cool though right? I mean how many people have fought against the Kyuubi and actually won? Hashirama Senju is the only one that comes to mind, I don't think you can call what Tou-san did winning, considering he died and all." Naruto said with a confident smirk.

"Don't get cocky, I haven't forgiven you for keeping me in the dark over the whole Danzo escape thing, I had to hear about it from Itachi. Maybe that's why I let you fight the Kyuubi so easily." Akimi said with fake anger.

"Akimi-chan, so mean." Naruto pouted for a few seconds before his face immediately brightened. "I have a surprise for you. I was able to meet my parents, and I can take you to meet them if you want." he said jovially.

Akimi was taken aback, she had no idea how to respond to that. "I... Uh... How?" she finally settled on asking.

"My dad was even more amazing than I thought, it turns out he sealed part of his own along with my mothers chakra into the seal so that they could meet me one day. It happened when I decided to face Kyuubi, I don't have much time with them, but it is possible for me to take you with me into my seal to meet them." Naruto explained.

Akimi was even more nervous now. She had never even thought about talking to Naruto's parents simply because he didn't have any. She could sympathise because she too was an orphan. Still her main worry was a rather obvious one. "What if they don't like me." She said weakly.

"Why wouldn't they like you?" Naruto asked, shocked she would even ask the question.

"Well for one I am not from Konoha, I'm from Kumo. They might not approve of me to be your girlfriend, or tell you that you should find someone else. I don't know if I could take that." The swift release kunoichi said worryingly.

"Then I wouldn't care if they did. Real parents should be there to support their children no matter what. I can't imagine them not liking you, but if it comes down to it then I have already made up my mind, I would never abandon you just because someone doesn't approve, even if they are my parents." Naruto declared.

Akimi smiled and nodded in response. "Thank you Naruto-kun, in that case I would love to meet them." She said far less timidly.

"Awesome, but first let's go get something to eat, I'm starving, that little workout really built up an appetite." Naruto laughed, grabbing Akimi's hand before jumping up to a nearby rooftop and darting across the village, following his nose towards what he considered the greatest restaurant in the Elemental Nations, Ichiraku Ramen.

"I should have known you would have brought me here, but I guess you have earned it today." Akimi sighed knowing she wasn't going to be able to talk her boyfriend into eating elsewhere, not now that they were already here.

Naruto just smiled a fox like grin and pushed past the short curtains before taking a seat at the counter. "Yo old man." he called grabbing the attention of Teuchi the head chef.

"Ah Naruto-kun, it's good to see you again. What'll it be?" Teuchi asked.

"Three Miso Ramen please. I'm starving." Naruto declared happily.

"Ah if only I had more customers like you. Now what can I get for your beautiful lady friend?" The shop owner pressed.

Akimi smiled enjoying the fact she was called beautiful. "I'll just have one Miso Ramen thank you, I am not a pig like Naruto-kun." she said with a small smirk.

"Don't listen to her Naruto-kun, eat as much as you want. I'll send Ayame over with your orders in a minute." Teuchi laughed in reply.

When their meals arrived Naruto disappeared into his bowl faster than he had been moving in his fight with Gai, his first serving disappearing before Akimi had had much more than a mouthful. "Wow, you must have really been hungry." The kunoichi said with a sweat drop.

"Wh- -as dat?" Naruto said, looking up from his second bowl with a mouth full of noodles.

Akimi shook her head. "I can't believe you sometimes, you are so serious when you're fighting or if something important is happening, then the next minute you do something like this." She said while the truth was she was trying not to laugh at the boy. She liked the fact that he could switch off from the serious world class shinobi and just be a regular teenager, finding his boyish charm endearing.

Naruto slurped up the noodles hanging from his mouth and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Well from what I have come to understand most exceptionally talented shinobi have some quirk that allows them to cope with the stress of what we do. It's not as noticeable with younger shinobi, because they haven't been doing it for as long. Look at Kakashi, he openly reads Jiraiya-sensei's perverted books everywhere he goes. Jiraiya-sensei spends more time peeking on women at bath houses than training, or doing his job for that matter. Hell even Tsunade-Baachan is a no good drunken gambler. If we're fortunate to stay alive in this business as long as they have we will need a release, it's the only way to stay sane." he said seriously before quickly switching back to his fun loving persona.

Akimi was left stunned wondering just which of the two was the real Naruto, after less than a second of thought she decided that it didn't matter either way, they were both just different sides to the same coin that was the man she loved. Without further word her attention turned back to the noodle broth before her and she tucked in noticing that Naruto was already over halfway done with his second bowl. '_A release huh, well I can think of one way_.' She thought with a light blush.

After their meal the Naruto sat at the counter leaning back in his seat while rubbing his stomach. "Man that was good, you should come work for us as the Yoinokuchi's head chef." He said longingly.

"Oh no you don't, I already told you, I won't let you eat ramen every night, even if this is delicious, and I must admit that it is." Akimi said warningly.

"Aw, so mean. Oh well, maybe next time, I'll make sure to offer you the job when princess buzz kill isn't around." Naruto smirked knowing he would get a reaction.

"What was that?" Akimi asked threateningly.

"Oh nothing, just fantasising about how good it would be to have a private ramen chef." Naruto answered with a grin.

"Now Naruto-kun, it's not nice to lie." Akimi said in thinly veiled anger.

Naruto just laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before tossing the money for the meal along with a generous tip onto the counter before darting out of the ramen bar.

It ashamed Akimi to even think it but that simple act had drained all the anger from her system. "Dammit he got me. Naruto-kun get back here!" she yelled before racing off after the blond.

"Those two are a odd pair, don't you think Tou-san?" Ayame said turning to her father.

"You think so? I think they are quite average for most shinobi couples, neither wanting to be seen as weak or emotional. I may not have ever been able to become a ninja, but I have met enough of them to know how they think. They're far too proud for their own good if you ask me. They bicker and poke fun at each other, when really all they want to do is tell the other how important they are to them." Teuchi replied in thought.

"I think you're getting old Tou-san." Ayame said with a deadpan expression on her face.

Akimi finally caught up with Naruto in a small park that was located in an area of the village that had survived the effects of the Akatsuki attack. He was sitting on top of the metal framework of a set of swings. "Why the hell would you come here?" She asked seeing nothing unique about this part of the village.

"This park was the last place that I stood in Konoha before I left with Jiraiya-sensei. I remember on that night he left me here so he could go tell Jiji that he was retiring and taking me with him." Naruto said with warm grin as he thought about the fond memory. "Looking back Konoha was never really much of a home to me, but despite everything I still love it all the same, I hate seeing the village in this state."

"You came here to reflect on the past?" Akimi questioned.

"Well I guess, but this is also the perfect place for you to meet my parents, there is nobody around and time passes slower in the seal so it won't take long." Naruto answered.

The kunoichi nodded deciding that now was as good of a time as any. "So what do I do?"

"Place your hand on my seal, then we need direct eye contact." The jinchuuriki explained. Doing as she was instructed Akimi placed her hand flatly over the seal on his navel and looked into his eyes. A small blush crept onto her face, never being one for public shows of affection, even if Naruto had told her that they were alone the fact was they were standing in a highly populated area of Konoha.

The second their eyes met Akimi felt her presence shift, the world went dark for a few seconds only for it to reappear as a sewer. "Your mind is a sewer? That's kinda messed up." Akimi said blankly.

"Well I never thought of trying to change it, I can sort of understand the seal like this, those pipes carry my chakra to the various parts of my body as I need it, and the biggest one leads right to the fox. I can only bring people here one at a time, and in the past only Jiraiya-sensei has seen it, apparently this appearance is not all that uncommon." Naruto replied. As they entered the main room holding the fox behind it's cage.

"That's probably because his mind is in the gutter so much his mindscape would be the same." The kunoichi retorted.

"Oh I like her." Came a cheerful call from Kushina as she appeared seemingly out of thin air behind the pair.

"She does seem to have and accurate assessment of Jiraiya-sensei. And this place could really use a decent revamp." Minato agreed with a jovial laugh.

"Does it really matter that much? I mean it's only the Kyuubi that has to deal with it." Kushina said earning an agreeing nod from Akimi. Much to her surprise the two blonds didn't seem to be on the same page.

"That's not a fair way to view things. Sure he may be filled with anger, but that doesn't mean that he needs to suffer for it. Kyuubi is capable of thought and making complex decisions, so it stands to reason that he has feelings too." Naruto said slightly disapproving of his mothers attitude.

"It would also stand to reason that most of the hate that Kyuubi has generated over the years has been because of the way humans have used the Bijuu for their own gains. Before Madara Uchiha started controlling them, most of them had been considered reasonably placid despite being highly dangerous." Minato nodded in agreement.

"Yeah but it's because of the Kyuubi that you didn't grow up in a loving household with parents." Akimi replied siding with Kushina.

"I know, but the blame doesn't rest with Kyuubi in this case, don't get me wrong we don't see eye to eye on most things, well anything if I am being honest, but I think he deserves better than what he's got. Up until this point I had simply ignored the Kyuubi as a nuisance that I could ignore, so I am no better than anyone, but I want to change, and I want to help the Kyuubi lose it's hatred so that when it is time for me to pass on there doesn't need to be a fourth Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and we both can be free from our burden." Naruto replied.

Kushina looked somewhat ashamed at how she had treated the Bijuu while her son had become so forgiving. Minato beamed with pride at the young man, he had always wanted Naruto and the Kyuubi to work together and become partners and the first step towards that would be for them to come to some understanding, while he knew that would be awhile yet before they could reach that level camaraderie this was a good place to start.

What nobody there knew was that Kyuubi was listening to the whole conversation from his cage, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. '_**He wants to become friends? Impossible, even if he is the one Tou-san spoke of I will not give him the satisfaction of claiming that he tamed me.**_' He claimed, although with slightly less anger than he usually held for the boy.

"When I took the Kyuubi's pure chakra and first entered my Bijuu cloak state I felt all the pain and anger that the fox had accumulated over the years, even if it takes my whole life I want to save him from that fate of being consumed by his own darkness." Naruto added.

"I believe you will." Minato said proudly.

Kushina nodded and rushed in to pull Naruto into a bone crushing hug. "I never thought I would get the chance to be scolded by my own son." She laughed affectionately while burying her head into his chest.

"Ah come on Kaa-san you're embarrassing me." Naruto said sheepishly, in truth Naruto never wanted the hug to end, he had spent a his whole life without knowing the warmth of a mothers hug, so he wanted to treasure every moment of the few he had with his parents.

Kushina gave her son one last squeeze before releasing him. "That's right, I shouldn't embarrass you in front of your girlfriend." she said turning to Akimi. "Now let me get a good look at you."

"It's a real honour to meet you both, Kushina-sama, Yondaime-sama." She said nervously.

"Oh respectful, although is it alright if I say I am somewhat upset you don't have like red hair like mine." Kushina joked before pulling the young kunoichi into a hug. She leaned in and began to whisper into Akimi's ear. "Thank you for loving my son, I'm so glad he found someone. Just don't let him get away with doing reckless things all the time, he's like his father, always running off to fight some unbeatable foe."

"Like the Kyuubi, or Nagato." Akimi whispered back with a newly found confident smile.

"Or an army of thousands single handed, they are so much a like in that way." Kushina replied before they both let out a small laugh.

Meanwhile Naruto and Minato were watching on in relative silence. "What do you think they are talking about?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, but I doubt it's anything good for us." Minato replied with a smile. "I must say she's quite the looker, but my guess is not from Konoha."

"No she fled from Kumo with her brother, I found them with Jiraiya-sensei and Itachi being chased by a tracker team." Naruto replied.

"Sort of ironic isn't it, the woman you love coming from the place you hated more than anything?" Minato questioned with a teasing smile.

"Maybe but I have gotten over my hatred for Kumo now. Besides people are individuals regardless of where they come from, you will find people you like and people you don't in every place you travel." Naruto said calmly.

"That sounds an awful lot like Jiraiya-sensei, although I think he would say you find beautiful women wherever you travel." Minato laughed.

Kushina heard the laugh but more importantly she heard the name of Jiraiya being thrown around. "So what is so funny over there? You better not be talking about perverted things while I am meeting my future daughter in law!" she threatened and her hair began waving behind her like nine tails.

Naruto and Akimi both went bright red at how Kushina had described the swift release kunoichi. "No we were talking about how I found it ironic that Naruto met such a lovely young woman from a place he used to hate." Minato said with no small hint of fear.

'_How does her hair do that? I wonder if mine would if I grew it out?_' Naruto wondered noting how threatening his mother looked while angry.

"I guess as long as you are not doing anything perverted then that's alright, but why were you talking about Jiraiya-sama?" Kushina asked her hair still flailing threateningly behind her indicating that she had not yet dropped her guard.

Minato seemed at a loss but luckily Naruto stepped in to save the day. "I was saying how one of jiraiya-sensei's books is going to be turned into a movie."

"Really is it 'The Tale of a Gutsy Ninja'? Minato-kun loved that book, and so did I." Kushina asked happily.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in mild embarrassment not sure how to answer. Akimi did not have the same feelings however. "Hardly, it's his perverted Icha Icha books. I hear that they're going to make a whole series of them."

"He did mention he was going to start writing something along those lines. I wonder what they were like?" Minato wondered.

"Well it's a good thing you're already dead because you wouldn't want to find out." Kushina replied.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now why don't you tell us more about... Akimi-chan, was it?" Minato said hoping to change the subject off of his and Naruto's perverted sensei.

"Uh there really isn't much to tell, I was born in Kumo but you already know that and I fled with by brother Akaru when I was young because I had developed a chakra mutation that would become a bloodline limit." She said factually.

Minato perked up at that, "a Kekei Genaki?" He asked.

"Yes I have a perfect sync of Fuuton and Raiton elements giving me a Swift Release bloodline limit. At the time Kumo was still hungry for power and with the failed kidnapping of a Hyuuga of the Main house happening not long before. They saw me as a way to start a new clan in Kumo." Akimi admitted.

"Hey had similar plans for me. My chakra is unusually dense, I can even form objects with it." Kushina said demonstrating by producing a thick chakra chain.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Amazing, that's like my Banbutsu Sozo."

"Well I don't think it is as amazing as the jutsu used to create the nine Bijuu, but Mito-sama once compared it to the Shodai's Mokuton abilities." Kushina replied happily.

"You know about Banbutsu Sozo?" Naruto asked completely stunned.

"Yes, our clan has studied the Bijuu and sealing arts for hundreds of years. Nobody else alive could have sealed the Kyuubi away after Shodai-sama's fight with Madara Uchiha. Only the members of our clan had the knowledge. We were like totally amazing." She grinned.

"Well from what I have seen the Uzumaki clan still are amazing. Two Uzumaki with the Rinnegan that's not something to laugh at." Minato added.

"So what happened to them all? it sounds like the Uzumaki clan was really powerful, so where are they all now? Nagato didn't even know he was an Uzumaki." Naruto questioned.

"Truth is I don't know for sure, they have scattered. Near the start of the third great shinobi war a distress message was received from Uzu, by the time our teams got there the place was in rubble, if there were any survivors they were long gone. Judging by the surroundings there must have been quite a fight but we found no evidence as to who it was.

"Huh that's kind of strange." Akimi said suddenly.

"What is? Towns and clans being anhialated was not all that rare all that long ago, sure the Uzumaki clan was one of the oldest and well respected clans in the elemental nations, it was also the last one to occur before I died." Minato said.

"Well it's just the Uzumaki clan's were the best sealers, able to seal anything away, they came up with the way to create jinchuuriki. The Uchiha clan had the ability to cast a genjutsu onto jinchuuriki to control them, they have been wiped out as well. The only senju remaining is Tsunade-sama, and that weird clone of Hashirama, Tenzo I think his name was. It almost seems like someone was wiping out all the threats to the Bijuu over a period of time." The young kunoichi said somewhat tentatively.

"But all villages can seal Bijuu away, well the Kyuubi still has to be contained within a shinobi with unusually strong life affirming chakra but would that not be considered a threat to the Bijuu?" Kushina replied.

"Maybe not all of them. The legend says that the nine bijuu are the sum of one being." Minato stated.

"The Juubi, but Rikudou-sama was said to have sealed it away in the moon." Kushina said.

Minato nodded, what Kushina had said was true "It's body maybe, but if the nine are combined together-"

"That's what the masked man is trying to achieve, Nagato told me that combining the nine Bijuu would create a weapon, it must be the Juubi. But there must be more too it, Itachi said he was a rather level headed man that was methodical about his plans, he wouldn't simply recreate the strongest Bijuu to let it run rampant and destroy the world." Naruto finished for his father.

"Then he must need it's power for something, and having the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clans out of the way would make that process a lot easier." Kushina agreed.

"It's impossible to tell what his plans may be without hearing them first hand, but the man I met wearing the mask was rather confident, to the point where he would openly divulge information. Unless he has changed dramatically I would say he will openly give up his plan should he feel the time is right, or if he has the right audience." Minato reasoned.

"Enough of this sombre talk, we should be enjoying our remaining minutes with our son, our time is almost up." Kushina said, a small yet sad smile graced her lips. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you Naruto-kun, but you became a fine young man, and you have a wonderful lady, so treat her right! Or when you finally come to the other side, an old man, I will kill you all over again."

Naruto began to tear up. "You can't go yet... I'll do something, I'll, I'll save you. As long as your chakra is here I can bring you back!" he declared.

Minato shook his head. "I'm sorry Naruto, it's not possible for me, my soul is with the Shinigami, it's best not to anger him."

"And I am not meant to be here Naruto-kun. Thank you for the offer but I died sixteen years ago, let me go in peace." Kushina added solemnly.

"But there is so much I wanted to tell you, and show you, I completed the Rasengan, I made lot's of great friends. You can't go now, not when I just met you." The young blond cried.

"This is just how it's supposed to be, but there is one thing we can do for you." Minato said grabbing Naruto's hand and placing it onto his forehead. "Your Human Path, I want you to use it on me."

"But it will kill you, even if you're already dead it will drain the remaining of your chakra, you won't have anymore time left!" Naruto said with a hint of desperation.

"I know, but it was my job as a father to teach you how to be a man and fight for yourself, I couldn't do that for you, but with his I can give you my knowledge and fighting styles. Think of it as a gift before we meet again." Minato said happily.

Naruto had tears rolling down his face but he nodded. "Human Path!" he said, voice cracking.

Suddenly his arms dropped to his side and Minato smiled. "Sorry Kushina-chan looks like I am going first again, I'll see you one the other side." he bent down to give Naruto one last hug. Naruto raised his arms to hug his father back but found them to glide right through his torso. Naruto looked up into his fathers face one last time to see him mouth the words "I love you," before fading out of existence.

The blond fell to his knees, tears rolling down his face. Akimi went to move towards him but was stopped by an arm from Kushina. "Please, let me, you will have to comfort him afterwards, it's my turn now." she said quietly. Akimi nodded sadly and let the red head kneel down in front of her son. "Naruto-kun, it's my turn now." she said.

Naruto shook his head. "How can I? It's like I am killing you myself!?" he cried.

Kushina pulled him into a motherly hug but his arms still hung weakly at his side. "Minato-kun wouldn't sacrifice himself for nothing, he wanted to help you, and I do too, please let me help you Naruto-kun." she said in a soothing voice.

"I can't, please don't make me do it." he wept shaking his head.

Kushina let a lone tear roll down her face as she gripped Naruto's hand in both of hers. "I will be gone in a few minutes anyway, I need you to do this for me." she said slowly moving his hand and placing it on her forehead. "All of my knowledge on seals and our family, that I would have taught you is yours now, use it wisely, and never use the dead demon summoning seal. Oh what else, treat your friends well, get married and have a family, I would bet that the next generation will have red hair, we Uzumaki are well known for it, you're just an abnormality." She laughed trying to lighten the mood even if Naruto's face still looked half dead.

Slowly Naruto looked up into his mothers eyes wordlessly pleading for her to let him save her. She let out a sigh and shook her head. He cringed and once more called forth his Human Path. This time neither moved, just holding each other as Kushina faded away. He sat still for a few minutes not moving until he felt Akimi bury her head into the back of his own, he could feel the wetness on the back of his neck indicating that she had also been crying. "Sorry Akimi-chan I'm better now, lets go I bet it's getting late already." he said.

"We can stay here for awhile if you need some time?" She suggested but he shook his head and wiped his eyes dry with his sleeve. Before standing.

"Let's go, I have quite a bit of new information to sort though." He said.

The next moment the pair was opening their eyes in the real world Naruto let out a sigh and Akimi didn't hesitate to give him a hug. "I'm so sorry about what just happened, but I am really glad that you brought me along to meet them." she whispered.

"It appears that I am intruding upon something I am truly sorry."

Naruto and Akimi both spun around and saw the masked Uchiha sitting atop the set of swings. "You!" Naruto yelled with an angry scowl.

"Hello Naruto Uzumaki, I think it is time we had a little chat."

**End Chapter!**

**Over 3000 reviews, you guys are awesome, thanks so much for supporting the story and leaving your feedback, it keeps me writing.**

**I know it's an annoying cliffhanger. Sorry about that. But it least you know I won't jerk you around for six weeks and explain nothing. Next week will be a chapter for A Price for Peace, but I have also started a new chapter of Toad Sages Apprentice for anyone that is interested, it's still very much a back thought for now with Nightfall remaining my main project, but look out for a new chapter in coming weeks. **

**Again a big thank you to everyone that continues to support this story. As always your reviews and suggestions are very welcome and much appreciated. **


	123. Restricted Tsukuyomi

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 123: Restricted Tsukuyomi**

Naruto launched himself at the masked Uchiha, a rasengan forming in his hand. Even Akimi barely saw the blond move it happened so fast. Yet Tobi still managed to phase himself out of existence in the nick of time.

"Now now Naruto-kun, is that anyway to treat a passer by?" Tobi laughed from behind his mask.

"Let's just say I am in a really foul mood right now, but I don't mind if I get to kill you." Naruto replied while moving back to stand with Akimi.

"Let's be civilised shall we, I am simply here to talk for now." Tobi chuckled.

"Talk huh, about what?" Naruto asked with a scowl.

Across from where the blond stood with Akimi, the masked Uchiha sat atop a set of swings with his arms and legs crossed. "Oh but there are so many things that we can discuss, like how you, someone with very little Senju, and no Uchiha genes, have those eyes. Or we could discuss all the horrible things that are going to happen if you don't hand over the Kyuubi. But most importantly I wan't to know how you made Nagato turn on me."

"Nagato was never your's to control, he was his own man. He just had the wrong way of achieving his dream." Naruto spat back.

"That's not true, he had such marvellous hatred, it made him easy to manipulate. Only Sasuke's could compare, his hatred for Itachi and now Konoha is truly a work of art, I must thank Itachi for all the work he has done." Tobi laughed gleefully.

"I have no interest in Sasuke, and neither does Itachi." Naruto declared.

"Oh but you should, you see the two of you are destined to fight. You're representatives of the two descendent's of the Rikudou Sennin. Or to be more accurate, the Senju and Uchiha." Tobi smirked behind his mask.

"But you already said I had very little Senju gene's in me, maybe you should find someone else to play your stupid games with." The blond said firmly.

"Oh but there is nobody better, a member of the Uzumaki main branch family with the eyes of the sage himself. An almost perfect reincarnation of the sage if ever there was one, who better for you to fight than a member of the cursed Uchiha clan. But of course at this moment Sasuke is no match for you, simply a insignificant insect. Truth be told he could not best many in that group of yours, Jiraiya of the Sannin, Itachi his own brother, even the Ichibi jinchuuriki Gaara would be more than a match for Sasuke as he is now. But that's what is so tantalising, is his hatred he doesn't care that he's weaker. I'll throw him against one strong opponent after another until he is ready. Still even then his purpose in this world is simply to be a pawn, first for Konoha, then Orochimaru, and now for me. He is not like us Naruto-kun, we are meant to be free." Tobi decreed happily.

"I am nothing like you! You are cruel, you use the pain and darkness of others hearts to manipulate them. You're just some pathetic fool who let's others fight their battles for them, because they are not strong enough." Naruto spat furiously.

"Ah such flattering words Naruto-kun. Now that that's out of the way how about you hand over yourself, Gaara, and Fu?" The masked man asked in a friendly tone.

"And why the fuck would I do that?" Naruto asked.

"Because if you don't I will burn this Ninja world to the ground to get my hands on the remaining Bijuu, my plan has been put on hold long enough. When I saw you had the Rinnegan I had wondered if I should wait until you died, but then I reminded myself that you were an Uzumaki and what you hold, chances are you will live long passed even my death." Tobi answered.

"Well that won't be hard, because I am going to be the one that kills you." Naruto replied. He so wanted to rush forward and slam a rasengan directly into his mask, but now that he had calmed down more he knew that he needed to gather information first. "The Akatsuki are all but gone now, even if you start to rebuild you won't be able to find as many highly skilled shinobi as you had before. So how will you burn this world down?"

"Oh while rebuilding the Akatsuki is tempting, they have for the most part served their purpose, the last stages of my plan require a more direct approach, although if you hand yourself over then they may not be necessary." Tobi spoke nonchalantly.

"Then what is this direct way?" Naruto asked.

"What and then spoil the surprise when I tell the five Kage's in person at the summit, I don't think so. If you really want to know then be at the Kage summit in the Land of Iron in a few weeks, but that is presuming you escape me tonight." Tobi mused.

Naruto and Akimi tensed ready for the man to strike, but before anyone could move a torrent of sand crashed forward from behind Tobi. Still despite catching the masked Uchiha unawares, Tobi simply phased out of existence and the sand stopped in front of Naruto, coming together to form Gaara. "I was walking back to the house when I saw you both, I trust you are not harmed." The red head asked.

"Oh my it's Gaara-kun as well, how perfect more pawns for my experiment." Tobi said entering his child like personality for a few moments.

"Experiment?" Akimi asked not liking the sound of where this was going.

"Yes you three should feel honoured, you get to play a little survival game, I can guarantee it wont be boring." The faux Madara said with a small laugh as a see through red sphere appeared in his hand. '_I wonder how long it will take for them to escape, but there is always the slim chance that they will die in the Restricted Tsukuyomi and I will be able to take both Bijuu without resistance._' He thought with a small smirk behind his mask as the red orb rose up into the sky.

Naruto watched the orb rise into the sky, gripping Akimi's hand and the side of Gaara's cloak in case they had to evade an oncoming attack. Eventually the orb reached a height where it eclipsed the moon, making the area appear red. Suddenly the orb gained the appearance of an eye before vanishing, and it was not the only thing that vanished, Tobi was also gone. "What the hell was that?" He asked rubbing the back of his neck, shuffling his Yoinokuchi cloak back into place, now that he appeared to be safe.

"I don't know but we should probably go tell Itachi and Jiraiya-sama about this." Gaara proposed.

"Yeah that's not a bad idea, they may have some idea about what he tried to do." The blond agreed. They slowly made their way out of the park with their guards raised, if Tobi showed up like that once he could easily do it again.

They were descending a small set of stairs when the three members of team eight were walking past. Naruto had only had limited interactions with them in the past but he still considered them friendly enough. "Yo dobe, what are you doing here this late at night?" Kiba asked.

"What was that dog breath?" Naruto replied, not one to simply let himself be disrespected.

"Don't call me that, you know I don't like dog's, now if you said I was like a cat, that I wouldn't mind." Kiba replied only to have Akamaru bark angrily in reply. The young Inuzuka retorted angrily himself before the large white ninja hound bit him and ran off.

"You seem to be having trouble with your pet Kiba, isn't that some sort of sin for an Inuzuka?" Naruto laughed lightly.

"Oh what would you know! Besides I wish I could have had a cat anyway, they are so much better." Kiba replied before he noticed the two shinobi behind the blond. "Hey dobe, who's the babe and... oh shit, Kazekage-sama!"

This piqued the interest of the other two members of team eight but for different reasons. Hinata's Byakugan flared and she glared directly at Akimi. "Who the hell are you, I haven't seen you around this village before?" She asked in a harsh tone. Seeing that she was dressed in the same strange outfit as the blond and red head made her suspicious in Hinata's books.

"Pehaps she came with the Kazekage, although it seems strange to have Gaara-sama in the village without his siblings. Did you perhaps squash them like the bugs they must surely be when compared to a Kage?" Shino replied.

"Uh guy's do you have any idea what's going on?" Naruto asked the two Yoinokuchi members quietly.

"No but it may have something to do with the masked man's jutsu, we need to find Itachi and Jiraiya-sama and find out what's going on." Gaara suggested.

"He's right let's get out of here." Akimi said and went to grab Naruto's hand but found Hinata blocking her path. "Is there something you need Hinata?" Akimi asked, she had met the girl a few times and found her to be quite nice, she had even admitted she had once had a crush on Naruto although she knew that nothing would ever develop between them.

"I don't know how you know my name, but stay away from Menma, he's mine." She threatened in a whisper.

"Uh okay, I'll keep that in mind if I ever fall for... Menma was it?" The swift release kunoichi replied with a confused look on her face.

Hinata's attention then turned to Naruto where she noticed something about him was quite different, his chakra was more powerful, and it was converging on his eyes that now looked far different than she remembered. It was Shino however that asked the question. "Namikaze-san, has something happened to your eyes? They look odd different more threatening than before, they used to look as week as a pathetic beetle but now they seem hardened."

Naruto was confused right now he wanted to get out of this rather off putting situation, "My eyes are the same as they have always been, look we gotta go, come on guys." He said urgently before taking off followed soon after by Akimi and Gaara.

"Suspicious." Shino whispered after they were gone.

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

"Mena, looked different, only slightly, and unless I was focusing directly on them I wouldn't have noticed. Those eyes were like nothing I had ever seen before. What's worse is he's running around with another woman dressed in some weird outfit." Hinata answered while clenching her fist in anger. "Fool, he's supposed to love me, not anyone else." she added as an afterthought.

"I too felt something off about Menma it is a shame I have no way of checking on his chakra, that could perhaps tell us more." Shino mused before continuing to walk. Kiba followed not long after not finding anything about the blond interesting one way or another. Hinata was the only one that stayed behind, her eyes left attempting to find Naruto and his new entourage but failing spectacularly. '_They must be out of my range already, but that's impossible, even for the Kazekage._' she thought bitterly but eventually gave up and began to follow her teammates.

Naruto, Gaara and Akimi landed in the outskirts of the village. "Kami that was weird, they were completely different people." Akimi said.

"Is that so, I have never had any interaction with them so I could not tell you my opinion." Gaara said.

"They called you the Kazekage, what the hell was that about, Naruto asked as he pushed open the entrance to the hidden cave. But he froze when he saw what was inside. Nothing the place was empty, he had expected to see Itachi sitting reading a book or talking with Konan or Nagato, but the place appeared as though it hadn't been used in decades. "Something is seriously wrong here... A genjutsu?" he thought quickly bursting his chakra to find out, nothing happened.

"If it is a genjutsu, then it is particularly powerful, can you even see the chakra in the world?" Gaara asked.

"No, the only Genjutsu's that should affect me are sound related anyway, but this must be a Genjutsu that works off a different principle, a world constructed around us like a trap, we just need to find the exit." Naruto mused.

"What about self harm? Doesn't that end all Genjutsu?" Akimi asked.

"Well it does but if this is a fake world, then it will work on the same principle as Tsukuyomi, harming ourself won't work it will only damage our minds, we will need to be moved from outside the genjutsu to break it, which gives us an advantage, because as long as we stay unharmed and alive in here, it means that if we are touched or even threatened, external stimuli will force us from the jutsu." Naruto explained.

"And what if we die in here?" Akimi questioned.

"Well I would guess that with how real this jutsu feels then our brain in real life will think we have died and shut down. That's the masked bastards game here. He will through something at us inside this world that we will need to overcome, but it will have to be something that he could only use to his advantage inside this world and not our own, otherwise sending us here would be pointless." Naruto surmised.

"So what do we do?" Akimi asked.

"I say we try to blend in as best as possible, eventually be it an external stimuli or inside this world, that man will have to make his move, if we wait a path will become clear." Gaara suggested.

"Well I don't exactly like doing nothing, but it's a start. We should also try and find out what else is different about this world. I am sure that Kiba wanting to be a cat is not the only change." Naruto agreed.

"How should we do that, by the looks of it at least you two are familiar with the people of this world even if they do think Gaara is the Kazekage... hey you don't think he really is the Kazekage here do you?" The kunoichi asked.

Naruto and Gaara looked at each other for a few moments before they both shook there head. "Impossible, I was hated in Suna, besides I am far too young to be given a position as a Kage, why would a village put someone so young in charge?" Gaara replied.

"Well you are strong, you can give Jiraiya-sama and Itachi a run for their money, and Suna is currently the weakest of the five villages, no offence." Akimi replied.

"None taken, I was aware of that when they used a Genin as their secret weapon in an invasion that was doomed to fail." Gaara answered curtly. "Anyway, Suna is not my home anymore, my place is in the Yoinokuchi with Naruto-kun and yourself." he added.

"Anyway we shouldn't stay here, let's go check out the village, did you notice that it looked to be in far better condition than our world?" Akimi questioned.

"Yes I did notice that, perhaps the Akatsuki has not invaded here in this timeline." Naruto said with a slight scowl.

"We should split up, we can cover more ground that way." Gaara said as the three began heading back to the village.

"Yeah alright I'll create six clones and we will meet up at the Hokage monument over the- what the fuck, who's that!?" Naruto half yelled when he saw a different face where his fathers head should be.

"This is an interesting development." Gaara nodded.

"Naruto-kun's father was not the Yondaime Hokage in this world." Akimi said as she looked at the strange looking bearded man's face carved in stone where Minato Namikaze's once proudly sat. "Well I know stone can be deceiving but your father definitely made a more handsome Hokage." she chuckled.

"Thank's I'll be sure to tell him that the next time I see him." Naruto chuckled. "Come on, my clones will check out that side of the village, lets cover this half ourselves." He quickly created six clones that bowed once before taking off in a blur into the village.

"I should probably have a back story, for why I am in the village, they know you and Gaara, but I am an outsider they have never met before." Akimi said as they silently scaled the walls.

"Hm, why not say you're a wandering Ninja that Gaara employed as a bodyguard?" Naruto suggested.

"That could work, but if I am truly the Kazekage, then wouldn't it be suspicious for me to hire an escort from outside of Suna?" Gaara questioned.

"Yeah that's true." Naruto said rubbing his chin in thought.

"Why don't you say that I am trying to join Suna and this trip is part of my initiation test, or part of my probation?" Akimi suggested.

"That sounds somewhat believable, it's good enough for now, let's get to work shall we?" The Ichibi jinchuuriki asked and without a response the three split up.

(**Meanwhile**)

The spectral figure of Tobi stood on a small arched bridge over a river that was overlooking Konoha. "There have been some rather unique changes down there, this could prove interesting. Almost as interesting as the two of you." he said, his head turning to two masked shinobi with black hair.

They both stood in silence and the faux Madara sighed in frustration when a new spectral figure arrived, this time of Zetsu. "_Huh it seems rather peaceful here_. _**I thought you would have created some kind of horrible monstrous world for them,**_ _or instantly set the air ablaze,_ _**or something along those lines.**_" the plant like shinobi figure said with a huff.

"That is not how the Restricted Tsukuyomi works Zetsu. I have relatively little control over this world, but thanks to these two things will move along fairly quickly." Tobi replied.

Zetsu's attention turned to the two masked shinobi. "_Now this is interesting,_ _**who would have thought this would have happened.**_"

"Only to those two, you can probably guess why." Tobi replied.

Zetsu nodded. "_Then the girl?_"

"Who knows, perhaps in Kumo, being used for whatever the Raikage see's fit." Tobi chuckled darkly.

"_**Sounds disturbing.**_" Zetsu added in a laugh. "_Call me when something interesting happens._ _**Information on how the Kyuubi jinchuuriki fights will be essential for when we start the war.**_"

"I will try to remember, but at the moment I am having fun observing this world." Tobi said. '_I wonder what you will do next Naruto-kun I hope you don't disappoint me. The game will be far less fun if you lose at this early hurdle. I wan't you to feel pathetic, hopeless before I eventually rip that beast from you_.' He thought darkly.

(**With Naruto**)

'This place is exactly like it was before the attack, hell it's probably even livelier. Naruto thought stopping to take in some information from one of his clones dispelling. "So I'm a Chunin, I kinda hoped I would have at least been a rookie Jounin in this world. Oh well, that means the people here may underestimate me should anything occur. It shouldn't be much of a problem though, judging from the relative chakra signatures there is no real difference in the average strength of the village, and it looks like Tsunade-Baachan is still Hokage."

Akimi landed in a small ally behind the blond and quickly moved to his side. "I can't find anything out of the ordinary, although I did see Shikamaru and Choji, at least I think it was them." She said.

"What do you mean, they're pretty easy to tell, Shikamaru is a genius who is far to lazy to be a proper ninja and Choji is like all of his clan, big build to power their clans jutsu." Naruto replied.

"That's just it, Shikamaru was so full of energy, basically jumping around and Choji was like a stick. It's like their personalities have done a full one eighty, they are the complete opposites of how they are in our world." Akimi replied.

"I had a clone sneak into the Hokage tower and take a look at my personal record as well as spy on the Hokage, Tsunade-Baachan seems to be close enough to her real personality to not want to wake her up while she's sleeping off a Sake binge. Another clone found Kakashi, but well lets say he and Gai have had a personality shift as well, they are almost complete opposites, just like you said Shikamaru and Choji were." Naruto replied.

"Then the question is why are some people being affected by a change in personalities while others are not." Gaara said as he body formed out of sand beside the young couple.

"Tomorrow we should go see the Baa-chan, she might have some lead for us to follow or something. Ah I hate being blindfolded like this, it's so frustrating." Naruto yelled rubbing his head.

"You're always so loud Menma, you need to keep it down, it scares the ladies away." A new deep voice called out.

Naruto looked to the source of the voice and did not believe his eyes, there was Sasuke casually walking through the village without a care in the world. "Menma?" He asked slightly confused.

"What you don't like being called by your name? I could always go back to calling you Dobe if that would please you." Sasuke smirked.

'_My name here is Menma? I don't think I like that._' "What do you want Sasuke?" Naruto asked eventually.

"Well I ran into Hinata, and she said you were acting weird so I thought I would check it out, but now I am more interested in the fine young woman you have with you." Sasuke said with a sleazy smile and instantly producing a rose, from god knows where before offering it to Akimi. "Ah my raven haired beauty, your visage knows no comparison in this world or the next." The Uchiha crooned as he grabbed the swift release kunoichi's hand and was about to kiss it.

Naruto grabbed his collar at the last moment and yanked him away. "Alright Casanova, back off. I'm perfectly fine, so tell Hinata to forget about me." He said harshly, to say he was not happy about how forward the Uchiha was with Akimi was an understatement, he was ready to drill him with a rasengan for even laying a finger on his girlfriend.

"Oh if only I could, Hinata has such an amazing body, to bad she hung up on you Menma." Sasuke smirked then his smirk fell a little. "What happened to your eyes?" he asked seriously.

"Nothing happened to them." Naruto spat back letting Sasuke go.

"You can't fool me, I know for a fact you don't normally look like that, I only notice when I am looking right at them but I can tell they are definitely different." The Uchiha said his tone becoming more demanding.

'_So he's a prick in this world as well huh. Fine I guess I'll just have to push some of his buttons then._' Naruto thought with a smirk. "I don't know Sasuke, maybe Itachi will tell you if you ask nicely."

Sasuke's face turned into a scowl as he glared at the blond. "Don't mention that mans name to me!" he seethed.

"Then drop your questions, my eyes are perfectly fine, this is how they always look." Naruto spat back.

There was a moment of silence between the two before a small smirk grew on the Uchiha's face. "Oh I get it now, a genjutsu to impress the girl, she likes flashy eyes huh? Sounds perfect for me." He said but paused when Naruto let out a possessive growl. "Alright, I guess you can have this one, have fun keeping the genjutsu up Dobe. Oh by the way a bunch of us are going to the bath houses if you want to come?"

"Hm bathing with a bunch of random guys... I think I will pass on that, have fun in your sausage fest." Naruto replied.

Sasuke let out a half laugh and waved goodbye as he left. "Nice pull, but if Hinata finds out that girl will be in trouble. I swear that bitch is crazy when it comes to you." the Uchiha laughed before leaving.

"Well that was... Odd." Naruto said scratching his head.

You're eyes look fine to me. "Akimi said grabbing Naruto's face to get a closer look."

"Actually from the peripherals they look blue. It's almost like a perception filter. People are seeing what they expect to see unless they look underneath. If we have indeed replaced our counterparts from this world, it would stand to reason that the Naruto of this world never had the traumatic experience that awakened his Rinnegan." Gaara suggested.

"So when the people of this world look at me, they see my old blue eyes, but if they actually take notice they could see the Rinnegan?" The blond surmised.

Gaara nodded while Akimi was looking at the rose Sasuke gave her with a hint of disgust. "I don't know whether or not I like that creep better in this world or the other, he's a complete sleaze." She said tossing the rose away with a shiver and effectively changing the subject.

"Funny thing is I would put money on him having his own fan club or at least a group of girls throwing themselves at him like some tragic hero." Naruto laughed.

"No way, not to someone like that." Akimi said flatly.

"Are you seriously willing to take up a bet with Naruto?" Gaara asked.

"No, that's just throwing money away, but how could he know something like that." Akimi sighed.

"That's easy, he had one when I was still in Konoha, and how else do you get an ego that big?" Naruto laughed.

"Sound logic." Gaara agreed.

"I feel embarrassed to be a woman." Akimi sighed.

"Well at least he isn't some sort of psychopathic murderer with a superiority and Inferiority complex." Naruto laughed referring to the Sasuke of their world.

"Well I guess that's true." Akimi said stifling a laugh.

"Well anyway I thought I said that we were supposed to meet up at the Hokage monument, not here." Naruto said suddenly.

"Well this was on my way there and your chakra signature hadn't moved for awhile, so I came to see what was going on." Akimi said.

"Yeah I guess I was a little slack in doing my own work, I guess I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." Naruto sighed.

Akimi nodded in understanding, he had all of the memories of his father and mother to syphon through, not to mention he was barely given any time to recover after they left him again before he was sent here by the masked ninja. "It's alright maybe we should go find a place to stay for the night. There's always the cave outside the village, it's like a small apartment anyway so there is definitely enough room for us all."

"Yeah sounds as good of a place as any, at least until I find out where I am supposed to live." Naruto laughed hollowly. For his part Gaara just nodded and followed along.

The cave was pitch black when they made their way back inside "I'm going to turn in." Gaara said flatly, moving towards a small bedroom.

Naruto sighed and collapsed onto an old dusty couch. "Are you alright?" Akimi asked taking a seat beside him.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" He replied.

"Hm let me think, you just met your parents for the first time only to have them disappear before your very eyes, then to top it off we were taken to this alternate reality, we have no idea where, Jiraiya-sama, and the others are, and on top of all that we have no idea how to escape." Akimi said clearly worried herself.

"Well I guess when you put it like that it sounds like I have had a pretty bad day huh? I'll be okay Akimi-chan, at the moment I am just going through some of the memories and information that my parents left me, it will take forever to process it all." The blond sighed.

Akimi rested her head on the blonds shoulders, she knew that he was trying to act tough, he had to put on a brave face to make sure that she didn't feel like everything was hopeless. "What type of stuff did they give you? It must have been important if they sacrificed the last of the little time that they had left."

"It fells like everything, like a lifetime full of memories, I have never tried to learn anything like this from using the Human path before, well except for simple information that would drift to the top as soon as I would ask the question. If I focus I can sort of make stuff out but the process is really slow." Naruto answered.

"Still it was really wonderful that they could do that for you, I'm sure you wont waste their gifts." Akimi said confidently.

Naruto nodded and took in a deep breath to try and remain calm. "I'll keep doing my best to make them proud, I couldn't save them, but they will live on through me."

"Good, then with those two backing us up we will be out of this world in no time. So lets get some sleep, genjutsu or not I am still kinda tired." Akimi said hopping off the couch and pulling the blond along with her.

"Alright, tomorrow we will get to work on getting out of this world and back to our own. I wonder what that masked bastard is going to throw in our way though." Naruto mused as the couple entered a bedroom and shut the door firmly behind them.

**End Chapter!**

**Maybe a little shorter than some of the previous chapters but I just thought that this would be a good place to stop and take stock of the situation. Like every arc in this story I am going to do the RTN movie in my own way, so things will most certainly not go the same as in the Cannon. Anyway feel free to drop off any suggestions on what you want to see during this mini arc and I will take them into consideration. I am also well aware that Zetsu wasn't there with Obito during the movie, but I decided to add him for some dialogue. **

**Two weeks and all we get is another scene change to a pointless conversation. Only part that was semi interesting, was the point about making Rin into the Sanbi jinchuuriki. I mean surely Minato, Hiruzen, Jiraiya, or even Danzo could have done something to prevent it being released. Then Konoha would have had two Bijuu, seems like a win win situation to me. But once more logic fails to make an appearance. I would have been more interested if they elaborated on the section with Naruto standing with all the Bijuu around him and Rinnegan hanging over him. While I don't believe they will give Naruto the Rinnegan some plot focusing on the main character would be nice rather than it being an Uchiha fest.**

**Also it looks like Obito can't die within his pocket dimension, I suppose that is not such a big deal as he is likely the one that sustains it. Still maybe Kakashi should take his other eye and replace his Kamui with the Time Space Migration eye, leaving Obito behind alone in the pocket dimension. That's what I would do anyway. **


	124. I am not Menma!

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 124: I am Not Menma!**

The bed in the hidden cave was to say the least uncomfortable, at least by Naruto's standards. Still it had served it's purpose, and gave the Yoinokuchi ninja a place to stay for the night. Still because of this it was of little surprise that Naruto had awoken early. "Morning." he sleepily greeted Akimi, who had been using his chest as a pillow.

"Too early, go back to sleep." She complained while snuggling closer into the blonds chest.

"Sorry Akimi-chan, we have things to do, I see no point in waiting around here." Naruto concluded. '_I swear this place is more comfortable outside of this damn jutsu._' He finished with an afterthought. Much to Akimi's displeasure Naruto rolled out of bed and pulled on his Yoinokuchi cloak. "I hope we don't stay here too long, this is my only set of clothes I have. Maybe who ever this Menma person I have replaced is will have some clothes that fit." He mused while exiting the room.

Gaara was evidently still asleep, as the main chamber was pitch black and only a small crack of light could be seen from the outside around the base of the door. Knowing there would be no food in the kitchen the blond decided to head into town and grab some breakfast for the Yoinokuchi ninja. Pushing open the door Naruto found himself facing a fully armed and highly threatening looking Anbu squad.

"This is a restricted area, that is not allowed to be accessed by anyone without the express consent of the Godaime Hokage! Explain yourself at once." A bear masked Anbu ordered.

"Hm well I needed somewhere to stay, go tell Tsunade-Baachan to relax, she'll live longer that way." Naruto answered in a nonchalant manner. He had no desire to humour the people of this world. All he was concerned with was grabbing something to eat and then finding a way out of Tobi's genjutsu.

This sentiment was not shared by the Anbu squad however. "Menma Uzumaki Namikaze, you are trespassing in restricted land, this is not something we can overlook, you will have to come with us for questioning." the Bear masked Anbu said firmly.

"I'll pass on that, thanks for the offer though. Go tell Baa-chan I will see her later." The blond replied with a wave.

The Anbu squad tensed and each drew a kunai and moved to surround the blond. "That wasn't a request Menma, you have to come with us." They said in unison.

"You think that the four of you can take me in by force? If you believe you are capable of binging me in unharmed I would suggest that you need to rethink things before you get yourselves hurt." Naruto said firmly. The last thing he wanted was someone like a Yamanaka digging around inside his head. So agreeing to their demands was not an option.

"Menma, you are a Chunin of Konoha, you have some nerve to be threatening us." A Hawk masked Anbu said firmly.

"I am getting rather sick of that name, and I am getting sick of you. Now get out of my way." Naruto ordered leaking a fair amount killing intent, enough to make the Anbu freeze for a few moments.

"Orders?" The hawk masked Anbu asked while looking to Bear.

"We capture the person's responsible for breaking into a restricted, classified area of Konoha. That was our mission we must follow through." Bear declared.

The others nodded and in one move jumped forward to intercept the blond. "Oh such a poor choice." Naruto sighed while stretching his hands out. "Shinra Tensei!" The Anbu team was unceremoniously thrown away, each crashing into the ground barely conscious. He walked over to the bear masked Anbu and knelt down over him. "I'm going to make you a little proposition. You go tell Tsunade-Baachan that I will see her and explain this incident when I am ready, and you don't have to tell her that four of Konoha's so called elite were just put down in one move by a Chunin. Do we have a deal?" he asked seriously.

The Anbu on the floor nodded and Naruto smiled before vanishing in a burst of speed. '_Damn, since when was he that powerful, I couldn't even see him use a hand seal for that jutsu that repelled us. Something fishy is going on here._' the Anbu thought as he scrambled to his feet and looked for signs of where the blond had gone only to find nothing. "Let's report to Hokage-sama." he said slightly bitter at how easy he and his team had been dispatched by a Chunin.

Tsunade had been up early due to reports that one of the senses surrounding a hidden base outside of the village had been tripped the night before. She had sent a team of Anbu to investigate not too long ago, so she was quite surprised to see them back kneeling in front of her desk so soon. "Did you find out the culprit?" She asked impatiently.

"Hai Hokage-sama!" They chorused in response.

Tsunade waited a minuted but it seemed like they were not prepared to continue without prompting. "Well don't just sit there like idiots who was it!?" She questioned demandingly.

"We saw Menma leaving there as we arrived, it appeared as though he had stayed there the previous night." Bear declared.

"Then why didn't you bring him to me? He should know that the bases outside of the village are restricted to Anbu and Elite Jounin." Tsunade mused.

"Well uh, we attempted to but he sort of... got the slip on us." Hawk said meekly.

"He got the slip on you? One of the best combat groups in Konoha? Menma has improved quite drastically in recent months but to do that is a little hard to believe from a Chunin." Tsunade said wondering whether or not she should believe them or not.

"It seems like he found a trip to the Interrogation department to be less than ideal, he seemed to be somewhat compliant before we brought that up." One of the other Anbu interjected.

"So he was able to run away? Or did he beat you up first?" Tsunade asked with a small scowl.

The Anbu team looked at each other for a few seconds. "We uh-"

"Pathetic, to think you would all be defeated by Menma, so how did he do it?" Tsunade asked a mixture of annoyed and impressed with the young blonds feat.

"We don't know Tsunade-sama, he didn't even move, it was like an invisible wall just hit us and threw us away when we tried to apprehend him." Bear answered pathetically.

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "That is just sad, you should all be ashamed to call yourself Anbu. Now where is he now? So long as Minato and Kushina are still out on a mission I will have to deal with him myself."

"We didn't see where he went, but I believe that he did say that he would be coming to see you sometime soon. Perhaps it would be easier to wait for him, I am sure he will not begrudge your request for answers." Bear suggested.

"I guess it will save me time putting together a different Anbu squad to find him, as it seems you cannot be trusted to bring in a single shinobi." Tsunade replied rubbing their faces in the fact that they failed to apprehend Naruto.

"We apologise fully Tsunade-sama." Bear said bowing his head.

"It's no matter. Like you said he will be coming here on his own soon enough." Tsunade replied.

At that moment Naruto had just finished his third bowl of ramen, initially he had planned on gathering food for Akimi and Gaara, but he had decided to take advantage of being away from Akimi to abuse his favourite restaurant to it's fullest. "Ah Kami it's good to be able to eat here freely without having to hear a lecture on how I eat too much ramen." He sighed contently while rubbing his stomach.

"You have as big of an appetite as ever it seems Menma-kun." Ayame giggled while handing Naruto another bowl of ramen.

Naruto paused in discomfort. '_There's that damn name again, it's really pissing me off. Why the hell am I sitting around here anyway, I should go to Baa-chan, and look for information on that fake Madara. Sitting around here is accomplishing nothing!_' Naruto decided and hopped up from his seat. "Sorry Ayame, I suddenly lost my appetite, I'll see you next time." He said calmly and left some money on the conter as he exited the ramen stand.

When Naruto arrived at the Hokage tower he wasted no time in jumping up to window height but refrained from entering straight away as Shizune was there talking to Tsunade. Deciding to get a better spot to listen in, Naruto activated his chameleon jutsu and moved to sit in the windowsill.

"This is a real headache, do you know who's responsible?" Tsunade asked.

"There are no definitive answers yet, Kumo are up in arms and are not giving out any information." Shizune replied.

"Figures as much, who would ever admit to losing their Bijuu. The real question is who would have the gall to take on a Bijuu, even if it was only the two tails. What could they possibly want with it?" Tsunade mused.

"Perhaps it was one of the smaller shinobi villages hoping to gain power by creating a jinchuuriki?" Shizune suggested.

"It's more likely the rumoured masked man, he's been collecting bloodline users and rare jutsu's it's possible he's raised the stakes and gone after Bijuu." Tsunade said with a scowl.

That was Naruto's cue, he materialised from apparent thin air sitting in the window. "A masked man huh? That sounds... interesting."

Tsunade spun in her chair a look of shock on her face while Shizune just stared bug eyes at what she had seen. "Menma! When did you get here?"

"That name again..." Naruto scowled in less than a whisper. "I've been here long enough to know that a masked man is targeting bloodline limits and Jinchuuriki."

"It's hard to believe, even that man would be brave enough to go after tailed beasts alone. But it might be true, it seems as though Gaara-sama has disappeared from Suna." Shizune answered.

"But that's not relevant right now. Who do you think you are disobeying a direct order from an Anbu team?" Tsunade said angrily

"Someone who didn't fancy a run in with Ibiki or Anko?" Naruto replied casually.

"Don't be a smart ass Gaki, now what were you doing in that cave, it's out of bounds for any shinobi under Jounin level." Tsunade said.

"Well I didn't know that. Maybe you should put a sign up. You know one saying careful restricted area? Who knows, you might catch some foreign spy's." The blond joked. "Regardless where is this masked man now?"

"Don't even try. He's not someone you can go up against." Tsunade answered.

"Then that just makes me want to fight him even more, I would be quite upset if he wasn't a challenge." Naruto replied nonchalantly.

Tsunade frowned not liking Naruto's attitude. "What the hell is wrong with you? Many village's including our own have tried and failed to bring him down... But even Jiraiya-sama didn't come back." Sizune said cutting off the busty Hokage before she could speak.

"Heh so Jiraiya-sensei was defeated here huh?" Naruto said seeming quite impressed. But the thought already was stuck in Naruto's mind, if he defeated the man in the mask then he could escape from this alternate timeline or as he had presumed Genjutsu.

Tsunade nodded her head hung low in thought. "Jiraiya did say that there was only one way to defeat the masked man."

"We have to use the sealing scroll, known as the Book of the Crimson Moon, right?" Came a new voice, one that Naruto had last heard not too long ago.

Naruto slowly turned his neck, his eyes wide in shock and curiosity. '_There is no way!_' he thought.

There stood Minato and Kushina in the flesh. "Welcome back you two."

"Impossible." Naruto stammered.

There was a pause for a few moments then Kushina flew across the room and plated her fist into the side of Naruto's face, not hard of course but enough to make the bly feel it. Naruto was more than ready haveing had many encounters with Tsunade and he knew how to stop from being tossed around by angry women. "Is that anyway to speak to your parents who've only just returned from a mission?!" She yelled. '_What the hell is his face made out of, it feels like I just hit a brick wall._' she thought while maintaining her fake anger.

Naruto simply looked at the floor and ignored his mothers rage, in fact he was now trying to contain his own. "Tell me about this prophecy." he said, his voice weak and apologetic.

His question was directed towards Tsunade but it was Minato who answered. "Apparently Jiraiya-sensei was told a prophecy on Myobokuzan. That the masked man could be defeated by using a sealing scroll that Jiraiya-sensei would find."

"It sure sounds like something that old toad sage would say. He is supposed to be really wise it's just to bad he's so forgetful he can't even remember our names." Naruto mumbled.

Minato was rather confused about what Naruto was talking about but continued with his story regardless. "Since the Great Toad Sage's prophecies always come true, Sensei followed the prophecy and put his life on the line to get the Book of the Crimson Moon."

"Just like him, running off on nothing but a word. If it was a prophecy he could have waited and eventually he would have found it by chance. He would have been better served fighting against fate, if he did then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now and he would be alive. He did die didn't he?" Naruto replied.

Minato was shocked by Naruto's attitude, he had never seen his son act in such a cold way. "Indeed he died, he found the scroll but was badly injured, passing away before he cold return to the village." The older blonde admitted.

"So then where is this prophecy now?" Naruto questioned.

"It's probably hidden somewhere along our border with the Grass country." Tsunade said calmly.

"Then that's all I need to know, bye Baa-chan." Naruto replied and prepared to hop out the window and back out into the village.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tsunade asked.

"To get that scroll of course, I have no desire to sit around and do nothing." Naruto answered.

"You cannot make that decision for yourself, you will follow orders and wait for a team to be put together." Tsunade ordered.

Naruto paused for a moment to let the thought sink in. "Nah I think I'll pass, anyone less than Kakashi would just slow me down anyway."

"Menma are you breaking a direct order from me!?" Tsunade yelled in anger, she was seething at the younger blondes attitude.

"I don't see a Konoha forehead protector on my body, I don't take orders from you. And one last thing... Don't call me Menma!" Naruto said before disappearing in a blur.

"What the hell! Minato, Kushina go get Kakashi and Gai, deal with him. You know this could be considered treason!" Tsunade yelled.

Both Minato and Kushina looked like they had been hit by a run away Doton jutsu. "What is wrong with him, Menma has never acted out so badly before." Kushina said looking at her hand that was slightly red from where she had hit her son.

Naruto meanwhile had just cleared the village walls. '_I will make sure that masked freak dies in the most painful way possible, creating a fake world is one thing but making me see my parents was going too far. I am sick of playing along with this fucking Genjutsu, no more games._' He thought livid with anger.

Naruto landed at the entrance just as Gaara and Akimi were exiting the cave. "Naruto-kun where have you been?" Akimi asked as he landed.

"I went to go see Baa-chan, I have a lead that we need to follow up on, first we have to head for the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. Let's go." Naruto said.

"What's the hurry?" Akimi questioned, she was quite hungry and it was a fair distance to the border.

"Well I think I may have just made the version of me from this world a missing ninja. I sort of lost my cool when I saw the people who were supposed to be my parents." Naruto admitted.

"Well that sounds like a good reason for us to make a move, I am sure you would rather not have to face off against Konoha." Gaara reasoned. Without further word the three Yoinokuchi shinobi were off speeding north west towards their destination.

(**Thirty Minutes Later, Konoha**)

Minato stood with Kushina, Kakashi, Gai, and the former rookies from what would have been Naruto's graduation year, along with team Gai. "Why have they called so many of us?" Ino asked in a rather timid manner.

"Who knows, my guess is as good as your's I hope they tell us soon though." Shikamaru said eagerly.

The last two to arrive were Sakura and Sasuke. "Good it seems that everyone is here." Minato said.

"Um aren't we missing Menma?" Sakura asked.

"No he is part of the reason why you were all ordered here. A little over half and hour ago Menma left the village, we need to capture him and bring him back." Minato said. Kushina looked like she was on the verge of tears as Minato spoke.

"So where has the idiot gone? It's not like him to run off for no reason." Sasuke asked.

"Our best guess is, he's heading to the border of the Land of Grass, he will be looking for something there, fortunately thanks to a message we deciphered earlier, we know the exact location he will be searching for." Minato explained.

"Then why do you need all of us? Surely it would be easier to just crush him like an insect under a finger by yourself?" Shino suggested.

"That was an option, however reports from this morning suggest that Menma is not in his right mind. We also received a report that he was also able to defeat a group of Anbu singlehandedly, you were all chosen due to Menma's connection with you all, in hopes of a peaceful resolution to the situation." Minato explained.

"Ah I'm too old for this, can't I possible stay behind?" Gai asked hopefully.

"It's not possible Gai, we are needed incase they cannot get through to Menma." Kakashi answered energetically.

"Is he with anyone? Venturing out on his own would be risky after all." Sasuke asked.

"We don't have any information, but we do know his final destination, so it is up to us to beat him there." Minato explained.

"Then what are we waiting around, for let's go!" Kakashi cheered, followed by a reluctant groan from Gai.

"But I'm so old and tired." The green clad ninja bellowed.

"I bet it was that damn slut from last night that was with him." Hinata said quietly as their group began to travel.

"She was more likely accompanying the Kazekage, rather than being here for Menma though." Shino replied.

"I wonder if she likes cat's? She would be so hot in a pair of cat ears, I wonder if I could get her to act like one for me?" Kiba mused with a lustful expression while Akamaru growled in anger.

"Why were you guys talking about the Kazekage?" Sakura asked politely.

"He was in Konoha last night. We ran into Menma showing the Kazekage and a girl around the village." Shino explained.

"Impossible, I heard that the Kazekage vanished from his office the other night, why would he be here with Menma? And I wonder who the girl was." Sakura queried.

"Why? Are you upset that you might be even further down his list in terms of people that he would go out with." Hinata replied. Hinata was not a fan of Sakura, the pink haired kunoichi was in Hinata's mind all too close to the object of her rather unique style of affection.

"Maybe if you weren't so aggressive all the time he wouldn't be with another girl at all." Sakura countered defensively.

"I would never harm a hair on Menma-kun's head." Hinata snapped back.

"Please don't fight." Ino said meekly hoping to keep the peace.

"Fine!" both girls huffed turning away from each other. After a small briefing on their destination the Konoha group took off towards the border.

(**Elsewhere**)

It took a little over a full day to travel to the border of the land of fire. The small group from the Yoinokuchi had stayed in a small village over night to be well rested. Unfortunately they had no idea of the location around the border where Jiraiya had hidden the scroll. What they did have was detailed knowledge of how Jiraiya thought.

Naruto knew that he would leave something valuable like the scroll in a place that could be well defended, and by around middle of the day they had their answer. A large circumscribed crater, that had a small patch of forrest at the centre surrounded by long grass that was around knee high. "It's down there." Naruto suggested.

"I agree, but it is almost certainly littered with preventative measures to stop just anyone from entering this area." Gaara spoke.

"True, but we can't just wait up here forever." The blonde replied.

"So we just and break thought any resistance put up?" Akimi asked skeptically.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Naruto replied happily and jumped off the edge.

"That plan is terrible." Akimi said with a face vault. Gaara nodded in agreement but soon followed after the blonde.

They made it almost half way across the field before Naruto stopped dead still. "You can come out, there is no point in trying to hide, if you thought you could get the drop on me like that then you're sorely mistaken." Naruto said loudly.

Slowly the team from Konoha all rose from the grass around him. "Menma you rotten child, what are you doing?" Kushina asked, she was attempting to be angry with him but her voice was weak.

Naruto had to tell himself again that she wasn't really his mother in order to stop her words affecting him. "I don't know what you are talking about. I am going to get that scroll, then I am going to defeat the masked man. It's as simple as that, you're the one's that are getting in my way." He said nonchalantly as Gaara and Akimi arrived behind him.

Minato was having a hard time processing everything, his son was not acting like his son, and then the Kazekage arrives dressed in the same odd uniform as his son along with a girl he had never seen before. "Just what is going on here?" He asked trying to be as calm as possible.

"It would take too long to explain, or rather I just couldn't be bothered right now. Just move out of the way already." Naruto replied.

"Naruto-kun isn't that?" Akimi whispered in Naruto's ear, to which the young Kyuubi jinchuuriki simply nodded in answer.

"We can't do that Menma-kun, we have to take you back to Konoha, Tsunade-sama is furious." Minato said reluctantly drawing a tri pronged kunai.

'_A Hirashin marked kunai, so if I continue I may have to fight Tou-san, that said, he can't be as strong as Tou-san was in the real timeline, because if he was he would have been the Hokage. That's right this man may have some of the same jutsu, but he is certainly not my father._' "If you insist on fighting me I would recommend not taking me lightly, I am different from the Menma you know." Naruto declared.

The entire group from Konoha had no idea what the blond was talking about but had little time to think on it as Naruto had started walking towards the forest again. "I said stop! Forgive me for this." Minato sighed before tossing his blade. It traveled half the distance between the two blondes before stopping in mid air. "I told you to take me seriously, do you think in would be beaten by a single Hirashin Kunai?" Naruto asked as the kunai fell harmlessly to the ground and he continued to walk on.

Kushina made to move for Naruto but Minato grabbed her shoulder. "Something's different, whatever jutsu he just used is incredibly powerful. Not something that I have seen anyone use before. Attacking straight head on would be extremely reckless."

"Who care's about that! I'm going to kick some sense into him!" Kiba yelled and rushed forward.

Nobody saw Naruto move, all they saw was the ground be ripped up from around him and his two companions, throwing Kiba away like he wasn't even there.

Hinata and Neji who had their Byakugan activated by this point just gasped. "It's like he's controlling the gravity, to repel any force back in the opposite direction." Neji gathered.

"Never mind that, look at his eyes!" Hinata retorted. At that moment everyone stood wide eyed. The perception filter that seemed to be hiding or at least obstructing the view of Naruto's Rinnegan had faded. "That's... Impossible. Who are you and what have you done with Menma-kun!?" The Hyuuga heiress demanded.

"It looks like the excessive use of my Rinnegan has allowed you all to see it." Naruto sighed not caring in the slightest, to Naruto this was all just a waste of his time.

"Rinnegan? But that's nothing but a myth, who are you?" Kakashi asked.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, son of the Yondaime Hokage and jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I am certainly not this Menma that you keep referring to me as, and right now I am incredibly annoyed to still be stuck in the fucking Genjutsu!" Naruto answered.

Minato and Kushina looked completely stunned. The boy's answer made absolutely no sense at all. "The Yondaime Hokage only had one child, and that was Sakura." Shino said in a very matter of fact tone.

Naruto looked at Sakura then had to surpress the laughter that threatened to escape his lips "So she's the Kyuubi jinchuuriki then?" He asked choking back the mirth.

"Uh no, Menma is." Shino answered.

"Then he has no right to call himself a Hokage, he's a coward." Naruto declared suddenly agressive.

Nobody could believe what Naruto was saying. "How could you say that, my father was a great man!" Sakura yelled angrily.

"Really, if he was so great then he wouldn't have used another families new born child to make a jinchuuriki, he was a coward that asked Minato and Kushina to sacrifice their son when he wouldn't do the same, my father made the same choice and he was a much better Hokage than that, scratch that he was a better man. Now if you're all done stalling me, I have a job to do." Naruto said harshly.

Sakura was in tears at the harsh words directed towards her, it stung even more knowing that the blonde Menma look alike had a point. Why choose Menma, a new born baby to be a jinchuuriki when he could have just as easily used her. "Uh Naruto-kun was it? May I ask what you mean when you say that? If I am hearing you right it is almost like you are saying that you're from a different dimension." Minato said.

"That's the long and short of it. In my world my parents were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, in other words you two. But you are not them and I'm sorry but I am not Menma." Naruto replied.

"He's telling the truth. Even in front of my Sharingan eye's I can see no deceit on his face." Sasuke declared.

"Then what happened to Menma?" Kushina asked worried for the safety of her son.

"I don't know, it is possible that he was replaced when we arrived to avoid a paradox?" 'Or he never existed in the first place because this is a genjutsu.' "If that was what happened then I guess that it would coincide with the reports of the Kazekage disappearing." Naruto guessed.

"He's smarter than Menma, that's for sure." Kakashi eye smiled.

"Then that would mean that the Kazekage and this young lady are from a different timeline as well then." Minato concluded.

"That's right. Although I am not the Kazekage in our timeline, I am more along the lines of a missing ninja I guess." Gaara concluded.

The group from Konoha tensed. Missing ninja were usually criminals and while they didn't want to believe that Menma in any dimension would want to harm them, they couldn't rule out the possibility that he was dangerous. "Does that mean you all are missing ninja?" Kushina asked.

"Not exactly, we all work for a mercenary group started by Jiraiya-sensei and Itachi Uchiha." Sasuke froze upon Naruto mentioning his brothers name. "While some members are Missing Ninja, like Gaara, Itachi, and Zabuza. Most of us are those that have been abandoned by our villages or were forced to leave for circumstances out of their control, like myself and Akimi-chan here." Naruto concluded.

"So you know where Itachi is?" Sasuke asked his Sharingan glaring into Naruto's Rinnegan.

"No, he's obviously not part of Konoha in this world either, so my guess he's out looking for a place to belong. Still I would suggest forgetting about him, you'll live longer that way." Naruto replied.

"I think this is a conversation that we should continue back in Konoha with Tsunade-sama. While we are here, let's get the Book of the Crimon Moon and get back to Konoha, we can clear this whole mess up. Then we can get a better picture of what we are dealing with, and find a way to get you back to your own world, if you are sent back we should get our Menma back as well." Minato suggested.

"Fine, I can agree to that for now, if only to get moving again." Naruto replied.

By this time Kiba had returned to consciousness and gotten to his feet. "Damn what kind of messed up jutsu was that!?" He yelled in frustration while stalking back to group. What he didn't notice was the small sealing tag he was just about to pass.

"Wait, Kiba don't move!" Naruto yelled out.

But the Inuzuka didn't listen he just kept stalking forward.

Suddenly there was a huge burst of smoke and standing before them were the three great warrior toads of Myobokuzan. "Yo boss toad." Naruto said with a friendly wave. However Gamabunta didn't take kindly to the young jinchuuriki.

"**Konoha ninja or not, our mission from Jiraiya was to kill all who trespass here!**" Gamabunta yelled and flicked a giant cigarette at the blond.

"Well that's not good." Naruto stated calmly, side stepping the projectile at the last second. "I guess we will just have to break through."

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so that's part two, should only need one more chapter for this mini arc, two at the most. You might argue Naruto is a little out of character in this chapter, but he's acting thast way because he knows that he's trapped in a genjutsu rather than the people here being his real friends and family. I have also changed the jutsu a little so it doesn't so much work on what they perceive to be their ultimate world, because let's face it if Naruto was dreaming up the world he wanted, he would have had Jiraiya live, simple as that. **

**Next week will be a chapter of A Price for Peace then hopefully a chapter of Toad Sages Apprentice. (It's really hard to get back into writing it after all this time lol.) So it might be 2 weeks at the latest before the next chapter of Nightfall is out. That's the problem with Multiple stories, each chapter takes time to write.**

**Thanks as always for reading.**


	125. The Book of the Crimson Moon

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 125: The Book of the Crimson Moon**

"You know you should probably stop smoking Bunta, you will live longer, and that's a shit load of tobacco in that." Naruto said marvelling at the giant cigarette that almost crushed him. While the others moved away, including Akimi and Gaara, Naruto stood his ground unfazed by the group he was now up against.

"**Wise ass kid! You should know your place when speaking to me.**" Gamabunta retorted angrily, his hands caressed the hilt of his giant blade in readiness.

"Aw come on Bunta, no need to be so aggressive. Look we just need to get the scroll that Jiraiya-sensei left behind here, just let us past, surely you recognise at least Tou-san, or should I say Minato." Naruto replied. '_He's not really my father._'

"**Our orders are absolute, as I said before Konoha ninja or not, we stop anyone from getting to the scroll.**" Bunta said and as if on cue hundreds of toad sprung up from behind the boss toad and attempted to crush the blond.

"He's going to get squashed!" Sakura yelled in fear.

Gaara and Akimi were not even remotely worried. "Something like this is no threat to Naruto-kun. There are thousands of ways that he could escape a situation like this." Akimi said confidently. "But I am sure he will go for the most flashy and impressive looking, he always does." She added with a sweat drop earning a non committing nod from Gaara.

Of course she was right, before the tsunami of amphibians crashed into the blonde, Naruto ran thought a set of hand seals and summoned a large drill beaked bird that carried him out of harms way. "That wasn't very nice Bunta, now let's do this again shall we? You let us through, or I will have to dispel all of you. That would take time, and I would really prefer to get this over with quickly. How about it?" He asked hopefully.

"**Oh well when you put it like that, fine I guess you can pass.**"

"Really?"

"**Of course not fool! Do you think that the Toad clan would give up, just because you have a bird?**"

The watching group just looked on stunned. "Did he really think that asking again would work? Well he is the Menma of another world, so I guess we had to expect at least one idiotic move." Sakura sighed.

"What was that?" Hinata asked threateningly.

"Idiotic move maybe, but Naruto-kun was just giving them a chance to get out without being hurt. There is no way that Naruto-kun wouldn't want to see any of the toads harmed, even if these ones don't follow his orders/" Akimi said.

Hinata turned her attention over to the dark haired kunoichi. "Who are you anyway? You're clearly not part of Konoha."

"Akimi Hayaku, member of the Yoinokuchi mercenary group, and Naruto-kun's girlfriend." She decided to add the extra bit about being Naruto's partner to deter any possible attempt from Hinata at trying to claim him for herself.

"Did you say Hayaku?" Minato asked catching the girls conversation.

"Yes I did." Akimi answered.

"So you must be from Kumo, one of their top Jounin is Akaru Hayaku, any relation?" Minato asked.

"He is... was my brother. In my world he was killed by a member of the Akatsuki." Akimi replied.

"I know that name, they're a group of S ranked criminals that work for money. I'm afraid I cannot tell you for sure on the status of your brother in this world." Minato said apologetically.

"That's alright, if he's still a Kumo Jounin, then it might be best if I don't find out." Akimi answered.

"Why's that?" Sakura asked tactlessly.

Akimi sighed but decided to answer regardless. "I was born with a unique chakra mutation that has the potential to become a genetic bloodline limit."

"So they put you in a bloodline reproduction program." Kushina said bitterly, she knew all to well what it was like to have an ability that Kumo coveted having been kidnaped as a Genin.

Akimi nodded. "Akaru didn't wan't to let that happen so we fled Kumo together where we were found by Naruto-kun, Itachi and Jiraiya-sama."

Their attention was suddenly drawn away as Naruto was forced to fly high in order to prevent having his summoned birds wings drenched in boiling oil. "**Gaki stay still so we kill you!**" Gamabunta yelled angrily.

"That doesn't sound like a very good deal from my side. Besides the Gamabunta I know is much faster than this, maybe you have become slow in relatively peaceful times?" Naruto laughed back. '_Still I can't just run away from them forever, I need to act._'

He thought before closing his eyes to gather natural energy. Once he had entered sage mode the blond jumped from this summons which dispelled moments later. "**That's... but it's not possible!**"

"Alright Bunta, no more playing around, Shinra Tensei!"

All the toads including the giant battle toads were rocketed away by the force of Naruto's jutsu. "Amazing, a single jutsu, capable of defeating all of them. Just what is he?" Minato said incredibly intrigued at Naruto's strength.

"Someone that had to survive alone as a jinchuuriki in a cruel world." Gaara said expressionlessly.

Most of the toads had dispelled from the force of Naruto's jutsu leaving only the three mammoth toads. Naruto raised a hand above his head and formed a Rasenshuriken, the sound of the bell like screech filling the area. "I really don't want to have to use this Bunta, just let us pass, we're friends of Jiraiya-sensei."

"**Hahaha, Gaki's sure got some guts, and he can back it up as well, just feel the power coming ****from that jutsu. Tell me boy how do you know that version of Sage Mode? only Jiraiya has been taught that in over one hundred years, and you have actually mastered it, unlike Jiraiya.**" Bunta asked clearly less hostile than before.

"That's easy, I was taught by Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama. I am not from this world, in mine jiraiya-sensei's prophecy was not about a scroll, but about a child that would bring balance to the world. That's going to be me! I won't give up until Jiraiya-sensei's dreams become reality. I need that scroll to help get me back to my own world." Naruto declared.

"**That's quite a tall story, how do you expect me to believe that?**" Gamabunta asked.

"**Well he does have the Sage Mode of the Toad clan, perhaps we could take this chance, although I may be wrong, I am rather clumsy after all.**" Gamaken reasoned.

"He's telling the truth, you have to believe him, we don't want anymore violence, Jiraiya was my sensei. We want nothing but to fulfil his wishes." Minato yelled out hopeful of lending a hand to Naruto's cause.

"**A boy from a parallel universe shows up at the same time as the Book of the Crimson Moon is found. Perhaps this is what the grand old geezer would call fate. You are certainly a master of our sage mode which gives you authority. So I will permit you to pass, do not take this for granted, should you fail, or hand that scroll over to the wrong hands then I will personally send you to meet your maker.**" Gamabunta warned before he and the other giant toads puffed out of existence.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, he had no doubt that he could defeat the toads if he had to, but it was really far more trouble than he would have liked. "We better hurry up and get this scroll, and be careful where you step, there are likely to be more traps." He said firmly not paying the group from Konoha much mind, as far as Naruto was concerned they were just fake copies that were supposed to get under his skin.

"Minato-kun what do you think? He's so different to Menma, how is he supposed to be the same person?" Kushina asked her husband in a whisper.

"He grew up in a different world with different experiences, theres no telling what that could do to someone. From what the group with him said, he grew up an orphan as well as a jinchuuriki, we both know how they are treated." Minato replied with a fair amount of empathy for the younger blond.

"But he seems so cold and distant." Kushina remarked sadly.

"He doesn't want to get attached, this is not our world and seeing his parents alive and happy here must hurt." Gaara supplied in his stoic way before following after Naruto, followed close behind by Akimi.

"I am too old for this, maybe I should just wait here and let you go on without me." Gai complained as the Konoha group began to follow.

"Come on Gai, there should be no more fighting anyway, we just need to watch out for traps." Kakashi replied enthusiastically. "I would like to have a spar with this version of Menma, or I believe he said his name was Naruto. He seems like an exemplary shinobi." He beamed.

"Ah Kakashi, you're too energetic, it's tiring." Gai moaned.

The small path of forest in the centre of the large circular depression in the earth seemed to be rather to perfect a place to be real, it was so symmetrical and right at the middle of the forest Naruto was not surprised to see a small stone statue. "What's the bet that's where Jiraiya-sensei his the scroll?" Naruto smirked.

"That seems a little too perfect don't you think?" Akimi replied skeptically.

"What about this world doesn't seem to fit perfectly for us?" Naruto answered in a deapan.

"Well you have been attacked by Konoha ninja at least twice does that count?" Akimi teased.

"That was mostly my fault, but I guess so. Now this may be a false reality but I can bet any money that Jiraiya-sensei would have put seals up to protect the scroll inside that statue." The Kyuubi jinchuuriki reasoned.

"You're right, those are Time Space seal's only I would be able to get in there, he left this knowing I would be the one Tsunade-sama would send to retrieve it." Minato said while inspecting the small statue.

Naruto decided not to point out that if he drained all the chakra from the seals then he could break in without too much trouble, instead he chose to watch the fake version of his father create a counter seal for Jiraiya's defences. "This should do it." Minato said before activating his seal. Without hesitation the older blonde reached into the statue pulling out a red scroll in a small wooden box.

"It doesn't look like much to me. I can't even feel any chakra in that scroll, how is that supposed to defeat the masked man?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Perhaps it has some other purpose, you can not judge something on its apparent value." Minato lectured.

"I'll believe it when I see it in action, personally I don't know why you are putting so much hope into a scroll, you should be training to get stronger so you don't need to rely on some story from that old toad sage. Half of what he says is misinterpretations anyway. It's best not to trust someone so unconditionally who can't even remember what they had for breakfast." Naruto replied nonchalantly.

"You have met the great elder toad sage right?" Minato asked.

"Of course I agree he is a seer, but that doesn't mean things will turn out how he sees them. For example that scroll, it's supposed to be able to help you defeat this masked man, but it's purpose was not defined. Basically as long as he is defeated and that scroll has been in contact or read by the person that does It, you could say that the Toad Sages prophecy was accurate, even if that scroll does nothing. I for one will not be putting my faith into a scroll, I will defeat that masked bastard by myself." Naruto answered flatly.

Minato seemed slightly taken back and impressed by Naruto's words. "That's a rather sensible way to look at the world. If I may ask who was it that raised you if Kushina and I died?"

"Well for the first eight years of my life nobody, unless you count my brief stay in the orphanage. Jiji helped where he could but I had no guardian. After that I was raised by Jiraiya-sensei and Itachi." Naruto answered.

"Itachi? As in Itachi Uchiha, but he massacred the Uchiha clan mercilessly." Minato said in shock.

"He sure did, but there is more to it than you know. I have no desire to go into the details, I doubt even Baa-chan knows in this timeline. Try asking the village elders they're the ones responsible." Naruto replied not really caring one way or the other.

Minato seemed stunned but returned his attention to retrieving the Book of the Crimson Moon. Reaching into the statue he pulled out a small scroll around the size of an average sealing scroll. "Well it certainly doesn't look like much, but Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't have given his life for something if it wasn't important."

"You mean like his frequent trips to kunoichi bath houses?" Naruto asked with a dead pan expression.

"Well if the wrong kunoichi caught him then I suppose you have a point." Minato laughed earning a chuckle out of Naruto.

"What's so funny over there? Did you get the scroll?" Kushina asked appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh it's nothing Kushina-chan I was just sharing stories about Jiraiya-sensei with Men- I mean Naruto. It seems that sensei has the same love of women in his timeline as ours did." Minato answered truthfully.

"Minato you better not be attempting to corrupt that boy!" The fiery red head warned darkly.

"No I would never do that." Minato pleaded.

Following Kushina was Gaara and Akimi who had both decided to come see what the two blonds had found so humorous. "You have the scroll?" Gaara asked in his usual flat tone.

"Yeah we got it." Naruto replied.

"Then our next step would logically be to locate the masked man." Gaara suggested.

"True but that's easier said than done." The Kyuubi jinchuuriki responded in thought.

Akimi who had remained quiet up to that point had a thought. "Well maybe not."

"What do you mean?" The rest of the group asked.

The young dark haired kunoichi paused for a moment enjoying the moment, as well as the dumbfounded looks on the faces of Naruto and Minato. "Well someone is bound to know that Jiraiya-sama stole that scroll so that means that word will get out, eventually that word will get back to the masked man and where do you think he will go looking for it?"

"Konoha!" They all answered in unison.

"Exactly, if you head back to Konoha he will come to us and we just have to wait for him to show up." The swift release kunoichi added elaborating on her plan.

"She has a point, Jiraiya-sensei was wounded by shinobi while he was stealing that scroll, and it's purpose is well known. So it would stand to reason that word has spread by now that we are in possession of it." Minato mused.

"Where safer to hold something than the middle of Konoha, surrounded by all of the shinobi and guarded by the Hokage." Kushina added in agreement.

"Then we really can't afford to waste any more time, we need to get back to Konoha as quickly as possible. Luckily that is my speciality." Minato said with a smile. "Everyone gather around we're taking the express rout to Konoha."

The others came and gathered around Minato each making sure to each have a hand on the Jounin. "Why are we bringing them back with us? They said themselves that they're not Konoha shinobi." Kiba asked staring distrustingly at Naruto.

"Well you might be right, I suppose I could steal the scroll myself and lure the masked man out, it might even save some time." Naruto mused but broke out into a fit of laughter when he saw the Konoha ninja all tense. "Relax it was a joke."

"How do we know that we can trust you anyway? Your story is very hard to believe." Kiba replied.

Naruto chuckled and nodded to himself. "You don't, but all the same I don't know if I can trust you either. So I guess it goes both ways. Besides shinobi are not known to be trustworthy, loyal yes, but never trustworthy."

Without further word Naruto grabbed Minato's shoulder and the elder blond transported the group back to Konoha in an instant, they appeared just outside the Hokage tower. "Alright, Kushina and I will deliver this to Tsunade-sama, but you three will have to come with us to explain your actions." He said indicating the group from the Yoinokuchi.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice, lets go see Baa-chan then." Naruto sighed. While the others left or entered the Hokage tower Naruto leaped up to Tsunade's office window. "Hey Baa-chan." He called out cheerily as he vaulted into the room.

"Menma you're back, do you realise what you have done?" Tsunade asked remarkably calmly.

"Hm can't say that I do, but I'm not Menma so it shouldn't matter anyway." Naruto replied as he landed with his back to the Hokage.

"What do you mean you're not Menma!?"

"Just what I said, I'm not Menma. Look at my eyes and see for yourself. My name is Naruto." The blond said turning around to face the Senju princess.

Tsunade let out an audible gasp at the same moment that the door opened to admit Minato, Kushina as well as the other members of the Yoinokuchi into the office. "Those eyes... there is no way this is possible." She said ignoring the new arrivals.

"It's quite a sight isn't it, but regardless of how hard to believe the story is I would say that I believe him." Minato said with a smile.

"Story? What could possibly explain this?" Tsunade asked.

"It appears that Naruto as well as these two were brought here from another dimension in their world things are different which explains why Naruto here acted the way he did and why Gaara-sama disappeared from Suna when they arrived." Minato explained.

That was when Tsunade noticed the other shinobi in her office. Her eyes lingered on the young dark haired kunoichi for a few moments before landing upon Gaara. "So this isn't the Kazekage? The same way that this isn't Menma?"

"No I am not the Kazekage, but I am Gaara Subaku, my father was Kazekage before me. Naruto is the Menma of our world in that his parents are Minato and Kushina, the differences occur in how they were raised and the events that shaped their life, I am sure they are still alike in many ways." Gaara responded.

"Fascinating, the question is how do you get back to your own world if you're here now?" Tsunade proposed.

"If we defeat the masked man then that should send us home. At least thats all we have to go on at the moment." Naruto replied.

Tsunade nodded, she was somehow easily comprehending the situation. "Then is seems that we are in the same boat, the masked man needs to be defeated at all costs, and if that will return the three of you to your own world and return Menma to us, then we should cooperate in this endeavour. Minato do you have the scroll?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama, I have the scroll right here." Minato said passing a small box over.

"Good now we have to wait, the second half of the prophecy said that the scroll could only be opened when the moon is dyed red. I will have it stored away for safety." Tsunade replied.

"The masked man will know that we have the scroll, if that is the case then it is likely that he will come here to retrieve it." Kushina said suddenly.

Tsunade nodded blankly. "I am aware that there is a risk involved here, our duty is to prevent him from getting his hands on the scroll before the time to open it comes."

"So all that we have to do is wait, well I'm not a fan of inactivity when there is a job to do but without any leads to go on this is the best we got." Naruto agreed begrudgingly.

"Yes your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated but for now I wist to speak alone with Minato and Kushina." Tsunade replied.

Naruto shrugged and gave a wave goodbye before moving towards the window. "Wait Naruto, you don't have anywhere to stay in Konoha correct?" Kushina asked hurriedly.

"Well we were going to stay in the Bijuu sealing cave outside of the village" The young blond answered.

"That can't be very comfortable, stay with us. We have enough room for the three of you." Kushina replied.

"Thanks I would like that." Naruto said with the first warm smile he had directed towards the his fake parents. A moment later he was gone, jumping through the window and out into the village. Gaara and Akimi both gave apologies for their partners behaviour regarding the correct way to enter and exit buildings and left to follow after Naruto.

Once they were gone Tsunade turned to Minato. "Is it safe to allow them free roam in the village?"

"I couldn't say, I personally trust him, he may not be Menma, but in a way he is still my son." Minato replied.

Tsunade nodded. "What about his abilities, those eyes are something special, I have only ever heard of two people to wield them. One of them I thought was nothing but a myth."

"He's strong I can tell you that, he fought off what seemed like the entirety of the Toad clan by himself without even breaking a sweat, I cannot say for sure just how strong he is or what his abilities are, but I know that he has some rather unique Ninjutsu." Minato answered truthfully.

"So it's possible that he could be a threat to the village?" The Hokage questioned.

"While I do not think that he holds any ill will towards us nor that he wishes us any harm if I was to give my honest opinion on if he could be a threat to the village then I would have to say that yes, he is strong enough to deal significant damage to us and it would take quite an effort to subdue him as was witnessed by the Anbu squad that failed to apprehend him." Minato agreed.

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "Then I have a new mission for you. While those three are in Konoha you are to watch them, make sure that they are not up to something that would put this village in danger. Is that understood? I also doubt that they would attack Konoha I can't take the risk while we have the book of the crimson moon in safe keeping."

"Hai, we accept the mission." Minato and Kushina said together.

"Good I am sure there won't be any difficulties, just make sure they don't get into trouble." Tsunade assured the pair.

"We will do our best Tsunade-sama, it will be a lot easier with them staying with us." Kushina said happily but then her smile froze in place as something new dawned upon her. "Wait a second... they won't know where we live."

"You're right I'll go find them." Minato declared before racing out of the room.

"This is all too odd, but I don't think that there is any denying that the gaki isn't Menma, he's too relaxed and confident. Then there's those eyes, it's like looking into a well of endless possibilities, and it looks like he has years of experience behind them." Tsunade said with a slight shiver.

"I know what you mean, but he still feels like my son, it's odd but I just know that I can trust him." Kushina replied.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto, Akimi and Gaara arrived at a small training field on the outskirts of the village. "Do you really think that the masked man will come for that scroll?" Akimi asked skeptically.

"I don't doubt that he will. Especially after hearing the other part of the prophecy, if he puts any stock in what it says then he will want to the scroll as soon as he can in the off chance that the night where the moon is dyed red comes. Ironic really when that can mean many things, I would say it would stand for the loss of life, that makes me even more sure that he will attack Konoha to get that scroll.

"So you think that the prophecy is accurate?" Gaara asked with a small hint of curiosity, which for someone like Gaara is a lot.

"That really depends, I am sure that the old toad saw the masked man being defeated. But I don't believe it has anything to do with that scroll, my guess is that was just a catalyst that draws him out." Naruto explained.

The group moved over to a large shady area under a group of trees and sat down to enjoy the midday sun. nobody said anything for a good five minutes. "Shouldn't we be training or something?" Akimi asked ending the silence.

"I am, I have lots of memories to filter through. If you're worried train your elemental manipulation, it can always get better." Naruto retorted calmly, his eyes blissfully shut and a calm breeze swirled around him as if to emphasise his point.

"What's the point, we're trapped in a genjutsu, I doubt training will have that much of an effect at all." Gaara sighed.

"Maybe not, but mental training could be effective try mediating." Naruto suggested.

At that moment Minato landed in the clearing where the Yoinokuchi shinobi were resting. "Well you might look like Menma, but when you talk it seems that you're far more mature."

"I had to grow up fast, we traveled a lot so I saw some things at a young age." Naruto replied not even looking up to acknowledge the new arrival.

"Yes I guess that is to be expected." Minato nodded in agreement.

"So what are you doing here? Surely you didn't show up just to compare me to your real son." Naruto said flatly.

"No I actually came here to show you the way to our home where you will be staying for the duration of your stay here." Minato said slightly off put by the younger blondes frank attitude. '_You would think he would be thrilled to see his parents alive, then again I guess I'm not really his father so it might be painful for him to see Kushina and myself like this._' He thought sadly.

"Thanks but it was not necessary, I am a quite adept sensor I would have found your home with ease. So is Gaara and as long as it's someone she knows Akimi can find them." Naruto said calmly, his head still resting on the ground.

"Regardless this must make things less troublesome for you right?" Minato asked as cheerfully as he could mannage.

"Yeah I guess so, it might be interesting to see where I would have lived had things been different." Naruto answered kicking himself up into a standing position. "We gotta do something while we wait, may as well do this."

**End Chapter!**

**Another Chapter down, one more chapter for this Arc then it's onto the Gokage summit. **

**Spoiler Rant!**

**Gamakichi got all big, he went from handbag size to Gamabunta size in a few months thats insane lol. Gotta be honest if one hit from Naruto and Sasuke defeats the Juubi I will be pissed, especially when it's been curb stomping the entire army for the past 20 chapters or so. Seriously all they accomplished in showing up was forcing Naruto to divide his chakra 20,000 times otherwise it would have been nothing but Cannon fodder no Jutsu. It's like they are lemmings born with a predisposition to commit suicide in some horrendously painful way, all the while Naruto is spending all his time and energy keeping the useless pricks alive. **

**Then at the end when they finally kill the juubi or Madara some Nameless guy sticks his hand up. "Yo I don't want to brag but I think I killed it." they probably would have killed them both by now if they had stayed away, their usefulness ran out the moment that the Juubi appeared. And Kishimoto stopped changing scenes every five seconds. We are going to be put through another painful six chapters of Orochimaru and Tsunade reuniting once more, stating that all things are forgiven just because they apologise and our dear friend known as Logic has passed out while having some mid afternoon binge with common sense and decent story telling. **

**Well Now I am hating before things have even happened. I'm getting pretty bad with these rants. Maybe I am still just pissed about all the poor plot devices that have been thrown out recently, even the ones that are kind of decent don't really make much sense, for one, how did Minato manage to master his half of Kurama's chakra when he's effectively been dead? Although you could argue that he didn't take any of Kurama's consciousness with him when he stole the chakra but it would mean that he had a finite amount and can't use the cloak forever. Apart from that one, shit isn't making sense anymore, hasn't since Obito took his mask off. He's doing to this story what Timmy did to Ol Yella, out to the barn and a bullet in the back of the head.**


	126. The Masked Man is?

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 126: The Masked Man is? **

Naruto's parents lived in a large house that stood on the side of a small hill in the outskirts of Konoha, it was far from the clan compounds allowing for a good deal of privacy from other shinobi, while close enough to the key areas of the village to be easily accessible. It was dark when Naruto, Akimi and Gaara arrived with Minato, the lights were all on illuminating the entrance up a thin set of stairs. As Minato went to open the door Kushina came out. "You're late, dinner is almost ready." She informed the group.

"Uh sorry Kushina-chan, they were training and didn't finish until a few minutes ago." Minato replied sheepishly. Kushina wasn't mad but he knew she could be let's say, volatile should the wrong thing be said. It was always best to stay on the good side of the fiery red head.

Kushina paused for a moment but eventually accepted the situation. "Then in that case you must be hungry and exhausted. I prepared some rooms for Gaara and Akimi, while you can stay in Menma's room Naruto."

"Thank you but I would rather stay with Naruto-kun." Akimi replied, she was obviously unaware of the rather awkward situation that put Naruto in. Minato and Kushina both stared wide eyed at the younger blond who was rubbing the back of his neck in mild embarrassment.

"I did not know that you were that close to him. Aren't you a little young?" Minato asked tentatively.

"When you consider that I have been a ninja all my life and killed my first man when I was eight I wouldn't consider sixteen to be too young for anything. But don't worry we won't do anything in your house." Naruto answered. He did not expect his faux parents to react at all, when he met them both Minato and Kushina in his seal they were both thrilled to meet Akimi. '_Then again these aren't my real parents, from what I have seen and felt of his chakra my father was several times more powerful._' He thought tentatively.

"I guess it's just that Menma can still be a little childish, and I know you are not him but it's still a little bit of a shock to the system, please forgive us." Kushina said. Naruto could tell she wanted to rage and lecture the young couple but thought better of it. She was decent at concealing her emotions but Naruto had been trained in picking up on deception and along with his Rinnegan could see the truth.

They entered into a very modest home that was very welcoming it was clear that they cared for the place dearly. It was far more homely than the Yoinokuchi hideout but in truth that made Naruto slightly more uncomfortable, he was so used to staying in areas where they had a tactical advantage or were well hidden rather than a suburban home.

"Well it does seem more comfortable than that cave, or those houses you build out of stone." Akimi said casually.

"Well they're better than tents." Naruto argued.

"You have a point there." She agreed before turning to Minato and Kushina. "Thank you again for allowing us to stay here, you have a beautiful home."

"Think nothing of it, please take a seat and get comfortable, I'll go check on the dinner." Kushina replied. Kushina returned a few minutes later with a large pot of curry and served up for the group. "Don't be shy please eat up." she said with a motherly smile.

Naruto paused for a moment but finally decided that there was no risk of these two trying to poison him, he was basically immune to poisons anyway thanks to the Kyuubi and him being an Uzumaki. It tasted delicious, Itachi and Jiraiya were not the best cooks, for that matter nobody in the Yoinokuchi were, so a home cooked meal was something special for the group.

They sat and ate happily although they did not talk much, when they finished Naruto washed his dishes then went to have a proper look around the house. This was the home that he would have grown up in so he was curious to see what it was like. '_It's nice I bet it would have been a good home._' he thought casually.

'**This is a genjutsu fool, it's working off your expectations this home feels how you would expect it to feel.**' Kyuubi scoffed from inside his head.

'_Oh what do you want?_' Naruto replied, he wasn't in the mood for a lengthy argument with his Bijuu.

'**That's a rather broad question. I want lots of things, mostly to escape this accursed seal and rip you apart, limb from limb. But as that does not seem likely at this point in time, I'll settle on simply wanting to know why you are doing nothing but sitting around, when you should be working on a way to escape this fake world? Everything here feels off here, I don't like it.**' The fox replied.

'_I'm waiting for that bastard pretending to be Madara to show up. I know he will show his face sooner or later._' Naruto answered flatly.

'**Fine, waste your time if you want, but stay on guard. Like I said before this world doesn't feel right, and the feeling has been getting stronger over the last few hours.**' The Kyuubi said with a disgusted leer.

'_I know what I am doing, I don't need you to lecture me. Go back to sleep or something._' Naruto suggested as calmly as he could manage.

The Kyuubi grunted disapprovingly but decided not to argue with the blonde. Naruto paused expecting a retort from his prisoner. While the blonde waited he noticed a large book on the dresser, it seemed to call out to him so without thinking he grabbed the book and opened it to see that it was a family album. The first picture made him forget all about the Kyuubi, it was a picture of one of the few memories that he had seen from his mothers memories. She was holding him with a smile on her face, moments after his birth. The difference was in this picture she was not dying from having the Kyuubi removed from her.

Naruto quickly flicked to the next page. It was yet another picture of Menma, this time as a very young child with his parents while he was learning to walk. Picture after picture Naruto flipped through showing various stages of how his life could have been, had his parents lived.

The blonde didn't dislike the way his life had turned out, far from it. In truth there was not much he would have changed. But seeing a version of himself with a happy family had really brought up the pain of never really knowing how it felt to have parents that loved him. Immediately his parents memories began flooding through his mind of their last night alive. The visions of his father fighting with Tobi and defeating him, all the way to their final moments where they said farewell to their new born son. Naruto dropped the photo album, his anger at the masked Uchiha surfacing as he ran from the house, jumping out the nearest window.

'_This damn Genjutsu. I hate this fake world, the fact that I have to see their faces just makes it worse._' He thought angrily. He continued to move at a blistering pace until he found himself at the Hokage monument. Suddenly Naruto felt a large burst of chakra from behind him, he spun around just in time to see an explosion erupt from the Hokage tower. "So it's time huh? That was really quick, he must have known we had it from when the version of Jiraiya-sensei from this world had found it." He said to himself already on route to the site of the attack.

At the Hokage tower two masked men casually walked through the rubble, there was not much left of the building, only the strongest areas survived the blast, including the large safe where Tsunade had stored the Book of the Crimson Moon for safe keeping. "Are you sure it's in there?" one of the masked figures asked. He carried a large oddly shaped jet black container on his back that matched his clothes and wore a Tanuki mask that seemed to shine slightly in the moonlight.

"Yes i'm positive, this is where the Hokage would store the object that is supposed to be able to defeat us, she wouldn't risk it being kept anywhere else." The other masked figure replied. He was dressed in the same black outfit as his partner however he had a Kitsune mask. Both had similar black spiky hair to match. With ease the fox masked shinobi ripped the entrance to the safe open and walked into the storage room. "I found it." he said when he reappeared a few moments later.

His partner nodded as he varified the scroll in the fox masked mans hand was indeed their target. "We need to go, the Hokage will surely have shinobi en route to our location."

"You go ahead, I'll give these people something to keep them all busy so we can make a clean get away." The fox masked man said tossing the scroll to his Tanuki masked counterpart. Once his partner was gone the man jumped high into the air and created a large spinning disk of chakra that hovered for a moment high above Konoha before he released it to descend towards the centre of the village.

However the explosion he was expecting never occurred, instead the jutsu seemed to simply disappear into nothingness. He puzzled over the bizarre occurrence for a moment before he noticed the blond man dressed in all white glaring up at him. Something seemed to snap inside the masked man, the blondes existence angered him like nothing had before. He instantly felt the need to wipe all traces of him out.

"That was a rather powerful jutsu you just used, I'm curious as to where you learned something that I invented... then again judging by the chakra you used I think I can put two and two together." Naruto arriving next to the masked man.

"What are you? I find your existence to be sickening surely you feel it too?" The masked man declared angrily.

"If you mean I feel Kyuubi chucking a major fit inside my seal, then yes I feel it. But I don't need his help to defeat an impostor like you." Naruto replied.

"Is that so?" The masked man asked, dark chakra began swirling around him as though he was in Sage Mode.

Naruto was far from impressed. "What other tricks have you learned I wonder?" He mused and in an instant formed a Rasengan and seemingly disappeared from where he was standing.

The masked man narrowly avoided Naruto's strike, rolling out of the way. His response was to then run from the village towards a large cliffy area a short distance from the village. Naruto waited a moment, as if he was scanning for traps before giving chase.

It was no contest, Naruto was much faster but it appeared that the Masked man made it to where he needed because he stopped at the edge of a large canyon that had a wooden bridge leading to one of the many Anbu outposts outside of the village, this particular one was worn down and looked as though it hadn't been used in a fair while. He turned around just in time to avoid a dangerous right hook from the pursuing blonde, flipping back and landing in the centre of the bridge in a defensive stance. "You're fast, and strong. Quite impressive but you will not defeat me, I have been collecting bloodline limits and I have two Bijuu at my disposal, with this I will eliminate your existence that I find so disturbing."

"Well forgive me for not trembling in fear, it's going to take a lot more than stolen abilities for you to be able to defeat me." Naruto replied with a small smirk, he was confident but still on edge, he was hoping to anger the masked man into allowing an opening.

"We will see." The masked man replied before forming a tiger seal. "Calling the Nine Masked Beasts." A massive Mandala formed in thin air surrounded by nine rings, each a different colour and containing a separate Kanji.

From each of the large rings a creature appeared and stood defensively around the masked man. They each took their own unique form and were the colour of the ring that they had emerged from. Four were in the shape of humans while the other five portrayed an animal. There was a large dragon, a tiger, bird, serpent, and finally a tortoise.

"Well that's certainly interesting." Naruto mused as he gazed at the new arrivals.

He didn't get an answer, the nine summoned creatures all moved in unison, four charging at the blonde while the others moved to surround him. They were much faster than an average shinobi however Naruto was anything but an average shinobi. He effortlessly weaved in and out of their strikes like it was child's play.

From behind Naruto one of the summons that had surrounded him moved, a woman who conjured translucent ribbons that she used like whips. Naruto grabbed one and went to pull the woman within range only to find the ribbon began to extend and wrapped tightly around his body. The other creatures sensed weakness and moved in for the kill.

Much to the masked shinobi's surprise Naruto smirked at the apparent desperateness of his situation. "Shinra Tensei!" each of the creatures that were within range and the bindings that held Naruto in place were thrown away from him with great force. The large Tortoise, that lacked the mobility of the other summons crashed into a cliff surface and landed on it's back before bursting into smoke revealing a small fox kit wearing the same mask. "So that's how this jutsu works, you're using a stollen genjutsu bloodline and the Kyuubi's chakra to create these creatures. I guess it's time for my counter attack then."

Naruto formed a hand seal before spitting out a large ball of flames that quickly transformed into a dragon that targeted the large white tiger. Naturally the summons moved with great mobility to avoid the fire dragon. But it couldn't avoid Naruto's next attack, he had used the dragon as a distraction to mask his movements, so when the tiger leaped into the air to avoid the flames Naruto was right there behind it. He slammed a rasengan into the beasts back sending it falling to the ground in a heap before transforming into another small masked fox kit.

Suddenly a large wave of black sand came crashing down around Naruto. He quickly created a dome of water around him that spiralled at a great rate to repel the torrent of sand. It landed a short distance away in a pile before slowly reforming into the second masked man. "Sand... No prizes for guessing who's behind mask number two then. These odds aren't looking any better." Naruto chuckled darkly.

A three pronged kunai landed near the blondes feet before Minato along with Kushina, Gaara, and Akimi appeared. "Then perhaps we can help even those odds?" The elder blonde said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks, still think I could probably take the both of them myself." Naruto said casually.

"It's not a matter of whether you are capable or not, there is no sense in you risking anything in a fight that can be won with our help." Gaara said casually.

"Well then you and Akimi-chan take your clone, I'll deal with the other one. Do you two think you can deal with the remaining summons?" Naruto said turning to his parents for confirmation.

"We will do our best, but you have to be carful, we don't know what he is capable of." Kushina warned Naruto.

"Then that's something for me to find out. I am interested in seeing what he is capable of." Naruto said. He already had a rather strong suspicion of who was behind the mask when he absorbed his chakra, but with the new arrivals he did not want to say anything. Rather Naruto blurred out of existence in an impressive display of speed that the masked man was only able to block on instinct, Naruto's pace was too fast for him to easily follow.

The masked man quickly kicked away from Naruto to get some distance between them, he began racing through some hand seals and released a powerful torrent of wind at the blond. Naruto responded by spewing forth a large ball of flames that overpowered the Fuuton jutsu. The masked man could only escape by fleeing into the abandoned Anbu outpost that was built into the side of a large cliff surface. The flames did some damage to the front of the building but the most damage was caused to the bridge, it had been made of wood and the Katon jutsu left it on fire and burning away at a rapid rate.

Naruto jumped after his opponent as the final bindings burnt through sending the bridge falling and the other occupants scrambling towards land. Naruto casually entered the large building slowly, he didn't want to fall into any traps that the masked man had set up. He walked into a dark hall, only the moonlight lit his path. At the end of the hall their was a large seat set up like a thrown. '_That's a little pretentious isn't it? Who builds a place with a throne?_' Naruto thought as he casually walked through the hall.

As he moved further in he saw that at the end of the hall their were two sets of stairs, one that went up and the other down. Naruto paused for a moment to scan the area and feel for his opponents chakra only to find it had split. "Using shadow clones to disrupt my sensory abilities, not bad. Two can play that game though." He said while creating two clones and sending them in each direction while he waited.

(**Meanwhile**)

Gaara and Akimi were standing in opposition to the Tanuki masked man, Gaara's usually calm and relaxed face was slightly distorted in discomfort. Something that the swift release kunoichi was quick to pick up on. "What's wrong Gaara, we have to focus here."

Gaara to a moment to compose himself before responding. "Shukaku is going crazy inside my seal trying to get out, it seems that he doesn't approve of this man."

"Hm well then let's see what he's got then shall we?" Akimi said before kicking off at top speed. Black sand rose around the masked man as a form of protection. In a blur the swift release kunoichi appeared behind the Tanuki masked man and attempted to deliver a powerful kick to the back of his head. The mans sand was just fast enough however and repelled the strike at the last moment.

Gaara stared with a hint of confusion at the scene he had just witnessed. The man was mimicking his techniques, although he was not quite as fast as Gaara with them. '_It's like we are fighting a copy of me. But then the person Naruto is fighting is... Menma!_' As realisation dawned upon the Ichibi jinchuuriki Akimi was proving to be more than an adequate match for the faux Gaara. Her newly enhanced speed was far superior to her masked opponents every so often she would land a hit through his moving sand. Gaara knew that she would still have to break the sand armour that his counterpart most certainly wore but knew it would only be a matter of time before she made that breakthrough at the rate she was going.

Having recovered well enough Gaara decided to join in, he created two large spears out of his own Sand and sent them flying at his target. Akimi caught the action out of the corner of her eye and moved to attack from the opposite side, hoping that the distraction would cause this version of Gaara to weaken his defences on at least one side. Their attack was timed perfectly, Gaara's spears were blocked but in doing so the speed of the masked mans sand slowed down enough to allow Akimi to land a direct blow to his face shattering the man's mask.

The now unmasked man let out a wail of pain, his face had caught several of the large pieces of his mask and had quickly started bleeding profusely. He may have had black hair and eyes to match but the seal over his forehead gave it away, this man was definitely Gaara. "You damn pests!" he roared in anger. The black sand exploded around him and Akimi quickly backed off, returning to Gaara's side.

"This doesn't look good." She said as she landed, while the fake Gaara's sand continued to flail wildly.

"It's not, I think he's going to release it." Gaara replied calmly although this latest development had sent his own Bijuu into a fit of rage, desperately trying to get out of his seal.

"He's going to release the Ichibi? Then what do we do?" Akimi asked.

"looks like we're going to have to fight it, ourselves." Gaara explained.

Akimi Paused for a moment trying to ascertain if her friend was serious "That sounds like suicide, going up against a Bijuu."

"The Akatsuki have done it many times, you have also fought against Fuu who uses her Bijuu when in a fight, this is nothing different." Gaara replied calmly. They waited a few more seconds until before them stood a completely formed Shukaku made from black sand. The scene had drawn the attention of Minato and Kushina who were busy fighting against the remaining summoned beasts.

"Wow I have never seen a fully formed Bijuu before, they're so massive." Akimi whispered in shock.

"The Shukaku is considered the weakest of the Nine but I know first hand how difficult he can be to deal with." Gaara replied.

The black Shukaku let out an angered roar that shook the land all around them. "I think think he appreciated that very much." Akimi said with a slight chuckle. "Anyway I don't really think that my speed will work all that well against this thing, I have some Raiton jutsu and a few Fuuton but nothing all that special." She admitted somewhat hesitantly while contemplating the best way to fight the giant Tanuki.

Gaara was about to answer before he picked up on some new arrivals and spun around in shock. There stood Tsunade along with all of the members of the Akatsuki as well as Itachi, wearing Akatsuki robes. "Wow just look at that thing, destroying it is going to be a blast yeah!" Deidara said hopping onto a large clay bird that took flight over the valley.

The other Akatsuki ninja all moved as one, splitting up to intercept either the summoned creatures or the rampaging Bijuu. Only Tsunade remained un moving. "What the hell is this?" Akimi asked in shock, her guard up at seeing all the Akatsuki ninja including ones that she knew had been killed.

"I took the warning that the masked man would attempt to get the scroll to heart, so I called in some help." Tsunade said in a matter of fact tone.

"They are all here, even Nagato's Deva path. It seems he doesn't trust all the Akatsuki members with the knowledge of his true power." Gaara mused.

"What are you talking about?" Tsunade asked.

"It's not important. It seems like they have this one undercontrol, but the lack of activity from inside worries me, if I know Naruto then things are about to become far more... explosive." Gaara answered as he turned to face the abandoned hideout.

(**At that Moment**)

Naruto was still waiting in the entrance hall while his clones were checking the various floors, it seemed like the masked man was being careful to avoid them by constantly moving away. '_What is his plan? I don't get it, one is a clone the other is real, yet neither have attempted to face my clones yet, does he think that stalling the inevitable will give him an advantage. No that's not it. It's more likely that he's trying to see how advanced my sensory abilities are in comparison to his own. He's obviously a sage, Senjutsu is the only way to find me when I am suppressing my chakra. for that reason alone I will have to be careful when I get in close._' He thought.

They were both testing the other, each aware of how dangerous their opponent was. The fact that they were not engaging each other meant that they were playing a game of cat and mouse where the first one to strike would likely have the advantage. If Naruto was able to land the first blow he could tell if where the real one was, but if the mask man was able to dispel his clones there would be significant distance between them for him to set up traps or even make a run for it.

Naruto was aware of the new arrivals and the Ichibi running amok outside but refused to allow himself to get distracted. He had a job to do and was determined to get it done, this was his best chance at getting home so the arrival of the Akatsuki and the Itachi of this world were of second concern to him. Suddenly the building and and cliff shook as Shukaku was blown into the side of the cliff breaking it open at several places. Enough damage was done to force the masked man to make a mistake in his attempts to avoid Naruto's clones. The clone that had gone downstairs used the distraction to make his move, it stopped concealing it's presence and ran at full speed towards the masked man. He arrived in time to deliver a knee to his chest causing the masked man to puff out of existence. "Got you." he said triumphantly. Quickly gathering the natural energy required to enter sage mode before taking off towards the real masked man.

Naruto burst through the floor below the masked man, his Senjutsu preventing any injuries. But the masked man took that moment to attack himself, his fist shrouded in chakra. Naruto recognised an extended range attack when he saw one and quickly vaulted back as the chakra expanded out and blew a massive hole in the nearest wall allowing more moonlight to filter in. "Your existence is unacceptable, you must be destroyed." He said darkly, clearly not happy that his attack had missed.

"Phew that was close, I would rather not feel what it is like to receive one of those." Naruto said with another sigh of relief. Instead he created a large rasengan in one hand and readied for an attack of his own. A move that was mirrored by the masked man only his version of the rasengan appeared dark purple and black as opposed to bright blue, and had small rings around it. "Interesting, I expected it to be closer to mine. I guess this world has more than differences in personality after all."

They both came together at speed, the jutsu clashed causing a massive explosion sending both shinobi flying in the other direction. Naruto was sent out the hole that his opponent had created whilst Menma crashed right through the wall behind him and into the next room.

Naruto, who had been sent out the newly formed window, had to readjust himself in mid air. To stop his free fall he used gravity manipulation to raise him back up to the right hight and reenter the complex at the same moment that the man Naruto fully expected to be Menma picked himself up off the floor. "Not many people could cancel that jutsu so perfectly. But let's see how you go with this one!" he scowled and a much larger version of his jutsu appeared.

"That's the Jutsu that you tried to use on Konoha." Naruto observed with mild interest.

The mask man gave one curt nod in response before holding the jutsu out in front of him. "Dai Rasenringu." He said preparing to throw the jutsu but before he had the chance another Naruto appeared behind him and delivered a devastating kick to his back.

Menma tumbled forward at speed while his jutsu faded away before it could cause any damage. With the distraction caused Naruto acted, planting a foot down on his head that sent him crashing down several floors back to the large hall near the entrance. Not wanting to give him any time to recover Naruto jumped down after him.

Menma's mask had cracked from the impact and he had several cut's over his body. But other than that he was mostly unharmed. When Naruto landed in front of him he released a viscious ball of compressed air towards the blond. But Naruto's ability with Fuuton manipulation was so great he could swat the jutsu away without second thought. "How were you able to defeat Jiraiya-sensei? It doesn't make any sense to me." Naruto mused while slowly approaching the man. His mask slowly falling apart to reveal a man with Naruto's face with black hair and eyes. "So you must have been made this way when we entered this world. Still I don't know what Tobi was hoping for, there is no way you can defeat me at your level." he added.

"I already knew you would win Naruto-kun." came a new voice from behind the blond. There stood a spectral figure of Tobi. "I was seeking information, and it has been rather enlightening this little excursion hasn't it." he added.

"Information on what?" Naruto asked, he couldn't think of what he had given to the masked Uchiha.

"I can't go telling you that, there is still a chance that you could stop me, and I can't have that. But enough about that, your fight is far from over, in fact I think it's just about to get interesting." Obito claimed with a childlike laugh.

Naruto spun back around to see what he was talking about and saw Menma covered in black chakra that was taking the form of his own Bijuu cloak. This time it was Naruto's turn to be sent flying, a massive fist of chakra extended out punching the blonde who went crashing through the large throne. "I was distracted and forgot about your clone, but now I will make sure that I remove you from existence now." Menma said, his voice slightly more powerful with the enhancement of his Kyuubi's chakra.

Naruto slowly picked himself up, spitting out a small amount of blood. "Damn that hurt." he said to himself cursing the fact he let himself get distracted by Tobi.

'**Then let me finish this for you, he is still hiding some of his strength, if you continue this fight you will not only be fighting that fake version of me but also the Nibi, I sense it's chakra coming from that man, and so can you. Let me show them the difference between a real Bijuu and a copy!**' The Kyuubi screamed in his mind.

'_Sorry Kyuubi, I want to do this myself, still thanks for the offer, maybe there is hope for us to work together yet._' Naruto replied with a smile.

'**Hardly, I just can't stand the thought of some imposter using my title, as far as I am concerned I would rather work with you than allow them to exist.**' The large fox retorted.

'_Then allow me to remedy that for you. If I need your help at any stage I'll give you a shot. But for now let me show you what I can do!_' Naruto replied.

He couldn't see it but deep within his cage the Kyuubi let out a smile. '**Then don't disappoint me Naruto!**'

Naruto stood up just as a giant claw of black chakra began to close around him. Menma had a confident look on his face that soon faltered as the chakra claw did not crush Naruto as he had intended but rather was absorbed into the blonde. "That just feels wrong." Naruto said casually as the arm retracted to save Menma's chakra.

"What the hell are you!?" The dark haired teen asked angrily.

"Well at the moment I am incredibly pissed off." Naruto said angrily as golden chakra began to lap around his ankles before quickly enveloping his body. "I can't believe I let myself get distracted. So if you want to fight with Kyuubi chakra, then I'll play along, I need more practice with this anyway." He mused.

Menma was clearly angry at this point, "Fine let's go!" he yelled and streaked forward.

Naruto was impressed by his speed he looked like a black blur which at night time was even harder to see. Not to be outdone Naruto joined him, matching his speed without much difficulty. At that high speed one mistake would cost them, but neither gave an inch while they were not the best Taijutsu users the speed that they moved made them almost unbeatable, every time they clashed their moves were mirrored and the power behind the attack would send shockwaves around the hall that were cracking the ceiling. '_We're too even to be fighting like this, I will have to use a different style if I want to break through his defences. The toad style isn't designed for this high speed movement so that's out, Itachi's style is depended on seeing the opponents move and countering it._' Naruto thought as he and Menma clashed again, fists connecting with each other.

Through Naruto's mind a pictures started appearing, like a film playing specifically for him to watch. It was his father running through Kata for a Taijutsu style that seemed highly fluid and perfect for high speed movement. "That's rather convenient." Naruto said with a deadpan expression as both he and Menma landed at opposite sides of the hall, both covered in their matching Bijuu cloaks.

"What is, from where I am standing we are evenly matched. Except for the fact that I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." Menma replied.

"Oh is that so, well I have just learned some new tricks as well, I still have a lot to learn about how some of my own jutsu work." Naruto replied before moving again. Menma, not wanting to be caught flat footed matched the blonde's movements perfectly that is until they came together, almost like a dancer Naruto gracefully slid around Menma's movement and brought a knee up into his chest. In what felt like slow motion Menma's body seemed to crumple and curve around Naruto's leg and when time started up again he was sent rocketing through the wall of the entrance and all the way across the canyon to the other side. '_So if I ask for information on something I can recall memories and analyse them, Kami that will make sorting through their memories a lot easier._'

'**That was still far from perfect from what I saw of the memory.**' The Kyuubi retorted.

'_Of course I only saw it once, seeing something and doing something are two completely different things. Now let's finish this fight!_' Naruto replied. He casually walked outside still shrouded in his Bijuu cloak. He could see Menma slowly struggling to stand on the other side of the valley. '_I've gotta hand it to him, he's pretty tough._'

'**Of course he is, he's you, albeit a weaker version.**' The large fox scoffed.

'_My my, was that a compliment Kyuubi?_' Naruto chuckled happily.

'**Don't get a big head. He's using the same power as you are, Now hurry up and finish him. This world is frustrating to say the least.**' Kyuubi replied.

"For once we agree on something." Naruto said out loud as he approached the downed Menma. He jumped over the valley in a single leap and saw Gaara and Akimi watching the Akatsuki members dealing with Shukaku and the other summons. "Shouldn't you guys be helping or something?" He laughed.

"We don't want to risk them trying to attack us, it's best we stay fresh." Gaara reasoned.

"I guess I can't argue with the logic." Naruto replied with a shrug as he turned back to Menma. Before he could take another step however there was a massive burst of chakra. Each of his summons disappeared and returned to Menma as chakra. All three Yoinokuchi shinobi stood apprehensively watching the dark haired teen.

Menma slammed his hands to the ground an then knelt atop a black Kyuubi and next to him stood an equally large Nibi. "So now there are three Bijuu we have to deal with, far from what I would consider to be a favourable situation." Gaara said.

"Yeah but it does give me a chance to try this." Naruto said with a smirk as he extended both hands.

Akimi and Gaara's eyes widened when they realised just what their friend was about to do. "Wait Naruto-kun don-"

But it was too late. "Shinra Tensei!" enhanced with Kyuubi's chakra the gravity jutsu rippled in front of him the chakra was so dense the air became visible as the reversal of gravity shot out from his fingertips. The ground was torn apart, large stones vaporised by the pressure of Naruto's jutsu. The faux Bijuu were tossed away, not even the Kyuubi using all it's tails to anchor itself could withstand the pressure. Both Bijuu landed a fair distance away, destroying large portions of the forrest they landed in. Naruto let out an impressed whistle, their was a deep trench of destruction that extended out in front of him. "That's really something." He said in awe.

"Something you destroyed half of the countryside!" Tsunade yelled in anger.

"Well with three Bijuu on the loose that is likely to happen anyway." Naruto replied with a shrug of the shoulders. By now both Bijuu had made it back to their feet and were quite furious. It was also not hard for them to locate the object of their anger, he was glowing with bright golden chakra and currently heading straight for them at blistering speed.

Both Bijuu began rapidly firing small blasts of chakra that exploded with great force wherever they hit. Naruto was forced to change direction to avoid the barrage that followed him as he darted at full speed through the trees. It wasn't long before the night sky was ablaze with flames and explosions that were littering the landscape. Every time Naruto would inch closer to the pair of Bijuu they would intensify their efforts to eliminate him.

The Akatsuki shinobi that had been fighting the summoned creatures along with Minato and Kushina moved to join Tsunade and the two Yoinokuchi shinobi watching Naruto face off against the two Bijuu, among them were Itachi, Kakuzu, Konan and Sasori. "That boy is rather special wouldn't you agree Itachi?" Kakuzu said clearly impressed by the show.

"Indeed, I would go so far as to say he could probably kill you and your latest partner if he wanted to." Itachi replied.

"He's not normal that's for sure, he would make a spectacular puppet." Sasori mused.

"He would kill you before you could lay a finger on him." Akimi said with a scowl.

Sasori gave the kunoichi a dirty look while the other Akatsuki members simply smirked at the puppeteer being talked down to by a teenage girl.

Naruto put on a final burst of speed and moved in between the two Bijuu, their mini Bijuudama striking each other causing a much larger explosion that filled the air with smoke. While the two Bijuu were unable to see Naruto moved in close to the Nibi Grabbing the end of one of the tails before flinging the beast high into the air. "Alright let's see how you deal with this!" Naruto yelled and began forming a rasengan, but something was instead of the large Oodama rasengan he had been planning for he got a dense ball of chakra that was so heavy he could barely lift it. 'What the hell is this!?' he asked in surprise.

'**Fool it's a Bijuudama, that was the basis the Yondaime used to create that jutsu. Because you're using my chakra, a jutsu that is only shape manipulation will be shaped with my dense chakra, that is impossible to wield in that way. If you want to use your precious rasengan then you will need to separate the blue and black chakra using only the blue. That is unless you think that you can use Imari, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are prepared to die a horrible horrible dead, still it might be amusing to watch..**' Kyuubi informed the blonde.

'_Really, thanks? Hey wait a minute, why are you helping me?_' Naruto asked stunned at how quickly the Kyuubi had given away the information on how to use his chakra more effectively.

'**Like I said before, I would rather work with you and get out of this world quicker than give that bastard of an Uchiha any satisfaction, for now we are allies. Don't expect it to last.**' The Bijuu replied scathingly.

'_I guess there is hope for you yet, if we can put aside our differences and work together then I don't see why we can't become friends. Now let's give this another shot shall we._' Naruto thought, this time focusing on separating the lighter blue chakra from the dense and heavy black chakra. Thanks to his perfect chakra control with the Rinnegan it worked perfectly. He held over his head a giant rasengan that appeared twice the size of the blondes body.

Not wanting to waste anymore time Naruto jumped into the air slamming the jutsu right in the back of the now descending Nibi. The two tailed cat let out a horrifying screech of pain as it crashed to the ground no longer able to stand. Naruto had no time to celebrate his victory however, because the moment he landed he was bombarded by one of the black Kyuubi's tails. He had to act quickly grabbing the tip to avoid it piercing his chest.

The pair were locked in a battle for strength, the black Kyuubi against Naruto in his Bijuu cloak, they both held their ground, Naruto trying to push the black fox back while the faux Kyuubi was trying to impale the blonde. After a few seconds Naruto's legs began to slip and he started to slide backwards, the much larger fox had more strength than the blond, but Naruto wasn't out of tricks yet. He had no real measured control over their strength but to counter Naruto sent two large chakra claws out from his cloak, each forming fists that knocked the black Kyuubi back a few feet, enough to allow Naruto to escape from the dangerous tail of the beast. "Damn that thing is tough." Naruto mused as he quickly darted away, narrowly avoiding two more of the black Kyuubi's tails.

'**Of course it is, you are only using a percentage of my chakra, while that imposter has what would be comparable to my own, I would still rip that fake apart though.**' Kyuubi declared.

'_Yeah but I have my own chakra as well besides I want to prove to you that I am no weakling, I can't have you thinking that I need your help all the time if we're going to be partners._' Naruto replied weaving through the constant barrage of attacks from the giant fox.

'**We're not going to be partners, don't think you can change me boy!**' Kyuubi raged back.

'_No need to be so hostile, I think over time we will come to understand each other, just like how I understood your warning about using a Bijuudama, they're unstable and will explode unless used correctly right?_' Naruto asked.

'**That is a basic view of my warning I suppose.**' the caged Bijuu said with a bored intonation.

'_Then I know just how to win this fight, but first I need to coax him into preparing the jutsu._' Naruto replied with a smirk, sending his chakra claws to deflect two more tails that would have crushed him. "You call yourself a Bijuu, you can't even hit me, is that really the best you've got!?" He called out tauntingly at his opponent.

The black Bijuu let out an angered roar before chakra erupted around the giant foxes mouth and began condensing into a massive ball larger than anything Naruto could have dreamed of. "Alright I am only going to get once chance at this, I have to fire it at the moment the jutsu is finished but before he can fire it." Naruto told himself quickly moving into a position that was in line with the beasts mouth. Slowly the Kyuubi opened it's mouth and swallowed the massive ball. "Alright here goes nothing. Shinra Tensei!" Naruto directed the jutsu as much as he could, a thin stretch of earth tore up from the ground and struck the fox just as it opened it's mouth to fire the Bijuudama.

Black Kyuubi's jutsu backfired, a massive explosion wracked the area, tearing up all the trees that still remained and even Naruto was blown away by the force of the jutsu. He hit the side of a nearby cliff with such force that the stone surface cracked under the pressure and Naruto's Bijuu cloak that acted to protect him faded away.

When Naruto returned to his senses both the Nibi and Kyuubi were nowhere to be seen, the Ichibe was being easily subdued by the Akatsuki and a fair distance away the unconscious body of Menma lay in a heap. "Such an impressive display, I must admit I am looking forward to the challenge of breaking you." came the voice of Tobi as his spectral figure appeared out of thin air.

"What do you want now? Do you really want to fight me here?" Naruto asked.

Tobi rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few moments then shook his head. "The thought is tempting, but in this place I have no real body anyway, I would need to borrow that shell over there, it's not really in the best shape to fight right now as you can imagine." He declared casually.

"So you just came here to congratulate me on a job well done then?" The young blonde asked skeptically.

"Why not, someone with your abilities could change the world, in fact you could create a world where there was never any wars, where everyone lived happily." Tobi said.

"Is that so, and just how would I do that?" Naruto asked.

"It's simple, we make you the container for the Juubi, my original plan involved Madara becoming the Jinchuuriki but it would be so much easier at this point to just use you, join me, we can create a world where there will never be any fighting, this jutsu you are in is what I would call a trail run, the real version would create a perfect world for everyone." Tobi said.

'**Is that what his plan is? To revive the Juubi. If that beast is brought back, then it would mean the end of the world!**' Kyuubi said urgently.

"Sorry, but I think I'll pass on your insane dream, I don't really care what your goal is, someone like you never want's anything but to help themselves, you would turn on me the second you could." Naruto replied.

"Am I so untrustworthy Naruto-kun?" Tobi asked in mock hurt.

Naruto scowled in response he hated the masked man more than anything, he took his parents away from him, hunted his fellow jinchuuriki and on several occasions had sent Akatsuki members to try and kill him. "I don't give a fuck what you are, I will stop you from achieving your goal, believe it!"

"Then so be it, I will end this ninja world one way or another. I have the information that I need, that scroll was never anything but a decoy that I planted in this world to fulfil a purpose. By the time you wake from the jutsu I will be gone and have the object that I desire, or should I say the eyes that I require for my little lapdog." Tobi laughed.

Realisation struck Naruto, this whole process was nothing but a trap, Tobi had recreated a world that was identical to the real one in every way save a few minor details that would keep him looking for threats in other areas and he made the people trusting and friendly so he would drop his guard. All so they would find the crimson scroll and have it placed in the vault where Tsunade would keep the most important objects, the same place where she would store something as valuable as "Itachi's Sharingan." He said bitterly.

"Clever boy, you caught on quickly. You see I could never appear in Konoha for long enough to search for the location throughly without being spotted, so I came up with this little ruse, I knew you had in depth knowledge of Konoha and where Tsunade would keep something of great value, so I created the scenario of the Book of the Crimson Moon, those two, Your copy and the Ichibi were a simple stroke of luck, the power of your Bijuu created these two copies for that worked for my purpose. Really the girl would have been a better choice than the Ichibi though, I doubt you could strike her down even if it was just a copy." Tobi laughed.

Naruto was lived, he had been played, Tobi had set up the world so perfectly that the fake threat had the right amount of validity and he ignored the possibility of it being a decoy. "I am going to kill you. I swear to Kami." Naruto scowled.

"That may yet happen, but not today, now I must be off, with those two defeated I would say the jutsu may be about to end, if you don't mind I have some eyes to steal." Tobi taunted before disappearing.

Time seemed to speed up after that, Menma who had been controlled by Tobi returned to normal, his hair returned to the same gold colour as Naruto's and the Azure blue eyes he once remembered followed soon after. Tobi's fun obviously wasn't quite over as Naruto had to endure watching the teary love felt reunion of his pseudo self and parents reuniting as well as the sight of Itachi in Akatsuki robes, he didn't interact with the Uchiha but he did notice him give an approving nod in his direction before leaving with the rest of the Akatsuki. It wasn't long after that they their bodies began to fade. "Looks like we're going home." Naruto sighed knowing what would be meeting them on the other side.

**End Chapter!**

**Longest chapter for quite awhile, in truth there was so much more I wanted to add, but I also wanted to end this arc on this chapter. If I was going to add more I would have need another one and I would rather just get back on with the story.**

**I changed how the Jutsu worked in this case, rather than have it be based on their wishes I had it be partly controlled by Obito for the simple fact that half of the shit that happened in the movie I doubt what they were given would have been their vision of an ideal world. **

**I also needed to think of a plot that would make sense to tie in with the story when it was clear from the start that Menma wouldn't really be all that big of a challenge for Naruto. **

**I added Nibi to the fight for the simple fact that it should have been there, Yugito was captured and Menma stole the Nibi in the movie yet there was no followup to this development, it was just left at that. He was also supposed to have been stealing bloodline limits but we didn't see any. Not that I really went into any depth on that one either. I also didn't really understand how Tobi was able to supposedly wipe Naruto's memory, I know it had something to do with his Sharingan but why not just do that outside of the jutsu instead of sending them to the alternative universe in the first place? Well random complaints aside I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It feels like it took forever to finish lol. **


	127. Early Morning Ambush

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 127: Early Morning Ambush **

Naruto awoke in the centre of the Konoha, the park where he had encountered Tobi had not changed at all, it was as if barely any time had passed. Akimi and Gaara both returned to consciousness at the same time as he had and were looking around half expecting to see the masked man. "We're back." Gaara said in his passive tone. The world around them looked as though it hadn't changed at all. It was like the world had almost stood still during their excursion into Tobi's Genjutsu.

Once Naruto was sure where he was he ran off, sprinting across the village he had one goal in mind, stopping Tobi. 'How much time has it been, I need to get to the safe room before he finds those eyes. Dammit how could I have been so stupid!?' He raged at himself while he ran.

Naruto arrived at the newly reconstructed Hokage tower bursting through the closest window he could find, and ran down towards the basement. Shizune had been coming down the stairs at that moment and see the back of the blonde descend the stairs. "Naruto-kun?" she questioned and quickly ran after the blonde. "Wait up." she called out hoping to catch him.

"Sorry Shizune-Neechan this is important." Naruto called back. He arrived at the basement, to find two unconscious Anbu guards. "Fuck I'm too late." he cursed.

"Too late for what?" Shizune asked, rounding the corner before coming to a halt. "What the hell happened here!?"

"Tobi, he's after Itachi's eyes. We have to get this thing open." Naruto said but the safe door was already loose, he quickly pulled it back to find Tobi sitting at the far end of the safe in his hands he held a jar filled with preserving fluid and one set of Sharingan eyes.

"So much potential held within such a small jar. You got here faster than I expected, really you never cease to amaze me." Tobi said in a gloating manner. He tossed the jar into the air before a vortex opened up and sucked it in.

Naruto knew it was a long shot but he tried his luck, jumping forward looking to take Tobi's head from his body, but predictably he phased right through the masked man. "Shizune-Neechan, go tell Baa-chan whats happened here, she needs to know, he won't harm me nor will he steal anything else, he only had one goal in the first place."

"Alright, be careful Naruto-kun." Shizune said. Doing as she was instructed Shizune turned and ran up the stairs towards Tsunade's office.

"What are you planning?" Naruto asked with a scowl when his attention returned to the masked man.

Tobi laughed and shook his head. "Now is that the time for that, in fact as entertaining as this night has been I really must be on my way. I have many things that I need to deal with before the Kage meet. If you really want to know about my plans, then that is the stage where I will reveal everything. Goodbye Naruto-kun." Tobi said with a friendly wave before disappearing into a spiralling vortex.

'He's gone, but it looks like I will have to crash that Kage summit if we're going to know what he wants.' The blonde thought bitterly.

'You already know his main goal, he wants to revive the Juubi, to do that effectively he will need the chakra of all nine of the tailed beasts.' Kyuubi spoke calmly.

'Maybe, but that can't be his entire plan, he must have some use for it when it's revived.' Naruto reasoned.

At that moment Shizune arrived with a very annoyed looking Hokage. "What's going on here?" Tsunade asked harshly.

"Tobi, he stole Itachi's eyes, I think he's planning on giving them to Sasuke or he could be planing to keep them himself." Naruto said still annoyed at himself for giving away their location in such a way.

"What would he want with them anyway? They were blind." Shizune asked skeptically.

"For Itachi maybe, but those eyes are essential for that traitor Sasuke to achieve an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan." Tsunade explained with a scowl. "My grandfathers notes theorised that this only works between siblings, however it's could be quite possible that Tobi wished to he could use them, or at least one of them for himself. It was just a theory only an Uchiha would know for sure." She added

"You think that masked Uchiha would go through so much effort for Sasuke?" Shizune questioned.

"He's desperate, at the moment he is looking for any small bit of leverage he can get, the attack on Konoha was the first signs of this. The longer he waits the more aggressive his tactics are becoming." Naruto answered bitterly.

"There has definitely been a drastic elevation in the Akatsuki's openly violent behaviour in the last few months." Tsunade added in thought.

"I think they are preparing something big. He as good as told me that he was planning a war, the question is where would he get an army from." Naruto informed the two kunoichi.

"Our job then is to stand against him, but in a war where there is so much unknown it will be difficult to rally support for our side, they won't even know what who or what we are fighting against." Tsunade sighed.

Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune left the safe and returned to the surface. Where Gaara and Akimi were waiting for them. "Why did you run off?" The swift release kunoichi asked.

"Tobi tricked us, that Genjutsu was a ruse to find the location that Tsunade-Baachan would hide something that valuable. He wanted to get his hands on Itachi's eyes, and we led him right to them." Naruto answered.

"He played the situation perfectly, using allies to to lower our guard while at the same time extracting the information he required, it would have been for the best to treat everyone in the Genjutsu as hostile." Gaara mused.

"Yeah, come on we better go see Itachi and Jiraiya-sensei, they need to know what's going on." Naruto replied. He said a quick farewell to Tsunade and Shizune before jumping through a nearby window and out into the village.

(**Land Of Water**)

Sasuke and his band of former Oto ninja sat around a small camp fire in a cave, it was raining heavily outside and their shelter leaked in various places giving it a rather dank cold feel despite the fire. "Still nothing, we have been searching for days and not a single trace of this guy we're supposed to be hunting." Suigetsu complained.

Sasuke only grunted in reply, his patients was wearing thin as well but he found it undignified to verbalise his grievances. Juugo meanwhile was contently watching the rain fall outside with a calm look on his face, far from the psychopath they had encountered not all that long ago. "It cannot be helped, we have everything we need to capture this Utakata, all we need now is for him to come within Karin's range." The orange haired teen said calmly.

"He's a jinchuuriki, so I should be able to find him, but I can't sense anything. I think that creepy plant guy lied, I don't think he's here at all!" The red headed kunoichi of the group shouted, she was never afraid to voice her annoyance.

Once more Sasuke grunted in approval of Karin's assessment. "_That's not a very nice thing to say about me, I would never lie!_" Came a cheerful voice that startled Karin and Suigetsu. From the cave ceiling a white Zetsu's torso appeared. "_I came to give you my latest intel, but it seems that you do not trust me anymore. Oh what ever should I do now?_" He asked mockingly.

That was one thing Sasuke couldn't stand, he hated people mocking him. "Tell me what it is before I kill you!" The Uchiha demanded.

"_So you do have some fight in you, that is good to know. Now listen up, I don't want to have to repeat myself. I found the Rokubi._" Zetsu proclaimed proudly.

"Where?" Sasuke asked instantly focused.

Zetsu smirked. "_At the far end of this island, he's working with a partner that is keeping his chakra suppressed. I am surprised that your little sensor didn't pick it up, she is supposed to be the best isn't she?_"

Sasuke turned to his group determination etched on his face. "We're going, I will not lose this opportunity." He declared already packing his bags.

"What we're going now? But Sasuke-kun it's pouring out there!" Karin replied.

"Oh you're not scared of a little rain are you, don't worry it's not like it can ruin your hair anymore than it already is." Suigetsu taunted.

"Fuck you, you are made of water so rain does nothing yo you, but we could get sick." Karin spat back at the blue haired swordsman.

"No more sick than you make me feel every time you start talking." Suigetsu retorted with a grin of his sharklike teeth.

"Shut up both of you, I said we are leaving and that is what's going to happen. Now let's go!" Sasuke ordered commandingly, instantly the two teens stopped arguing and began packing their things.

Zetsu meanwhile had a rather large grin on his face. "_Oh by the way I forgot to tell you the best part._" He said once he was confident that Sasuke's team had finished packing.

Sasuke gave the white Zetsu an aggravated look of annoyance. "What? I would suggest you stop playing games with me, you will not like how it ends."

"_Patients Sasuke-kun, I'll tell you. It seems as though Kiri have also managed to locate Utakata, they will be meeting with him shortly to discuss his return to their village. It is highly likely that you will have to face the Jinchuuriki along with a team of jounin class shinobi from Kiri. Wont that be entertaining?_" Zetsu said gleefully.

"J-Jou-nin?" Karin stuttered.

"What scared? Then again you're not much of a fighter are you Karin, I bet a Genin from kiri would be able to take you down no trouble, then again why would they waste their time?" Suigetsu laughed. "Count me in, there is a chance someone that they send will be a member of the Seven Swordsmen, I want to get my hands on those swords as soon as I can." He added. There was a hopeful glint in his eye as he spoke, his dream was to master and own all of the seven legendary swords of Kiri, so any encounter with high ranking ninja from the mist was an opportunity too big for him to pass up.

"I'm not scared, It's just if you do the math we will be outnumbered and Jinchuuriki are a villages trump card to use against armies, so we will be out gunned as well. But if Sasuke-kun thinks we can do it, then fine, I'm in" Karin replied.

"I go where Sasuke goes, who or where I fight is irrelevant." Juugo stated plainly.

"_Then you best hurry, even if you left now it won't be until tomorrow before you reach them. Even so there is still a chance that you could get there before the Kiri shinobi._" Zetsu chuckled. He waited until Sasuke and his team had completely disappeared before sinking back into the stone, the only sign that anyone had been there in the first place was the small camp fire still lightly flickering to illuminate the dark cave.

(**Outside Konoha**)

"So it sounds like you have had quite an experience tonight, that jutsu sounds troublesome, if it can ensnare a Rinnegan user." Itachi mused as Naruto finished filling him in on what had happened since Tobi had arrived that night. He was flanked by both Gaara and Akimi who had also given their accounts of what had happened during and before they were caught in Tobi's Genjutsu.

"I think it was powered by the Bijuu he has captured so far, that would explain how he was able to make it so powerful that it would capture me, if I had been using my Bijuu cloak at the time it may have been a different story." Naruto admitted.

"Powerful Genjutsu aside, the real issue is what do you think Tobi wants with your eyes?" Jiraiya spoke from where he was sitting with Nagato and Konan, looking intently at Itachi.

"The only answer that comes to mind at this stage is that he plans to give them to Sasuke, but the only way for that to be effective is if my foolish little brother achieved his Mangekyo Sharingan." Itachi spoke flatly.

"Is it possible that Tobi could be planning to use them himself?" Naruto asked.

"It is possible, but the effectiveness is greatly reduced, there is also the possibility that his body would reject my eyes. No my guess is that Sasuke has joined Tobi. Do you know anything about this Nagato?" Itachi questioned the red haired Uzumaki.

Nagato nodded once. "I know that Tobi was planning on recruiting new members for the Akatsuki. If your brother has joined the Akatsuki then I think it would be safe to say we will be hearing something about it sooner rather than later. Tobi is growing impatient, he want's to capture the remaining jinchuuriki at any cost. If he has recruited your brother then I would expect that he will test him, against a powerful opponent." the elder Rinnegan user said.

"Who do you think his target would be?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well his eagerness to capture the Bijuu would mean that he would target one of the two remaining jinchuuriki that are outside of this group, the Hachibi or Rokubi. As the Hachibi is the Raikage's brother an attack on Kumo is highly unlikely, the Rokubi however is a wanderer, highly skilled at remaining undetected but to our knowledge has only a single non combatant as protection. Our latest reports suggest that he has returned to the Land of Water to assess the new leadership in Kiri. He will need to expose himself to meet with and Kiri shinobi." Nagato proposed.

"He also won't meet close to Kiri in fears of betrayal and being attacked for them to reclaim the Bijuu. He will be on one of the external islands of the Land of Water. The chances of finding him first a close to none. unfortunately this is something we will have to leave to Kiri and hope our warning get's there in time." Jiraiya added. The Toad Sage knew that any self respecting shinobi would take precautions even if they were sure of safety so a bordering island that would be easy to escape and hard to send chase in great numbers would be an obvious choice.

"It would be wise sending word to Mei, she needs to informed of what will happen if the Rokubi jinchuuriki attempts to contact them." Gaara suggested.

"Yes that would be an advisable strategy, but Obito's move to collect my eyes might suggest that they have located him or even already captured the jinchuuriki" Itachi reasoned.

"That's no reason not to send the warning, we should head to the Land of Water as well." Naruto said.

"There would be no telling which island he is on, even if we split up you would be exposing yourself, Gaara and Fuu to a potential attack." Nagato replied, urging caution.

"We'll send word to Mei, but we can't move out for a major operation on theory, it is also possible that Tobi has other plans to test Sasuke." Jiraiya informed the group. He quickly pulled out his notebook and hastily tore out a page to write a letter to the Mizukage. Once completed he passed it to Naruto who summoned a small bird that looked like a rocked, it had bright red feathers and a pointy jet black beak that seemed to emphasise it's cylindrical shape. Once Naruto had the letter fastened safely the bird took off like a bullet, it's shape meaning that it was perfect for high speed flight. "There it's done, now we can talk about the Kage summit, Naruto do you know what it is that he's planning?"

"That's right, you said yourself that Tobi has big plans for the Kage summit. Perhaps it would have been wise to warn Tsunade-sama?" Itachi added.

"No if I do that then there is a chance they will either cancel or reschedule the meeting I know Tobi will be there and he will also be revealing something to the Kage's, even if I don't know what it is. I want to be there, I'll sneak in and watch over the summit myself, if something happens and he attempts anything then I'll stop him." Naruto said.

"That is risky, you shouldn't be going alone thats for sure." Gaara said.

"I have to, they will have sensor type shinobi with them for sure, the only way we for us not to be discovered is if I go alone." Naruto replied.

"He has a point, but there is no way we're letting you go without back up. A team will go with you but wait outside a safe distance from the summit, then if you need help all you will need to do is enter that new Bijuu form of yours and we will be able to feel your chakra." Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. He could realise a good plan when it came up. "So when and where are they holding this Kage summit? Do you know or are you planning to trail Tsunade-sama all the way there?" Akimi asked.

"Who do you take us for? We've known about the location they are holding the Kage summit for awhile now." Jiraiya chuckled.

"In other words Tsunade-Baachan told him while they were getting drunk together." Naruto said with a deadpan.

"How I acquire information is a tried and tested method. There is nothing wrong with it." Jiraiya retorted.

"Jiraiya-sama's rather questionable espionage activities aside, it's been a long night we should get some rest and think out our next moves in the morning." Itachi said calmly.

"Yeah to be honest I'm exhausted. It would be good to sleep, but I have to wait up a few more hours yet, at least until the message get's to Mei." Naruto replied.

"You can get a message to Kiri that fast? Amazing." Akimi whispered even Gaara seemed impressed while the others in the room saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"For the Rinnegan anything we desire can be summoned, it is the most basic version of Banbutsu Sozo, a creation that will disappear after it has been used. That is the skill of our Animal path." Nagato informed them both. "It is amazing that you spend so much time with Naruto-kun yet are still unaware of his full potential. That said he has only started to live up to that potential now." he added as an afterthought.

"Regardless I say we meet back here tomorrow morning Tsunade-Hime will be leaving in a few days to reach the Kage summit but we should be in place before she arrives." Jiraiya said calmly. The others nodded and most of the group left either to go to bed or in Naruto's case he went to train. His fathers high speed and reaction taijutsu style helped him out in the genjutsu but performing one move hastily did not make him a master.

Naruto's fathers memories let him learn his skills but certainly not master them, they were haphazard and he lacked the muscle memory to perform them with any ease, and the more advanced techniques were still a long way off. '_Even for that summons it will be almost be dawn by __the time the letter makes it to Mei, I just hope that it's not too late._' He thought with a hint of resignation as he left the cave heading to the closest training ground.

(**The Land of Water**)

The sea breeze whipped across Sasuke's face as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. They had traveled all night to reach a small town that was more like a collection of houses than a town. The entire village consisted of a tavern that doubled as most other basic village amenities, a small one stop shop, which was in essence the only store in the village, and a few homes. It was so far out of the way it had not appeared on any maps that they had purchased including official ninja documents. All in all this was the perfect place for a jinchuuriki to hide, it had excellent views from surrounding hills that could see in all directions yet was hidden enough to avoid detection unless you walked right into the village.

Sasuke had avoided entering in case their target was watching, they did not want to scare him off, it was clear that he was able to effectively hide his presence, even from Karin, something that the adolescent Uchiha found incredibly irritating.

Another strong gust of wind shook Sasuke awake, it would be unfair to say he was not a morning person as he didn't particularly like any time of the day, each passing of the sun seemed to him as another day where those that have wronged him and his family are allowed to draw breath. He had never even given thought to what he would do when the day came that he would inevitably gain his revenge before but today his mind seemed to wander. when you live your life for one sole purpose what happens when that is taken away? He was known as a traitor, not even Iwa would take him in, due to the high risk of someone so dangerous.

Sasuke shook himself from these thoughts. "It's just that today I will start moving closer to my goals." He told himself as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Looking around he saw Juugo propped up against a moss covered boulder, snorring lightly while the other two members of his group slept a fair distance apart, their general animosity towards each other carrying on well into the night as they ran across the island. Sasuke allowed himself a small smile, he had no family nor did he consider himself to be all that close with any of the group before him. He briefly recalled Kakashi once telling him that "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."

"Sentimental fool, what is the point of comrades if they make you weak? Kakashi was the only survivor of his Genin team because he was strong while they were weak. Even then he only ever invented one jutsu of his own, and I mastered it better than he ever will." Sasuke said to himself. Thinking about Kakashi and his old team made the powder keg of a teenager think on Konoha and the fact that it was on their orders that Itachi killed his family, and the fact that Itachi volunteered made him furious.

"You should really watch that temper of yours Sasuke-kun, if it gets the better of you then your revenge will never come."

Sasuke spun around ready to draw his Katana but stopped when he saw Tobi sitting, legs crossed at the top of the boulder that Juugo was resting against. "Oh it's you, look I'm going to capture the damn jinchuuriki so why are you here?" he asked, his irritation not yet fading.

"I just thought you might like a hand in dealing with the Kiri shinobi, four Jounin are not easy prey Sasuke-kun." Tobi said happily.

"I don't need your help." Sasuke declared.

"_See, I told you he would act that way._" Zetsu said rising up from the ground behind Sasuke.

"Now now Zetsu, let's give Sasuke-kun a chance. Did you find the location where the Rokubi is meeting with the Kiri shinobi?" Tobi asked casually. Ignoring Sasuke's irritation.

"_Yes, Utakata and his handler are planning on meeting the group they summoned at the top of a large hill a short way to the north, no trees and excellent vision of surrounding area. If Sasuke attempted to stage an attack they would see him coming from a mile away._" Zetsu informed the masked Uchiha.

"So we wait until they leave and then attack them, simple." Sasuke scoffed.

"Yes that is one way to get around the problem. However at that time there is no telling what Kiri reinforcements they brought to secure the Rokubi's passage back to the mist. Also the Rokubi jinchuuriki will be far more trusting of the Kiri shinobi after the meeting. Attacking them when their guard is down is the best option." Tobi reasoned.

"Well he!" Sasuke pointed at Zetsu. "Just said that was impossible."

Tobi chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I'm afraid you are just slightly wrong there Sasuke-kun, he said conventional methods wouldn't work. I don't do things by conventional methods though, with my help we can attack at the perfect moment, they would never know what hit them."

"Using the same method you use to always show up at the most in opportune moments, just to 'talk'?" Sasuke questioned.

"Essentially yes. You and your team will travel in my pocket dimension until the moment that we attack, we will appear right in front of the Rokubi and launch the attack." The mask man proposed.

Sasuke didn't like accepting help but his plan did sound like it would work effectively. "Alright, but this better work." He scoffed bitterly.

"Don't worry, it will. Now why don't you wake your team, I am sure they would like to know the plan, it's not wise to keep every card hidden likewise it is not smart to show your hand too soon." Tobi said happily.

"I don't play games and I will not be roped into yours" Sasuke scoffed.

"Which is why you are a wanted man, while I went years without being noticed. You're overly eager and that gets even the very shinobi killed. You need to learn to keep your plans to yourself, you made no secret of your desire to kill your brother, and Konoha knew that, the fact you were able to escape Konoha is a surprise, if they had sent a proper team to capture you, then there is a high chance they would have killed you then and there. You have been very lucky so far, and you were planning to run off to Konoha and expect to destroy it without preparing properly." Tobi replied.

Sasuke scowled but couldn't dispute the masked mans logic, as much as he wanted to. "As long as you don't hold me back then I guess I will listen to what you say." He scoffed still unwilling to accept that he needed help.

(**Two Hours Later**)

Four shinobi stood in formation atop a tall hill overlooking the surrounding area at the moment they stood alone and seemed rather confused. "This is the place right?" A short shinobi asked. He had short blue hair that was cut short with two long bangs that framed his face. He wore the standard Kiri uniform with a one strap Jounin vest.

"Utakata has been rouge since before the start of the bloodline purges and stayed neutral and hidden despite our need for aid. It's is understandable that he is cautious, he is probably watching us from somewhere to make sure we didn't come here with more people to capture him." A kunoichi with long brown hair that was flowed midway down her back and kept out of her eyes by the Kiri forehead protector she wore.

She was right of course, high above the Kiri ninja a man wearing a sky blue kimono, adorned with the an emblem of three bubbles on the back, sat inside a bubble that floated listlessly in the air. Although you could not see it while he was sitting down, Utakata was a very tall man, standing a full head height above most over shinobi. He had relatively long dark brown hair that covered one eye and obscured the same half of his face. His lone pale golden eye scanned the new arrivals carefully. '_They do not seem like they are here to fight, I cannot even see any weapons save the odd kunai._' he thought analytically.

Cautiously he descended to the Kiri shinobi's level. Startling two of the shinobi, his bubble perfectly hid his presence and it wasn't until he allowed the bubble to break as he stepped out that any of them could feel his chakra. "You must be Utakata, it is a pleasure to meet you." The kunoichi said with a quick yet respectful bow.

"As I am sure it is to meet you all as well." The Rokubi jinchuuriki replied with a bow of his own.

"We should make this quick, we request that for your own safety that you return with us to Kiri. The organisation known as the Akatsuki are actively hunting Bijuu and you are one of the few remaining targets for them to capture." The short jounin said in a matter of fact tone, he had no time for pleasantries and simply wanted to accomplish their mission in the quickest time frame possible.

"I contacted Kiri and organised this meeting to see what this new administration was like, so far I have been impressed but that does not mean that I will willingly return to active service I am enjoying my peaceful life in isolation and I have been able to remain hidden so far." Utakata replied.

The short man was about to respond when the call of a messenger hawk caught his attention. Looking up the large hawk landed on the kunoichi's shoulder sticking out a leg that contained a very formal looking letter. As the kunoichi read the letter her eyes widened in shock. "It says this might be a set up, the Akatsuki are using us to draw Utakata out!" she gasped.

"How well informed you are, I didn't think that Kiri would have the resources to discover my little plan." Tobi said appearing out of thin air and simultaneously releasing Sasuke and his team from his pocket dimension. "Now this looks like fun, it's five on five, Tobi thinks you won't all survive!" he added in his child like persona.

**End Chapter!**

**Another week another chapter, no prizes for guessing what the next chapter will be about. Next week will be a chapter of A Price for Peace.**

**Spoiler's!**

**So apparently they are changing Obito's name to Obi-wan because when you strike him down he becomes more powerful than you could possibly imagine. **

**So far he's been killed like three times but for whatever reason keeps coming back. How does being killed make you a jinchuuriki? Maybe I need to reread that chapter but it seems rather convenient that from the start if he died he wins, what kind of messed up logic is that? **

**Personally I would have been happier if Obito died but it brought Madara back and he became the jinchuuriki. Obito was already dying when he left his inner world. **

**Also that thing about the Hirashin seal not being able to be removed is fucking BS in my opinion, what type of reject plot is that? Basically if someone is marked they're life is over, Minato could kill them at any moment, granted it makes Minato that much more badass but it's still kind of hard to believe. **

**Over sixteen years and the seal still works, I'm fine with that, as long as the seal hasn't been tampered with, or if it's been applied in a way it won't fade. But all he has to do is touch someone and essentially they're his bitch for life. It can't be removed so there isn't really a counter that springs to mind unless you go full kamikaze style by grabbing him as he teleports and like jumping into a volcano, even then he could just Hirashin away again regardless. **

**I was all for making Minato on par with the other Kage but that is ridiculous. Should have just left the Hirashin as his own jutsu and left it there, but because he decided to make it Tobirama's jutsu Minato needed a way to justify that he was strong enough again... enter this rather glaringly obvious plot jutsu, Tobirama can't use the jutsu well enough to make it effective and Minato can. *Sigh***

**I think I know what's going on, Kishimoto wants to finish the story soon, so in order to not have people complain that it needs to go on, he is steadily worsening the quality of his work until we will all just be thankful that it is finally over. As far as this arc is concerned he's flogging a dead horse, he's even got the 97 endings of Return of the King jealous over how drawn out this is. **


	128. Sasuke vs Utakata

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 128: Sasuke vs Utakata **

Sasuke, Tobi and his team stood surrounding the Kiri ninja with satisfied smirks. "It is interesting that you were aware that we would show up. The new Mizukage is more resourceful than I remember." Tobi mused while team Taka made sure there were no escape routs for the jinchuuriki they had been sent to capture.

"Mei-sama has informant's in places you couldn't believe." A Kiri ninja replied angrily. The truth was the man was afraid, all Akatsuki ninja were said to be S ranked shinobi and now he was faced with five of them.

"My guess is this information came from a yellow haired thorn in my side, Naruto-kun sure takes pleasure in involving himself in my business. Regardless my dear Kiri ninja you and your little group are of no concern to me, we're here for the Rokubi." Tobi replied calmly.

"So you would just let us go?" The same Jounin asked cautiously.

"What are you saying, we can't abandon our mission just because of a set back!" A kunoichi replied drawing a Katana she had strapped diagonally across her back.

"Be smart Zera, this is a fight we can't win this is the Akatsuki!" The man replied.

"That is true, your chances of victory here are slim to none, but as I said we're here for the jinchuuriki, if you wish to fight then you will only face me." Tobi said lazily almost as if he was goading the Kiri ninja to stay and fight.

"Yeah until we kill you and get swarmed by them!" Another shinobi said his defensive stance holding tight not trusting the Akatsuki group not to strike the moment he weakened his guard.

"Yes that is a possibility, but as you will not be able to kill me I hardly see that being much of an issue." Tobi mocked in typical light hearted fassion.

"We will see!" the kunoichi that drew he blade declared. In one swift motion she had crossed the distance between the Kiri ninja and tobi and attempted to drive her kunoichi through the masked Uchiha's chest. At first there was a feeling of elation as her blade pierced his body, then horror as she slipped through his body completely.

"Oh that's unfortunate. Looks like it's three on one now." Tobi chuckled as he reformed his body and drove a kunai through her back. "Oh look what you have gone and done, you ruined my robes." he mocked as he stood over her dead body.

"What type of jutsu is that!?" One of the Kiri ninja asked taking a few steps backwards.

"The same type that allows him to appear out of thin air." Another guessed.

Meanwhile Sasuke and his team had focused their attention towards Utakata. The jinchuuriki had erected a large bubble around himself and was calmly observing the four members of team Taka. "What the fuck is with this guy, does he really think a bubble will stop us?" Suigetsu scoffed jokingly.

"I am waiting to see what purpose you have here. I have no qualms with the Akatsuki and I keep to myself. What purpose could I possibly serve?" The jinchuuriki asked.

"It doesn't matter. We're here to capture you, and that is what we are going to do." Sasuke replied confidently.

Utakata turned a lazy eye to the Uchiha. "That is rather narrow minded. The Akatsuki act as mercenaries, if that is the case I will pay double to go on with my life of seclusion. I have no desire to fight you."

"Then that will make capturing you all that much easier then. I am not doing this for money, I am doing it for power." Sasuke declared.

"To test your strength against a jinchuuriki. You are ambitious, but foolish, I suggest finding a different Bijuu to fight." Utakata retorted in a calm yet confident tone.

"Tough talk coming from someone hiding inside a bubble." Suigetsu scoffed.

"You say that like it is a weakness, if I am so weak enter and face me." Utakata replied.

Suigetsu grinned menacingly. "I thought you would never ask. Let's go bubble boy!"

"Wait Suigetsu don't!" The red head Karin yelled a split second before the former Kiri ninja's blade sliced the bubble.

"Why the hell not?" Suigetsu asked angrily.

"It's what he want's he's confident that he can't be harmed inside his shield. I think attacking him like that will do more harm to us than him. I can't even sense his chakra inside that bubble." Karin answered desperately hoping that her allies would listen, even if she didn't like Suigetsu all that much, or rather she didn't like him at all.

"Karin is right, if we want to capture him we need to get rid of this shield of his first." Sasuke concurred, much to the elated joy of the red haired kunoichi.

"Well sitting here and talking about it isn't going to do anything about his shield is it? We have to attack it somehow." Suigetsu complained.

Sasuke began running though hand seals. "You're right, lets see how he deals with this, Chidori Senbon!" Many tiny needles of lightning crashed into Utakata's bubble but rather than pierce the shield, they bounced off completely harmless.

"That was rather uneventful." Utakata commented dryly.

"We're just getting started. Don't underestimate us!" Suigetsu yelled, his anger at the situation showing completely.

"I am not underestimating you, I am simply observing the situation. I am under no illusions as to the fact that I will have to lower my shield to escape at which point you will attack me. But I also have this chance to study you, for example the Uchiha there is a Raiton type as well as Katon that all Uchiha possess I am sure." Utakata mentioned. He then turned to face Suigetsu. "You I recognise. You're a former Kiri ninja, not only that you are the brother of Mangetsu Hozuki, he was quite talented it was a shame to hear that he had died, There is no need to guess what type of jutsu you use, your clans Suiton manipulation is legendary. That just leaves the Uzumaki and the last member of your group." He added methodically.

"How do you know about me?" Karin asked shocked.

"Oh please, that red hair is a trademark of the Uzumaki clan, the only way that it would have been any more obvious is you stuck the clan symbol on your chest. Most that are still alive after being scattered are quite honourable, and a few I even consider to be friends, it is a shame that is a trait not shared by you." Utakata said smugly.

"Ah this is pointless, all you are doing is wasting our time, the moment that shield comes down you die! You can't stay in there forever." Suigetsu yelled in frustration.

"You are clearly not as smart as your brother was are you? Does someone else want to fill your slow friend in?" Utakata questioned still as calm as day despite the situation he was in.

There was silence for a few moments before Karin decided to speak. "The letter?" she suggested tentatively.

"It seems like there is at least one member of the group with a brain, yes the letter from the Mizukage. There is no way they would send that without back up on the way, if the Akatsuki are involved I would assume that it would be a sizeable force." Utakata reasoned.

"So he waits until his backup arrives, a group much stronger than those four that Tobi is dealing with so he can escape or even join the fight then." Karin surmised.

"Explains why he's so confident." Juugo said calmly.

"How long?" Sasuke seethed.

Utakata allowed a small smile. "I would say half an hour, forty five minutes at the most before more Kiri ninja arrive. While I can hold this shield for days at a time."

"Then we're just going to have to break it first!" Suigetsu yelled. He slashed at Utakata's bubble but it had no effect. Suigetsu was tossed backwards with some force, crashing into a nearby boulder with so much force his body erupted into a shower of water that very slowly reformed his body.

"Well at least now we know what happens if we attack it directly." Karin said, quietly laughing at her teammates misfortune.

"Then let's try something else!" Sasuke said angrily. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them black flames shot forth from his right eye.

Sasuke's Amaterasu smashed against the closest dome wall yet once more the bubble jutsu didn't break. "Impressive attack but not good enough, like I said I can hold this jutsu against almost all attacks, your time is ticking away."

"I am going to enjoy beating you down!" Sasuke seethed.

"Maybe if we all attack at a different side he might not be able to support the defence " Karin suggested.

"It's worth a try." Sasuke said, unconvinced. He did not like the thought of not being able to do something himself, he thought it made him seem weak to rely on others.

Still all four got into position while most ran through hand seals Juugo entered his enraged state and formed what looked an awful lot like a cannon out of his chest. His whole body had changed, his skin darkened considerably and his eyes became black with orange pupils. Utakata arched an eyebrow, this was a transformation that he had never seen before even he had to admit that it was, "Impressive."

There was no response from the orange haired teen, instead it was Sasuke to act first releasing a large ball of fire to join with his black flames that were still burning. Karin used a significantly smaller Suiton jutsu in the shape of several flying fish made of water. Suigetsu used his own torrent of water far stronger than that of Karin's but still there was no effect.

The last to act was Juugo, his attack needed a few moments to charge but when he was finished he released a massive burst of chakra right into Utakata's dome, his attack smashed right through shocking the Rokubi jinchuuriki significantly. His dome collapsed and all four jutsu converged on one another. Utakata only escaping by jumping at the last second.

Thanks to Sasuke's Sharingan the Uchiha saw him move and instantly made to intercept drawing his sword of kusanagi, already channeling lightning chakra through the blade.

Despite not being active in a long time, Utakata was still a top ranking shinobi during his time in Kiri, he would not be defeated so easily. The tall dark haired man made a clone in mid air which he instantly grabbed by the wrist and tossed at the incoming Uchiha.

Sasuke, paying the clone no mind wasted little time in cutting the incoming copy down only to have him burst into a clear liquid and spray all over his body. For a split second Sasuke thought it was only water, but then his skin began to burn. His attack halted giving Utakata time to draw out an odd looking pipe, from the pipe the Rokubi jinchuuriki blew out several small bubbles that rocketed towards the stunned Sasuke.

It was Juugo who saved the Uchiha, the half beast grabbed Sasuke and pulled him out of the way just before the bubbles hit their target and exploded with great force. Juugo took Sasuke to Karin and lay him out on the ground. "Heal him! Suigetsu and I will deal with the jinchuuriki." he ordered the kunoichi with a deep voice distorted from his transformation.

The acid was burning Sasuke's top, which normally would be a point of great joy for the young Uzumaki female. However the acid was also burning away at his face leaving leaving him contorted in pain. Instantly she began work on removing the corrosive substance from causing anymore damage.

"I would have expect an Uchiha to see through a move like that, his anger must be getting the better of him. But I am far more concerned with your ability. Your chakra is not normal that is for certain, only a jinchuuriki should be able to disrupt my chakra shield in such a way.

'_So that's how we were able to break his shield, Juugo's chakra is so wild and uncontrollable that he couldn't sustain the barrier against his attacks._' Karin thought while still busy cleaning up Sasuke.

"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that we defeat you!" Juugo replied. Juugo charged forward, his arm transforming into a large hammer-like claw. Utakata jumped out of the way leaving Juugo to hit nothing but air, regardless there was a burst of chakra that erupted out that knocked the Rokubi jinchuuriki a fair way backwards.

Utakata landed on his feet but had no time to adjust as he was forced to roll out of the way of Suigetsu who used that moment to strike at the jinchuuriki with his blade, aiming for his legs. '_A fair strategy, remove my legs and I can't move._' Utakata thought calmly. He looked up to see both Juugo and Suigetsu close in on him. In one move Utakata took out his pipe and created several explosive bubbles between himself and the members of Sasuke's team, they were moving too fast to stop before crashing into the explosives.

The explosion shook the area while Utakata erected another barrier to protect himself. Before the smoke cleared he was forced to drop the barrier and escape once more, jumping high in the air to see that Juugo's body had morphed again, this time to shield himself and Suigetsu from harm before attacking from the cover of the debris. "Karin hurry up, we can't take this guy without Sasuke." Juugo yelled.

"Ah speak for yourself Juugo, I don't need Sasuke." Suigetsu scoffed.

"Yes we do, he's a jinchuuriki, but he hasn't even begun to use any of his Bijuu's chakra." Juugo replied. Suigetsu and Karin were stunned to hear how well Juugo had analysed the situation despite being in his enraged form.

"Very astute, your chances of defeating me are slim, at this rate I won't even need the help of Kiri." Utakata taunted calmly. '_Although their ally, the one that is fighting those Jounin is nothing to scoff at, he will make it a lot harder to escape. I should have stayed in hiding, I really had no strong desire to return to the village._' He thought while creating several bubbles to shield him as he backed away. He still needed to buy himself some more time for back up from Kiri to arrive.

Juugo and Suigetsu split up both circling around Utakata in opposite directions. After a few moments both kicked off to strike at the jinchuuriki. Utakata jumped backwards but not before erecting a large bubble that tossed both shinobi away with ease.

At that moment Karin was just finishing cleaning off the remainder of Utakata's acid. "Alright Sasuke-kun it's gone, hurry up and bite me." She said urgently, pulling back her shirt to expose her ams with bite marks littering her skin.

Sasuke didn't hesitate, biting down as hard as he could. A second passed and then his wounds started healing despite the significant damage done by the acid he was back to perfect health in less than a minute. Without a thank you Sasuke took off heading back to the fight, Karin took a moment to compose herself before following after him.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Jiraiya were in Tsunade's office, having both entered a moment earlier through their customary window. "Hey Baa-chan how's it going." Naruto said with a friendly wave.

"I was doing good until you two showed up." Tsunade scoffed. Her smile gave her away however, she couldn't help smiling at the young blonde as he hopped through the window.

"We just dropped by to tell you we will be leaving today, Konoha is back to strength and the rebuilding is well underway. Besides we're not making any money sitting around all day." Jiraiya added happily.

"Oh please I have tracked your work over the past few years, you both have made enough money to retire and live out the rest of your life in peace. Well as long as the Akatsuki left you alone." Tsunade scoffed.

"Well that kind of sounds a little boring if you ask me, working is far more entertaining." Naruto chuckled.

"Whatever Gaki, we don't need you all terrorising our people anymore anyway, and to be honest if I hear one more kunoichi requesting a face to face meeting or asking if I would pass on a love letter to you I will have the entire kunoichi population sent to Anko, Yugao, and Kurenai, for some personality adjustments. They are supposed to be my soldiers not love sick teenagers." Tsunade replied honestly this time.

"Well that explains why Akimi hasn't left him alone in the village for the past few days." Jiraiya added barking out a short laugh all the while reaching for his trusty note pad.

"It can't be that bad right?" Naruto asked apprehensively.

"It depends on the cases, a good portion of it is just joking between kunoichi about how good you would be in bed. But there are some who would be taking it seriously. Village hero's do tend to get quite a bit of popularity from the opposite sex you know." Tsunade explained.

Jiraiya placed a consoling hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Yes it's a burden we both must carry I am afraid my young apprentice. But don't worry I will personally inspect all the lovely ladi-"

"You won't need to do anything of the sort you damn pervert." Tsunade warned the Toad Sage threateningly. "You will be leaving as you said so this problem will surely go away before it escalates into anything serious. Besides, I think Naruto has someone else to fend off his pursuers. In any case it is probably for the best that you go I will also be out of the village for a few days soon and it wouldn't be the best time to have people like Itachi and Nagato discovered to be living just outside of the village in a cave." She added as an afterthought.

"So what are your plans now? You just plan to go back to doing odd jobs around the elemental nations for miserable pay? But somehow I don't think so, you can't just hide away and ignore the Akatsuki anymore, even a minor threat can kill the strongest man if ignored, and the Akatsuki are no minor threat." Tsunade questioned seriously.

"No you're right, we are going to start actively hunting the Akatsuki, let's see how they like it for a change. Our lack of affiliation with any village allows us certain freedoms, we can now even enter the Land of Earth safely, as long as we inform Iwa that is." Naruto said confidently.

"And what about your new allies? Nagato is still a potential threat. Are you just going to let him go his separate way?" The Hokage asked.

"Nagato is no threat, I trust him. Actually he is in more danger of an attack from the Akatsuki than Naruto is at the moment. Tobi is looking for a way to even the odds between us, if things come down to a straight fight he couldn't defeat Naruto, even with his time space Ninjutsu. Nagato and Konan think think that it means the Akatsuki, or rather Tobi will go after them for Nagato's Rinnegan." Jiraiya explained.

"So what are you going to do about it? It can't be news to you that if Tobi was able to get ahold of a Rinnegan he would become considerably stronger than before. He also has Itachi's eyes if he is going after a Rinnegan that could only mean that those eyes had to be for Sasuke." Tsunade guessed.

"That's what we have concluded. We are going to use Nagato as a lure, Tobi won't know that you have healed Nagato's legs. Itachi is also going to stay with them for awhile if too many of us go he will know something is wrong and we won't have the chance to take him out. Personally I want to be the one to do it. But as long as he dies, that is all that really matters at this point." Naruto replied.

"It's rare that you jump to that conclusion so quickly. At least not since you were much younger. But in this case I agree, he's to dangerous to allow to live. We must do whatever it takes to keep this world safe." Tsunade agreed.

"I don't think I am jumping to that conclusion quickly. All the evidence points to this man manipulating the elemental nations for years, slowly eliminating any potential threat that he could see, or at least those that he could. I am guessing he left Kumo alone for so long due to their highly ordered an militaristic system, it was too hard for him to gain a foothold in the village." Naruto replied.

"He's right, all of our villages have had some dealings with the Akatsuki or Tobi either directly or indirectly. Each village that has encountered them has been weakened in the end. I think he's been playing this game for a very long time, we're still playing catch up." Jiraiya agreed.

Tsunade nodded, she knew how serious the situation was, even if they had just defeated an attack on Konoha, that didn't mean that they would simply give up because things were not woking out at the moment. "So what do you think their next move will be then? They already as good as destroyed Konoha." She questioned.

"I think that was just the start of hostilities against anyone who stands against his plans. But to keep going with more attacks like the one on Konoha he will need more people than the few he has in the Akatsuki. He is also still very confident that he can achieve his goals, so we need to be careful." Jiraiya answered.

"He would need an army to fight against everyone that would stand against him." Tsunade said confidently.

"I know." Jiraiya replied, his voice void of emotion.

"If he has an army then we need to stand together none of the five major villages are prepared for a major war, our shinobi numbers have been decreasing due to the state of peace. I will be dammed if I let that bastard achieve his goals." Tsunade fummed.

"Well thats reassuring seeing as capturing me and ripping the Kyuubi from my seal has god to be pretty high up on that list of his." Naruto chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

"Well I was thinking that if you didn't stop bursting into my office through the window I would just let him take you, it's hard to tell if you're worth all this trouble. Don't worry I would keep Gaara and Fu safe." The Hokage smirked in reply.

(**Meanwhile**)

Sasuke added new intensity to the attack on Utakata, who for his part was starting to feel the strain of constantly being attacked on all sides. Only Karin stayed back to heal any potential injuries. '_It's not looking good, I can't keep running like this i'll need to go on the attack, but as soon as I do that it will all but end hopes of Kiri showing up before we come to a conclusion to this situation._' Utakata thought as he jumped back from a large Raiton jutsu shot from the angry Uchiha.

"Now now Sasuke-kun getting angry like that isn't going to make capturing your target any easier." Came Tobi's voice. The Akatsuki leader was sitting on a nearby rock, the Kiri shinobi he had been fighting lay scattered behind him each one had been clearly killed violently.

Sasuke scowled in response while Utakata had a look of resignation on his face. '_Even if help does arrive the chances of me escaping now are slim to none._' "I guess I no longer have a choice, you came here to fight a jinchuuriki then that's what you will get!" Suddenly there was a huge burst of chakra and a second later Utakata stood encased in a thick dark shroud that looked a little like a slug with four tails swaying behind him.

For a a split second it seemed like time had stood still, even the dust that had been picked up from the transformation appeared to stop motionless. When reality returned two large tentacle like projectiles shot from the cloak one aimed at Sasuke, the other at Suigetsu.

Juugo pulled the Uchiha out of the way and used his beastly transformation to shield himself. Suigetsu was not so lucky being wrapped up in the tentacle before being squeezed so hard his body gave way and turned into a puddle of water. "Ah man, I hate when this happens!" The puddle yelled in frustration indicating that despite his less than human condition he was still in at least alive.

Sasuke rolled out of the way of another strike and quickly channeling chakra to his eyes shot a barrage of black flames towards the jinchuuriki.

Utakata sensed the danger and shot out of the way before the flame could get close to him. "He's faster than before." Sasuke analysed.

"Yes, but he's no true jinchuuriki, his control in that form is limited, although to be able to control four of the six tails even top that degree is quite impressive. Still in that form he should be easier to capture due to a lack of cognitive function. In a few minutes I will be able to take control of him myself, if the Bijuu takes control that is." Tobi replied casually.

Sasuke fired a barrage of Chidori Senbon, the Raiton jutsu traveling far faster than the black flames or Amaterasu. He hoped that the extra speed and large range of the attack would prevent Utakata from escape the jutsu so easily. He was right, each small needle of lightning struck the jinchuuriki but the result was not what Sasuke had been hoping for.

Utakata let out an enraged primal roar and a fifth tail appeared at the same time as he shot a large amount of blue and black chakra into the air. This chakra began to come together into a large ball. "What the hell is he doing with such condensed chakra?" Karin asked from her hiding place on the sidelines.

"Hm they may want to move, that is going to make quite the bang when it goes off. It's always best not to get caught in a Bijuudama." Tobi said casually not at all frightened by the show of strength.

Karin and Juugo seemed rather worried by the development but Sasuke saw it as an opportunity. '_I've got him!_' he realised and began running off in a large arch around the now considerably large black orb.

As the orb descended it shrunk to about the size of a small ball around an inch in diameter, easy to swallow. Once inside it appeared that the size readjusted as Utakata swelled up like a balloon by this time Sasuke was half way around him and out of his focus. All Utakata could see were the few shinobi standing before him. '_Oh I see. That is quite delightfully manipulative and self preserving Sasuke-kun, to think you would be willing to use us a bait._' Tobi thought with a chuckle he was marvelling at how easy it had been for Sasuke to risk his so called friends to achieve his goals. '_Well I best save them, they might be useful later._'

Utakata fired his Bijuudama straight at the three shinobi, two of which were rooted to the spot, Tobi on the other hand moved quickly pulling Juugo and Karin into his inner world, Suigetsu was outside of the attack range.

At the moment Utakata fired his jutsu Sasuke acted, turning on the spot and firing Amaterasu at the preoccupied jinchuuriki. The flames struck him with force and there was a roar of pain as the black flames stuck to his body while the Bijuudama exploded in the distance over the ocean. He watched the Bijuu writhe in agony for a few moments before his attention turned to where Tobi had reappeared, releasing Karin and Juugo from his inner world.

"You're lucky I was here to save them Sasuke-kun, you wouldn't want your friends to get hurt would you?" Tobi asked childishly.

"I knew you would do something, if not I would have found another way." Sasuke replied.

Sasuke's statement placated his friends but Tobi heard the real truth, he would have done the same thing regardless, he was only interested in getting stronger to defeat his brother. Even if it meant sacrificing his so called friends. "It is good to hear that you trust me Sasuke-kun for that I think I can trust you, with leading an army for me. But first I think you should put those flames out, we still need him alive."

Sasuke nodded and did as he was told, Utakata lay on the ground unconscious and badly burnt. "Now what?" he asked.

"Now we leave, this Bijuu isn't going to seal itself. Head north, Zetsu will give you further instructions when the time is right I will take care of the rest here." Tobi replied.

Sasuke nodded and after collecting Suigetsu into a large jar the Uchiha and his team left leaving Tobi standing alone over the unconscious form of the Rokubi jinchuuriki. He tied the mans arms and legs even though he doubted that it would be necessary, and placed a chakra suppression seal on his forehead. Once he was sure the prisoner was secure he picked him up to transfer his body into his inner world. However he paused for a moment as three chakra signatures came into range. 'Now isn't this interesting.' he thought, dropping Utakata for a second whilst retaining a connection. For the transport. The new arrivals were traveling at blistering speeds and took less than ten seconds to come to halt in front of the Akatsuki leader. "Well I expected backup, but I never expected you. To think the Mizukage herself would come all this way on the hunch of a little brat." He taunted.

Mei Terumi stood a fair distance away, her usual ever present smile vanished as she saw Utakata defeated, with her stood Ao as well as Guren. "Who are you!?" she demanded.

"What Naruto-kun didn't mention me in his letter? He must be getting soft, maybe he likes having me around so he let you go out blind." Tobi mused.

"He told me enough, now tell me who you are!" Mei reiterated forcefully.

"No, this place doesn't seem right. I just stayed around to get the chance to finally meet you face to face, you have been a thorn in my side for a few years now. Now I am sure you are quite capable so I think we should leave things here for today. But don't worry I am sure we will be seeing each other again, really soon." Tobi replied.

Mei spat a small ball of lava at the masked man but it was too late, both he and Utakata vanished without a trace. "We're too late, we'll send Naruto-kun and Jiraiya a letter from the next town, we still have quite a journey if we're going to make it to the Kage summit, I just hope things work better there, from what I can tell that man is far more dangerous than anyone we have ever faced before." she said with a sigh.

**END CHAPTER!**

**I'm back! Sorry guys I have been overseas for work, and only just got back. I marathoned this chapter in a day to get this out. I know this doesn't make up for the time without an update, but I'll try and make it up to you by releasing two chapter's this week. This one and one for A Price for Peace. Again I am really sorry for the delay. **

**Not really going to bitch about the cannon because nothing has changed since last time, the Uchiha keep having things go their own way. Although it was highly satisfying to see Naruto hit Obito with that Rasengan shame that it's highly unlikely that it will do any lasting damage. All I can say is that if by some plot jutsu turn of events Sasuke ends up being able to use Senjutsu as well I quit, okay not really. **

**I don't like putting so much time into a story and not be given any closure at the end. It's really why I dislike the endings of about 75% of anime, particularly any harem or romance ones, turns me off the genre quite a bit. The main character is always too much a little bitch to choose someone, so it ends as an open ending... I fucking hate open endings! **

**That and Tsundere characters, someone needs to grow a backbone and start treating them like the stuck up little shits they really are, if they want to act like they're ultimately better than someone else yet have a cry when the person they treat like shit is not there then they need a fucking attitude adjustment. Actually that would be a Manga I would read, A Tsundere character getting mind fucked by someone that just blows her off completely every time she starts to act like a bitch. Maybe I have just been reading too many of them and am sick of the generalised plot device to prevent any character or relationship building, and include some slapstick humour of the main character getting beaten up and simply taking it with no repercussions, can work in certain situations but it gets overly used.**

**So my Rant really turned into a rant on Anime/Manga in general. Probably not going to be a popular one as I know that quite a few people like Tsundere characters, and they do have there place. Toradora was a prime example of one of the few times I liked the character, but that was mostly due to everything else that made it work so well. **


	129. Random Acts of Violence

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 129: Random Acts of Violence **

Tobi appeared in a dark cave that looked to be empty but as he walked forward a few steps the cave lit up to reveal a nearly endless supply of White Zetsu as far as the eye could see, they were slowly shuffling around without a word.

"_**You're late, did Sasuke struggle to defeat the jinchuuriki?**_" The black half of Zetsu asked appearing out of the ground.

"We had some uninvited guests but in the end they dealt with it" Tobi replied in a serious manner.

"_So where is Sasuke's little team now._ _**They didn't follow you back here?**_" Zetsu asked.

"They will be going the long way to their next location. It gives us time to complete our preparations, I don't need them getting in my way at the moment, Sasuke is too impatient and won't like waiting." Tobi replied.

Zetsu chuckled in response. "_Everything is in place for when you address the Kage's_. _**It is going to be quite a show**_, _I am excited just thinking about it._" The plant like shinobi laughed.

"Well so long as you don't mess up on your end everything will go to plan." Tobi replied.

"_**Do you really have so little faith in me?**_ _I will get the job done without a hitch, believe me._" Zetsu said flatly.

"See that you do, we don't have enough of the Bijuu for our army without it. This is vitally important." Tobi said, carrying the unconscious Utakata with him away from the zombie like field of Zetsu.

(**Later That Day**)

The Yoinokuchi stood face to face with Nagato and Konan. They were in a large area that had been stripped bare of forest during Naruto's fight with Nagato's paths, the bald area stretched a fair way to the north all the way to a large cliff face. Itachi stood next to Nagato with a calm expression on his face. "Looks like it's goodbye for now. I wish you luck at the Kage summit." Konan said. She gave a polite bow to Jiraiya and Naruto and small nods to the other Yoinokuchi members.

"I doubt they will need luck, but I too would like to share similar sentiments. When this is over I think Naruto-kun would do well to stop by Ame on your way home. There are certain areas of the Rinnegan he could still master, I too would do well to improve my own abilities in certain areas. I believe we would be able to learn a lot from each other." Nagato replied in a friendly manner.

Konan smiled, it had been a long time since she had seen Nagato smile. Even in his aged state he seemed to look more alive than he had since Yahiko's death. "It's a deal." Naruto said sticking his hand out for the elder Uzumaki to shake.

"I look forward to a rematch, but perhaps we should refrain from causing as much damage as last time." Nagato replied, accepting the outstretched hand with a small jovial laugh.

"Just don't complain when I wipe the floor with you old man." The blond teased.

"Twenty Ryo, they destroy something valuable." Zabuza whispered to Gaara.

"Only a fool would take that bet. I hope you don't take me as a fool Zabuza." The Ichibi jinchuuriki replied stoically. Somehow despite the lack of emotion that Gaara showed to almost every situation Zabuza was able to make out the subtle joke threat he had received.

"Can't blame a guy for trying can you?" Zabuza whispered back slightly upset the red head wouldn't take him up on the offer.

Gaara didn't respond, he saw no need too. "We have a long journey ahead of us and you do as well. We should wrap this up and be on our way." Itachi said. It was still early in the afternoon but he knew that even moving at full speed they would not make it to the border of the Land of Fire before the day was out.

"So should we, I was going to wait another day before we head towards the Land of Iron, but Jiraiya-sensei want's to get a head start on the Hokage's party. It will also prove far easier to sneak into the meeting chambers if I have a day to scout the area so I don't mind so much." Naruto replied.

"Not to mention all the great blacksmiths they have in the Land of Iron, I doubt they can make me a blade that could rival Kubikiribocho but it's always nice to see what the competition might be wielding." Zabuza said enthusiastically.

"You can do that if you want, personally I'm looking forward to check out the tourist spots, It's been forever since we've had a holiday, I hear they have some great natural hot springs for tourists." Haku said in a dreamy voice. It was a sentiment shared by the other kunoichi in the group along with their leader, there was nothing Jiraiya liked more than a good tourist destination where he could do his research.

"What's the point of a vacation, all it does is lower your guard, that's when your enemies are most likely to strike, I have killed countless targets like that." Zabuza scoffed.

Gaara nodded his support. "I agree with Zabuza, this is not a vacation, we need to remain on guard and remember why we are there, to support Naruto."

"Oh please like he's going to need it, nobody can touch Naruto-kun." Akimi scoffed. '_Well except for me that is._' She added mentally, a small smug smile appearing unknowingly.

"I once thought the same was true about myself. Nobody is unbeatable." Nagato reasoned.

"Yeah but with all the Kage there to back him up even Tobi wouldn't try anything." Akimi replied confidently.

"Not all of the Kage are guaranteed to be supportive. Infact Suna and Kumo are likely to be unsupportive, if Tobi attempts to attack Naruto-kun. The only support we can be assured of would be from the Mizukage and Tsunade-sama." Itachi said matter of factly.

Akimi clenched her fists at the thought of the Mizukage. She certainly would be willing to support Naruto. It was her other intentions towards the Kyuubi jinchuuriki that the swift release kunoichi found unacceptable. "What about the Tsuchikage?" She asked wanting to get her mind off the admittedly attractive Mizukage.

"We have a non violence agreement, not an alliance. Oonoki is also a careful negotiator, he will wait and see what his best option is before choosing a side. Our best bet is for Naruto-kun to remain hidden for as long as possible, we don't want this to become a choice between the Akatsuki and us. It needs to remain about the villages, if they can maintain focus then they may strike an agreement to form a united front against the Akatsuki." The Uchiha informed the kunoichi earning agreeing nods from Jiraiya, Nagato, Konan, and Gaara.

"I say wait till this Tobi shows up and then hit him with your Rasengan. He can't start a war if he's dead." Zabuza scoffed.

"I would agree, but he's much to smart to let himself be killed like that. Especially when he explicitly told us where he would be, as well as outlining what he was planning to do." Jiraiya said with a serious expression. He would do anything necessary to stop a war from occurring, but if it was to be unavoidable then he would want to make sure that they had the best chance of winning possible. That meant getting the villages that were hostile towards the Yoinokuchi on their side.

"I know what we have to do, I won't be giving myself away easily, but if I see an opening to take him out I'll take it." Naruto declared.

"Make sure you do. In any case we should leave, Ame is a few days journey from here as is the Land of Iron. Let's go Konan, Itachi." Nagato said with a hint of finality.

"Stay safe." Naruto called out.

Itachi nodded in thanks. "You too." He said calmly before following after Nagato.

(**Takigakure**)

The waterfall village was for the most part a peaceful place since Fu had been abducted by Jiraiya and Naruto. The large tree at the centre of the village still stretched out encumbering almost the whole village in it's shade. The large earth walls that provided a natural camouflage and defense for the village allowed the shinobi to be relaxed, confident that nobody could get either in or out without their knowledge.

At the base of the great tree a large wooden hall sat in solitude. It was a fair way from the main village but this structure was the seat of Takigakure's government. Their current leader was a young man with ink black eyes and long dark brown hair that came down to his shoulder blades. he tied his hair back with a blue ribbon along with his Taki forehead protector. His name was Shibuki, his people trusted him wholeheartedly despite his young age.

Helping Shibuki govern his village were two elderly former shinobi that were easily more than twice Shibuki's age. Both men looked very similar, with bald heads and aged faces. In fact the only way you could tell them apart was that one of the men had a short pointy goatee that he liked to play with when he was in deep thought.

"Ah Shibuki you're staying late again I see." The man with the goatee said.

"I have to, we are receiving less missions of late, we used to receive a fair amount from some of the other villages but they have dried up, I need to find a way to keep funding the village." Shibuki answered, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"_I might be able to help with that._"

"Who said that!?" the other elder asked in shock, his guard immediately up.

Slowly a White Zetsu rose from the ground dressed in Akatsuki robes. "_That would be me, allow me to introduce myself, I am Zetsu._"

"Zetsu huh? And how can you help us?" The bearded man asked.

"_The Akatsuki will help fund your village._" Zetsu replied casually.

The elders seemed intrigued but Shibuki was rather cautious. "What do you want out of it? There is no way a mercenary group like the Akatsuki would simply do this out of charity." He questioned.

"_We need your shinobi. You see we are going to destroy the five great villages and your shinobi are needed to join us._" Zetsu answered honestly.

The statement took the three men aback. "That's insanity, there is no way we could compete with any of the five great nations let alone all of them, you need to leave!" The bearded elder demanded.

"I'm sorry I don't think you understand the situation. We need your army... not you." Zetsu said calmly.

Suddenly three more Zetsu rose from the ground, each one thrusting their arms through one of the chest of one of the three men. It took Shibuki the longest to die, he struggled for a good five minutes while the others already lay dead on the ground. Eventually the leader of Taki collapsed and the Zetsu exchanged glances before each one took the form of the man they had killed. "Well that was easy." The fake Shibuki said with a humourless laugh.

The others nodded in reply before their attention shifted to the dead bodies. "We should get rid of these." The bearded man suggested. The others nodded before they began disposing of their victims in a manner fitting of the title of the Akatsuki cannibal.

(**Getsugakure**)

Getsu was one of the minor shinobi villages of the elemental, Located in the Land of the Moon which was an island nation in the shape of a crescent moon, because of it's isolation the shinobi from the village were well versed in Suiton techniques and extremely competent on the ocean. Their village had a large number of ninja ships well equipped for an war.

It was for this reason that the Akatsuki desired their resources. At the same moment that Shibuki was being disposed of the leader of Getsugakure, a middle aged kunoichi with short dark blue hair that looked every bit like a pirate was also removed of her command in a similar fashion. This time Zetsu had to kill several of her guards. "Interesting weapon choice." One Zetsu commented.

"I guess that's why this place is called Gestugakure" Another agreed commenting on the guards Sabers.

(**Hoshigakure**)

Hoshigakure was located in the Land of Bears, it was a tiny village but their shinobi were quite formidable due to their high chakra levels and chakra control if their shinobi took part in a special type of training that had been outlawed. Naturally the Akatsuki would see that law changed. "What a presumptuous village, to think they had the nerve to call their leader a Kage." The Zetsu that had replaced the Sandaime Hoshikage joked. He wore white robes with a purple Kage hat with the Kanji for 'Star' on the brim.

"_He obviously believed in his strength, he didn't even have one bodyguard._" An unchanged White Zetsu replied casually.

The Akatsuki's series of targets didn't end there. Hidden villages in countries that bordered the great five nations were also targeted. Ishigakure, on the borders of the Land of Wind and Land of Earth. Shimogakure, on the border of the Land of Lightning. Tanigakure in the land of Rivers that borders the Land of Fire and Land of Wind. Each of these villages were seamlessly put under Akatsuki control in a matter of minutes.

The last country that the Akatsuki wanted to control had two targets that they wanted. The first was Kusagakure, the second was Hozukijo or as others knew it, the Blood Prison. Kusa was easy, their leader left himself unguarded in an exposed room, even a bad assassin would have had no trouble with the dark haired kunoichi. It didn't take a genius to figure out why the prison would be useful. The worst criminals in the elemental nations were in that prison, in other words a group of people that would join the Akatsuki army in a moments notice to be free.

The prison was run by a strict and solemn man named Mui he had lived a hard life and that showed on his face despite the fact that he rarely if ever showed any emotions. Zetsu appeared out of a rock surface as he watched Miu punish on of his inmates, his long dark hair swaying wildly behind him as he brutally beat the prisoner. "_It's a shame that I am going to have to kill him, he's quite talented._" Zetsu said to himself before disappearing back into the rock surface.

Zetsu watched from afar, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The reports were being passed along, of all the targets he had Mui was now the last standing. Unlike the others Mui never seemed to let his guard down long enough for even the quickest assassination attempt, a life spent with the worst of the worst taught him to keep his guard up and always expect the unexpected. But Zetsu could get anywhere there was no hiding from the Akatsuki's super spy.

Eventually and with a good deal of self control Zetsu's opportunity finally came, late in the day Miu retired to his personal chamber. The moment he sat down was the moment his life was extinguished. Zetsu rose from the ground behind him and before he could respond his throat was slit from ear to ear, he bled out before his body hit the ground.

It was done, in one fell swoop the Akatsuki had taken control of a large percentage of the elemental nations without a single battle being fought. The change over in power was seamless, nobody would suspect anything with their leaders still walking amongst them. Zetsu's ability to copy his target was perfect all the way down to their chakra, he was able to match them perfectly nobody would be able to tell the difference.

Tobi sat cross legged atop a large skeleton of an ancient animal as the news of the successes came in one after another. "The board is now set for the final, this diseased world will end at my hand." He said confidently.

(Elsewhere)

"We should stop here for tonight, it's a fair distance between here and the next village and we won't get there before it get's dark." Jiraiya suggested as they approached the outskirts of a civilian village in the Land of Fire. They had exited the forests awhile ago and could see that the small village, located at the edge of a large lake was surprisingly busy. Naruto guessed it must be a popular tourist destination for civilians

"Well it can't hurt to check this place out at least." Zabuza agreed.

"What are you basing that theory on? There are several ways that it could hurt us to go there. Admittedly they are not likely to happen but still it can hurt us." Gaara pointed out in his monotone voice.

Zabuza deadpanned. "It's a civilian village in the middle of the Land of Fire, what could be possbily dangerous there?" he asked skeptically.

"There is danger everywhere, you said it yourself, the moment you let your guard down, is the moment you die." Gaara replied stoically.

Zabuza almost bit his tongue, he had used that very same argument not all that long ago. "Fine you win this one, but I still think this would be the best place for us to rest for the night."

"I agree." Gaara said in a matter of fact tone.

Zabuza stopped in mid step hardly believing his ears. "If you think that then why did you go out of the way to question the decision?" He asked.

"I deemed it necessary." Gaara replied allowing a small smirk to appear on his face signalling how amusing he found the situation.

"Oh for Kami's sake you were just trolling me." Zabuza gasped in shock.

"I honestly thought you knew and were playing along." Naruto said in mild surprise.

"You knew?"

"I thought everyone did?" Naruto replied glancing to the other Yoinokuchi members who were all nodding in the affirmative.

"Oh you guys are assholes." Zabuza said with fake anger. The group broke out into laughter. "How can you guys tell when he's joking, he has the emotional range of a plank of wood." He complained while.

"He may stay calm and guarded most of the time but Gaara-kun is easy to read if you know him well enough." Haku replied.

This conversation continued with, intermittent outbursts of laughter, until they arrived at the outskirts of the village, for the most part it was undefended, only small walls surrounded the village that could easily be scaled even by non shinobi. At the main entrance there were several guards but none of them seemed to be overly well armed. So the appearance of a large group of high profile shinobi had the guards on edge. "H-ha-lt, state your business here." One of the guards stuttered. They were well aware that the few ninja ahead of him would be easily capable of defeating every guard in the village if they wanted to.

"Relax, we're not here to cause any trouble. We just need a place to stay for the night." Jiraiya replied.

"Normally we don't let let shinobi into the village." The same guard said shrinking slightly.

"Idiot don't you know who that is? It's Jiraiya-sama, one of the Sannin. He's a hero of the Land of Fire and also a close friend of the Daimyo. The blonde kid is his apprentice, apparently he is even stronger than Jiraiya-sama and the current Hokage. If they want to come into the village we should make" Another guard whispered urgently.

The first guard paled in realisation of who they were facing. "Uh I'm sorry Jiraiya-sama. You can enter, but we ask that your group keeps a low profile while in the village." The guard said.

"I guess we can agree to that." Jiraiya replied.

Hesitantly the guards let the Yoinokuchi shinobi enter the village. "That was... odd." Naruto mused.

"I agree, there isn't a village in The Land of Fire that doesn't allow shinobi to enter, there is something fishy going on here." Jiraiya agreed. Despite it being only early in the night the streets were strangely empty. In fact the only people that could be seen walking around looked to be better armed and dangerous than the guards.

"You know just once I wish we could go to a village and not have some issue show up." Akimi sighed knowing exactly where this was heading.

"Still at least it should be entertaining." Zabuza said, grinning behind his mask.

"Kid you know what to do." Jiraiya ordered. Naruto nodded and seamlessly split off from the group, completely blending in with a dark alleyway, leaving a clone behind.

"Ah man he get's all the best jobs." Zabuza complained.

"He's the best infiltration specialist we have." Jiraiya said. It was not easy for him to admit that his pupil had bested him in almost every aspect of being a shinobi, but he was still incredibly proud of the boy for that fact. "Besides we get an even better job."

"Really and what's that?" Haku asked.

"We are going to book a room at a hotel then move around the village and wait for word from Naruto, then we will do what needs to be done."

"So we take over this village?" Fu asked.

"I prefer the term liberate." Jiraiya replied.

"It's clear that someone already has. Those were not guards, they may have been in uniform but it's not hard to tell that they are bandits." Gaara said flatly.

"I think I recall someone saying that it couldn't hurt to stay here for the night, it's pretty obvious that if all we do is stay here for the night then we will be harmed." Akimi said.

"Well you're right there but it was still good that we stopped here. This town is supposed to be a tourist village from the looks of things these guys are slavers, the tourists enter but before they can leave they're captured." Zabuza replied in a disgusted tone, he was ready to prove to the people in charge just why he was considered a demon.

"We should wait for the evidence but I agree, these people are the worst type of scum." Gaara said some genuine emotion breaking through his shell.

On that point everyone agreed, the rest of the trip went in silence and not coincidently they decided to pick a hotel that was directly across from a tavern that was full to the brim with slavers drinking and partying. Inside they found what looked like their first civilian, an elderly man who looked terrified at the sight of the two guards who's high end suits did little to hide their rough appearance. "We need a few rooms for the night. Two rooms will be enough." Jiraiya said in a jovial mood.

"Y-yes sir at once." The elderly man said with a bow. His hand was shaky as he grabbed two keys off the wall handing them out towards the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya accepted the key's and tossed one set to Haku. "You girls can share that one." He informed them and shook the elderly mans hand before heading up the stairs with the others following. The elderly man blinked as he felt a sudden prick on his palm, looking down he saw writing over his hand '_We're here to help!_' his eyes widened as he reread the message that began to rapidly fade as if it was never there to begin with.

"They are forcing that man to help them." Fu said angrily once they found their floor and was confident that they were alone.

"I know, but that is actually good news. It means that they are holding something that he values over his head, for an old man like that I would guess that it would be his family, the villagers or at least some of them must still be alive just being held somewhere. Naruto can you search for where they are and free them?" Jiraiya said turning to Naruto's clone.

The Rinnegan's ability of shared perception allowed the message to be passed instantly to the real body. "Of course I think I have just found their base of operations, the town hall. There are guards everywhere." The blonde replied.

"Alright kid, be carful. We can't act until we are sure that their hostages are safe. We will get into position, send us a message once you get the evidence we need." Jiraiya said. The group of Yoinokuchi shinobi found their rooms but waited out in the hall. "Go in and drop off your gear, when you leave you can't be seen until it's time to attack. Gaara I want you head North, Akimi South towards the gate, Fu West, and Haku you go East."

"What about you and Zabuza?" Fu asked.

"We are going to have a drink across the road." Jiraiya answered with a grin.

They all nodded in agreement of the plan and entered their rooms. A few minutes later Jiraiya and Zabuza reappeared and descended the stairs, the elderly man froze when he saw them but remained silent as the pair of shinobi exited the hotel. "So the one who kills the least settles the tab?" Zabuza asked.

"Sounds fair." Jiraiya replied knowing full well he was at a disadvantage with Kubikiribocho's ability to kill large numbers in a single swing. As they entered the bar most of the population stopped to stare at the new arrivals, a few even tried to intimidate the two seasoned ninja. "Yo, bartender a large bottle of Sake and two cups." Jiraiya called out, ignoring the tense situation.

Meanwhile the real Naruto was currently sitting atop a large building, it had been designed to look impressive, lit up like daylight with lights of various colours to accent it's grand appearance. Looking down Naruto could see several guards that were relaxed but were still covered in line of sight from every angle. The building was the high point of the town and from where he sat he could see the village walls in every direction, it was the perfect location in the very centre of town. '_Guess I can't take them out without being seen, I'll need to sneak in. There is bound to be an open window around here somewhere._' He thought moving to inspect the rest of the large hall.

It didn't take him long to find either of his targets, the first being an open window which lead him straight to his second, the prisoners. Tied up on either side of the wall were people that had been beaten and looked rather poorly nourished. The people had been separated, the younger women kept separate from the men while the older population was absent possibly working in the village, the children were locked in a large cage at the far end of the hall, a few could be heard crying. Two guards paced up and down the hall keeping each group in a constant state of fear.

**'This is true human nature. Sickening to think about. The women will be sold to the highest bidder as sex slaves while the men will be indoctrinated into their little army over time.**' The Kyuubi taunted in the blondes mind.

'_Not all humans are like that, but these ones need to be put down. The don't deserve to be called human anymore._' Naruto seethed in response. He agreed with the Bijuu's take on the situation. That's why the people had been separated, they had different destinations once the group was finished with this town.

'**For once I agree with you.**' The fox replied.

Naruto waited until a guard came close then he pealed himself off the wall breaking his chameleon jutsu. "What the fuck who are y..." The guards voice was lost in mid sentence as Naruto drove a Rasengan into his chest.

The other guard spun on the spot and tried to call out for help, no such luck, Naruto was behind him in an instant, his heart pierced by his chakra rods. Naruto let out a massive spike of chakra while creating a clone to release the prisoners. The doors burst open, even non shinobi could feel Naruto's killing intent and chakra. The few bandits that had been unfortunate to open the doors to the hall found themselves sliced apart by blades of wind less than a second later. "You really picked the wrong village!" The blonde said as he walked outside only to find himself surrounded by around twenty of the former guards. "Shinra Tensei!"

At the Tavern everyone froze as an oppressive force flooded the room. "I guess the kid has never heard of the word subtle huh." Zabuza joked as the bandages around Kubikiribocho fell away.

"My guess is he didn't like what he found." Jiraiya replied a Rasengan forming in his hand.

No matter how organised they are, bandits are not shinobi. They never had a chance against the Yoinokuchi ninja, a few wiser ones fled but all those that chose to stay and fight were put down without any real effort at all. In the end it was over in less than half of an hour. Naruto returned to the village hall to find his clone as well as countless reunited families. "Is it over?" A portly bald man asked.

"Yes, the bandit's are dealt with, you do have a bit of a mess to clean up but at least you're safe now." Naruto assured the group.

"Oh thank you, I am Kiiru Osharu, Mayor of the town. We are in your debt." The portly man said almost grovelling.

"You don't owe us anything, there was no way we could let them get away with what they were doing, it was only logical for us to stop them." Naruto replied.

"Still you and your traveling companions will always be welcome here, I will personally see to it that within reason you will not pay for anything in this village ever again, such is the debt owed to you." Kiiru said honestly.

"Thank you for your generosity, I promise you we will not abuse your kindness." Naruto replied graciously. Itachi had drove politeness and manners into the blonde at a young age and Naruto was starting to realise now that he was older just how important they were in dealing with people, shinobi and civilian alike. "Well the truth is we are just passing by and needed a place to stay, we will be gone early tomorrow morning. But I'm sure we will see each other again. You may want to write to Konoha and the Fire Daimyo and ask for improved security around here though." He added.

"Never a dull moment is there?" Zabuza said while cleaning his sword, a smug smile on his face due to beating Jiraiya in their little bet.

"No, but it can't keep going on like this. There has to be peace out there somewhere." Jiraiya replied as he saw Naruto approach, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

**End Chapter! **

**So quite a bit happened in this chapter that will influence how I am going to significantly change the way this war arc has been going, if only to add some actual storyline to it. It's been going on for three years and the last bit or real storyline was sending Naruto to the island to learn to control Kurama. **

**So by having Zetsu take control of other villages the Akatsuki gains a second army, making up for a lack of Bijuu. I would have thought this would be a logical move, if you have someone that can perfectly impersonate anyone like Zetsu can, why not take control of the leaders of other nations? You gain land resources and men without having to waste your own.**

**Spoiler Alert!**

**I'm actually surprised I thought they would screw us other with a scene change to Orochimaru and other Kage's. Still it's kind of annoying that Naruto's Senjutsu Rasengan had barely any effect on that emo ass, why has nobody just given him a razor or something to kill himself already? Only other thing that we learned from the chapter is that Madara is only concerned with raping Hashirama, quite literally that mans ass is on the line. Just look at the messed up faces Madara makes when talking or thinking about Hashirama. **


	130. The Land of Iron

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 130: The Land of Iron **

"Man it's cold here." Naruto complained, he was rubbing his shoulders and shivering as the Yoinokuchi trudged through the snow.

"Well if you would wear a shirt then you might not be so cold." Haku pointed out with a deadpan expression.

"You're fighting a loosing battle there Haku, it will take more than cold weather to make him wear a shirt, it's a miracle he even wears the Yoinokuchi robe." Jiraiya stated with a small laugh. Like his own rather unique clothing style Naruto wasn't going change simply because the weather suggested it.

"The robe is a training aid, and it doesn't restrict any movement it's perfect for both fighting and the extra weight improves speed and strength." Naruto replied indignantly.

'**Stubborn little shit, if it wasn't for me you would probably freeze to death from your own stupidity.**' The Kyuubi spat chastising his blonde prison.

'_Then I am eternally grateful._' Naruto replied in thought.

'**If you're so grateful then why don't you open this cage and let me go?**' The fox scoffed.

'_Sorry Kyuubi, can't do it. The Akatsuki is after you and that masked bastard has already shown a skill at controlling Bijuu. If I let you out it would be as good as handing you over to the Akatsuki, and I will not let them get you._' Naruto answered.

Had the large fox expected a no? Yes he did, but he did not expect the reasoning. Naruto had seemed genuinely sorry that he couldn't let him go. '**Ah forget it, just use a Katon jutsu to keep warm, make my job a little easier.**'

Naruto's eyes widened in mild surprise. '_Hey that's actually not a bad idea, Thank's Kyuubi._' The blonde formed the hand seal for Katon and created two small dragon's made of fire to circle him as he walked. The effect was instantaneous the heat from the flames warmed him up significantly. The rest of the group looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What?"

"Are you seriously using two A ranked jutsu just to stay warm?" Akimi asked flabbergasted at the sight.

"Uh yeah, it works really well actually." Naruto replied.

"Even some Jounin can only use one or two A ranked jutsu a day and you're using them as heaters. That is just a ridiculous waste of chakra, you could have used a less chakra costly Katon jutsu." Haku reasoned.

"It's a little thing called style." Naruto replied in good humour. Naruto had found it to be quite enjoyable traveling as a larger group. Normally the Yoinokuchi were divided into small teams completing their own missions. Now as a larger group it was clear just how close they all were, like a rather dysfunctional family. Only Itachi was missing, as far as Naruto was concerned the normally stoic Uchiha had always been like an older brother to him anyway so having him absent from this mission was unfortunate.

"Naruto's blatant abuse of chakra aside, we're near the site where the Kage will be meeting, the closest village is just a small trip north. We will stop there and wait, that means keeping our presence quiet, it would make sense to believe that at least one of the Kage will have brought a sensor with them." Jiraiya told the group seriously.

"So what are you saying? We can't train?" Naruto asked.

"No you can not. It will only be for the rest of today so just act like civilians for once, no drawing undue attention to yourselves. We all could do with some relaxation, so you best make the most of the time we have." Jiraiya replied.

"Well I guess I can still meditate, I have my parents memories to go through." Naruto sighed.

"Not really what I had in mind when I said to relax." Jiraiya said.

"What's more relaxing than meditation?" Naruto asked.

"A trip to the hot springs with your beloved sensei." Jiraiya declared.

"Hey wait a minute I was going to make him take me shopping!" Akimi said.

Naruto paled at the thought, at that moment he would have rather been facing the entire Akatsuki alone. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Akimi, more that he disliked the the thought of shopping, to him that was a activity born out of necessity not a leisure activity. Luckily Jiraiya had similar views on the subject. "Sorry Akimi-chan there are things I need to discuss with Naruto, like the layout of Mifune's samurai base. I'll return him to you tonight, so why don't you take Haku and Fu with you instead." Jiraiya suggested.

"Guess that just leaves you and me." Zabuza said patting Gaara on the back. "What do you say we go check out the blacksmiths in this town, you could use a weapon other than your sand."

"Very well, it seems like it may be at least somewhat interesting." Gaara droned.

(**Meanwhile**)

"How has the transition been?" Tobi asked casually. He was standing in a clearing surrounded by giant fossils that were only matched in hight by large towering rock formations that made the area seem like a maze.

"_**Nearly seamless.**_ _I have begun changing the village policies_, _**beginning by making them more militarised.**_ _Very few have openly questioned our motives_, _**all we need now is to add fuel to the fire.**_" Zetsu replied.

"Yes the other Kage will supply us with all that we need to start a war. An alliance between the five great villages will be seen as a massive threat to the smaller nations. All you have to do then is tell your loyal subjects that they will target their villages and to be safe you will need to form your own alliance with other villages to fight back."

"_They accept of course out of fear_, _**and the united front of our villages starts the war.**_" Zetsu concluded.

"Exactly." Tobi grinned.

"That's great and all but what do we do? I don't want to be sitting on the sidelines while there is a war going on." Kisame questioned from where he was seated, a fair way away with Deidara.

"Of course not." Tobi replied sternly. "You will both be vital in the war, you think I would go through so much trouble to gain a second army just to leave them fend for themselves?"

Kisame grinned in his typical sharklike fashion. "So what do you want us to do?" he asked eager to find out his assignment.

"First I wan't you to meet up with Sasuke and his group. They are heading for the Kage summit but I am sure that the Kyuubi brat will be there as well. I want you to back Sasuke up, we need to force the Kage's hands and unite if we want the Daimyo's of the smaller nations support. We could always kill them as well, but if we change too much the people will begin to ask questions." The masked shinobi said flatly.

"You want us to fight against that freak that took out Pein? That's insanity yeah." Deidara said. He was under no delusions that in a fight with Naruto he would lose spectacularly.

"Relax, I doubt he will make a move unless it is necessary, your job is to just make a scene if possible kill one of the Kage." Tobi replied casually, as if killing an S ranked shinobi was an everyday occurrence.

"How can you be so sure that the kid wont jump in?" Kisame asked.

"Because, Suna and Kumo are less than friendly towards the Kyuubi brat. He also will be waiting for me. He knows I am going there to declare war so giving himself away too soon would be foolish. That said he could see the pro's of annihilating you both to out way his chance to attack me. Regardless I will be on hand to pull you out of the fire should you get in too much trouble." Tobi reasoned.

"Well I guess we can handle that. Where are we going to meet up with your new pet project?" Kisame asked almost mockingly. He held loyalty for the man he considered to be the true Mizukage, but at the same time thought that he was wasting his time on the young Uchiha.

"_If you leave now_, _**you will meet up with Sasuke at the outskirts of a village to the east of the location of the Kage summit**_. _From there you will attack the summit but only after it has started_, _**all Kage's must be in attendance before the attack commences.**_" Zetsu informed the group.

"A full scale attack on five of the most powerful shinobi in the elemental nations and their bodyguards... Our missions have been getting rather more dangerous of late yeah?" Deidara said casually.

"Don't forget the Samurai. Still our job is to follow orders not to complain." Kisame replied commandingly.

"I know that, I was just pointing it out that first we attack Konoha and now all five Kage. But as long as I get to practice my art then I'm happy." Deidara scoffed. The Iwa bomber created a large clay bird that he and Kisame sat on before it took flight.

"_I'm surprised you didn't just tell Deidara to blow the whole site up,_ _**kill all of the Kage in one go.**_" Zetsu said once the other pair was gone.

Tobi chuckled in response. "The thought did cross my mind, but it wouldn't work. The Tsuchikage knows Deidara's kinjutsu and Tsunade would protect them anyway. Her abilities as a medic are second to none. Besides I want to give them a chance to surrender and agree to hand over the remaining Bijuu."

"_They will never agree to that_, _**what's the point?**_" Zetsu questioned.

"Just some psychological warfare." Tobi replied.

(**Land of Iron**)

"Now this is relaxing." Jiraiya said resting in the hot water up to his chest. The hot spring bath house was large by Land of Fire standards but up in the mountains where they were more frequent this was only a small one.

"If you say so, there are more productive things we could be doing." Naruto reasoned.

Jiraiya sighed and shook his head. "Kid how many times have I told you to enjoy the finer things in life?"

"More times than I can remember but at those times you were either in a bar or peeking on women." Naruto replied.

"To me those are the finer things, you have to find your own. Something to help you take your mind off the stresses of this world, because if you let them get to you then life isn't worth living, you need to enjoy it at every chance you get." Jiraiya replied sagely.

"Yeah I get it, but it just seems like there is so much going on that things like that can wait." Naruto said solemnly.

Instantly Jiraiya whacked the unsuspecting blonde in the back of the head. "Still an idiot after all this time huh? When things get the most difficult that's when you need to take time out for yourself more than anything. Don't let your worries get the best of you. Now while we're here let's see what treasures this village has to offer." Jiraiya said a perverted grin creeping onto his face.

"You're hopeless you know that right." Naruto said with a face vault.

"One man's hopeless is another man's hero, now come here so I can teach you about my favourite seal." Jiraiya replied. Normally Naruto would have rejected his sensei's perverted actions immediately but this time decided to at least see what the Toad Sage could teach him. "Oh I see you are finally gaining an interest in the fine art of peeking?"

"Hardly, but sealing is another story. Just get on with it Sensei." Naruto answered with a deadpan expression.

"Fine now watch closely." Jiraiya proclaimed with pride. He began drawing an intricate seal. Once he was finished he applied a small amount of chakra and a window appeared in the barrier between the mens and women sides of the baths.

"A one way window." Naruto guessed taking a closer look he automatically flushed red blushing.

"That's right, it's pretty impressive even if I do say so myself." Jiraiya beamed quickly summoning his trust notebook and pen.

"I guess but it looks like it could be improved..." Naruto mused and began drawing a slightly different arrangement of the same seal. Jiraiya give him a puzzled look and almost fell back headfirst into the water as a window twice the size opened up from the same amount of chakra.

Jiraiya was completely taken aback. "How did you do that!?" he asked inspecting the new window.

"I changed the flow of chakra once it entered the seal to gain a larger viewing area whilst keeping the chakra flow to minimal so only a sensor could detect it." Naruto explained.

Jiraiya nodded accepting the rather vague explanation. "Okay then my follow up would be how did you learn to do that?"

"Well I guess it would be from Kaa-san." Naruto said rubbing the back of his neck slightly embarrassed.

"Kushina taught you?" Jiraiya queried.

"Well not directly, I used Human Path on the part's of my parents souls they sealed into me. I've been going through their memories but it's a slow process. Most of the practical stuff just surfaces if I need it." Naruto replied.

"Huh so what else have you learned so far? Can yo perform any other seals?" Jiraiya asked curiously. He was so intrigued he wasn't even paying attention to the many naked women on the other side of the wall.

"No, I didn't even know that I could do that one. I did learn a few high speed Taijutsu kata from my fathers style but that's about it so far of any real substance." Naruto answered honestly.

"Makes sense, the toad style doesn't work that effectively at ultra high speeds when you were using your fox cloak you must have subconsciously summoned up the information you need to fight more effectively at such high speeds." Jiraiya mused.

"That's what I guessed, problem is it's not very often that I am in a situation where I would need much help. I have been meditating in an attempt to learn more but progress is slow I have learned a few Uzumaki Suiton jutsu but nothing spectacular." Naruto stated calmly.

"It's definitely something we can work on, now what do you say we sit back and enjoy the show?" Jiraiya asked turning back to his one way window.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, the offer was actually tempting. "I think I'll pass but go ahead and have fun, as long as you don't peek on Akimi-chan then I won't complain." Naruto replied sitting back down in the hot waters to relax.

"That's fine, besides I have to talk to you about what you need to do tomorrow. Breaking into Mifune's command centre is not the easiest thing in the world to do, at least not without killing anyone." Jiraiya said while frantically taking notes down in his research journal.

"So what do I have to do?" Naruto asked casually, he was sure he would find a way in regardless of his sensei's help.

"There are several entrances, each one will be highly guarded. Even with the chameleon jutsu it will be difficult to sneak past them. They might not be ninja, but Mifune's Samurai are every bit as dangerous." Jiraiya warned.

"Your acting like it's my first trip to this country, I know all about the Samurai." Naruto lazily reminded the Toad Sage.

"That's true I guess. Anyway the best way to sneak past them would be to wait for them to be distracted by arriving guests. Wait for one of the Kage, they will be distracted and you can slip by with ease, then you can simply follow the Kage to the meeting." Jiraiya explained.

Naruto had to admit that was a good idea, normally he liked to arrive early and wait for the targets to come to him if he was spying. But not knowing the exact location within the complex where the meeting would be held meant that following someone else would be the easiest way. "Not a bad idea. It's better than my plan anyway."

"What was your plan?" Jiraiya asked.

"To wing it." Naruto replied with a small laugh.

"That's not a plan." Jiraiya stated with a face vault.

Elsewhere in the village the kunoichi members of the Yoinokuchi had spent the afternoon investigating the small samurai village. "There is some nice stuff here but most of it is designed for the snow." Akimi sighed while inspecting some thick fighters robes designed for females. The stock was limited as in the Land of Iron only men could become Samurai.

"Well what do you expect, this country is covered in snow for at least three quarters of the year. Besides I like it, it keeps you warm and allows for a full range of movement." Haku declared exiting a changing room in a dark blue robes that could be almost seen as formal wear. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I think you were bound to like it here considering your affinity for ice." Akimi replied.

"Not what I meant. What about you Fu, what do you think, should I buy this?" Haku pressed.

"It looks nice, and suits you well. I can't find anything that will suit me here." Fu answered honestly.

"Yeah everything is too baggy for my liking." Akimi admitted.

"Are you really surprised that they don't have the same type of tight fitting clothes you fight in?" Fu asked.

"Not really but I had kind of hoped for something along those lines." The Swift release kunoichi admitted.

"You just want to show off for Naruto." Haku joked. Akimi blushed but didn't deny the accusations while Fu fell silent. Both Haku and Akimi noticed this. "I'm sorry Fu, I did not mean to bring him up."

"It's fine, for now I just have to admit that there is nothing I can do about this situation." Fu said meekly.

"Wow I'm surprised, if it was me I don't think I would give up that easily." Akimi admitted.

"Well that is the difference between us isn't it. If Naruto-kun is happy with you then I won't ruin that." Fu replied.

"Are you saying that you care for him more because you're willing to let him go?" Akimi asked clearly insulted by the stipulation.

"If you love something you have to know when to set it free." Fu replied.

"Well I'm not going to complain about you not trying to steal Naruto-kun from me." Akimi scoffed.

"It's not like you had to fight hard for him, he wasn't even given a choice." Fu said with a hint of business.

"Enough! I'm sick of this, both of you are supposed to be friends. You can't let this end a friendship just because you keep arguing about Naruto. You both need to sort this out, if it means that you need to fight to settle the score then do it, but wait until we get home." Haku ordered.

The other kunoichi both hung their heads in shame. "Fine, when we get back we'll settle this once and for all." Akimi sighed.

"Fine but when I win I'm telling Naruto-kun how I feel." Fu agreed.

"You have to win first, don't think you will defeat me so easily." Akimi replied sternly.

"Good now that's settled let's drop this and move on." Haku added demandingly.

"Fine by me" Fu said.

"Me too." Akimi agreed.

'_This isn't good, I thought they had patched things up after the invasion of Konoha but it looks like there is still a fair bit of animosity between them._' Haku thought bitterly. She was actually quite worried that both kunoichi would take a friendly match too far.

Outside the store two other members of the Yoinokuchi were wandering the village looking slightly out of place. "This place is boring, where are all the blacksmiths?" Zabuza complained.

"Maybe they don't have any here? It's not a major village." Gaara guessed.

"That shouldn't matter, what's important is how close we are to the centre of power of this nation. This village is a hotbed of off duty samurai, you would think there would be at least one unique weapons dealer around here." The Demon of the mist complained.

"If you are so interested in a new weapon why not get Naruto-kun to make you one? The Katana he made is highly impressive." Gaara reasoned.

"I already said that I don't want to replace Kubikiribocho, I just want to see how good the weapons that they use in this nation are, call it a business curiosity." Zabuza exclaimed.

Gaara shrugged and continued to walk along with the former Kiri ninja, most people in the village gave them a wide path due to the rather intimidating blade strapped across the taller ninja's back. "Well the easiest solution would be to pick a fight with one of the off duty samurai. They would all be equipped with weapons from this country. You would have to break the promise to remain quiet and not get into any trouble."

Zabuza sighed in frustration at Gaara's matter of fact tone towards a subject like attacking military personnel of a foreign country. "Well that doesn't help the situation does it, besides I would have to find a high ranking officer if I wanted to inspect anything worth while."

"I never said that it would help, I just stated the easiest solution to your problem." Gaara informed the swordsman casually.

"I swear you are the most frustrating person to deal with. How is it that Haku likes you so much?" Zabuza yelled in mild annoyance.

"I think we are both very similar. Both of our fathers have tried to have us killed, perhaps it is due to the similar experiences we have shared, while you saved Haku I was saved by Naruto." Gaara replied.

Zabuza was about to answer when a light flash of steel caught the self proclaimed demons eye. Spinning around he found a relatively large weapons store, several blades hung in the window that ranged from small daggers not dissimilar in size to an average kunai all the way to two handed swords and Katana. "Finally I have been looking all over the village for this stuff." Zabuza said happily entering the store.

'_He seems easily entertained, I don't see what's so special about these weapons._' The Ichibi jinchuuriki mused while following Zabuza.

The store owner was a short balding man, he was in his mid to late forties and wore thick grey woollen robes. His store was filled to the brim with weapons of every shape and size which means he almost missed the two clearly out of place shinobi entering the store. "Hello there, how can I hel-" his voice was caught in his throat as he saw the blade strapped across the taller mans back. "Oh Kami... you're Zabuza Momochi." He said in a kind of awed reverence.

"Well what do you know, someone here knows me." Zabuza chuckled.

"Of course, the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist are famous even to non shinobi, especially here in the Land of Iron." The blacksmith said energetically.

"It does make some sense, this country is devoted to the art of the sword, so a group of seven legendary swordsmen would obviously attract attention." Gaara reasoned while inspecting a short curved dagger. He had to admit the idea of having a weapon for close combat made sense, while normally he could rely on his sand to get him out of almost all binds there was always a chance that someone could negate his ultimate defence in some way.

The balding man nodded in agreement of Gaara's deduction. "Your friend is correct Zabuza-sama, it is really an honour to have you in my store, the decapitator blade, Kubikiribocho is said to be a work of art."

"Well it's good to know that someone appreciates just how great it is." Zabuza said removing his giant sword from his back, placing it on the counter for the man to inspect. For the next few minutes the blacksmith was immersed in the study of the cleaver, every so often letting out an gasp of appreciation of the craftsmanship or unique qualities of the blade.

Zabuza meanwhile was looking over the other weapons in the store, while they were all finely crafted it was no surprise that he didn't find anything that could match Kubikiribocho. "You find anything you like kid?" He asked turning to Gaara.

"Like is a strong word, any number of these weapons could be useful." Gaara replied in his usual fashion.

"Useful, isn't going to cut it. You need to feel it, the blade needs to call out to you." Zabuza replied enthusiastically.

"Perhaps it is because these are not weapons normally found in Suna? My sister was always fond of fans to enhance her Fuuton manipulation, while my brother used puppets. Perhaps if there are any weapons along the design found in Suna?" Gaara said turning to the store owner who was still busy admiring Zabuza's blade.

"Hm I don't have anything that traditional shinobi from Suna use, however there are a few items that we create for members of the Wind Daimyo's personal guard." The blacksmith said pondering the question.

"Now that sounds interesting. Let's see 'em" Zabuza said eagerly.

The blacksmith nodded and pulled out a large suitcase from behind the counter. Without waiting to be prompted the man slipped the latches and opened the case, turning it to face Zabuza and Gaara. The contents were exquisite, two short cutlasses with intricate gold plating on the handles and guards, each contained in a red and green sheath with a blank area for an inscription or seal.

"Both blades are made with fully chakra conductive materials, the design might appear rare but each registered blacksmith in the Land of Iron is permitted to make these. They are not everyone's ideal weapon but are highly efficient. The blank area is normally reserved for the seal of the Wind Daimyo to mark one of his bodyguards, but if this interests you then I could arrange a different seal." The blacksmith said, hopeful of a sale.

Gaara hesitantly picked up the two blades, one in each hand, he had to admit they actually complimented his style, he didn't need hand seals to control his sand and the large area of the blade for the short length made them decent for defensive and offensive purposes at close range once his sand had been compromised. "I like them." He said eventually with a slight smile.

"Oh well, I would be thrilled to sell you a set. I trust you are understanding that these weapons are designed for a specific purpose and the extra work that goes into their creation makes them rather expensive." The blacksmith said pensively.

Gaara just reached into his cloak and withdrew a small bag filled to the brim with money. "I would be willing to bet that this amount will suffice."

The balding man took a quick look at the contents and went wide eyed. "Yes, this is more than enough."

"Keep the change, I have no real need for it." Gaara replied.

The blacksmith looked like all his birthday's had come at once. "Thank you, sir.. would you like anything in particular on the crest plate?"

"Yes, the Kanji for Yoinokuchi would be agreeable." Gaara said flatly.

The man paused for a moment, he had heard whispers about a mercenary group that worked under that name. He was tempted to ask about it but also knew that it was probably safer to keep his mouth shut, Zabuza Momochi was a famous killer and he guessed that his friend was equally as dangerous. There was no real issue with having killers and mercenaries as clients, a blacksmith knows that the weapons he makes will most likely take someones life at some stage of their existence, it is just part of their reality. The more famous the blacksmith, the more lives their weapons have taken, it was a simple equation.

"I will have that done for you in a few hours, please feel free to visit more of our village, I will be here when you return." The balding man said with a bow.

"Thank you, I will see you then." Gaara replied with a small bow of his own.

(**Elsewhere**)

Itachi stood on a large balcony at the top of a giant building, one of many that towered over the rather baron landscape of Ame. True to the village and countries name rain fell hard with the grey clouds giving the village an almost depressing look despite being one of the most technologically advanced cities in the elemental nations.

From behind the stoic Uchiha a large group of paper butterflies converged taking the form of Konan. "You seem to be preoccupied."

"More amazed, the rest of the Elemental Nations thinks that Ame is still in a state of civil war, yet this place is thriving, despite lacking some of the comforts of other nations." Itachi replied.

"If other nations think we are involved in a civil war they will give us a wide birth. Hanzo had very few friends in this world yet he was respected as one of the strongest shinobi to ever live." Konan said calmly.

"Yet you have wiped out every little piece of evidence that he ever lived out. It seems to be a exercise in futility, you want nobody to acknowledge that he ever lived yet at the same time want people to think he still rules the country." The Uchiha stated with a hint of humour in his voice.

"A necessary step, Nagato had no wish to have any dealings with the outside world, and many nations would have seen the death of Hanzo to be a sign of weakness and come to investigate the new leader." Konan reasoned.

Itachi nodded, accepting her explanation before turning back to look out over the village. "The rain, It's caused by Nagato, if I activate my Uzugan I can see the chakra within the droplets." He said passively.

"That's correct, it allows Nagato to watch over all the people in the village, a new or foreign chakra signature is immediately discovered by Nagato making our security air tight, not even Naruto-kun would be able to enter the village without us knowing." Konan explained.

"Impressive. I think I would like to see the rest of the village and see how the people here live." Itachi replied.

"You think we treat our people poorly?" The paper kunoichi asked her politeness dented by the accusation.

"No I think you yourself do not know how your people are treated. I take it they are not allowed to leave due to security risks?" Itachi asked, hesitantly Konan nodded to confirm Itachi's assumptions. "Then whether they know it or not they are prisoners, probably too afraid to speak out against their leaders. If you want to change then you should start by freeing your own people."

The truth in his words stung, Konan nodded. "Then please allow me to accompany you, I too wish to see if what you say is true."

"Then you will need to disguise yourself, people are often less talkative if confronted by the very subject I wish to inquire about." Itachi stated.

"That won't be an issue." Konan replied, paper began to fold over her face and a moment later she stood half a foot taller with long flowing blonde hair, her features were no longer marked with the piercings and even her trademark flower that she always wore in her hair had disappeared.

"Impressive." Itachi complimented.

"Of course, I am not simply a pretty face." She retorted with a smirk.

**End Chapter!**

**Okay so this was a bit of a filler chapter, I wanted to set a few things in motion for the next few chapters. **

**Nothing to really rant about this week, though it was rather convenient that Naruto was still dividing his chakra between all those people when he was so desperate for chakra just a few chapters back. Seriously the only way that would make any sense would be if Naruto had seen this exact situation occurring or he was so stupid he forgot to stop dividing his chakra.**


	131. The Gokage Summit

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 131: The Gokage Summit**

Itachi walked through the crowded streets of Ame, his Yoinokuchi cloak coving his head from the rain. The people in the street seemed to avoid eye contact with him and Konan. For a short time Itachi thought they may have identified him as a shinobi but upon further observation he noticed that while on the street nobody seemed to notice anyone, they traveled to their next destination as quickly as can be.

He wordlessly entered the shelter or a small tea shop where a few small groups were chatting happily. "You're a new face, it's not often that someone new enters my shop." An old lady said greeting the two new arrivals. She was short, about half the size of Itachi while slightly hunched over. Her grey curly hair was done up in a loose perm that bubbled around her hears.

"Oh we're just travellers. I am doing... research for a book on different nations so I needed to come to Ame." Itachi lied convincingly. Jiraiya's cover as a writer had always made the locals far more talkative, many just wanting to be included in what ever the Toad Sage was claiming to be writing.

"Oh well you picked the perfect place, here in Ame there is no crime the village is perfectly peaceful." The old woman said with a happy smile.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at her declaration. "No crime at all?" he questioned.

The tea lady shook her head. "That's right, nobody is foolish enough to commit a crime while our god watches over us."

"A god huh? Now that's interesting." Itachi replied casting a sideways glance at Konan who was still in disguise.

"Yes, Pein-sama. He brings the rain, while his angel enforces his will." She explained.

"So that's why so many places I have seen so far have origami angels hanging outside the front of their stores." Itachi guessed, his eyes darting to the front of the store where an angel hung over the entrance just out of the rain.

"That's right, when ever the law is broken Pein-sama sends his Angel to pass judgement on those responsible." The old woman said cheerfully. You didn't need to be a trained ninja to note the cool tone in which the old lady spoke, she was afraid.

"Then this village is safe then?" Konan asked calmly.

"Well... that depends on who you are." The old lady admitted honestly.

Itachi caught onto this and turned back to face her. "What do you mean?" He asked.

It was clear that the tea shop owner was uncomfortable but eventually started to speak. "The man in charge before Pein-sama, he had a large family and lot's of connections in the village and in the outside world."

"You mean Hanzou the Salamander?" The moment Itachi said Hanzou's name the room went quiet, so quiet that you could hear the sound of of the rain strike the pavement outside.

"Be quiet, it's a sin to mention his name. All those who are associated with that man are never heard of again along with their whole families. You should leave, if Pein-sama heard you speak that name then there is no telling what he will do." The old lady said and began shuffling the much taller Uchiha and Konan out the door.

"You really have been running a tight ship here." Itachi commented dryly. Despite his lack of emotion Konan could hear the disappointment.

"Nagato had a vision of a world without war, for that he needed complete control." Konan admitted a little sadly.

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. "You gave them a false peace without freedom, any independent thought, you crush it. Do you think these people are happy to live in this way?"

"I... I don't know." Konan replied.

"Of course they are not, they put on fake smiles and act happy but watch them when they think nobody is looking or moving from one place to another and you see the truth, they are prisoners, too terrified to even show their displeasure. That is the world you created." Itachi said bluntly.

"We were not trying to make the people happy, we were bringing them peace." Konan stated.

"What's the point of peace if you can't enjoy it? It is better to enjoy the moments of peace you have in this world while you can, because you only live once. I would rather live for a day as a free man than for a lifetime in a cage." Itachi declared, panning their utopia.

"Ninja are not supposed to be free." Konan retorted.

"Perhaps not, but shinobi are those who can persevere despite all of they face. The people that are being oppressed here are not just shinobi. It is the civilians that we shinobi are supposed to serve are the ones you are keeping down. You were so concerned with brining peace that you removed everything that the peace was worth preserving." Itachi replied.

"So what do you suggest we do then?" Konan questioned.

"First you must stop the constant rain. Then return the village to the people, no more marshal law. Start a civilian police force and government to keep order rather than rule them in constant fear of one mistake leading to death." Itachi suggested.

"That is quite a list, you ask for a lot." Konan replied.

"No more than is required, Nagato and yourself can remain as the leader of the village but the people need to become self reliant again. If Naruto had killed Nagato and yourself then what would have happened to Ame? The power vacuum would lead to the very thing you were trying so hard to avoid, a war. By stripping the population of all responsibility you ended up weakening your people." Itachi lectured.

Konan could hardly argue with the Uchiha, he made some very valid points still she was surprised that he would have so much to say, during the entire time the Yoinokuchi member had been staying with them, he rare'y said more than a few words at any one time. "Perhaps you may have a point, I will take your opinions to Nagato, thank you for your honesty."

(**The Next Day, Land of Iron**)

"One hot day, is that too much to ask in this damn freezer of a country?" Naruto muttered silently to himself. The blonde jinchuuriki was currently perched atop the entrance to a large complex built into the side of a mountain that looked like three wolves heads howling in different directions. As if to spite the teen a large chunk of snow fell from an overhanging covering, right onto his head.

He would have screamed out in annoyance had it not been absolutely vital that he remain hidden so he can successfully enter the complex. '**I am surprised, who would have known you had such self control.**' Kyuubi snorted in the back of his mind.

'_You're enjoying this aren't you._' Naruto complained shivering lightly as the snow melted on the back of his neck.

The Kyuubi chuckled darkly. '**I would be lying if I said that I didn't find your discomfort amusing.**'

'_Well at least one of us is having fun then. I bet it's nice and warm inside... Dammit I felt them approaching almost an hour ago, what is taking so long._' Naruto whined.

'**Perhaps they know you are waiting here, and are doing this on purpose to punish you?**' The large fox suggested with another laugh.

'_Impossible! Nobody can sense me when I am suppressing my chakra and using the chameleon jutsu... except maybe Nagato... I should probably test that out._'

'**Then my guess would be that the Kage you are waiting for slowed their approach to seem less threatening. I could imagine for peons that are as pathetic as those guards below you, the sight of an on rushing Kage would be rather intimidating.**'

'_You're probably right, still I wish she would hurry it up, at least a little bit, I'm freezing to death sitting here._'

'**You could always just attempt to sneak in without using the Kage as a distraction. You are skilled enough to use a Genjutsu on those guards and just walk right in.**' The fox suggested casually.

'_I know that, but Jiraiya-sensei was right. It's best not to do anything that could be considered an act of violence towards the samurai, we want them to be cooperative. Also the leader I think his name was Mifune is supposed to be really strong, equal to the Kage's. I'll just have to wait._'

'**Then stop complaining, it's a real buzz kill.**'

'_I thought you found my discomfort amusing._'

'**I do, but your voice is annoying.**'

'_That's hash Kyuubi._'

The fox just chuckled in response seeing no reason to continue the conversation. Naruto's annoyance was growing but luckily just has he was about to create a different type of distraction to sneak in three people appeared on a snow covered pathway leading up to the entrance. Mei Terumi was accompanied by a tall man with dark blue hair and an eyepatch that Naruto recognised as Ao. The other guard was a tall kunoichi that had heir long blue hair tied back into a spiky ponytail with long strands framing her face. '_Looks like Guren is doing well for herself in Kiri._' Naruto mused happily.

"Ah Mizukage-sama, welcome." One of the guards said moving to greet the new arrivals. That was Naruto's cue, he flipped down onto the ceiling of the entrance and walked on the roof to prevent breaking his camouflage.

'_Done, that wasn't so hard._' Naruto thought until he came to the next room, filled with guards at every doorway and large open areas with nowhere to hide. '_Oh fuck me sideways._' he deadpanned.

'**Do you ever get tired of being wrong?**'

'_It comes and goes._' In the end Naruto had to wait for the Mizukage's group, slipping past the guards as they would give a respectful bow or moved to allow her entrance to a passageway. Eventually they came to a large circular room with a large balcony that overlooked a large table, there were banners of different colours baring the Kanji for the five different countries behind each seat and a final larger symbol for the Land of Iron.

Naruto casually slipped up to the top level before finding a quiet area to observe the meeting. '**So, if things go south and you're discovered, how do you plan on getting out of here, all the exits are covered?**' The Kyuubi asked slightly curious.

'_Well to be honest I hadn't really thought about it._' Naruto admitted.

'**Pathetic.**' The fox sighed.

'_Hey I don't come into you cage and tell you how to sleep all day, so don't tell me how to do my job._' Naruto replied with false anger, he was actually enjoying the light bickering with his Bijuu, they may be thinly veiled insults but at least the Kyuubi was beginning to talk with him.

The room was slowly filling, Mei was the second Kage to arrive after the Raikage, who had brought Dauri and Killer Bee as his bodyguards. Naruto watched with mild interest as the two Kage exchanged pleasantries, their guards on the other hand seemed a little confused as to what they were supposed to be doing... Well other than Bee who was rapping away quite content with doing nothing.

'**I think I might actually feel sorry for that soft octopus, that man's rapping is unintelligible.**' The Kyuubi said.

'_Well he is eccentric, but no more so than his brother. He's also less likely to try and kill me at a moments notice._' Naruto reasoned.

'**You act like that is a bad thing**'

'_Why?_' Naruto whined with fake anime tears streaming down his face. Kyuubi saw no reason to answer and just chuckled darkly.

The next to arrive was Oonoki along with Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi, he barely had time to greet the other Kage before a tall man with a heavily scarred face entered followed by a man that Naruto recognised as Gaara's former sensei, Baki, as well as Temari. "It seems we are not the last to arrive." the scarred man said casually.

"No it seems the Slug princess has not shown herself, then again medics do tend to be the last ones onto the battlefield." Oonoki muttered.

"It is understandable, Konoha was just attacked by the Akatsuki, the village was badly damaged. It makes sense she would put off leaving for as long as possible." Mei reasoned.

"You're rather well informed, Mizukage-dono. I had no idea of the attack on Konoha until I saw it for myself." A stated.

"I try to stay well informed on the movements of the Akatsuki, a good friend was willing to pass on news of what occurred in Konoha." Mei replied.

"Yes, it turns out that despite all the damage done to the village, there were no casualties." The Kazekage said in a formal matter.

"Seems the Akatsuki had even less luck than your village did in attacking Konoha. It is probably a good lesson for all of us to take on board." Mei replied.

"It's not Konoha we have to worry about. We're here to talk about the threat of the Akatsuki are we not?" Oonoki questioned.

"What threat, they have done nothing to our village." The Kazekage replied.

"Because you lost your jinchuuriki another way didn't you? He left your village at the first chance he was given. You clearly don't know how to keep your war assets under control." Oonoki scoffed.

"What would you know?" Temari snapped, she was bitter over Gaara's defection although the truth was she hardly blamed him.

"Quiet Temari, Tsuchikage-dono is right. Your brother should have been kept on a much tighter leash, your father was weak, and should have killed the boy who was so unstable. We would have him back by now if he didn't join up with the Hokage's little pet." The Kazekage spoke icily.

"I believe it would be unwise to question the abilities of Naruto-kun. Taking back Gaara would not be as easy as you presume. Naruto-kun is far more capable than you would imagine." Mei warned, she was not overly fond of the Kazekage. Suna was allied to Konoha but it was mostly out of necessity, the Kazekage himself felt that the alliance made Suna look weak, but had they not signed the alliance then Konoha would have surely destroyed them after the failed invasion during the Chunin exams.

"So you know this brat then Mizukage-dono? What did he steal from your village?" The Kazekage scoffed while the Raikage let out a small laugh.

"Naruto-kun and his allies are hero's in the Land of Water, Naruto-kun has stolen nothing from us but I doubt that I could stop him if he wanted to, he's an infiltration master, then again Jiraiya of the Sannin is his master so that is to be expected." Mei replied.

"You seem quite taken with the boy Mizukage-dono, though I admit he does have an aura about him, he reminds me of the Shodai Hokage if not his father." Oonoki added.

Mei didn't have a chance to reply, the doors opened once more and in walked a tall man with the top of his head wrapped in bandages despite not being injured, he had long dark grey hair and a goatee to match. Behind him Tsunade appeared along with Hiruzen and Shikaku. "Looks like Konoha sent two Kage. It has been quite some time Hiruzen." The Tsuchikage said with begrudging respect.

Hiruzen smiled back at the shortest Kage. "Oonoki, I would have thought you would be retired by now." He chuckled.

"I see no reason to retire, I would have nothing else to do. Besides of my own students only my son is left alive, you still have Tsunade-hime and the Toad Sage to do your work for you." Oonoki replied.

"Jiraiya retired quite a few years ago." Hirzuen said.

Oonoki scoffed at the notion. "Then for a retired shinobi he is been quite busy. That little protege of his, has made quite the impression on the elemental nations."

"Pleasantries aside I think it is time that we get down to business. You were called here for a reason were you not?" Mifune declared taking his seat at the head of the table. "Your bodyguards will be asked to oversee proceedings from the balcony overlooking the room."

The Kage's all seemed to agree and each silently ordered the others to take their place. If Naruto was expecting a quick start to these talks he was to be left surprised, Minutes passed and nobody said anything they each just sat waiting for someone to start the proceedings. Eventually however Tsunade sighed, leaning forward. "The Akatsuki pose a threat to each of our villages, at the moment they have captured four of the nine Bijuu."

"Five actually, on the way to this summit the Rokuubi host, Utakata, was captured by an Akatsuki shinobi wearing a mask. We were attempting to hold talks in the hopes of having Utakata return to Kiri, but before I could meet with him the Akatsuki struck." Mei interjected.

"That was the same Akatsuki member that captured the Nibi!" A fumed.

"I fail to see what the problem is, if anything it is just stabilising the balance of power again." The Kazekage replied.

"You do not seem very sympathetic Asahi-dono." Tsunade said stiffly. She and the Kazekage were not what you would call friends, despite having an alliance between the two villages, they rarely saw eye to eye personally.

"The Bijuu were divided amongst the villages to prevent war and maintain a balance, once one village loses their Bijuu they lose a great military asset and the balance is broken. Why should we care if your villages lose their Bijuu?" The newly named Kazekage questioned sternly.

"Because they are collecting them for a purpose, do you think that a group os S class criminals simply wants to collect all the Bijuu for the fun of it? One Bijuu is enough to do great amounts of damage to one of our villages. They have five already, do you really want to find out what happens when they get all nine?" Tsunade retorted. Mei nodded in agreement with the Hokage while Oonoki seemed to consider either sides arguments, he was the oldest of the five and knew better than to act without considering all options.

"Enough!" A yelled angrily, he slammed his fist into the table while getting to his feet. Instantly all the guards were at their Kage's side with the exception of Hiruzen and Shikaku who stayed where they were confident that should anything happen they could still defend Tsunade if the need arose. "The Akatsuki are formed by members from each of your villages, you are all equally guilty in this matter. Not only that your villages are all guilty of using the Akatsuki for your own purposes."

"Watch your tongue, Konoha has never hired the Akatsuki!" Tsunade spat back venomously.

"Officially no, but groups within the village have! The attack from Suna was coordinated from within the village and had the aid of Orochimaru, your old teammate, and a member of the Akatsuki." A replied.

'_Danzo!_' Tsunade and Hiruzen both fumed.

"The Mizukage is the most suspicious, Kiri was once thought to be an Akatsuki stronghold and there were whispers that the group originated from the Land of Water." A continued.

"There were rumours that started not long after the bloodline purges that Yagura was being controlled. But we never saw who was responsible." Mei admitted solemnly.

"You have one thing wrong though, the Akatsuki were not formed in the Land of Water, they originated from Ame. Or to be more precise three orphaned children who's parents were killed in the confrontation between our nations. Including your own Raikage-dono. So we are all responsible for the Akatsuki." Tsunade lectured calmly.

"It is true that the man known as Pein came from Ame, but he is no longer the leader of the Akatsuki correct?" Mei questioned.

"I think I need to have a word with Jiraiya and Naruto-kun about revealing secrets, but in this case you are correct in thinking that. Nagato Uzumaki, the man known as Pein, is no longer in the Akatsuki and pledged his support elsewhere." Tsunade answered.

While most of the room was shocked at this revelation Mei and Tsunade remained calm, the auburn haired kunoichi keeping a contented smile. "So what, he allied himself with another mercenary group, who's to say they are any better. If we ally ourselves against one group why not another? I know for a fact they have at least two Bijuu in the group known as the Yoinokuchi." The Kazekage said.

"I do not think that the Yoinokuchi hold any intent to seek conflict with the five nations. The Akatsuki however do. They are not a threat." Mei replied.

"While I disagree with you in your belief that the Yoinokuchi pose no threat, I think focusing on one problem at a time would be the best course of action." A said, he was still bitter at the group but even Naruto had to admit it was somewhat understandable. "Besides, they could be valuable allies should the need arise."

'_Good to know that they won't try to kill me until after the Akatsuki have been dealt with._' Naruto thought with a sweat drop.

'**It shouldn't matter to you anyway, you beat that man once already, and that was without my chakra. His position as Raikage will mean that if nothing else he will have to respect you as an opponent. You humans seem to think that way, it shows how underhanded you really are. You praise and befriend, then the moment they drop their guard you dig the knife into the back.**' Kyuubi mused, clearly unimpressed with A's thinking.

'_Are you actually praising me?_' Naruto questioned slightly amused at the thought.

'**Hardly, I am just commenting on how manipulative that these Kage's can be. It's clear that many in the room would like to see at least one of the others dead, yet they act so civil.**' The fox explained.

'_It's diplomacy, maybe you should try it sometime._' Naruto suggested.

'**Politics is full of liars, usually the people who seek to be put in charge are the ones who deserve it the least. At least I have the decency to not sweet talk those who make me sick. I find the whole concept degrading.**'

'_Well at least you're honest._' Naruto chuckled.

Naruto's attention returned to the discussion below, it really seemed like they were accomplishing nothing, every argument one Kage would bring up to support an alliance another would shoot down and another long winded discussion would take place with the inevitable outcome ending with the group undecided, in fact the only thing that they looked like agreeing on was the fact that they didn't agree on anything. It was for this reason Naruto almost felt a sense of relief when several chakra signatures appeared on his radar, they were suppressed but he could detect them, mostly because one of their members was currently scanning the room.

'_I think she found me._' Naruto thought, quite surprised as he felt a nervous spike in one of the chakra signatures.

Whether or not he had been discovered he never found out because at that moment a white Zetsu rose up from the centre of the table the Kage were sitting around. "_Hello! Greeting's from the Akatsuki, I hope you don't mind but we have quite a few members of our organisation here to crash this little party._"

Predictably A was the first to move, slamming his elbow across the neck of the pure white man. "Where are they!?" he demanded angrily.

Zetsu wanted to laugh but the large Raikage was compressing his voice box making it difficult to even get a single word out. "_B-be-low_" he finally croaked pointing in a random direction.

That was enough for the Raikage, he crushed the White Zetsu's windpipe before breaking through a wall. "There was a perfectly good door just there." Mifune sighed knowing that the repairs from this encounter would take awhile.

"We better go, let's help Bro!" Bee rapped and followed after the Raikage.

Dauri sighed and gave a small apologetic bow to the Samurai commander. "I'm sorry, A-sama get's a little overly worked up from time to time." He declared before he too followed after his Kage.

"To think that the Akatsuki would come here of all places. It's clear that we are their target, so perhaps it would be wise to stay put." Oonoki suggested.

"You forget that we have a Jinchuuriki with us, and he just followed after the Raikage, if they get their hands on Killer Bee they are one step closer to their goal." Tsunade said standing up from her seat. "Sensei, Shikaku we will assist the Raikage." she added before exiting through the Raikage sized hole in the wall.

"Allow me to accompany you Hokage-dono." Mei said getting to her feet as well.

"But Mizukage-sama is it really necessary, we could hold off and wait for a more opportune moment to strike at the Akatsuki. This complex is not designed to be a battlefield, lots of the masonry is old and unstable." Ao suggested, appearing at her side.

Unfortunately Mei suffered from selective hearing, all she heard was. 'Hold off, opportune moment, and old,' something she mistook for a dig at her not being married yet. "Ao, shut up or I will kill you." she whispered in her bodyguards ear.

"Y-y-yes Mei-sama."Ao stuttered back and agreed to follow without further word.

"So it seems that it will be just the two of us who will wait and see what the Akatsuki want, I would have thought that the Slug princess would have learnt some restraint." Oonoki mused once the delegations from Konoha and Kiri had left.

"Surely you can't be considering taking part in this foolish notion of an alliance?" The Kazekage asked.

"I will not chose my position on any alliance until I have a clearer view on the situation. I am rather more surprised that they would give someone who is an outspoken supporter of village isolation like yourself the position of Kazekage. Then again you did sign off on the alliance with Konoha didn't you Asahi-dono? Perhaps you have realised that you need the other villages after all." Oonoki questioned tauntingly.

"It was an act of necessity, much like your own surrender to that upstart that became the Yondaime Hokage. We play nice but should they show weakness again then our roles my be reversed." Asahi retorted.

"With friends like you Konoha doesn't need any enemies. As I said before I am surprised they would allow someone like you to become Kazekage, after such a humiliating defeat by that way of thinking it would make sense to go for someone that would be more welcoming to other villages, especially their biggest ally." Oonoki questioned.

During their discussion they missed Naruto slipping out of the room to chase after the other Kages. '_Kami they are boring, at least if I go this way I can see who the Akatsuki sent here._' Naruto thought as he ran through the strangely empty corridors.

**End Chapter!**

**No point talking about the Manga this week, except for the fact that Hiruzen returned. Still this cannot go on much longer. Bring it to a resolution already! To put it into context the Fight between Naruto and Pein lasted 14 - 15 chapters. So far Naruto has been fighting Obito and Madara, Minus scene changes, for about 40 chapters. All up so far the war has gone from Chapter 515: The War Begins, to now Chapter 642 And still has probably at least 20 chapters left in it. Basically three years of content with nothing accomplished. **


	132. The Akatsuki's Plan

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 132: The Akatsuki's plan**

Naruto ran through the empty corridors of the Samurai headquarters. At every turn he would stop and scan the area for his goal, as well as look out for any guards that may still have been standing at their posts. The Akatsuki meanwhile, were a few floors down in a large hall. They had just now come face to face with a very angry Raikage.

"That's quite a welcoming committee yeah." Deidara said as he stood at the back of the group. He knew that the Raikage was probably the worst possible opponent for the Iwa bomber. To be blunt, his unique jutsu explosives were left innate from Raiton chakra, so a man that covers himself in Raiton armour was not someone that Deidara wanted to take on in a serious fight.

Before either group could make their move they were met with the arrival of Tsunade, Mei and their respective bodyguards. "What is this, a suicide mission?" the only female member of the Akatsuki group asked clearly feeling intimidated by the arrival of three more S class ninja and also much to her surprise Guren.

"I thought the Akatsuki was for S ranked criminals only? Who would let you in Karin, you are a barely passable Genin." Guren taunted upon seeing her former comrade.

"You know them Guren? The only person I am familiar with is Kisame, but he seems to be missing something." Mei asked smiling as always.

"Yes Mei-sama, the four youngest members of their group were either prisoners or allies of Orochimaru and Oto. The girl Karin is no threat but the others are quite capable." Guren answered immediately. She had taken her new position as a Kiri shinobi seriously and had unwavering loyalty to the Mizukage.

As for Sasuke, he had already found his desired target. The Sandaime Hokage was the one who gave the order to have his family killed so his blood demanded vengeance. "The Akatsuki must have really gone down hill, from S ranked criminals to Orochimaru's throw aways. Have you really become this desperate to find new recruits?" Tsunade taunted the two elder members of the Akatsuki.

"We don't decide who joins, for some reason they all seem to want to follow Tobi. As long as I get a chance to perform my art I couldn't care less, yeah." Deidara replied. He was no fan of the new arrivals either, or Tobi for that matter. With that said, he was smarter than to pick a fight with someone that Kisame seemed to be so devoted towards.

Sasuke was sick of the talking, he quickly shot through hand seals and shot a bolt of lightning at Hiruzen. The Sandaime Hokage was not called 'The Professor, and The God of Shinobi,' for nothing. A few hand seals later and Sasuke's jutsu had been countered by a wall of water that deflected the strike harmlessly wide.

That seemed to be enough for everyone involved. The Raikage charged Sasuke down nobody even saw him move, dust was flown around obscuring the view, but if the room was expecting to see a squashed Sasuke they were to be disappointed. The protective shell of a spectral ribcage prevented the Raikage from making contact at the last second. Sasuke scowled and shot black flames from his eye ready to burn the dangerous arm completely off.

Tsunade was ready for such an event the sight of a skeleton that she easily recognised as a Susanoo, she raced forward and pulled the Raikage out of harms way. '_I was right, he has the same Mangekyo Sharingan techniques as his brother. Strange then that he hasn't used Tsukuyomi._' Tsunade thought while narrowly avoiding Sasuke's Amaterasu. '_Then again Itachi's eyes were uniquely powerful perhaps Sasuke does not have the same level of illusionary control._'

"It seems I owe you one Hokage-dono." A said even if it was a little begrudgingly.

"Hardly, if there is going to be an alliance we can't have the Raikage armless. It's all you have, brute strength and speed." Tsunade replied with a small smirk. That was when they both noticed small clay ants crawling on the ground beneath their feet. Eyes widening they jumped just before the clay exploded. The flames seemed to be ready to catch both Kage's before a thin wall of crystal blocked their path.

Guren's wall of crystals soon compressed into a spear and shot towards Juugo who she had identified as the biggest threat of Sasuke's group. Juugo had other ideas however and his body quickly morphed into a beast like form, and he was able to shatter the crystals with his bare hands, stunning the kunocihi. "Tch he's even more of a monster than I remember." she huffed.

During this volley of attacks the Mizukage found herself facing off with Kisame, the pair exchanging jutsu, Kisame's highly powerful Suiton jutsu as opposed to Mei's lava and boil release left the pair rather evenly matched. "So what happened to Samehada? I never thought I would see you without that detestable sword after you killed your master." Mei asked while dodging a large water shark and sending a powerful stream of Lava back in the opposite direction.

"What do you care? It's not like you have any shinobi capable of wielding it anyway." Kisame replied using a high pressure jet of water to leave the lava inert and easy to avoid.

"I am the Mizukage! The seven swords of the mist are my business, so it has everything to do with me." Mei replied. Ideally she would have liked to be facing Kisame in an isolated area, most of her Futton techniques were used over a larger area, she couldn't risk using the steam with so many allies around.

"That is a matter of opinion, To me you are nothing but an imposter sitting in the real Mizukage's office." Kisame smirked while creating several sharks made of water to attack the Mizukage from all angles. Mei countered by erecting a stone wall around her that the Suiton jutsu couldn't penetrate.

From the side a shower of crystal shuriken rained down on Kisame who was forced to construct a wall of water to give himself time to escape. "We will take it from here Mei-sama." Guren replied as she and Ao landed in front of the wall.

Mei nodded in agreement and turned her attention to Deidara who was sitting well back from the action creating clay animals to send into the battlefield. She jumped forward before spitting out a large stream of lava that forced Deidara to use his explosives to blast a hole for him to escape from. "Oi Kisame, your not doing your job properly yeah!" Deidara yelled in frustration.

Kisame didn't respond, he was preoccupied with Guren and Ao, who were working quite flawlessly as a team, one would strike while the other covered their blind spot, they they would reverse the roles as the need arose.

During this time Karin had decided the best thing she could do was hide. Unfortunately someone else had similar plans and without even realising it she ran right towards the very corner of the room Naruto had arrived, camouflaged to appear like one of the many pillars holding the high ceiling up. "This is insane, taking on Kage's why would Sasuke-kun agree to something like that?" Karin whispered to what she assumed was only herself.

She almost died of shock when Naruto, confident he couldn't be seen by anyone dropped his chameleon jutsu. "That would be because he is a fool." He said calmly. "Itachi really knows how to call them. To bad he lacked proper social up bringing. Sasuke's fate could have been avoided if Itachi didn't mess things up. Whats worse is that it will be Itachi who inevitably will have to deal with his brother once and for all. I promised him I wouldn't interfere. Although joining the Akatsuki is really trying my patience with the spoiled brat, it's pushing me to breaking point." He chuckled.

Karin was to scared to move, she recognised who it was that had just appeared before her. She had seen him once before in passing during the chunin exams several years ago. She had also been told all about Naruto Uzumaki, by both Orochimaru and Kabuto. She was so scarred that she didn't know whether to scream for help or beg for mercy. Seconds passed and neither said anything, in truth Naruto wasn't really paying her any attention at all, he was just casually watching the fight as it progressed. '_What is he doing?_' She asked herself.

Instinctively, looking for a way of surviving what would be instantaneous death, Karin slowly stretched her arm down towards her kunai pouch. "I wouldn't do that, those things are bad for your health." Naruto said flatly.

Karin had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, well kunai pouch. She could only think to do one thing... beg for forgiveness "I'm so-"

"Shut up!" Naruto hissed quietly, "I am waiting for something, so if you want to live keep quiet unless I tell you otherwise, and stay still." The truth was Naruto was tempted to just kill her, she was a member of the Akatsuki after all. But when he thought about it, she was not a threat and clearly thought of self preservation. '_She could be a useful source of information later on._' he thought passively.

Wisely Karin stopped dead. '_What is he waiting for? Everyone is here already except... Tobi!? Is he waiting for the masked man? But how can he be so sure that he will show up?_' She wondered.

Meanwhile things were not going so well for the Akatsuki, they were being pushed back and were heavily outnumbered. For the two most experienced members, they already knew this wasn't a fight they could win. Kisame and Deidara couldn't use their jutsu properly in an underground complex because they both knew it would mean that they would be crushed by a cave in. The Kage's knew this as well but they had numbers on their side. The groups worked in sync and it was all most of the Akatsuki could do to simply stay alive.

"This was a suicide mission yeah." Deidara yelled while narrowly avoiding a combined attack by Mei's lava and Darui, who was wielding a large sword.

"That masked bastard set us up." Suigetsu agreed, he was only still alive due to his bodies unique water affinity.

While everyone else was fighting, the only person who had not moved had been Killer Bee. The hachibi jinchuuriki had seemed more interested in writing rhymes down in a small book that he carried with him. That changed however when Juugo, who was charging down Guren and Ao in an attempt to break their attack on Kisame, missed his mark and his monstrous claw flew forward and struck the book right from the Hachibi jinchuuriki's hand.

Killer Bee's rhyme book never stood a chance, it was shredded mercilessly against the wall. In an instant the perpetrator was thrown away crashing into the opposite wall with enough force to leave a deep indentation. Bee was now covered in his Bijuu's chakra but hadn't transformed to a higher state yet. "I'm pissed, you ruined my book of rhymes, so I am gonna rip you apart, these ain't no lie's, cause I'm the eight tailed beast 'ya dig!" The angry jinchuuriki rapped loudly.

Bee shot a large tentacle into Juugo who took the hit but was not overly affected thanks to his beastly transformation. With a loud roar Juugo grabbed the Bijuu's tail and tossed the rapping jinchuuriki across the room and into his brother who was about to charge down Sasuke.

Sasuke used this as a chance to fire a large barrage of chidori senbon at Tsunade, they were stopped however when a large group of shadows swatted the needles out of the air, constantly dividing to deal with the increasing number of Raiton senbon fired their way. Once the volley stopped Tsunade and Hiruzen combined a Katon jutsu supplied by the Sandaime Hokage and a Doton jutsu from the Godaime to launch several flaming boulders at Sasuke who was rescued all be it reluctantly by Juugo.

The massive burst of chakra from Killer Bee had gotten the attention of the other Kage and Mifune high above. "This can't go on, we should go and end this, if the situation has become so serious that the eight tails jinchuuriki is using that chakra then we better go deal with the problem before it get's out of hand." Oonoki sighed.

"I agree, will you be joining us Kazekage-dono?" Mifune asked.

"Very well, I cant be the only Kage that isn't fighting, it would make our village seem weak." Asahi replied.

"Come this way it will be faster if we use a more conventional method of travel, this base is like a maze so those paths that the Raikage took will have actually taken longer for them to arrive at their destination." Mifune informed the two Kage's before exiting a door that appeared to be heading in the opposite direction to the way they needed to go.

Sasuke so far had been struggling to get anywhere near Hiruzen. He was unfortunately blocked off by Tsunade, who was quite effortlessly standing in his way. The Hokage was are rather intimidating barrier, despite having an elemental advantage over her, Tsunade fully dominated the young Uchiha in terms of physical strength, only his Susanoo was keeping him safe from the thunderous strength of the Godaime Hokage. The only plus side to this situation, was the gradual development of the large spectral figure, it slowly took the form of the a disfigured man wielding a large bow. It was soon able to wield the bow as a weapon, that appeared to be one with a great destructive force behind it.

The arrow shot forward in an instant, but both Hokage and former Hokage were able to get out of the way each jumping in different directions. As it struck the ground the arrow exploded, tossing rubble in every direction. In response both Tsunade and Hiruzen both ran through hand seals and created a water dragon each that crashed into Sasuke who had not yet gained full mobility while using his Susanoo.

Sasuke was tossed from the force of the Jutsu far back of the room near where Naruto and Karin were watching the proceedings. Karin ducked away while Naruto simply blended back into the wall appearing as though he was never there. In truth Naruto was getting rather impatient with the whole situation, everyone seemed to be holding back to prevent major damage to the structure. '_Even that last attack was held back, come on Baa-chan this is getting sad.' _"This is an exercise in futility, most of them are evenly matched and to make things worse they are holding back. I can't see this ending, unless someone actually attempts to seriously win this fight." He sighed, reappearing after Sasuke jumped away, back towards Tsunade.

Karin, who was certain at this point that she was only alive because Naruto allowed her to be hesitated to answer. "T-they look pretty s-s-serious to me." She admitted hesitantly.

"Are you kidding me, look closer, even your buddies in the Akatsuki are pulling their punches." Naruto scoffed.

Karin readily obeyed and began scanning the room, it took a few moments while searching intently for any sign of what Naruto had been talking about before she saw it. Each occupant that was fighting at little more than half strength, even the more aggressive members of the room. "How can you see that so easily?" she asked stunned.

"My eyes are not just for show, I can see their chakra if I wish to, just like you obviously can, it is the only way you would be able to know I was here. I sensed your reaction when you felt my chakra. So do tell me how did you find me while I was hiding in the Kage chamber?" Naruto asked casually.

"I have a technique, the Minds Eye of Kagura. I can see chakra signatures no matter how minuscule or well hidden they are. I didn't know who it was until I focused just on your chakra signature, you were so well hidden that only I could ever see it." Karin explained.

"So that's why they keep you around, I wondered because you are much weaker than them. Seriously even the way you hide yourself proves you are not trained well." Naruto replied.

Karin was scared but she felt the need to justify herself. "Sasuke-kun likes having me around. Besides I am not just here because I can sense things, I'm also a medic, that's why I am not a trained fighter." She declared.

"Medic huh, I don't buy it. Your chakra may be life affirming but you're not." Naruto claimed.

"How do you know that?" Karin asked shocked. He had discerned her Natural healing ability incredibly quickly.

"I can see chakra remember, you think I wouldn't notice an Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai? Your chakra is not all that different to Nagato's or mine." Naruto scoffed.

"You think that I'm an Uzumaki?" She asked.

"Yes, you are. Why do you think I have let you live this long? You are most certainly an Uzumaki, although you're not a very impressive one. I guess I had higher hopes for the members of my clan after seeing Nagato, I guess it was just wishful thinking though." Naruto replied flatly. "Well they will have to get serious soon, it looks like reinforcements have arrived."

At the far entrance to the hall Mifune stood with the Tsuchikage and Kazekage. "Well it looks like we were not missing much here." Oonoki said loudly.

"So looks like the stragglers have arrived, hurry up and play your part yeah!" Deidara yelled to Kisame, who was grinning his shark like teeth. There was a massive burst of chakra from the sharklike shinobi.

Almost immediately after Kisame's signal a black spiralling vortex appeared atop a broken pillar. "This took far longer than I thought it would, It seems I need to have a word with Zetsu about his timing." Tobi said rather amused with the fact that everyone had stopped whatever they were doing.

"Looks like the ring leader is finally here." Tsunade scowled.

"Quite analytical of you Tsunade, but the real question is; where is that damn Kyuubi brat? I know you're here Naruto-kun." Tobi said.

"I had thought of ambushing you, but I doubt that would work, besides I want to kill you fair and square" Naruto's voice echoed through the chamber but he didn't appear.

"Who is that?" Mifune asked in shock.

"This meeting was supposed to be secret what is the meaning of this!?" Asahi asked far more agressively.

"Well it obviously wasn't much of a secret if the Akatsuki are here, now was it?" Naruto replied slightly condescendingly.

"He has a point there." Oonoki agreed with a deadpan.

"Show yourself you disrespectful little shit, I will rip you to shreds." The Kazekage scowled.

"That's not the best way to start an alliance, even that Akatsuki-Teme, Tobi at least acts polite." Naruto chuckled.

"I'm honoured to receive your praise Naruto-kun, but it would be best if you show yourself so we can get down to business." Tobi replied confidently.

"You want me?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "Fine then!" He appeared seemingly out of thin air with Rasengan in hand. Only the Raikage and Tsunade were able to track him as he peeled himself from the far wall. But it seemed that Tobi had been expecting such a tactic, he had made sure that he had not been solid until Naruto had appeared only solidifying himself for the instant it took to recharge his technique.

Naruto's jutsu exploded the pillar Tobi was sitting on but left the Akatsuki ninja essentially unharmed and strangely floating in mid air. "Sorry Naruto-kun I am not ready to face you yet... Besides what happened to not ambushing me?" the masked man sneered looking down upon the angry jinchuuriki.

"I lied! Shinobi tend to do that." Naruto replied with a glare.

"Quite right you are. I barely had time to get out of the way, you really are something special." Tobi complimented the boy.

"That attack had some serious power, Mr Nine has made it shower." Bee rapped commenting on the debris falling around them.

"Bee shut up!" A yelled. "What do you want, there was obviously some reason for you coming here today so why don't you tell us what it is already."

"Such impatience my good Raikage, I will get to that in good time. But first this room is a little crowded allow me to remove my soldiers so we can talk freely." Tobi replied. One by one he landed behind one of the Akatsuki shinobi and sucked them into a vortex originating from his exposed Sharingan.

The last one remaining was Karin, once she realised there was a risk of being left behind she jumped up from her well chosen hiding place. When he landed Naruto moved, he lunged at Tobi who was preoccupied with Karin and his blow landed, Tobi was kicked in the ribs and arm, sending the Akatsuki leader rocketing away. Not wanting to give up this chance Naruto shot after him, and he was not the only one. The Raikage was also willing to work with Naruto if it meant defeating Tobi.

Unfortunately for the two lightning quick ninja, the masked man did not crash into the wall as they had hoped but rather slipped right through it, Naruto and A's fists collided with the cement blasting a mammoth hole in the wall that shook the entire complex.

"Quick witted, just like your father, and short tempered just like your mother. Oh I will enjoy the moment I get to watch you die!" Tobi seethed as he reappeared a few moments later, it appeared as though he had a broken arm, but otherwise was unharmed.

"He has to reform his body to attack, that's when we have to hit him." Naruto explained. '_I should have acted earlier but I wanted most of the Akatsuki combatants out of the way, that kunoichi isn't much but she might have some form on information on them, I won't let that get away_.'

"Well that girl is no real loss, she has served her purpose and is of no further use to me." Tobi said, no longer hiding behind fake pleasantries. He was angry and it was showing in his voice.

"Just get to the point! There has to be some reason that you came here!" Tsunade spat.

"Yes, I am here to tell you now, to hand over the remaining jinchuuriki." Tobi answered a small semblance of control returning to his voice.

"Get stuffed, why the hell do you think we would hand over the Bijuu. There is no way in hell I will let you lay a single finger on my brother!" A roared clearly angered by the request.

"Then you leave me with no choice. I will have to rip this world apart to take them by force." Tobi replied simply.

Oonoki Huffed, clearly not impressed by the masked man's threat. "You threaten us with war, yet we do not even know what it is you want the Bijuu for."

"I plan to end all war and bring peace." Tobi said complying with the Tsuchikage's request.

"Yeah right, nothing the Akatsuki have ever done has been peaceful. But say we do buy into your lie how do you plan on bringing peace?" Naruto asked.

"I will combine all the Bijuu together and reform them in their original state." Tobi answered.

'**He's insane! He wants to bring the Juubi back!**' The Kyuubi gasped in shock.

'_You know what he's plan is?_' Naruto questioned quickly.

'**No his purposes are unclear, but all the nine Bijuu were originally the same being. If the Juubi was to return it would mean the end of the world.**' Kyuubi replied.

Tobi was pleased to see that he had the attention of the whole room. "You see originally their was only one Bijuu, the Juubi. Before he died the Rikudou Sennin managed to defeat the Juubi and seal it into himself, becoming the very first jinchuuriki. Before his death however he knew that he needed to prevent the beast from returning, so he split it's chakra up into nine separate vessels, each taking a different shape and containing a separate part of the Juubi's power before sealing the beasts body away within the moon." he lectured.

"What is this nonsense? You expect us to believe something so unbelievable?" The Kazekage scoffed.

"Oh it's quite true, young Naruto-kun there can even use the very same jutsu that the Sage used to create the moon." Tobi replied.

"Chibaku Tensei." Naruto guessed.

"Quite right, Imagine how powerful you could make that jutsu if it was powered by the strength of all the Bijuu combined." Tobi sneered.

"So you want to revive this Juubi, but what do you want with it?" Tsunade asked.

"I will become the second jinchuuriki of the Juubi and use that power to cast a Genjutsu off the reflective surface of the moon and trap the world in the Infinite Tsukuyomi a world without war, or death. I will bring peace to this world!" Tobi declared.

"What does that world hold for us, there will be no hopes or dreams, this is just an escape." Mei replied.

"An escape for someone too weak to face the reality of this world, or strive to make it better. He is insane." Hiruzen agreed.

"What would you know of dreams Sandaime Hokage? You have ruined more dreams than anyone. How many dreams have you crushed by sending shinobi out to die in the field or even ordering the death of your own." Tobi scoffed.

"None that I have wanted too, and only those that I couldn't avoid, it was my burden as a Kage. You speak as though you know how I think. But it's clear that you are so twisted that no amount of logic will get through to you. Your peace is nothing but a lie for those who have lost hope, if you are so determined for that world use it on yourself and let us live our lives as we see fit!" Hiruzen replied sternly.

"I do not care about your lives, this world is diseased and needs to end! I will be the one that brings an end to this cursed world." Tobi said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Like I will let you, why don't we settle this right here and now!" Naruto scowled.

"A tempting offer but I will not be fighting you today. I am here to talk to the Kage's, they will either agree to hand over the remaining Bijuu or else." Tobi said letting the threat hang in the air.

"Go to hell, there is no way I will be letting you take Bee!" A yelled.

"I agree, your misguided goals are dangerous and need to be stopped." Mei agreed.

"There is no way we would ever agree to anything you had to offer us. Konoha will fight you down to the last man if need be!" Tsunade declared earning a nod of approval from both Hiruzen and Shikaku.

"I will not sit by while you attempt to end this world, Iwa refuses as well." Oonoki said.

"As Kazekage I cannot willingly entrust the future of my people to someone like you. While I may not see eye to eye with the other Kage's, I need to do what is right for my village and my people. Suna also refuses you." Asahi stated.

"Then you leave me no choice. As of today I am declaring war on the five great nations. This world will burn to the ground before I end it. Enjoy your time while you can, these are the last days any of you will ever see." Tobi said ominously. He cast one last hate filled glare at Naruto before disappearing in a black vortex.

"He's declaring war? With what army?" Shikaku asked once the Akatsuki leader was gone.

"I don't know, but he seemed confident. He wouldn't make such a threat if he wasn't. hell he even went through all of the trouble of making sure we were all here together. If he declared war on our villages individually, then he would have had a major advantage by dividing us. Yet by making this declaration we have a chance to come together as one, to unify against him." Tsunade said.

"The Hokage is right, his actions here were not of a desperate man, but of a confident one. He attacked this summit with all the known members of the Akatsuki as well as a few new additions in the knowledge that some may not survive." Mifune stated.

"He was basically telling us that they are no longer of any real use to him. Our best option for this upcoming war is to forge an alliance together in a single unified front to defeat the Akatsuki once and for all." Mei reasoned.

"It seems rather hard to believe, never before have all five of the great nations come together in such a way. But at this point in time, it seems to be our most viable option." Oonoki groaned in deep thought.

"Well if you're going to be working together then you will need some heavy hitters. I just happen to know just the people for this job." Naruto smirked. There was a massive burst of chakra and Naruto stood bathed in his golden Bijuu cloak.

"Would you look at that, Mr Nine got control of his Bijuu without a doubt!" Bee rapped loudly.

Naruto relaxed and dropped his Bijuu cloak seeing several, less trusting members of the room tense at the oppressing chakra. "What did you just do!?" the Kazekage asked skeptically, he was far from ready to trust the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, even if he knew that any potential alliance would need him.

"I just called in the cavalry, if were going to be talking about a alliance then I think the Yoinokuchi would like to join in." Naruto replied.

Sure enough within a minute Jiraiya arrived, followed a few seconds later by Akimi grumbling something about a cheating old pervert. Next to arrive was Zabuza and Fuu followed seconds later by Haku and lastly "Gaara!" Temari yelled at the sight of her estranged brother.

Gaara gave no indication that he had heard her save a quick sideways glance. "Looks like you have been having some fun kid." Jiraiya said observing the damage done to the hall.

"Not me, them." Naruto said indicating the somewhat ragged Kages.

"Jiraiya, you better have a good explanation for why you are all here!" Tsunade warned.

"Well we knew the Akatsuki, or to be more precise, the masked shinobi was going to be here, we wanted to know what his plans were, but I wasn't going to let Naruto come alone now was I." Jiraiya replied.

"Why were we not warned about a potential assault on this summit." Mifune asked.

"Well to be honest I wanted to tell Tsunade-Baachan, but we didn't want to risk Tobi not showing up." Naruto admitted.

Each of the other Kage's cast Tsunade a glance, gauging her reaction at the title that Naruto gave her. To their surprise she did not seem overly angry, just slightly annoyed at being called old. "Very well we accept your reasoning, but this summit is reserved for one leader and two bodyguards. Three of you may stay. That is if the Kage's agree to it of course." Mifune reasoned.

"Let them stay, they will be a valuable asset in the alliance." Oonoki said first. Mei and Tsunade quickly followed suit giving a numbers advantage.

Eventually and despite many grumblings the Raikage and Kazekage also agreed. "Who will be representing you group as it's leader?" Mifune asked.

"I guess that would be me." Jiraiya said, he wasn't fond of formalities or playing politics but knew he had no choice on this occasion. "My guards will be Naruto and Gaara. The rest of you wait back at the village, we will come and get you once this is over."

"Wait, I have a prisoner I wan't you to take care of." Naruto said and quickly grabbed Karin who was attempting to escape during the commotion.

"Ah we're not exactly equipped to look after a prisoner, it would look bad dragging her back to our hotel room." Haku informed the blonde.

"She can stay in our prison cells until the summit has ended if that would suit you? Her intel will be able to aid the alliance so having her kept guarded would be our best option." Mifune suggested. Naruto nodded in agreement, he may not have met the Samurai commander before, but the man seemed to be even tempered and willing to compromise, a rare combination in this world.

(**Unknown Location**)

Tobi reappeared in a clearing with giant skeletons towering over him, seconds later he released the Akatsuki ninja from his inner world. "Kami it feels good to get out of there." Deidara sighed looking around to check out his new surroundings.

"You look rather worse for wear. I didn't think I would see you like this when you returned." Tobi looked up at the closest skeleton to see Kabuto siting cross legged with a large smirk plastered on his face.

"You... What do you want?"

Kabuto's smirk somehow grew even larger. "To offer you a deal that I really doubt that you will be able to refuse."

**End Chapter!**

**Not 100% happy with how this chapter turned out if I am being honest. It's not bad but I think I could have done better, it was really difficult to write a fight with 18 people all moving at the same time. Still you don't get any better unless you practice and learn from mistakes.**

**Sort of semi confusing chapter in the cannon, basically Naruto is exhausted one moment then perfectly fine the next. Also what is the point of trying to reassure a bunch of people who basically have done nothing but end up as cannon fodder and force Naruto to divide his chakra more and more? They could at least try and help Hashirama's real body in fighting Madara... Or maybe the Juubi has a pre set kill limit, they just have to send wave after wave of their own men at the tree until it shuts down. (Not logical but would be rather amusing)**

**Finally let's look at how pointless this Genjutsu really is, eventually they will all just die of starvation or dehydration even with the 72 hours in a second time delay they will only have a limited time for the genjutsu before everyone trapped in it dies... does nobody think these things through? **


	133. The Summit Continues

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 133: The Summit Continues.**

Naruto and Gaara followed Jiraiya, Mifune and the five Kage to back to the meeting hall, with several of the bodyguards seemed to have varying opinions on the new arrivals. Bee who had been having an internal monologue with his own Bijuu seemed quite interested in the fact that Naruto had evidently learned to control the Kyuubi's chakra without using the falls of truth. Others were less impressed with the new arrivals. Temari while happy to see her brother again had nothing but anger for the other two members of the Yoinokuchi, especially when the red headed ichibi host did not acknowledge her, or Baki.

"I am afraid we are short of seats at the main table I will have someone fetch you your own Jiraiya-dono." Mifune said, sounding sincerely apologetic despite having no idea that they would be having the Toad Sage in attendance of the Gokage summit.

"That's fine, I don't mind standing. Besides I'm not really fond of all that formal stuff anyway." Jiraiya replied. There was a lightly muffled chuckle from Hiruzen who could attest first hand to Jiraiya's dislike of formalities.

"Yes, well as a new party to this discussion you would be better suited to join the discussion from a seated position at the table." Mifune replied.

"If he want's to stand I say we let him. Giving the Toad Sage and the Yoinokuchi a seat at this table essentially says that we accept them as equals. I certainly don't, they are just a valuable military asset that we can use in this war. We need to use them as a weapon, just like the Bijuu. They serve no other purpose." The Kazekage said.

"What would you know about that!? The Bijuu are not just weapons! I know for a fact that the Kyuubi is actually a rather intelligent being, and even though he doesn't want to admit it I know that they have feelings too!" Naruto snapped from his position high above.

"I do not answer to you brat! I think you should keep your pet on a tighter leash in the future Jiraiya." Asahi replied. He was having a go at not only Jiraiya but also a distasteful remark about Naruto's status as the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki.

"I would suggest picking your battles rather than trying to intimidate us, that pet as you called him could wipe the floor with you. Suna must have fallen a long way if they put you in charge Asahi, you need more than strength to run a village." Jiraiya replied coldly.

"Enough of this!" Mei declared. "We can't have this turning into a competition on which is the superior nation or who has stronger shinobi. That will get us nowhere." She added, much more reserved than before.

"I agree, we each have our merits, and if we are to come through this war successfully then we need to stand together as one. The Akatsuki's reach and full extent of their power is still unknown. But in this room sit the strongest shinobi in the Elemental Nations, who are backed by the five largest villages, the combination of which is an even greater unknown. We have the potential to do great things here, but first there must be an agreement to cease all hostilities between us." Mifune said.

"Mifune-dono is right, everyone needs to calm down. How can our troops cooperate on a battlefield, if we can't even cooperate during simple discussions?" Tsunade added.

"I think we are all in agreement at this point that there needs to be an alliance to deal with the Akatsuki threat. But I think things would go a lot smoother if there was a chain of command within any alliance. The question is which one of us would it be, there is clearly Bias on several fronts. Each of our villages have had disagreements with the others in the past." Oonoki said calmly, yet still in his usual grumpy manner.

"Perhaps it would be best to let an outside source choose? Mifune, you are not affiliated with any of our villages nor has there been a time in the past that you were. Perhaps you should be responsible for electing a commander." Mei suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me, it should stop the pointless squabbling." Jiraiya agreed.

"Very well. For these talks to proceed in a smoother fashion I will elect a commander of the alliance. Each of you have traits that make you exceptional leaders. But you also have weaknesses that could lead to our downfall. If this is to work you will need to accept my decision. That includes your group Jiraiya-dono." Mifune replied.

"I guess so, but we shouldn't be handing over absolute power. That sort of thing corrupts, even the most strong willed of people can have their heads turned if they let that power change them." Jiraiya said calmly.

"Your concerns are noted and well founded. Rest assured they will be taken into consideration." The samurai commander assured the group. "Now it seems as though the main purpose that the Akatsuki have is to capture the Jinchuuriki, and remove their Bijuu. In the past Suna, and Iwa have been less than diligent in the task of protecting their Bijuu. With that said Oonoki-dono is still by far the most experienced Kage in the room." He added.

"People will also question whether he is too old for the job." Asahi pointed out.

Mifune nodded in agreement. "That is indeed a potential issue. The Mizukage could be seen as untrustworthy due the links Kiri has had in the past with the Akatsuki." Mei relictantly nodded in agreement at Mifune's point. "The Hokage is a decent choice, but the leader of the Akatsuki being an Uchiha could lead to questions on loyalties, while the Raikage is seen in most parts to be overly militaristic and thinks only of Kumo. I do not mean any disrespect, I am simply stating facts."

"By that logic none of us are capable." Tsunade reasoned. She paused for a moment in thought. "There is always Jiraiya. He is known all over the elemental nations just as much as any of us."

Jiraiya waved his hands defensively. "Oh no, you can't push this onto me. I can barely control Naruto, so running an army will only be a little easier."

"Hey! I take offence to that, I'm much better than an army of foreign shinobi!" Naruto yelled indignantly. He quickly turned to Gaara for validation. "Right Gaara... Right?"

Gaara stared blankly back at him. "No comment."

"Oh come on!" Naruto face vaulted in depression.

"Hm, that is a possible solution. As it stands his organisation controls three of the remaining Bijuu, they also have the most experience in fighting against the Akatsuki." Mifune reasoned.

"But I am not in charge of any army, don't you need someone with more experience at running large numbers of shinobi than I have." Jiraiya replied.

"Still trying to dodge any form of responsibility it seems Jiraiya." Hiruzen chuckled from his spot overlooking the meeting.

"No I am just saying that I would be terrible for this job. If that isn't enough, I have no desire to lead. The job should really go to someone else." Jiraiya replied.

"That is exactly why it should be you." Mifune said firmly.

"Huh why is that?" Jiraiya asked, shocked. He had thought he did a rather good job dissuading the idea.

"Those who wish for command are often those who are least suited for the roles. They have some form of agenda outside of what is best for the people under their control, and are often willing to do anything to get the power. You don't want that kind of power which suggests that you would be better suited than anyone else in this room to avoid any form of corruption that may lead too, myself included." Mifune replied.

"You can't be serious, you are going to hand over control of our armies to him!? He's a fool!" Asahi questioned angrily.

"Jiraiya is a very capable shinobi that is very well known. I for one have no doubts at that my Shinobi will respect his command and have no problems following any orders he would give them." Mei replied calmly, she seemed to agree That Jiraiya would be an acceptable choice.

"He killed enough of my shinobi to earn their respect, even if they don't like him. Besides we all agreed that Mifune would have the final say, or did you really think he would pick you?" Oonoki added casually.

"Gah, fine. But we need some sort of system where he doesn't get too much power." Asahi sighed dropping his protest.

"I don't even want the job. How about this? If one of my idea's is opposed by the majority of the Kage's, it will be vetoed. It's simple, and gives everyone a say on any operations that the alliance will have." Jiraiya reasoned with a sigh.

Above Naruto was rather surprised by Mifune's choice "I have to admit, I would have thought he would choose the Raikage." He mused quietly.

"Why do you say that?" Gaara asked.

"Well for one he's an actual Kage, and they still have Hachibi jinchuuriki, giving him more of a reason than most to make sure the Akatsuki don't get their hands on the Bijuu. It just seems like he would be the logical choice. The fact that it's his brother who's life is on the line means he is also less likely to be corruptible." Naruto explained.

"You think Jiraiya-sama is?" Gaara queried.

"Of course not, but I still thought that they would play it safe and go with a Kage." Naruto replied.

The table below had been quiet for a few minutes. "Is there anyone else with any concerns over the appointment of Jiraiya to be the commander of the Joint Shinobi Alliance?" Mifune questioned breaking the silence. He waited, A seemed to contemplate arguing but in the end he decided against it. "Good, in that case we can move onto more pressing issues. It seems to me that as the main aim for the Akatsuki is to capture the Bijuu. Our first priority should be finding a secure area that they can be hidden, where the Akatsuki cannot find them."

"What!? There is no way I won't be fighting!" Naruto yelled.

"Mr Nine knows the score, you think I wont fight, then your judgement is poor." Bee rapped in agreement.

"I believe that Mifune-sama has a point, if they capture all the Bijuu then the war is lost. However I also do not like the idea of others fighting and dying while I stand still and do nothing." Gaara added.

"Jinchuuriki are a war asset, this is war. What is the point of them if they're not to be used in these situations?" Asahi pointed out.

"To not allow such talented Ninja like Naruto and Bee to fight would be a grave mistake on our part. I have seen each of them in action personally and I know it would take something special to defeat either in battle." Oonoki grunted.

"Yeah the old man is right!" Naruto yelled.

Oonoki scowled at the rather casual way he was addressed. "His manners could obviously use some work though."

"You must acknowledge that your presence on the battlefield will give the Akatsuki a target. They will certainly send there best men for you." Mifune reasoned.

"Then I will take them on. It doesn't matter who or what they send my way. The more of them that come at me, the more of them I will defeat." Naruto declared without a single hint of doubt in his voice.

"Your determination is impressive." The Samurai complemented. "Jiraiya you obviously know the most about the three jinchuuriki in your employ. How would you rate them as assets to the war?" He queried.

"Well, Gaara doesn't use his Bijuu, but even without out that advantage he is easily an S ranked ninja capable of fighting on even footing with both Itachi and myself. Fuu is not quite at that level but I would say she is an A rank in class for a shinobi." Jiraiya said confidently.

"And what of your apprentice?" Mifune questioned.

"Hard to say, I have never seen anyone equal to him in Ninjutsu or Taijutsu. Since he gained control of the Fox's chakra it is hard to tell what weaknesses he has, but the only shinobi I can think to compare him with are Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju." Jiraiya admitted.

Mifune's eyes widened in surprise. '_Surely this boy couldn't be that strong... Madara Uchiha and the Shodai Hokage were abnormalities they had no equals in battle._'

"You expect us to believe something so preposterous? He is a sixteen year old brat. Comparing him to the the Shodai Hokage is like comparing trash to an artistic masterpiece." Asahi scoffed. His animosity towards Naruto had clearly not lessened upon learning that they would be in an alliance together.

"You're wrong, that boy is as good as his master says." Naruto was shocked to see that is was the Raikage that had defended him. "I have witnessed his skills first hand. You would do well not to underestimate others Kazekage-dono. It will end badly for you." A was no fan of Naruto but even if he was loath to admit it, he respected the blondes strength.

"I can't really speak for how strong I am, but if you were to consider me weak... Then I would be willing to give you a demonstration, Kazekage." Naruto replied. Naruto was getting fed up with Asahi's attitude, he was the least cooperative of all the Kage and had done nothing but belittle others.

"What do you propose boy?" The Kazekage asked.

"Stop this foolishness! We do not need anymore fighting. If Naruto-san is as strong as you say Jiraiya it would be folly to keep him out of the fighting. Gaara-san is likely at that level as well." Mifune said loudly.

"They could be stronger though." Tsunade said firmly. "Neither Gaara, or Fuu have control of their Bijuu. The process which Naruto-kun used, is unavailable to those two, as it was a secret of his summoning clan. But there is another way, isn't there Raikage-dono?"

"That is Kumo's property. You expect us to just let them use it?" A asked skeptically.

"Of course. We will need every bit of firepower we can get. Two more jinchuuriki in full control of their Bijuu will be a incomparable asset to the war. Not only that, it can serve as a hiding area for the jinchuuriki until they are capable of controlling their power. I am sure that Killer Bee would be a more than capable teacher." Tsunade answered honestly.

"What about me?" Naruto asked.

"I have the perfect role for you Naruto. I think it would be a good idea to place you into a special task force unit, comprised with the other members of the Yoinokuchi as well as one or two shinobi from each village." Jiraiya answered, deciding that if he was supposed to be the leader then he should probably be making some of the decisions.

"An interesting concept Jiraiya-dono, what would be the purpose of this unit?" Mei asked.

"At the moment we have no idea who or what the Akatsuki will throw at us. My shinobi in the Yoinokuchi are highly adapt at operating behind enemy lines and fighting against superior numbers. Once our enemy has revealed themselves then the special task force will be deployed to disrupt transport of enemy supplies and destroy key targets." Jiraiya explained.

"You made this proposal once before." Hiruzen said from upon high.

"That's right, at the start of the third shinobi war, both Orochimaru and I suggested this same tactic, we believed it would save lives by keeping inexperienced ninja from overly dangerous missions. For example Team Minato never should have been at Kannabi Bridge for that mission. Kakashi was a fresh jounin on his first real command, and only Minato was tested enough for the mission. Because of that we lost Obito and Kakashi was wounded." Jiraiya replied.

"Some would consider that a fair trade for winning a war." Oonoki grumbled.

"Perhaps, but if more experienced ninja were sent then it's doubtful they would have lost anyone." Jiraiya stated.

"We already have our Anbu, they are more than capable for these missions." A mentioned.

Jiraiya shook his head, most Anbu that were not guarding their Kage had a rather poor life expectancy, he needed tested elite shinobi that had survived that life. "Anbu are still normal shinobi. I want at least one of the best from each village. It doesn't have to be anyone that is essential on the front lines. But someone that is capable enough to survive alone or in pairs, well behind enemy lines."

"I think this is a decent plan. But how will this group operate?" Oonoki asked.

"They will work directly with us. The Yoinokuchi have secret underground hideouts in many countries around the Elemental Nations. Including all of the great five Nations. Each hideout is connected with means of contacting the others. By using our bases we can secretly deliver target information and enemy troop movements too and from the special task force and alliance headquarters." Jiraiya answered.

"So we meet their armies with force, while this special task unit lands crippling blows to isolate and disorientate the enemy. I like it." Oonoki agreed.

"So do I, but don't you think you are putting Naruto-kun in an overly dangerous position?" Mei asked.

"I have the utmost faith in my apprentice." Jiraiya claimed confidently.

"Very well, consider my concerns to be dropped." Mei replied. Jiraiya had used this tactic during the civil war in Kiri. Itachi and Naruto had almost single handedly won them the war, so she was not going to oppose the use of a similar tactic again.

"If we are in agreement, then I would say that by our next meeting, then we will have a shortlist of potential candidates to join this task force. I will offer two of my Samurai as well." Mifune replied.

The group nodded, some more accepting than others. "It looks like we have accomplished all that we can for now. We will all need to assess our military strength and meet again in a few weeks to move this alliance forward. However when we meet again I would like one other village to join us."

"Which village would that be?" A asked.

"Ame. Nagato Uzumaki, the ruler of Ame was once the leader of the Akatsuki, he will know more about them then any of us. He has also declared loyalty to Naruto. Ame might not want to join in the war, but even if that is the case I do not think that Nagato will refuse to help us." Jiraiya replied.

There was a murmur of agreement from the table. "It might be for the best if our next meeting was not here. The Akatsuki were able to break in far too easily, one of your villages might be best." Mifune suggested.

"What about Kumo? If the other jinchuuriki are going to be hid in the Land of Lightning until they gain control of their Bijuu, then our base of operations should be in the same country." Jiraiya suggested.

"I have no objections with that. We will create a fortified camp outside of the village at a later date that can act as the main base of operations for the alliance." A said, he still wanted to protect a few village secrets and having top shinobi from all villages inside Kumo for an extended period of time would not make that easy. "How about we meet in one months time in Kumo to assess and pool our resources."

"That sounds like a reasonable time frame. Anyone object?" Jiraiya asked. When there was no objections Jiraiya sighed. "Looks like this meeting is over then."

There was a wave of what appeared to be tension leaving the room. The bodyguards began animatedly discussing what had transpired. Oonoki even hovered up to the second floor to talk with Hiruzen. "It seems your Sannin have come a long way. Hanzou-dono could sure pick them." The short man murmured.

"Yes they became fine shinobi, I am very proud of both of them. But it is a shame what happened to Orochimaru, he always held such amazing potential." Hiruzen sighed.

"It is not wise to pick favourites Hiruzen." Oonoki chuckled.

During this time and indeed for most of the meeting, Temari's eyes were placed firmly on her brother. So many different emotions were fighting for dominance. Anger and sadness that he had not acknowledged her, joy and relief that he was both healthy and seemed happy with his new life. While the commotion was going on she etched her way across the balcony over to Gaara. She was about to speak when he beat her to it. "Hello Sister." His voice was hollow and unkind which hurt.

"Gaara." She said weakly.

"Is there something you need from me?" Gaara asked calmly.

The anger was starting to bubble up to the surface. "That is all that you can say to your older sister after all these years?" She asked.

Gaara raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You must forgive my rudeness, but for the first thirteen years of my life you rarely did anything but shy away and fear me. Was that anyway to treat a younger brother? How did you expect me to act after all of that?"

"I... I di-." Temari stammered but lost her voice. She wanted so very badly to say that he was lying, and that she was never afraid or distant from Gaara but it was not the truth. "I'm sorry you scared me, but that didn't mean I didn't care about you." She finally spoke.

"No, you turned me into that hate filled monster that I once was. Imagine that even as a young boy my sister and brother wouldn't play with me... just like all the other kids. I am sorry but I have one brother and that is Naruto, you and Kankuro lost the right to call me that a long time ago." Gaara spoke in his usual monotone.

"He's not your family, I am." Temari retorted loudly.

"The Yoinokuchi have been more welcoming and kinder to me than anyone in Suna, including you dear sister. That is what you are, you are my sister, but we are not family. A family is a group of people that you would give your life for. Father attempted to have me killed on several occasions, doesn't sound like the way someone should treat their son. My real family happily fights by my side, accepted me even when I was that crazed monster lost in darkness. Tell me which one sounds more like a family to you?" The red head asked.

Temari sighed knowing that, at least for the time being, reconciliation with her estranged family member was a fair way off. "The second one." She admitted bitterly. "I know it is too late to make a difference, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Thank you, maybe in time you can earn the right to be called family again." Gaara replied. He then turned to Naruto who was trying not to get involved with the conversation. He had held a small grudge against both of the sand siblings for how they had treated Gaara. Sure they were kids but as someone that had never known his own family, to see siblings mistreat a member of their own had been hard for him to take. "Shall we go see Jiraiya-sama?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here, I don't know how much longer I will be able to stand the glares of the Kazekage." Naruto replied sending a sideways smirk at the wind shadow who just scowled back. "I think it's pretty obvious that, he just plain hates me." he chuckled. The two jinchuuriki proceeded to walk down the stairs to where Jiraiya was talking with Mifune.

"You know you should have picked someone else. I'm not good at this leadership stuff." Jiraiya replied.

"You control a group of some of the strongest shinobi in the world. That should be proof that you are capable." Mifune replied.

"Yeah but I mostly just let them do what they want." Jiraiya said honestly.

"That is not such a bad thing, the important part is that they recognise you as their leader. You keep control while allowing others their own personal freedoms. It sounds to me like you are a true leader of men, not to mention one of the most successful teachers ever. Most of your students are now stuff of legend. I recognised your apprentice the moment I saw him. The stories I am told are that he is un touchable in battle. I am interested to see if this is true." Mifune said turning to face Naruto and Gaara as they approached the Toad Sage.

"Well I don't know about untouchable, Nagato landed more than a few good hits." Naruto replied.

"Yes well if I am not mistaken his own people consider him to be Kami, so to win a fight with a god, is very impressive, especially for one so young." Mifune replied with a small laugh.

"To be honest I think you are overestimating both of us, but thanks... I guess." Naruto replied rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"It is better to overestimate than underestimate. An overestimation can be corrected, but if you underestimate someone then you have made a great error." Mifune lectured.

"I guess that makes sense." Naruto agreed still a little unsure as to what the Samurai actually thought of him.

"We should go, the others will be waiting for a run down of what happened here." Gaara stated in his usual monotone.

"Yeah you're right. I guess I will see you in a month Mifune-dono." Jiraiya said giving a small respectful bow of the head.

"I look forward to that time, even if the reasons for our meeting are less than enjoyable." Mifune replied.

With that the Yoinokuchi shinobi left the meeting hall without further incident. "That guy is smart, like a less wrinkly Fukusaku-sensei." Naruto said as they approached the entrance.

"He's sort of the opposite of you." Jiraiya joked.

"Hey!" The blonde yelled defencively.

"Well you do seem to be incapable of grasping the fact that it's better to wear warm clothes in cool climates." Gaara said flatly. As if to emphasise his point they exited the underground complex and Naruto was struck with the blistering cold wind and snow on his exposed torso.

"Ah man I hate this country!" Naruto cried.

Meanwhile

"So what do you think, quite impressive no?" Kabuto said with a smirk that spread across his whole face.

"Indeed it is, but what do you want in exchange." Tobi asked. The two shinobi stood alone under the shade of a giant skeleton. The other Akatsuki shinobi had been sent away per Kabuto's request, even though they were both aware that Zetsu was watching from several locations. Behind the pair several coffins sat open.

"I want to understand the very nature of all jutsu, for that I need the body of Sasuke Uchiha, or Itachi. But lets be honest I doubt that Naruto-kun and Jiraiya will be as willing to do a deal as you are." Kabuto replied.

"What makes you think that I am willing to do a deal with you? Sasuke-kun has some value to me yet." Tobi replied.

"It's simple, you need what I possess more than you need Sasuke." Kabuto stated smugly.

"Do not think that you are important to me. I will not be handing Sasuke-kun over to you. Now I suggest you leave before I kill you myself." Tobi replied.

"Looks like you are serious about this. I guess I will have to play my trump cards then." Kabuto sighed and after running through the required hand seals slammed his hands to the floor and three more coffins rose from the earth.

As they opened Tobi's exposed eye visibly widened. "How is this possible?" He gasped unable to hide his shock.

"Well you knew Orochimaru had these two surely, as for the third... well that's my little secret. Now do we have a deal?" Kabuto asked his ever present smirk seeming to become more wide and snakelike.

"How do I know you won't just go back on the deal once I hand Sasuke-kun over?" Tobi questioned.

"Then how about this? I help you capture the remaining Bijuu, and once you have them all, you hand Sasuke-kun over to me." Kabuto suggested.

Tobi sat in thought. '_The potential is there, and I can also kill Kabuto instead of handing Sasuke over if need be._' "Fine, but you also have to tell me any weaknesses that jutsu possesses." He finally responded.

"Weaknesses? The only weakness of this jutsu is that the one who masters it will become so powerful and well known that everyone will want to claim his head." Kabuto beamed with pride.

"You are rather arrogant, no jutsu is perfect." Tobi scoffed.

"The Edo Tensei never end's only if the person who cast the jutsu willingly ends the jutsu. Otherwise those who have been revived can only be stopped by being sealed away." The spectacled scientist gloated.

"Well then, it looks like this is the start of a rather unique partnership. I will make a room ready for you, do not try and lay hands on Sasuke-kun until the time is right, or I will not hesitate to kill you. Your jutsu is more valuable than you are, don't forget that." Tobi said darkly.

Kabuto shrugged and let the coffins sink back into the earth. "Don't worry, I wouldn't want it any other way. I will have the whole world fear me as my small army decimates the enemy. I get excited just thinking about it."

'_There will be no fear at all once I get my hands on the remaining Bijuu, It will be a perfect world, people like you have no place in it. Still, I might make you a village leader or at least someone important as a thanks, for all your help._' Tobi thought darkly as he turned his back on Kabuto and walked away.

**End Chapter!**

**Can anyone explain the purpose of the latest chapter of Cannon to me? I get that it was setting something big up for next week. But the entire 16-18 pages could have been done in 3. They went back and showed where many of the main characters were which was decent because many have been absent for extended periods thanks to this thing being drawn out to shit, but they missed showing us what happened to Mifune? He was able to beat Hanzou by himself so he was easily strong enough.**

** Overall the chapter wasn't bad, just kind of drawn out and pointless. Like Kiba talking about becoming Hokage while he has being about as useful as the "May contain traces of nuts" warning on the side of all peanut butter or packet peanuts. **


	134. After the Summit

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 134: After the Summit**

"You're kidding, there making Jiraiya-sama the leader of the whole Alliance?" Akimi asked skeptically.

"What don't you think that I, Jiraiya the Gallant would do a good job?" The Toad Sage replied in a fake overly important tone. It was the kind of way he would talk about himself when he was talking to some foreign kunoichi or young Genin that had read about the Toad Sage in some book.

Predictably Akimi and the other occupants of the room, Naruto, Haku and Fuu all looked at Jiraiya with a deadpan expression. "We're doomed." The swift release kunoichi declared.

"Oh such little faith in me, You have been following my orders for years anyway, so why stop trusting me now?" Jiraiya said defensively.

"Well you were not in control of the largest army the Elemental Nations have ever seen before." Akimi replied.

"I don't see what your problem is, Jiraiya-sama is a highly competent leader." Fuu said calmly.

"She's right Akimi-chan, besides if it wasn't him then who would you pick?" Haku added.

"Tsunade-sama is a much better choice... But I suppose you're right." Akimi sighed.

Jiraiya chuckled and took a seat on the bed of their hotel room. "That's right, besides you won't be taking orders from me anyway. At least not all that often."

Akimi seemed a little surprised. "Then who? If it's some stuck up Kumo shinobi you can count me out." She scoffed.

"Actually command of the special tasks squad you will all be joining will most likely be Itachi. Second in command will be Naruto." Jiraiya said.

"What so I'm going to be bossed around by Naruto-kun!?" Akimi asked pointing at the blonde.

"That's Naruto-kun-taicho." Naruto chuckled.

"I thought you would be used to that by now? Or are you the aggressive one in bed? I bet that would make for a good chapter in my next story." Jiraiya asked with a lecherous grin.

Akimi blushed crimson and sputtered a few incoherent words, while trying and failing to deny that they had done anything together. "You better hope that we don't end up in one of your books sensei. I would rather not have my personal moments given to the likes of Kakashi to read." Naruto warned, coming to his girlfriends aid once he noticed that her stuttering was not getting any better.

"Ah relax kid, I was just having some fun." Jiraiya replied with a laugh.

"Oh by the way, were is Gaara-kun and Zabuza?" Haku asked calmly.

"Zabuza found us as we returned to the village and said something about a weapon store being finished with an order. He dragged Gaara off with him, I'm sure Gaara will fill him in on the details of the meeting." Naruto answered casually.

At that moment on the other side of the village the two missing Yoinokuchi members arrived at the small weapons store that had been to the day before. "It's about time, first he says it will only take a few hours and in the end we have to wait an entire day." Zabuza huffs.

"You seem overly eager for me to purchase these weapons." Gaara says flatly.

Zabuza let out a small chuckle that made him sound every bit like the demon of the mist that his title suggested. "Because when you get your weapons it's up to me to teach you how to use them."

"I would prefer a competent teacher." Gaara replied with a small smirk knowing that it would push all the right buttons on the Swordsman.

He was right, the former Kiri shinobi started yelling angrily about his credentials as one of the swordsmen of the hidden mist. That was until he noticed the small smirk crossing Gaara's face. "Oh you're fucking with me aren't you?"

"You are surprisingly easy to mess with." Gaara replied.

"It's not my fault, you're so expressionless nobody can ever tell what you're thinking." Zabuza scoffed.

"Doesn't that just mean that I am a good ninja?" Gaara mused.

Zabuza let out a sighed knowing that it wasn't an argument that he could hope to win. "Oh forget it. Let's just go in and get these daggers." Gaara nodded in reply and the two shinobi entered the store together.

Several minutes later they exited the small store and began heading back to the Hotel, what they didn't expect to find was the Kazekage and his bodyguards standing at the reception desk. Their arrival caught the attention of the three Suna ninja. "So looks like this is where your little gang is hiding." The Kazekage said with a leer.

"We'll you sure have some pair, talking down to us like that. Aren't we allies now?" Zabuza replied.

"Oh yes how could I forget being allied with you mindless rabble of degenerates." Asahi replied mockingly.

"Hey we are not mindless." Zabuza replied.

"Really that was what you took offence at?" Gaara asked stoically. Zabuza didn't reply he was not even paying the jinchuuriki any mind, focused completely on the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-sama, provoking them solves nothing. Like them or not, they will be valuable if the war will play out in out favour." Baki reasoned placing a calming hand on his Kage's shoulder.

"Yes you're absolutely right Baki, besides I wouldn't want to waste my time on those two. Let's go find our room." The Kazekage replied calmly before stalking off.

"He's still an ass." Zabuza muttered just loud enough for the Suna party to hear him.

"And you are still the little Chunin that watched as I killed his whole squad. Don't forget your place, demon of the mist." came the soft reply.

Zabuza scowled and reached for the hilt of Kubikiribocho but was stopped by Gaara. "Let it go, put your past where it belongs, in the past. This alliance needs to work." He said calmly.

"Fine, but you're crazy if you think he will ever approve of an alliance. You can't trust him." Zabuza said flatly, releasing his grip on the cleaver.

'_Just who is the Kazekage, I never met him when I was younger. But to be able to put Zabuza on edge like that, he is certainly not someone that we can take lightly._' The Ichibi jinchuuriki thought as he watched their group slowly ascend the stairs to the upper levels of the Hotel, briefly catching his his sister cast him a quick glance before disappearing from sight. "We should probably warn the others that we are not alone in this village." Zabuza nodded and the pair headed for their rooms.

(**Elsewhere**)

Tobi sat in a darkened room, the only lights came from jars filled with pale green liquid that were illuminated by a dull white light giving the room a very sterile feel. Most shocking was what was stored within the glass jars. Sharingan eyes, one pair floated in each of the glass jars lifelessly staring into the abyss. Tobi sat still staring at one pair in particular, a pair that he had taken from Konoha not all that long ago.

"_So when are you going to perform the operation?_ _**Sasuke's Mangekyo developed quite dramatically during the fight with the Kages.**_" Zetsu asked, his black and white head rising out of the ground as if he was simply part of the natural architecture.

"I was thinking of doing it soon, his Susanoo is almost fully developed. The problem is the time it will take to heal once the operation has been completed. That damn Kyuubi pain in the ass stopped me from claiming that girl, her chakra would have been beyond helpful in this situation." Tobi answered, grating his teeth at the end.

"_Then would it not be better to act now?_ _**It will still be a few months before the villages I infiltrated will be ready to accept that war would be worthwhile.**_" Zetsu reasoned.

"The five Kage's coming together to form an alliance will give you all the assistance you need on that side of things. The smaller nations would see it as a threat, together they may not be able to stand against them, but if you mention the other villages involved in an alliance to counter the five great villages they will listen. All you have to do is convince the elders and Daimyo's that they will be targeted by their alliance." Tobi informed his spy.

"_If not we can always just replace some more personnel,_ _**that would be a decent way to guarantee success.**_"

"We don't have time for you to gather all the information needed to adequately copy anyone else, it took close to a year to gather all the information you needed to become believable in your current undercover roles." Tobi replied. They had gone to great lengths to set up this contingency plan since Tobi had found out the extent of the opposition they would face in the Yoinokuchi. "Tell me how is our newest ally settling in?"

"_He has been mostly keeping to himself_, _**staying in his room looking over notes that are mostly written by Orochimaru**_. _On the few occasions that he has come in contact with the other Akatsuki members there seems to be a fair amount of distrust_. _**Sasuke-kun's group seems to be particularly cautious of him.**_" Zetsu reported.

"Prey rarely trust the predator. He will likely turn on us at some point, but until then he is far too valuable." Tobi mused. The pair remained silent for several moments, Tobi just sat staring at Itachi's old Sharingan eyes. '_Maybe it's time that I go and reclaim the Rinnegan? If the reports I have heard are to be believed, he is still alive. That makes things more difficult, but a cripple and that woman are no match for me._'

(**Ame**)

Contrary to Tobi's beliefs, Nagato was no longer a cripple, nor was he alone with only Konan to guard him. He now had full use of his legs, and was more of a threat now than ever before, after having decided to join Naruto's fight against the Akatsuki.

At the moment Itachi stood under shelter a fair way behind Nagato who stood on an exposed balcony overlooking the village from the tallest tower. The rain was still falling outside, and Nagato let the droplets fall on his face. "It has been years since I could stand and let the rain of this country fall on my face." The elderly looking Uzumaki said a hint of regret in his voice.

"You were restricted to that machine you used. I wonder is this the same rain that you remember though?" Itachi mused.

Nagato stopped in silence, his head tilted up into the clouded sky so he could watch the rain fall. He didn't move for almost three minutes, just standing perfectly still. Slowly he lowered his head and turned to face the Uchiha. "No, this is different. I can't smell the sweet sent of moisture on the air and the rain does not leave a tingle on my skin when it strikes."

"What do you feel then?" Itachi asked calmly.

"Nothing, this rain is just the product of my jutsu and is dead." Nagato said in a flat tone.

"Exactly, it's a hollow sensation. This fake rain is a symbol of your power but what do you think it is doing to your people? You need to set them free, I know Konan has talked to you but I would like to put in my thoughts on the matter as well." Itachi replied.

"You don't need too, Konan already convinced me. Actually it is better to say that Naruto convinced me I needed to change and Konan explained that this would be the best place to start. Yahiko wished for a world where people were free, I distorted that vision and became nothing but a tyrant." Nagato assured the raven haired young man.

Itachi allowed a small smile to appear to show his gratitude. "Then the rain?"

"Will cease once a civilian chain of command can be installed, I will still be the main leader of the village much like the Hokage in Konoha, but allowing the people to be able to govern themselves and giving them their freedoms back will go a long way towards Ame once more being able to come out of the shadows and become an active village, and country once more." Nagato said confidently.

Itachi who had been standing under the cover of the tower took a few steps out, back into the rain before placing his hand on Nagato's shoulder. "I am glad to hear that. Now how about we get back inside before you catch a chill. You have to admit that you do look rather fragile, even if you are not really as old as you appear."

"Appearances can be deceiving, but in this case I will comply." Nagato replied. The pair entered the warmth of the tower and Itachi left the room letting Nagato get changed out of his wet robes. When he reappeared the Uzumaki with the jet white hair was wearing his Akatsuki robe. "By the way I have been meaning to ask, has there been any word yet from Jiraiya-sensei on the outcome of the Kage summit?" He queried.

Itachi shook his head. "None yet, but the summit may still be in progress, it was only due to start today, if my time with the Sandaime Hokage and Uchiha clan meetings is anything to go on, then they will be bickering for most of the time and only come to an agreement when all the insults have finally been thrown."

"You disapprove of this method?" Nagato guessed.

"Not really, it's more the type of people that are involved in them. Everyone on the council has an agenda they want to push or are being paid to push. That or they are just in search of more personal power. They become corrupted, and at the end they forget about the main reason they are in the position in the first place, to do what is best for their people." Itachi answered truthfully.

"You are not giving a glowing recommendation to the system that you are pushing me to adopt for Ame." Nagato mused.

"Perhaps not. But I am sure that a little fear of what might happen should any form of corruption take place under your watch would go a long way towards keeping them on the straight and narrow. Konoha's problems on the council stem from family groups controlling certain sectors, for the most part the the Shinobi council worked without issue. The civilians however were only concerned with themselves and the common villagers have no vote on who is on that council meaning the older families, hold all the power. Unfortunately Nidaime-sama gave the civilians the right to govern themselves and assured them that unless it was in a time of war that the Hokage would have no say in their business." Itachi lectured.

"So it can't be changed, unless there is a war. Still it is decent food for thought. It is our duty to learn from the mistakes those made in the past, otherwise history will continuously repeat." Nagato declared.

They were joined a few moments later by Konan. "Have you had your say Itachi?" She asked passively.

"Yes, It seems that you had done enough already. Thank you." Itachi answered.

"It was nothing, you are our guest here, and should have come to me straight away with your concerns. Konan seems to be struggling with the fact that I am no longer confined to that... machine for mobility and safety, I can look after myself." Nagato added.

"I'm sorry Nagato, but you still look weak. Forgive me." Konan said sadly.

"No apology is necessary, tell me how did the search go for potential a potential civilian government?" He asked casually.

"Not as well as I had hoped, but better than expected after hearing Itachi's concerns. There are a few notable people that would be capable of acting as leaders. But they may be reluctant to accept any position in fear of angering you." Konan explained.

"Then I should assure them that they will not be angering me. It seems I have to take up the mantle of god one last time and hand control back to the people." Nagato mused.

(**Land of Iron**)

Naruto was bored, he had agreed to stay in the village one last day but soon found that he had nothing to do. He was not the only one, Akimi, Fu and Haku had all seen everything of interest in the village. Jiraiya was always happy so long as there was a decent hot springs with an ample supply of well proportioned women. Zabuza was busy running Gaara through the basics of a few Kenjutsu kata that would be useful with two short blades, which Naruto found semi interesting, yet didn't suit his style of fighting.

'_The meeting didn't take anywhere near as long as I had expected it too. What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day? I can't even train around here, because we're trying to keep a low profile._' The blonde jinchuuriki huffed in frustration.

'**Why does that matter? You're not trying to remain hidden anymore, you can find a secluded area outside of the village and practice using my chakra better. The last few times have been embarrassing to both of us.**' The Kyuubi lectured.

'_You always seem to have an opinion don't you, yet for someone that seems so set on hating me, you seem to help me quite a lot. You should just admit that you want to be friends._' Naruto replied.

'**I will not simply roll over because you want me too. Know your place!**' Kyuubi roared in response.

'_Wow looks like I hit a nerve there. Listen I don't want you to follow my orders, I just want to be able to work with you... you know like partners, and friends. I don't hate you, I can even understand why you might had me and humans, for how they have treated Bijuu. I don't understand why you won't even give me a chance._'

'**Over one hundred years of mistrust cannot be changed in an instant Naruto. Now stop complaining, you can go train.**' The fox declared before shutting down their internal connection.

Leaving his reasonably sized bedroom the blonde found Jiraiya sitting at a table with his notes out reading over them carefully. He was the only person in the main area of their Hotel apartment. "Where is everyone?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Zabuza dragged Gaara off again, saying something about teaching him how to fight properly. As for the girls... I don't know, they have their own hotel room after all." The Toad Sage replied.

Naruto nodded and took a seat across the table from his Sensei. "I was thinking of going to do some training, I need to be able to fully control my fox cloak before it's ready to use in combat. Do you want to come help? I could use a second pair of eyes for the job."

"You think it's a smart idea to go using that in the middle of a foreign nation?" Jiraiya questioned.

"I can handle myself well enough, besides we don't need to hide anymore so what's better for me to do than train?" Naruto answered.

"You could relax and try to enjoy life a bit?" Jiraiya said lazily.

"There is a war coming, I want to be prepared." Naruto retorted.

Jiraiya sighed and put down his notebook "It's because of the war that you should relax, enjoy yourself now while you have the chance. But for now I think you have a point, let's get you competent in your Bijuu cloak. But then you need to take it easy for awhile."

"Alright, deal!" The blonde readily agreed and slid open a window before jumping out into the village below.

A short distance from the village there was a small outcropping of trees that Naruto decided would make a decent obstacle course for him to get used to the amazing speed of his fox cloak. Nodding in satisfaction he waited patiently for Jiraiya to arrive.

"A little crowded here don't you think?" The Toad Sage asked as he landed beside Naruto a minute later.

Naruto shrugged in response. "Well I was thinking learning to move competently would be a good place to start. It's no good having a trump card like this if I can't use it in any situation." He said. Jiraiya chuckled at Naruto's reasoning. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I'm just realising how far you have come from the little Gaki I found all those years ago in the forest. You don't even need my help anymore." Jiraiya replied.

"Ah come on sensei, where would I be without our fearless leader?" Naruto questioned.

"Knowing you, you would have found a way to survive. But it seems I have proven once again what a fine sensei I am." Jiraiya said swelling with pride.

"That's more like it. Now come on and help me plot an obstacle course through these trees." Naruto said happily.

The two Yoinokuchi shinobi got to work marking a series of different pathways for the blonde to master, at an increasing rate of difficulty. "Alright, that should do for now. Let's start with the easiest one." Jiraiya suggested.

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes for a second to access his fox cloak. The highly oppressive chakra flooded the area and the blond now stood covered in golden flame like chakra, with his complex seal running over his body. With one deep breath Naruto shot off, looking like nothing but a golden blur even to Jiraiya.

Naruto slipped in between the first two branches with ease and rounded the first turn, but when he needed to change directions quickly he found it incredibly difficult. About half way through the first course Jiraiya had marked out Naruto had to do a series of quick changes in direction and at the second one lost control and planted his leg right through one of the trees. "Ah shit." He complained, retrieving his leg from the tree trunk.

"Well that's one word for it." Jiraiya said while laughing at the highly uncomfortable looking position that Naruto had got himself in.

"See what I mean, how can I use this in a fight if I can't even use it effectively in a training situation?" Naruto sighed.

"I think you're pushing yourself too hard. Try to pull back on the amount of power you are putting into the cloak, and pull back the speed a little bit around the tighter corners." Jiraiya suggested.

"I'll give it a go." Naruto sighed. This time Naruto made it to the end of the course but there were still a few damaged trees, where Naruto was unable to contain his chakra.

"Not bad, you should be able to do it this time, then we can begin working on the more difficult courses." The older sage said confidently.

Jiraiya was right, Naruto sped through the first obstacle course with no trouble at all, he even breezed through the second and third course without any incidences. On the fourth however there were so many incredibly tight turns that it was not long before Naruto found himself struggling to control his movement once more. When Naruto emerged from the course he had a mouth full of leaves. "Looks like I still need work on tight reaction movements." Naruto sighed. His head quickly snapped to the side as some new arrivals caught his attention.

"This is supposed to be our alliances secret weapon? He can't even control that ridiculous power of his. What a disgrace." The Kazekage sneered, flanked by his bodyguards.

"I didn't think anything I did was any of your business." Naruto snapped back letting his Bijuu cloak fade away.

"We are both members of the alliance are we not? Your ineptitudes are every bit my business. If you and the other jinchuuriki allow yourselves to be captured by the Akatsuki we all lose." Asahi scoffed.

"Are you saying I'm incompetent?" Naruto asked.

"Well you are not doing a very good job of proving otherwise." The Kazekage smirked.

"I'm getting kind of sick of your attitude. If you think that, then why not come at me and see for yourself just how incompetent I really am?" The blonde warned.

"Are you challenging me you disrespectful brat!?" The Kazekage questioned angrily.

"So what if I am?" Naruto replied.

"We really don't need to do this." Jiraiya sighed.

"Do you let all of your subordinates get away with this kind of disrespect? You really are a pathetic excuse for a leader aren't you Jiraiya." Asahi spat.

"That's it! I'm so sick of you. All you have done is belittle everyone else. You don't even want this alliance to work do you?" Jiraiya said angrily.

"Oh I do, but I do not want it to be led by an incompetent slacker like you." Asahi retorted.

Naruto was pissed, he hadn't been so angry in a long time. "Nobody talks like that about my Sensei! I am going to kick your ass and make you apologise!" He fumed.

"Know your place, I am a Kage! If you want a fight that badly then fine, but when I win Jiraiya will give me control of the alliance." Asahi replied.

"And when I win you can never attempt to hunt down and capture Gaara ever again, and you will accept that Jiraiya-sensei is the alliance leader!" Naruto declared.

The Kazekage was clearly not thinking straight, he had heard the stories of the young Kyuubi jinchuuriki, but he didn't want to believe them, for Asahi only witnessing something for himself would prove it's existance. "Fine by me!"

(**Elsewhere**)

Tobi exited the underground caves he was using as the Akatsuki's headquarters only to be met by Kabuto who was leaning against a giant boulder. "You look busy." The snake smirked in the way that only he could.

Tobi's visible eye narrowed. Something about Kabuto got under his skin like nobody else. He didn't fear the young man by any means. But his unfounded confidence and superiority complex made the masked shinobi weigh up how satisfying it would be to kill the snake, against how useful he could be. Eventually Tobi let out a sigh admitting that winning the war would be a lot easier with Kabuto. "I need to go claim Nagato's Rinnegan. I will need it for the war."

"Well you say that, but with my Edo Tensei that's not really true is it? I can grant you the same power without you going to Ame." Kabuto replied, his cocky smirk growing larger.

"I would rather be in control of this myself, I would be foolish to let my entire plan ride on the shoulders of someone who was Orochimaru's peon." Tobi replied.

"Well that is rather harsh. Besides I have surpassed my former master in many ways. His successes are now mine without any of the failures. I will also be the one to complete his dream." Kabuto said, his smirk gaining the slightest hint of a scowl.

"I have little care or time for Orochimaru's dreams, and even less for yours. Now if you don't mind I am in a hurry." Tobi scoffed before disappearing into a vortex.

**End Chapter!**

**Slightly short chapter this week, mostly wanted to set a few things up, mostly Tobi heading to Ame in search of the Rinnegan. Also thought I would give a bit of an introduction to the skills of the Kazekage OC, though this is mostly just to break up the scenes in Ame. That and the fact that I got GTA 5 and was preoccupied most of the week. **

**Not a bad manga chapter this week, only issue I have at the moment is the constant comparisons between Naruto and Sasuke with Hashirama and Madara. We get it already they are strong, I know because they seem to be the only two characters doing anything despite having every Kage with them. Now on a side note at the end of the chapter where they said let's finish this with the next attack. They better fucking finish it! that means in the next 2 - 3 chapters we should get some resolution to this arc. With that said it will be more likely 6 - 10 chapters. **


	135. A fight in the Rain

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 135: A Fight in the Rain**

"Naruto this really isn't the best idea. You should probably just drop it, we need Suna in the alliance." Jiraiya said as he watched his pupil and the Kazekage glare at each other.

"This old man is not fit to call himself a Kage. I won't just sit around while he disrespect's us with his passive aggressive bullshit. I'm going to kick his ass." Naruto replied angrily.

Jiraiya shrugged, if Naruto had set his mind on doing something then it was not even worth trying to stop him. Mostly because the simple fact was, that he couldn't even if he wanted too. Naruto listened to the Toad Sage most of the time because they were like family. "Ah well, just try not to do too much damage to him, it wouldn't look good if you crippled the Kazekage." He sighed.

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? This fight hasn't even started yet." Asahi scoffed.

"Just making a smart, bet. Unlike Tsunade-hime I only take on bets that I know will almost certainly win." Jiraiya replied.

"Then you're about to be disappointed." Asahi said as he began to form several hand seals.

Naruto watched with interest but didn't move from his his spot, his arms folded while he was waiting. As his hand seals finished several blades of wind shot toward the blonde. Naruto effortlessly jumped back out of the way. The attack left a large cut in the ground. "I hope that's not it?" Naruto said feigning ignorance.

The Kazekage didn't reply but let a small smirk cross his features as the ground beneath the blonde erupted and the same blades of wind appeared, surrounding the jinchuuriki, rapidly closing in to cut him into tiny pieces. When they hit however, Naruto burst into smoke, and the blades of wind carried on crashing into some nearby snow covered trees, slicing them in half. "A shadow clone!" Baki, the Kazekage's bodyguard said in shock.

Asahi scanned the landscape looking for the blonde but he was nowhere to be found. '_Then that means!_' He jumped at the right time, Naruto appearing from below the ground in an almost casual fashion.

Having rediscovered his target the two wind blades once more changed direction heading straight for Naruto. Naruto saw this and took off in the opposite direction, quickly changing direction at regular intervals to help avoid the jutsu.

'**What the hell are you doing? You are far too strong to be troubled by a simple jutsu like this. So why run from them, you could simply absorb the jutsu if you wanted too with ease?**' The Kyuubi asked in a lazy drawl as Naruto slipped effortlessly through in between the wind blades and shot back in the other direction.

'_I'm just testing him out, give me a little credit Kyuubi._' Naruto sighed in response.

'**I give credit where it is due, and you are very rarely due any.**'

_'But I do have my moments right?_' Naruto asked slightly amused at his antics.

'**Just shut up and focus on what you're doing. If you're not careful you might actually get hurt.**' The fox scoffed.

'_Good to know you are worried about me._' Naruto chuckled while forming a Katon hand seal, moment's later breathing out a large stream of fire that engulfed the pursuing wind blades.

Evidently the Kazekage was not finished with his attack just yet, once more racing through a plethora of hand seals and thrusting his hand forward rocketing an incredibly fast yet small ball of compressed wind.

Naruto was still easily faster and vaulted out of the way, but the attack didn't end there. The Kazekage continued to thrust his palm forward firing a chain of the jutsu that didn't seem to be stopping, the damage each one caused as it struck the ground where the Kyuubi jinchuuriki had been standing was quite impressive, as was his aim. Each blast was perfectly on target, with only Naruto's quick feet preventing a direct hit.

"Can't really fault his attacks, each one is perfect, this jutsu is for use against superior numbers and usually lacks accuracy, but it seems that Asahi has mastered it." Jiraiya mused with mild interest. He knew that at some point Naruto would stop running and when he did the fight probably wouldn't last much longer, but he had to admit that the Kazekage was strong enough to be given the title of Kage. Against a lesser opponent he would have landed a hit by now, only Naruto, A, Akimi or perhaps Itachi would have been able to avoid his attacks for so long.

(**Meanwhile**)

Nagato sat in a dark room lit only by the dull light entering from a small glass window on the ceiling. The sound of rain still filled the hall, it was extra heavy today as not all of the rain was Nagato's.

The elderly looking Uzumaki's eyes twitched as he felt a surge in chakra. "I guessed that you would show up sooner or later." He said calmly.

"My my Nagato, look at you, hardly the all powerful god you once were. Now you are just a pathetic old man. To even think that Naruto would waste his time keeping you alive amuses me." Tobi said, his voice filled the room while his body still remained shrouded in the darkness that surrounded them.

"He is a stubborn one, that's for sure. But he is someone with the right ideals, he will bring peace and order to this cursed world." Nagato replied still perfectly calm.

"No that is a position reserved for me, the peace that he believes in is nothing but a myth." Tobi concluded and began slowly walking out of the shadows towards the seated Uzumaki.

As he came into the light Nagato's eyes rippled with power and a massive wave of gravity shot out towards Tobi, ripping the side of the tower away exposing them to the falling rain. Tobi was unaffected by the Shinra Tensei, as he made his body intangible at the last moment successfully avoiding the attack.

"Such a pointless waste of chakra, did you really think that you would be able to hit me with such a jutsu?" Tobi mocked the seated man before slamming his hand into Nagato's chest.

A small trickle of blood ran out of the corner of Nagato's mouth before his body began to fall apart slowly turning into a murder of crows. Tobi's visible eye widened and he spun around on the spot to see the crows reform as Itachi.

"You." Tobi seethed, Itachi was one of the last people he wanted to see right now.

"You were expecting someone else maybe?" Itachi questioned with a small smile, that was almost unnoticeable.

"Well now that you mention it I was expecting to find a cripple. So where have you hidden Nagato?" Tobi asked.

Itachi raised an eyebrow as Nagato's commanding voice filled the air, seemingly coming from every direction. "Who says that I am hiding?" If he was trying to keep his position secret he didn't do a very good job at it, as a few seconds later he walked out into the open clearly not the cripple that Tobi had expected to see when he came to collect the Rinnegan.

"You can use your legs, I must say that I am surprised." The masked Akatsuki ninja said trying to sound as calm as possible.

In truth Tobi was raging inside, the chances of successfully defeating Nagato and stealing the Rinnegan were becoming increasingly smaller by the second. "Yes thanks to Naruto and Tsunade my legs are fully healed." Nagato said with a contented smile.

Another blow was struck to the masked mans ambitions soon after, as a torrent of loose sheets of paper signalled the arrival of Konan. "I saw the signal, I had expected Tobi to wait a little longer before attacking us." She said calmly.

Tobi had been calculating his chances of victory, he knew that there was no way to come out unscathed that much he was confident of, even against the individual members if they fought one on one he was not overly confident that he would win. His plan had been to take on a crippled Nagato who wouldn't be able to avoid his attacks. A fully mobile Rinnegan wielder was a completely different story. "It seems that I have miscalculated. But I will have those eyes of yours eventually Nagato." He said a small hint of the anger he was feeling spreading through his body.

"If that is the case then I will have to extra careful in the future. But as you won't be leaving here alive that won't be an issue." Nagato replied. The rain began falling harder almost obscuring the view. While this was a disadvantage for Konan, it didn't affect Nagato or Itachi in the slightest. In fact it was perfect for Nagato who despite having an affinity for all elemental types favoured Suiton much like Naruto favoured Fuuton.

Nagato's rain hardened like senbon in the sky above Tobi, masked by the natural downpour that had occurred. The first blade like droplet struck the masked mans shoulder effortlessly sliding right through his shoulder, with several more water blades striking him at several areas. Tobi quickly slipped into his internal reality to avoid harm. Regardless he could still feel the pain from the several pin like deep puncture wounds that were scattered over his body.

He was constantly scanning the outside world while patching up his wounds, his Akatsuki cloak lightly tinged with his own blood. '_This isn't good, I need to get out of here. I can't take on all three of them._' He thought. There was a change of chakra he felt in the outside world and he allowed himself to slip back to reality.

It turned out to be slightly premature as Nagato had ended his senbon rain jutsu on purpose to draw Tobi out from his untouchable state. The moment he solidified he came face to face with a water dragon cast by Itachi. Topi attempted to get out of the way but the jutsu still struck his shoulder tearing off an arm that seemed to be made from a white substance as opposed to normal flesh.

Tobi glared at the three shinobi, but he knew that he now had no hope of defeating the three shinobi facing him. "This isn't over!" he seethed. Itachi moved to attack him while he is down, but it was too late. Tobi used his narrow escape from the water dragon to teleport away.

Itachi's attack landed just too late, the floor beneath him exploded with force. "We failed." Nagato said flatly landing at the edge of the hole in the floor Itachi had just created.

Itachi who was standing one floor below surrounded by the rubble. "It would seem so. Still I don't think he will try to attack here again." The stoic Uchiha sighed.

"I should have stopped him from escaping your jutsu, I am sorry Itachi-san." Konan admitted. Her origami style jutsu were nowhere near as effective in the rain, which made her movements sloppy and meaning she was unable to move in time to prevent Tobi's escape.

"It's alright, at the very least we gave him something to think about. As an opponent he is nothing special, granted his time space ninjutsu is troubling, but no more so than many other jutsu that this world can offer. The greatest threat he poses is what he represents as the mastermind behind the Akatsuki." Itachi replied calmly.

"Still he was confident to enough to come here to face Nagato alone." Konan mused.

"He thought I was a cripple. Like it or not, if his opponents are not mobile then all he has to do is slowly get close enough to land one good blow. Even with all of us, I expect that he would have taken the calculated risk of fighting on had I been left immobile." Nagato reasoned.

Itachi nodded in agreement. "We should send a hawk to Jiraiya-sama, the others should know what happened here."

(**Elsewhere**)

Tobi reappeared in the giant's graveyard before collapsing onto his knees grabbing the sight of his missing arm. He quickly regained composure slowly getting to his feet.

"Looks like things didn't go so well for you." A smooth taunting voice called out from behind the masked man. Tobi closed his eyes in frustration he could almost feel the smirk radiating off Kabuto's snake like face.

"Evidently that is the case." Tobi seethed.

"What happened that could leave you in such a sorry state?" Kabuto questioned.

"Well for one Nagato is no longer a cripple. He also had some help." Tobi answered honestly.

Kabuto sniggered lightly, clearly he found Tobi's current state amusing. "So Jiraiya and the Yoinokuchi through another wrench in your plans huh? Seems like they are getting pretty good at that. I am of course willing to offer my assistance in dealing with them. They will be a big obstacle to overcome, if you're going to win this war. You will need to find a way to neutralise them."

"You have a decent grasp of the obvious. Now since I didn't get the Rinnegan I am going to need you to help seal the Bijuu that we just captured." Tobi said flatly.

"Perhaps it would be best if you patched yourself up before we do that, you wouldn't want to cause anymore unwanted damage to yourself." Kabuto leered.

"Your... concern is noted, but allow me to worry about that. Let's go." The masked man responded with thinly veiled anger. If the animosity affected Kabuto, he didn't let it show, seeming to remain blissfully unaware of just how fragile their alliance truly was.

(**Meanwhile**)

The Kazekage had not relented in his continuous assault on Naruto, as he rapidly fired Fuuton jutsu at the Jinchuuriki who seemed to be taking the entire exercise as a game. In fact he could often be heard laughing as the Kazekage's potentially life threatening would come close but ultimately Naruto would move out of the way.

"You think this is a game brat!? You will make a mistake eventually and I will make you pay when you do!" Asahi yelled as he fired yet another volley of Fuuton jutsu towards Naruto.

"Are you kidding this is great reaction training. Maybe you should try something else if you actually want to hit me?" Naruto chuckled.

The Kazekage was becoming increasingly frustrated. Never before had someone been able to avoid his jutsu so easily. '_This jutsu is designed to take out armies, so why is it that I can not hit one kid! It looks like I will need to change things up a little._'

Regardless the recent way of things continued, with Naruto attempting nothing in the way of attack and simply avoiding the Kazekage's assault. Silently he was somewhat impressed that Asahi could maintain such a chakra intensive attack for so long. In the last minute his aim had begun to become less accurate. Naruto payed it no mind until a group of the small blades stopped in mid air before they would hit.

Looking over his shoulder it became obvious that he was quite effectively trapped inside a tightly packed web of the small wind blades he had been so casually avoiding. "Now that's impressive." Naruto whistled in appreciation of the cleverly thought out trap.

"Game over you pain in the ass." The Kazekage spat clenching his fist. Reacting in kind the small wind blades all converged on their target, even coming up from below the ground with each landing a direct hit.

However rather than be torn to pieces by the trap the Kazekage had set Naruto just stood their casually as the blades struck him, getting absorbed into his body. "So are you done yet?" he asked in an almost lazy fashion.

"What the hell!?" Asahi gasped in shock.

"You really should do better research on your opponents, attacking Naruto with Ninjutsu is about as effective as using a butter knife." Jiraiya said with a chuckle.

"Then why did you bother to dodge at all!?" Asahi seethed.

"Well I need too improve my high speed reaction times to fight with the Kyuubi's chakra, this just seemed like a decent form of training." Naruto said casually. "It also didn't hurt you were willing to waste quite a bit of chakra." He added as an afterthought.

This was not welcome news, he was predominantly a Ninjutsu user, having the strongest Fuuton manipulation specialist in Suna. It wasn't that he couldn't use Taijutsu or Genjutsu. But with how fast his opponent was, he knew that Taijutsu would be difficult, and with someone like Itachi in the Yoinokuchi he would have sufficient experience fighting against Genjutsu users.

"So give up yet?" Naruto said casually.

"To you? Never." Asahi replied racing through hand seals, two large dragons made of wind formed flying towards the blond. Naruto sighed and with a wave of his arm sent a powerful burst of wind cancelling out Asahi's jutsu. "A Fuuton jutsu without any hand seals!?" He gasped.

"No that wasn't a jutsu, it was just wind manipulation." Naruto replied and slowly wind began to circle around him, picking up the snow as the wind gained speed. "You're not, bad but Fuuton is my main element, you never had a chance in this fight. Now give up before you get hurt." He threatened, his voice perfectly calm and confident that he could deliver on his promise.

'_He was able to cancel out an A ranked jutsu with nothing but raw elemental manipulation. Only the Nidame Hokage had that kind of skill with elemental manipulation, it shouldn't be possible._' Asahi raged in disbelief as Naruto began slowly walking towards where the Kazekage was rooted to place.

Jiraiya was quite impressed. For awhile he was wondering why Naruto had been doing nothing but dodging the Kazekage's attacks but now Asahi looked like a broken man. Naruto had essentially defeated him without launching a single attack. '_It looks like he lost his will to fight. Naruto was right, he doesn't have what it takes to be a Kage, not if he gives up so easily._'

Naruto slowly walked towards Asahi, the wind and snow spinning threateningly around him. Then, in the blink of an eye Naruto was standing behind Asahi who stood wide eyed as a deep cut appeared on his cheek. "What no fight left in you?" He asked.

Asahi didn't reply, he just stood with a disbelieving look of complete defeat on his face. Naruto's response was to kick the Kazekage in the back sending him flying. "Kazekage-sama!" Baki yelled running to check on the downed Asahi.

Baki helped Asahi to his feet while Naruto just stood with his arms folded. "He's lost the will to fight. Giving up without even putting up a fight as soon as things go against him. How could someone like him; who gives up so easily, take command of the Joint Shinobi Alliance. Pathetic." The blonde lectured. Asahi rose his head and glared at the jinchuuriki in distain. "Oh so you do have some fight left in you, well let's see it prove me wrong."

The Kazekage shrugged Baki off him and with a few hand seals created a Katana made of wind before flinging himself towards the blonde. It was all for naught however as Naruto repelled the Kage with a wordless Shinra Tensei.

"That's better, against the Akatuski there is no surrender. We either win as a team or the alternative is no better than death. With that said there is no shame in admitting that you have lost this fight." Naruto said firmly as the Kazekage slowly picked himself back up, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth to join the deep cut on his cheek.

Something snapped within Asahi, he roared in anger and closed the gap with Naruto as quickly as he could. However once more despite how accomplished he was, Naruto was faster and had the advantage of fighting against Taijutsu experts in the past his attacks were precise and smoother than Akimi's but lacked the kunoichi's ferocity and frequency of strikes.

Naruto weaved his way through the attacks with trained ease, every so often offering up a small counter, striking whenever a small opening occurred.

"Looks like Asahi-sama is starting to push him back." Temari said, her eyes glued on the intricate display of Taijutsu.

"No, Asahi-sama has yet to land a meaningful blow on the boy. While he has so far struck several key blows. This fight is almost over, Kazekage-sama will lose." Baki said in stunned awe.

It was just as the Jounin had claimed Asahi was getting slower, his movements easier to read, the illusion created that Naruto was on the defensive was being crushed, the strikes he had landed did not hold a great deal of power behind them, but they did however hit vital areas. "You damn disrespectful brat when I get my hands on you I will make you wish you were dead!" Asahi yelled as he spun into a roundhouse kick.

Naruto skillfully ducked and knocked the Kazekage's standing let out from under him, sending Asahi crashing to the ground only preventing landing face first by using his arms to vault back. At this small break in the action everyone could finally get a good look at the pair.

Naruto had a few small tears in his black cargo pants he was for the most part unharmed with only a few light grazes to suggest that he had even been in a fight. On the other hand Asahi was in a bad way he barely looked conscious, panting heavily as he struggled to maintain upright. "Not bad, you are clearly strong, but if we continue things will get painful for you. Admit you lost, there is no shame in admitting you lost a sparring match." Naruto said calmly.

The Kazekage was breathing heavily but had a look of defiance in his half lidded eyes. "I told you before I will not surrender to some punk like you." He declared his voice ragged.

Naruto sighed in frustration. While he was glad that the Kazekage had found the will to fight, he would need it later on during the war. There was however a fine line between a will to fight and stupidity, The Kazekage had passed that line awhile ago now he has essentially passed out on the other side of it.

"Alright, if this is how you want to end it... fine." The jinchuuriki sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he activated his Bijuu cloak. The oppressive chakra froze both Baki and Temari, he had used it once before but it seemed more ominous this time. "I really didn't want it to end this way." He sighed.

All Temari and Baki could see was a light flash of Yellow as Naruto apparently disappeared. Although less than a second later he had reappeared, fist buried in his opponents stomach who was haunched over coughing up copious amounts of blood. Naruto let arm fall at his side and the Kazekage collapsed on the ground, Not done there the jinchuuriki kicked him high into the air before jumping up instantly appearing over the Kage and dropping his leg on the side of Asahi's head.

Asahi was unconscious before he even hit the ground, his body landing with a sickening thud. Naruto landed a second later standing over his unconscious body. "It's over." Baki said urgently, running forward, half scared Naruto would finish him.

Naruto's Bijuu cloak faded away and he backed away from the downed Kage. "Make sure he keeps his word."

"He will, for all his faults he is a man of principal." Baki assured the blonde.

"Well he was quite determined not to admit that he had lost, so I will take your word for it." Naruto replied.

"Alright you won, but I am sure half of the country would have seen or felt what was happening." Jiraiya mused.

"You're not wrong." Naruto said with a smirk Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow questioningly. In response Naruto nodded towards a large forested area not too far away from them. "We got quite a crowd."

Sitting in the trees were the other four Kage's and their bodyguards as well as Mifune. Naruto also noticed Akimi, Haku and Fu sitting with Tsunade. They had evidently all sensed the fight between the jinchuuriki and Kage, so they came running to see if the alliance was over before it even began. None of the Kage really seemed surprised by the results of the fight, in fact quite a few seemed to be happy about how everything played out.

"Nothing to worry about, just a friendly spar." Naruto called out trying to reassure the group.

"I can't remember any of our spars ending this way." Came Gaara's voice as he landed next to Jiraiya,, Zabuza followed shortly after.

"That's how a spar should end, when one person cant fight anymore." Zabuza said with no small mirth, enjoying the sight of the battered Asahi.

"Then perhaps we should go back and continue our training then, I believe I was getting rather good with these daggers." Gaara said with a small smirk

"That was different, it was training." Zabuza replied quickly.

"You seemed to be taking it rather seriously if I recall." Gaara mused.

"Well you know, I have to take it seriously otherwise you wouldn't get any better." Zabuza said defensively.

Naruto leaned over to the former Kiri swordsman. "Nice cover." he whispered.

"Ah shut it Gaki." Zabuza scoffed.

Tsunade came over soon after to check on the still unconscious Asahi, the other spectators following soon after. "Impressive display, your Ninjutsu and close combat skills are exemplary." Mifune complimented.

"Well I had some pretty good teachers, there aren't many people better at Ninjutsu than Jiraiya-sensei and Itachi. Also I used to spar with Akimi-chan every week, she's so fast it's either learn to deal with Taijutsu specialists or spend a lot of time seeing Tsunade-baachan." Naruto replied sheepishly.

"What about Genjutsu? Having someone as skilled as Itachi Uchiha training you would give you an advantage in that area as well." Mifune reasoned.

"Ha, we tried for ages to get him good at them, he just seems to have some mental block when it comes to complex Genjutsu. Kinda like me." Jiraiya interrupted.

"I can still use them, I'm just not that good, as Jiraiya-sensei so rightly pointed out. That said I am a whole lot better at them than he can, The Genjutsu that I do use, and have perfected are mostly for infiltration rather than in combat." Naruto explained.

"Like the way you were able to sneak into my samurai headquarters?" Mifune questioned.

"Yeah, that was Jiraiya-sensei's Chameleon jutsu. It's actually the only real Genjutsu that Jiraiya-sensei can use." Naruto said with a small laugh.

Tsunade looked up from where she was slowly gliding a diagnosis jutsu over the Kazekage. "He will be fine with some rest, he will need to go to a hospital once you get him back to Suna though, or you could bring him to Konoha on your way home and we can five him some treatment." She offered.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, do you know when he will wake?" Baki asked.

"It may not be for a few hours. That last hit was quite a powerful blow to the back of his neck." Tsunade explained as she stood up allowing the two Suna bodyguards to collect their leader. "I've put him in a stable condition, you can carry him without any harm now." She assured the pair.

Naruto gave a quick semi sincere apology to Baki and began heading back towards the village. Akimi ran to join him. "You just can't get along with anyone can you." she said jokingly.

"That's not true, I get on well with you don't I." Naruto replied, quickly leaning over to give her a quick kiss.

"Well better than you get along with anyone else." She replied giving him a kiss of her own, which he readily accepted.

"I think so too, nobody else get's to do that." The blonde said.

Akimi smiled in content. "Good. Just how I like it."

"You know what, so do I." Naruto replied.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry it's so late, end of the year is a really busy time for me. well theres that and I have been kind of addicted to GTA V in my free time. Still the combined forces of being swamped at work and GTA really held this chapter back. **

**Please for the love of all that is good in this world don't let Obito just change sides. He is responsible for the death of tens of thousands of people... fairly sure genocide carries a death sentence. No misguided roundabout logic can change the fact that Obito is responsible for all the shit Naruto has been through and yet he will be given a free pass as long as he becomes a good guy. The world doesn't work like that! We can't go out and kill someone and then say I'm sorry with everything all right. If we could there is no way Justin Beiber would still be alive. (Sorry if you're a fan, but as a musician I personally want to see him tarred feathered and thrown from the tallest building without a parachute.) **


	136. Madara's Assessment

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 136: Madara's Assessment. **

Tobi walked through the halls of the Akatsuki's underground headquarters, the dark caves were very poorly lit with a dull lamp hanging at irregular intervals that often flickered at irregular intervals. Following close behind the masked shinobi was Orochimaru's former assistant Kabuto.

The two shinobi walked in silence until they finally arrived at a large hall that contained a giant statue of what looked like a monster in a great amount of pain. "So thats the Gedo Mezo statue huh? Orochimaru's description didn't do it justice." Kabuto said with a somewhat amused smirk.

Tobi was still heavily injured from his encounter with Nagato, Konan, and Itachi, so he payed the snake like researcher no mind. Instead he crossed the room to where an unconscious Utakata lay, his arms and legs bound with his chakra sealed. "Summon him." Tobi ordered as he tossed the Rokuubi jinchuuriki in front of the giant statue.

"Really, you want me to summon him, so soon?" Kabuto asked loving the fact that the masked man was forced to rely on him.

"Just do it." Tobi ordered, he had no patients for Kabuto's attempts to belittle him.

Kabuto's smirk grew knowing he had gotten under Tobi's skin. "Now that isn't a very polite way of asking."

"You seem to be forgetting who it is that's in charge here. Now do as I say or I will dispose of you, and that jutsu of yours wont be able to save you." Tobi replied firmly, as if to hammer home his point several Zetsu clones rose out from the ground to surround Kabuto.

"Calm down, I will summon him for you. There is no need to become so serious." Kabuto said holding up his arms in surrender.

"Then do what I asked, we can't seal the Bijuu without his help." Tobi warned.

A moment later a large coffin was rising up from the ground and slowly opened to reveal a tall man with long black hair that came halfway down his back. He wore as set of red combat armour that most shinobi didn't use anymore. He slowly opened his eyes and stepped out of the coffin, pausing to take in his surroundings and the state of his body. "I didn't expect to be brought back like this." The man said rather unimpressed with the circumstances of his revival.

"We ran into some... difficulties in completing the plan, we need your help." Tobi said calmly.

"Difficulties?" The man asked, a hint of annoyance evident in his voice.

"He means that they have been getting their ass kicked all over the elemental nations by a sixteen year old." Kabuto said.

"And who exactly are you?" The Edo Tensei summons asked turning to face Kabuto for the first time.

"I am the one that summoned you. But I plan on letting you keep your own free will so long as you don't attempt to defy me. I see no reason to deny it as we are all on the same side. Besides who would think of denying the great Madara Uchiha." Kabuto replied.

Madara smirked slightly, he had doubts that Kabuto could control him even if he wanted to, he was certainly not one to suffer and toil under the weak. "So care to explain what has been happening, where is Nagato? I should have been brought back to life, not as an Edo Tensei."

"He betrayed us, siding with a young Uzumaki boy who is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." Tobi admitted.

"An Uzumaki huh, that is interesting. They were always far too close to the Senju for my liking. Still this is of little concern to me, I will have to deal with Nagato personally." Madara replied.

"The boy, he is in a group containing most of the remaining Bijuu. They have been a constant thorn in my side since we began searching for the Bijuu. He also has the Rinnegan." Tobi informed the Edo Tensei Uchiha.

"What!? That is problematic, how advanced is he in the use of the dojutsu?" Madara asked a little shocked at this information.

"He has been able to use Banbutsu Sozo to create a new dojutsu for a member of the Uchiha clan, although I would say that he is no longer an Uchiha now. That ability alone indicates an advanced level with his dojutsu. He is still far beneath your level of ability and strength though." Tobi answered.

"I would expect as much, now was there some other reason that you summoned me?" Madara asked.

"Yes we need you to begin the sealing of the latest Bijuu we captured." Tobi said.

"I see. Perhaps it was not wise of me to place my trust in you, I left you a simple job and you failed me. I will begin the sealing." Madara said, his eyes flashed red for a second before settling into the unmistakable purple of the Rinnegan.

**(The Next Day)**

The Kazekage opened his eyes slowly, he had a splitting headache and his body felt like he had been through a meat tenderiser. "So I guess this means that I lost." he groaned slowly sitting up.

The noise the recently reawakened Kazekage was making was obviously sufficient, as within seconds Baki and Temari appeared to check on him. "Kazekage-sama it's good to see that you have regained consciousness." Baki said with a slight bow.

Asahi looked away feeling like he was being lectured about not taking on such a dangerous opponent again. "I don't need your pity, now help me up." He could recognise the room as the same one that they rented from the hotel in the Land of Iron just the day before. It was rather luxurious with high end appliances and expensive finishings.

The Kazekage was relieved to find that despite the dull ache that was ravaging his body, he could still move with freedom. "I'm sorry Kazekage-sama, but I have to inform you that you did indeed lose the duel with the Kyuubi boy, and they expect you to keep your word about the leadership for the alliance." Baki said suddenly.

Asahi froze, he remembered the deal he made all too well. "Don't fret, I wouldn't put any more shame on Suna by not honouring a deal. In fact Temari, you will be joining the special task force group as our representative." He declared.

"Really why me? Surely there is someone else you could ask that would be better suited." Temari questioned. She was more of a front line support fighter, her battle fans were capable of large scale destruction over long distances that would be helpful in the war.

"No it has to be you. You're the only one that will have any chance of getting close enough to be able to gain the members of that groups trust." Asahi explained.

This just confused Temari even more. "But Kazekage-sama, why is that important, surely the best members of our black ops would be better a better choice?" She asked tentatively.

"Because, there was one solution to the Akatsuki threat that nobody brought up at the discussions because three jinchuuriki were there." The Kazekage answered honestly.

If that was supposed to shed light on the situation, it didn't. Temari was still just as confused as before. "I'm not sure what that means, we should have explored every viable option in the discussions, why leave something out?." She asked.

Asahi smirked happily. "I am so glad that you agree. Because there is one way to stop the Akatsuki from getting their hands on the Bijuu, at least for another couple of years. Long enough for this war to be over and our problems to be completely dealt with."

"You mean to kill the other Jinchuuriki. They take years to reform on their own, the more tails the have the longer the regeneration takes. If one of the jinchuuriki die without being captured then the Akatsuki cannot get their hands on them." Baki surmised a little shocked at what was being suggested.

Asahi nodded seriously and turned his attention back to Temari. "Precisely. That is where you come in Temari, your mission will be to assassinate Naruto Uzumaki."

(**Meanwhile**)

The Land of Iron was for the lack of a better word, cold. Naruto would not be sad to see the back of it, in fact he was looking forward to getting back to the Land of Fire and for the first time in what felt like months his own warm bed in the Yoinokuchi headquarters. With that said he was quite contented at the moment, he lay in bed with Akimi curled up beside him, one arm hanging over his frame to prevent an escape, not that he would want such a thing.

Naruto smiled and pulled the kunoichi in closer with a sigh. Letting out a moan Akimi's eyes fluttered open. "Morning, it's probably a good idea not to do that, the others are probably awake by now." She said while readjusting herself in his arms for more comfort.

"You're probably right." Naruto sighed in disappointment. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it." he added before leaning in and nibbling on Akimi's ears drawing a soft moan from the kunoichi.

Akimi bit her bottom lip lightly, trying to stay in control as Naruto moved, his attention now lightly kissing and nipping down her neck, stopping at all the areas he had discovered were extra sensitive. "We should stop." She hated every word as they came out in a weak moan. "The others will hear." she added slightly stronger in an attempt to regain some form of control on the situation.

Naruto groaned in disappointed acceptance. "Alright but first." Grabbing Akimi by the waist he pulled her atop himself so they were face to face, without hesitating stealing a kiss.

It was at that moment the door burst open and Zabuza walked in, followed closely much to the dismay of the young couple by Jiraiya. "Oi you two we want to get mov- woah I think we picked the wrong time to wake them up." Zabuza barked a smirk crossing his face.

The two teens were blushing fiercely as Jiraiya walked forward carrying, much to their horror, a camera. "No, I think you picked the perfect time, wouldn't want to be stuck waiting for them to finish. Although if they insist we could give them an extra thirty minutes." The elderly sage said with a perverted grin.

The presence of a camera was almost as worrying as the lack of small black notepad in Naruto's mind. '_For Jiraiya-sensei to pass on this even if it's only to tease me is astonishing..._' "If you have taken a photo of us you better destroy it." He said firmly. Akimi had at this point removed herself from the blondes chest and wrapped the blankets tightly against her torso knowing she was in a state of undress.

Jiraiya laughed dismissively. "Are you kidding? Tsunade-hime will pay a fortune for this, besides I have the complete set now."

"Jiriaya-sensei I am seri- wait... what do you mean set?" Naruto asked surprisingly disarmed by Jiraiya's statement. "What other photo's to you have of me!?"

"Of you? Not any that you don't know about." The toad sage said honestly.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as Jiraiya collected the photo that much to the teens embarrassment caught the exact moment they had realised there had been caught making out, still in mid lip lock. Along with it were two other photos. Both of people he recognised, the first he could recognise easily as Gaara and Haku, caught in a very similar situation as he and Akimi had just been found in. the final one was of his parents, on their wedding day. '_That's hardly fair, he sprung in on us, why did Tou-san and Kaa-san get off so lightly._' He grumbled.

'**Probably because in any other situation that crazy woman would have quite literally killed the old fool.**' Kurama grunted.

Naruto let out a small laugh knowing that it was probably true. "So... you knew what we were doing?" Akimi asked in horror.

Both older shinobi nodded. "Thin walls, accompanied with our heightened senses. Just be thankful that it was only us that could hear. Gaara and Haku were adamant that they wanted to be there when we got you." Zabuza chuckled.

"So you did the same thing to your daughter!?" The kunoichi asked stunned that Zabuza would do something like that. Even if they were not blood relatives Zabuza still saw Haku as his daughter and vice versa.

"Gotta have some fun every now and then. Besides, you want some stiff wedding photo as a memory, or something honest? One day you will be glad to have this." The Demon of the Mist said honestly.

"He's right you know, although a wedding photo is always nice too." Jiraiya said while not so discretely passing his newly acquired photo over to a small toad that had been obviously waiting patiently outside. "In any case, now that you're both obviously awake, we should think about moving on, I'd like to get to Ame by nightfall and that means we really need to push it today."

"Why the rush? Don't get me wrong it will be nice to be somewhere a little warmer but Ame is a long way." Naruto questioned.

"The Akatsuki attacked Ame last night, just like Nagato predicted. I know it's not likely that they will attempt anything again so soon after a failed attempt, but on the off chance that they do I would like to be there. So hurry up and get out of bed." Jiraiya replied.

Nobody moved for a mew moments, each seemed to waiting in anticipation for something to happen, something that was soon provided by a very angry kunoichi. Akimi picked up the small alarm clock that was sitting on the bedside table and tossed it a Jiraiya. "Get out so I can get ready!" She yelled. Jiraiya and Zabuza ran out of the room before Akimi could realise that therer was a fully equipped kunai pouch well within her reach. "And stay out!"

"Well that was a mood killer." Naruto sighed flopping back onto the mattress.

Akimi was still fuming as she slowly rolled out of bed, clothed in only in some thin dark purple lace panties with matching bra. "That old pervert and the mummy will pay for this. I don't know how yet but I will make sure they do." she seethed.

'_I haven't seen her this angry in a long time, I wonder what she is going to do?_' The blonde thought a little scared.

The young couple quickly got ready for what would be a long day, making sure to collect all their belongings before leaving their room. They walked down to the ground floor of the hotel to find the rest of the Yoinokuchi waiting for them. "About time. Everyone else had been ready for almost an hour" Zabuza said with an evident smirk despite having his mouth hidden by his bandage mask.

"Sorry we were held up this morning." Akimi replied with a fake smile that wasn't hard to see through.

"What could have possibly held you both up so early in the morning?" Jiraiya asked with a snicker.

"Just some useless distractions." Akimi replied calmly.

"Look let's drop it and get going, the sooner we leave the sooner we're out of the cold." Naruto replied, he would rather they not get into depth about what just happened.

(**Elsewhere**)

The lifeless body of Utakata fell to the ground as the last of the Rokuubi's chakra was sealed away. Madara sat in silence with Tobi and Zetsu as they finalised the sealing. Once satisfied that the job had been done Madara opened his eyes. "So tell me, what Bijuu do you still need to capture?" The legendary Uchiha asked stiffly.

"The Ichibi, Nanabi, Hachibi, and Kyuubi." Tobi admitted rather sourly.

"So it seems things are really not going well, where is the rest of your group?" Madara questioned.

"They are training my newest recruit. He actually reminds me a lot of you." Tobi answered.

"Is that so." Madara said less than impressed. "Nobody compares to me, but I will reserve judgement for now. I hope you have a plan for how to get the remaining Bijuu."

"I do. I am entering the final stage of our plan. With one small change in plans to compensate the lack of Bijuu. I had Zetsu infiltrate several villages months ago, in that time he learned everything that he needed to replace the various leaders and assimilate their numbers with our own. Our army numbers close to twice that of the five great nations and the strategic locations will be able to choke supply lines." Tobi explained.

"Not a bad plan, so long as Zetsu is not discovered." Madara said in agreement.

"It shouldn't be that big of an issue, by the time they get to any of the leaders their armies will have been decimated anyway. In the end they are just sacrificial lambs." Tobi replied.

"You seem to have matured quite well. You can finally see the truth that this world is nothing but a circle of endless death." Madara mused.

Tobi huffed in amusement at the statement. "I just decided to see the truth. By the way if you are planning on sticking around, then it might be for the best to meet the others."

"Well I haven't seen the one that summoned me since the sealing started. It might be rather interesting to see the group that you assembled." Madara replied.

"He was out of chakra after summoning you it appears that the strain was more than he anticipated." Tobi chuckled enjoying the fact that Kabuto's overconfidence caused him to be in his current condition.

"That's because I already severed control from him, even if he tries to end the jutsu now I will be able to counter it." Madara explained.

"Impressive, but I am not at all surprised coming from you." Tobi complimented.

"It was a large enough strain on his reserves to summon me, when I actively attempted to sever his control he tried to stop me, so I expect he will be out for awhile." Madara said with a smirk, he liked proving he was superior, the sensation of dominating someone, proving that he was the best always drove him. This may have been why he and Hashirama were both great friends and the worst of enemies, both wanted to prove they were better than the other.

The two Uchiha descended a spiralling passageway deep underground and came to a stop a fair way down at a small pathway that slowly began getting wider and eventually opened up into a massive hall. At the far end Sasuke was facing off against Kisame in a Kenjutsu match.

Sasuke was being pushed back, nothing he could do would work against Kisame. "I'm surprised he has been able to last even this long yeah." Deidara commented from his position on the sidelines.

"Why are you surprised, Sasuke did beat you." Suigetsu laughed.

"Shut up, he had an unfair elemental advantage yeah." Deidara scoffed in truth the loss to the young Uchiha had hurt his pride.

"Besides, how many of these little matches have you won Suigetsu?" Juugo interjected casually.

At that moment Sasuke was thrown across the room and landed in a heap on the floor but quickly got to his feat, his eyes flashing to his Mangekyo Sharingan. "Now now brat, don't forget the rules that we agreed on, no Sharingan." Kisame said.

Sasuke seethed but his eyes returned to their normal onyx before he charged forward, sword drawn. In the end Sasuke ended up hunched over as he ran into the handle of the shark shinobi's blade.

Madara walked forward confidently. "Foolish child, letting anger blind him, even if you used the Sharingan you would of lost. Letting your anger get the best of you in a simple spar, pathetic." He said as Sasuke slowly got to his feet.

Sasuke's turned to face the new arrival, ready to snap. He froze though when he saw who it was, the man before him was a legend. "Madara Uchiha!?"

Tobi chuckled at the look of absolute shock on the younger Uchiha. "Looks like he recognises you."

"That is to be expected. So what is it you find so promising about this one? He lacks focus and is obviously quick to anger." Madara said in contemplation.

"You don't know me. I don't care who you are, you're getting in the way of my training." Sasuke scoffed picking up his Katana.

"Now now Sasuke-kun, you should really show some more respect to Madara, he could teach you a lot." Tobi replied.

"If he can't even defeat the shark then I have nothing to teach him." Madara scoffed.

Sasuke sent the dead Uchiha a glare before stalking off. "Ah what tremendous hatred and it always seems be be growing."

"He can't be trusted, all he sees you as is a means to an end." Madara commented.

(**Later That Day**)

"No more snow and it's getting warm again." Naruto sighed. He had spent most of the morning walking while doing his best to keep warm.

"Well then can we rest for a while? We have been running non stop for hours." Haku asked.

"Jiraiya-sensei wants to get to Ame before dusk, it's still a long way away." Naruto replied.

"Well we have made good time so far so a small rest will not hurt." Jiraiya said casually.

"You want to stop here then?" Naruto asked while still in full sprint.

"No, but the next village shouldn't be far away from here. We will stop there." Jiraiya answered.

"Alright, I hope it's not too far, I'm exhausted from trying to keep up. You're all too fast." Haku sighed, she had neither the speed nor the stamina to match most of the group even with Naruto and Akimi holding back Haku still needed to run at full speed to stay with the group.

Even Zabuza who had been given the rather laborious job of carrying their prisoner was better suited at traveling at high speeds over long distances. Karin was far too slow to keep up with the rest of the group so she had to be carried. during the entire day she had not said a single word, terrified for her life. '_Why don't they just kill me already._' she thought in defeat knowing that she could never escape the Yoinokuchi shinobi.

It wasn't for another hour before they came to a small village no larger than one of the smaller clan compounds in Konoha. The village itself sat isolated in bare fields atop of a small hill. Despite the modest size of the village there were people everywhere, villagers shuffling around the various stores happily.

The commotion stopped when they noticed the group of shinobi, the village fell silent almost as if they were afraid to speak. Nobody uttered a word as Naruto and the other members of the Yoinokuchi walked through the main street. "Ever get the feeling you are being watched?" Naruto said with a deadpan.

"Yes I really don't think that we are welcome here." Gaara agreed.

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. The group came to a stop in front of a small cafe. "We will have some lunch then move on. Not every village welcomes shinobi, many people who have had bad experiences with shinobi in the past move to these closed communities that have very little contact with the ninja world."

The Yoinokuchi group entered a small roadside restaurant and took a seat at a large table. At what felt like the exact moment they sat down several people rushed over to the table. "Excuse me are you all Ninja?" A young boy asked.

"Yeah we are, don't worry we're not here to hurt anyone, and we will be on our way in no time, as soon as we finish our lunch." Jiraiya assured the small welcoming committee.

"That's not it." The same man said in hushed tones. "We need your help."

"Really I thought this was a closed community that isolated itself from the ninja world." Jiriaya mused.

"It is, but you're the only ones that can help us. There are two ninja that have taken control of this village, I believe they are criminals. You have to get rid of them for us, please." A older woman said with no small hint of desperation.

"We are on a tight schedule, but maybe one or two of us could stay here and help you." Jiraiya mused, rubbing his chin already deciding who he would leave behind.

"That mean's us Akimi-chan." Naruto sighed.

"Huh why us?" Akimi asked. She didn't particularly care that she had to help but was more curious as to how Naruto had come to that conclusion.

"We're the fastest two in the group, the only ones who have a chance at catching up to the others before they get to the borders of Ame." Naruto explained.

"Well since you have volunteered so nicely, then yes I think the two of you would be perfect for this job." Jiraiya said happily.

"Well not that I am complaining or anything but do you really think this will require both of us? It just seems like overkill to me." Akimi replied.

"One of us is overkill, it's probably just some group of wannabe criminals that know a few jutsu." Naruto sighed.

"Yes, that's probably the case, but to be on the safe side leaving you with Akimi-chan would be safer, you never know when the Akatsuki might show up. Besides, I think the rest of us can deal with anything if the Akatsuki really do attack Ame, so feel free to take your time. Think of it as a working holiday." Jiraiya replied.

'_He's just trying to make up for this morning, he doesn't want Akimi-chan to retaliate._' Naruto realised. Still the thought was intriguing. "Alright fine we'll take the job. Once we finish our lunch."

**End Chapter!**

**Yes I know, I have been slack, I have been really busy at work, can't tell you how many talentless people want to make an album for their families for Xmas... I hate xmas carols at the best of times, but I have been forced to listen to almost nothing else but them for the past three weeks sung badly. Then I brought a PS4 and have been enjoying that in the little free time I have had. I know it's not much of an excuse but at least it's the truth. **

**Spoiler Alert!**

**How was Madara able to control Hashirama? Just because he is alive now shouldn't mean he can simply control Hashirama, also if he was brought back to life, he shouldn't have had the changers that Orochimaru and Kabuto made to his body. This is yet another pointless power up for the sake of extending an already ridiculously long arc. Then the manga will end with no depth, maybe a short one chapter resolution solving nothing. **

**Now my guess is Madara will attempt to absorb the free Bijuu or at least control them. Cue another long several chapter heartfelt speech by Naruto that seems to sound strangely familiar to the last three he gave. For a story about ninja there is surprisingly few deaths. It has been terribly repetitive since Nagato, honestly the only time they have acted believable was during the zombie brothers arc. (Personal Favourite) **

**On another note, why wont Obito just die already? Now Minato and Kakashi are risking letting Madara get his eyes back. Kill him and destroy the Rinnegan while they still can. Never mind, that would require someone to actually use their head and think of something other than sentimental attachment to a complete asshole who put them in this mess to begin with. **


	137. Unforeseen Frustrations

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 137: Unforeseen Frustrations**

The Yoinokuchi were gathered at the edge of the small village they had stopped in for a quick rest. It was positioned at the top of a small hill in an area of open planes that stretched on for a fair distance, to the North was a thick forested area while to the south a large river snaked across the landscape. "Alright Naruto, You and Akimi-chan will stay here and help this village out with their little problem. The rest of us will meet you in Ame at sometime tomorrow." Jiraiya ordered calmly.

"Yeah no sweat, we will be done here in no time." Naruto replied confidently.

"Just be careful, I know you both can handle yourselves well enough, but it's quite possible that whoever you are looking for will know that you're here." The elder toad sage pointed out seriously.

"Alright we understand. Right Naruto-kun?" Akimi replied, she was ready to get to work so the warnings were rather frustrating. She knew they came from a good place, Jiraiya was just trying to make sure that Naruto didn't get a big head and begin to think he was indestructible.

"Yeah, don't worry Jiraiya-sensei, I will be careful." The blonde added agreeing with the kunoichi although he sounded like he was barely listening.

Karin, the groups rather reluctant travel companion was tempted to offer her assistance in tracking the ninja responsible down. '_If I can show them I can be useful then perhaps they will at least keep me alive._' she thought hesitantly. She really had no idea why they were keeping her alive, so had very little to share with the Yoinokuchi about what the Masked man was planning, she didn't even know where any of the Akatsuki hideout's were. "Um, I am a sensor. If you wan't I could stay behind with them and help out." She said timidly, deciding that it really couldn't hurt her chances to ask.

"You want to help?" Zabuza asked rather shocked. "You haven't said one word since we pulled you out of that samurai prison cell, and now you want to help us? I'm not buying it missy. You just want to escape and figure that two people would be easier to escape than a large group." He added.

"That is not true. I know a little about your group, Orochimaru would mention Jiraiya the Toad Sage every now and then. Sasuke-kun would also speak about you." Karin said pointing at Naruto. "Because of you and his brother Itachi, Sasuke-kun's chakra has become so much darker recently."

"I hardly see how that is my fault, Sasuke-teme should learn to pick his battles better. Really what did he hope to accomplish by coming after Itachi? Although the truth is that for awhile Itachi was willing to let Sasuke kill him, he was sick anyway." Naruto replied casually.

"What do you mean? Why would he let Sasuke-kun kill him, and what changed?" Karin asked suddenly very interested in what the blonde had to say.

"That story can wait, I wouldn't want to give you all that information without us getting anything in return." Naruto answered calmly.

"But I said I would help you find the ninja in this village, isn't that enough for some useless information?" The red head asked with a hint of desperation.

"All information can both valuable and useless, it's the ones that seek information that give it value. I would say you find this small insight into Itachi to be of great value. Now as for your offer... I must admit that the offer is tempting and it is appreciated, but I think Akimi-chan and I can handle ourselves I'm not all that bad of a sensor myself, when I put my mind to it." Naruto said surprisingly kindly.

"But what do you want then?" The red head asked. She was sounding rather concerned, but she guessed that at least that the blonde did not want to see her killed anytime soon.

"I'll have some questions for you later, think of it as your useless information, that will be traded for my useless information." Naruto answered.

Karin was about to reply that she didn't know anything but Jiraiya stepped in. "This conversation can wait for another day, we're behind schedule as it is. Let's go everyone." He ordered, not even pausing before he disappeared at full speed, forcing the other Yoinokuchi members to do likewise.

It was a testament to the collective will power, and speed of the group, that in less than a minute they were all out of sight of the blonde Uzumaki. "I guess we should probably get started too." He sighed.

"Yeah, the question is where do we start? Jiraiya said himself that these villages often have former shinobi that have retired living in them. If you simply scan for people with higher than average chakra signatures then we could get the wrong targets." Akimi reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right. I would also like to find out just what has been going on in this village anyway. If they are being terrorised then why has nothing been damaged?" Naruto questioned.

"I'm not following you?" Akimi replied.

"I mean, in the past when ever we have seen missing nin or bandit's attack or occupy a civilian village, there is at least some form of physical evidence in the town, a store burnt down, windows smashed. That sort of thing. Here on the other hand, everything looks fine, just the basic wear and tear you would expect from a village so isolated." Naruto explained.

Akimi took the chance and assessed the village once more, Naruto was right, there seemed to be no sign of any damage caused to the small town what so ever. "You're right, but that doesn't exactly prove anything. Still we should definitely ask around and find out what has been happening here before we act." She said agreeing with the blonde.

Luckily for the pair it was a very small town, all the stores were on one road and the few branching paths all led to the villagers homes. The stores themselves were nothing special, just regular single floor wooden buildings with the name of the store out the front. In fact the only large building in the entire town was the tavern which acted as a hotel for passing travellers. "So the question is, where to start? It's doubtful that any random person will have the information we need."

"Well normally intruders would secure any weapons in the town to prevent the people from fighting back. If that's the case then we should ask the weapons dealer. There is bound to be one around here, even civilians buy weapons to defend themselves in an emergency, especially when there are no ninja in the town." Akimi proposed.

"That sounds good enough for me." Naruto replied almost lazily. The young couple walked through the main street, looking for any store that looked like it may have sold weapons. Most of them seemed to be innocent enough, and nothing stood out as an armoury. They did two sweeps of the village and still no sign of so much as a kunai.

"That's odd, I didn't even see any kitchen knives for sale." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "It's possible that whoever is taking advantage of this town removed all the weapons. Maybe we should ask the villagers that wanted us to take the job, they surely know something, let's find them." He decided.

That task was nowhere near as difficult as finding weapons, the small group of villagers that had approached the group while they ate lunch were still in the small restaurant where they had been less than an hour before. "Back so soon? Don't tell me you have already removed the pests?" one of the men questioned.

"Not exactly, we're looking for some leads. For one there seems to be a few things that are out of place." Naruto said calmly.

"Out of place? Well isn't that to be expected from a civilian only village? One that has been oppressed by shinobi no less." The man said stiffly.

"Maybe, but there seems to be no signs of a struggle in this town at all, on top of that there doesn't seem to be anything in any of the stores that could even be thought of as a weapon. Most villages, even civilian ones have some way of defending themselves." Naruto reasoned.

The man looked a little ashamed at the discoveries of the blonde jinchuuriki. "Well that's because, we didn't put up a fight at all. The ones responsible were shinobi so they would only overpower us if we fought back. Knowing this we let them do as they please, and naturally they took all of our weapons."

Naruto sighed accepting that was at least somewhat understandable. "Alright, then do you know where this group is hiding? I assume that there are at least some former shinobi in this village so they must at least know where the ninja are hiding." He asked.

"Well yes I know where they are, but it would be easier to just wait for them to come to us here." The man replied.

"Why is that?" Akimi asked casually.

"They have placed traps all around the edge of their camp, someone from the village attempted to get close and deal with the problem and he didn't make it within one hundred yards." The man explained.

"Well, if you don't mind I would like to judge the danger for myself. So please tell me where they are hiding." Naruto spoke calmly to make sure that the man didn't think of the statement as a request, rather an order.

The man seemingly understood and nodded quickly. "To the north, there is a small cave. It's just after the end of the open field so you will need to enter the forest a small way. But it's a death trap, if you enter the forest their traps will kill you."

"Like I said, I will see for myself. I have a fairly good record when it comes to avoiding traps." Naruto replied, already leaving the restaurant with Akimi close behind.

"Something wrong?" The kunoichi asked when she saw how serious Naruto was.

"I'm not sure, something doesn't feel right. I mean if they willingly gave up the town, why send people after them later?" Naruto mused.

"Maybe they didn't want to damage the village?" Akimi suggested.

"That's true, but on that note, why would the ninja be living in a cave if they had already surrendered the town? You can't keep an eye on the village and make sure they are not planing anything if you stay so far away." The blonde added.

"Do you think that man was lying?" Akimi asked as the pair left the village heading north.

"I'm not sure, his face didn't give anything away, that alone makes me question his story." Naruto answered.

"Personally I just want to get this over with." The dark haired kunoichi sighed.

"I suppose Jiraiya-sensei did give us a day for us to spend together." Naruto said with a smirk.

"So let's kick these guys asses, then find a nicer place to stay for the night." Akimi replied with a small blush and smirk of her own.

"Sounds good to me." Naruto said quickly picking up the pace. They were at the edge of the forest in no time. Evergreen trees grew tall like pencils, while there was very little ground covering indicating that in the winter this forest would be covered in snow, a prospect that Naruto was quite glad to not have to deal with at the current time. "Alright no more running, we should at the very least take the villagers warning, keep your eyes peeled for traps."

"You don't need to warn me I can handle myself just fine." Akimi replied.

"I know, it's just hard for me to not worry about my beautiful Akimi-chan." The blonde teased stealing a quick kiss.

Akimi rolled her eyes but blushed ever so slightly regardless. "Fine, I guess I do worry about you too."

The blonde smiled happily and began walking slowly into the forest, scanning the area throughly before taking his next step. Their target was a rather obvious one, not too far in the distance there was a large steep cliff, it was Naruto's guess that it would have to be the location of the cave the man had spoke of in the village.

The movement through the forest was excruciatingly slow for two of the fastest shinobi alive, each step seemed to take an age with the constant threat of a trap being sprung forcing the pair to be extra careful. "Ah can't we just race through it!? Any trap we spring shouldn't be able to hit us if we just move fast enough." Akimi sighed in frustration.

"Well that would work for most normal traps, these I am not so sure. Look at this." Naruto said pointing to a small mark on the side of a tree a short distance ahead of them.

"What is it?" The kunoichi asked intrigued. Naruto knelt down in front of a small white patch that was strapped to the side of a tree.

"It's a marker." Naruto said calmly pulling out a small pad and scribbling down a copy of the seal.

"Do you want to explain what a marker actually is?" Akimi asked.

"It's part of a rather obscure form of Fuinjutsu. Basically it requires a number of these markers to form a seal over a large area where drawing a sealing matrix is either too hard or impossible, each marker connects to another like an invisible tripwire." Naruto explained.

"If that's the case, then wouldn't removing one marker disable the seal?" The kunoichi questioned.

"Well normally yes. But they can be overlapped multiple seal arrays creating a web of seals to detect and target anyone that enters. Then there is a possibility that anyone of these markers is booby trapped. It wouldn't surprise me, anyone with the knowledge of this form of sealing is advanced in the art. Finally taking the marker away would be as good as knocking on the door and telling them that we are here." Naruto explained not looking up from the pad he was still hastily writing.

"So how do you know so much then? Did Jiraiya-sama teach you about this?" Akimi questioned.

"Uh well It's my dad... no more likely it's my mother's information. Like a flash of information that comes to me as I need it. It's really hard to explain. Even now I am drawing a seal, that I have never seen it before, it's like my arm is moving on my own. I only know what I need to draw a few seconds before I get to that part of the seal." Naruto said his pen finally stopping.

Naruto moved over to the marker and placed his seal over the top. Instantly the seal began to glow a bright green. A few seconds later the seal burnt away leaving the marker behind. "Well that was anticlimactic, was that supposed to suck so much?" Akimi asked with a laugh.

"Not everything has to look impressive you know, the seal did just what it was supposed to." Naruto replied.

"And what was that, because all that I saw happen was that your seal burned away." Akimi laughed.

"As a matter of face I overloaded the seal and all those that connect to it, we can now move on and they will be none the wiser." Naruto said smugly.

"So... uh wow, that's..." Akimi stuttered

Naruto smiled confidently. "Yeah not so shit now is it."

"Well next time make it more impressive." The Kunoichi replied casually trying to save face.

"Just admit you lost this one." Naruto chuckled.

"I admit nothing." The kunoichi said in faux defiance. There fake argument continued as they continued to walk towards their objective. "So um, this might just be me, but is somebody watching us?"

"Yeah they have been for awhile, we really shouldn't have been talking so loudly." The blonde sighed.

"We uh, we really made a mess of things didn't we." Akimi said with a sad laugh, she couldn't help but think of the irony of spending so much time to avoid being detected by disabling the seals only to be discovered by their fake argument.

"Well we did find the people responsible for attacking the town, so I guess that's a win." Naruto chuckled. The moment he finished talking the two shinobi had to jump away in opposite directions as a hail of kunai flew at them from above.

The attack didn't stop there as from several trees surrounding the blonde kunai burst out from seals. "Wow, nice trap. Shinra Tensei!" Akimi fell into a similar trap, but with a burst of speed she avoided the attack as well. "Not bad, that takes some skill."

"Same can be said for you, I've never met anyone who could counter all of my seals in one go." A voice said, echoing from all around them.

"Can you compliment him later, these seals are deadly." Akimi replied, escaping a rather powerful exploding tag by the tightest margins.

"Right, sorry Akimi-chan. Now normally I would mess around for awhile to test out just how good you really are, but I would rather not risk Akimi-chan getting hurt. So good luck avoiding this." Naruto said loudly. The next instant Naruto's arm opened out and a large barrage of rockets flew out in every direction. The explosions rocked the area.

"Wait! I give up, so please I'm sorry!" The voice said again clearly frightened. Naruto complied and waited. Out from behind one of the few trees that were still standing after Naruto's rather liberal use of firepower came a young man in his early twenties with long red hair tied back into a ponytail and dark green eyes. He was wearing a long purple kimono that was well worn and did not look suitable for fighting. "I surrender, please don't fire anymore explosives." He said calmly.

"Should have known, only an Uzumaki would have such an impressive knowledge of seals." Naruto said as he studied the man before him. He was certainly no fighter, Naruto would be surprised if he had ever been in a fight in his life. Naruto was certain that this man was no shinobi, a Fuinjutsu master maybe, but not a ninja. "Why are you attacking the village? And who is out here with you."

The man's eyes widened in surprise. "How... how did you know?" He asked.

"Why else would you surrender. I sensed your presence awhile ago, even with the chakra suppressing seal you placed on yourself. My random firing in every direction was an act to see how you would react should the two others a short distance to the north be threatened." Naruto explained.

"They are my younger brother and sister. I'm sorry for attacking you, I thought you were from that village. Those people, they're not what they seem. First they act all nice and friendly, but it's all an act." The red headed Uzumaki said a little urgently.

"So let me get this strait, you are not terrorising that village?" Akimi asked, carefully looking around for signs of anymore seals.

"Of course not! Do I look like a shinobi to you? I have been trained to use chakra for sealing only. My siblings escaped from that... village about a week ago. They are keeping people locked away inside the basements of the houses. We would have gone far away, but they still have our parents. I have been trying to find a way to sneak into the village but so far nothing I have tried works." The young man said desperately.

"You're kidding right. They hired us just to kill off someone that escaped from them?" Akimi asked a little skeptical.

"It's not all that unbelievable, if he escaped, and went to one of the ninja villages, then it's likely that they would send a team to investigate. They also discovered that your sealing techniques were far too advanced for them to ever hope to get near your camp. That's why they wanted to send us, chances are they didn't expect us to succeed." Naruto replied.

"So what now then?" Akimi asked with a sense of foreboding at the feeling of her small holiday slowly slipping away.

"We get to the bottom of everything. We go back to town and tell them that the job is done, meanwhile I'll send a clone with our new friend here to show us where his parents are hidden. If everything is as he said, then we shut this village down, for good if we have too." Naruto suggested.

"Fine, but can we hurry up, there is a resort village only an hours run from here, I would like to be their before night time." Akimi declared.

"Thank you, I promise you I am not lying." He said with a small bow before extending a hand in friendship. "Stazia Uzumaki"

Naruto accepted his hand firmly. "Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Akimi-chan."

"Uzumaki? Forgive me if I sound rude, but you do not look like an Uzumaki." Stazia replied.

"No offence taken, I guess I look more like my father, but I took my mothers name, she was an Uzumaki." Naruto explained.

"You are an odd one, but your skill with Fuinjutsu can't be denied, definitely at an Uzumaki standard. If we are going to do this, then please the sooner the better, I want to see my parents again." Stazia said.

Naruto nodded creating a shadow clone of himself. After a quick rundown of the plan they split up, Naruto and Akimi leaving first heading for the village, while the clone and Stazia remained behind, until the real Naruto gave the clone a signal.

"Why couldn't this have been a straight forward mission, I swear nothing we do ever goes smoothly." Naruto sighed.

"Speak for yourself, it's only ever missions with you that go so badly, I mean it's like you are a magnet for running into road blocks that keep stalling you." Akimi replied.

"Well at least it's never boring. Now the real problem will be finding out just who in the village is aware of what is going on." The blonde said ignoring Akimi's light jab.

"Nobody looked to be scared or even coerced to play along with the kidnappings. Maybe everyone is in on it, not just the ones that sent us after Stazia." The kunoichi guessed.

"I would really like for you to be wrong about this one. But you do have a point, that whole village did seem a little weird." Naruto said with a serious expression. The rest of the short journey passed with the young couple both in deep thought. "Alright let's stop here for a moment." Naruto said suddenly. Coming to a stop in mid step, Naruto closed his eyes and he began to meditate. Not moving an inch until dark pigment formed around his eyes, indicating that he had entered Sage Mode. "Wow."

Akimi waited for a few moments for Naruto to elaborate but he showed no signs of doing so. Needless to say this frustrated the kunoichi, who didn't like being left out of the loop. "Well what is it!?"

"This village, it's all a front. Everyone has a large chakra supply that has obviously been trained at some point. It's like a holding cell under the village, there are more people there than I can count. What's worse is that they are split up, each store contains around five to ten people that have been captured, most are civilians, but there are some Ninja in there as well." Naruto explained, he wasn't angry, he was down right pissed off. Only the knowledge that a large attack could harm the prisoners kept him from levelling the fake town and passing judgement on those responsible. "Someone is going to pay for this!"

**End Chapter!**

**I have to admit, I didn't like how this chapter turned out. The flow was off so things seemed a little disjointed, even the Dialogue was a little down on recent standard. But I hate doing things twice and I am going away on Saturday so I wouldn't get a chance to rewrite this chapter, until Next Year anyway. So instead I cut it short, mostly to save the rest of the mini arc from falling into the same poor standard.**

**Anyway like I said, I am going away until some time during the first week of the New Year so I may be a little quiet on the updates for the next few weeks. I am taking my Ipad with me though, so I might get a chance to write a chapter, but if not I just want to thank all of my readers for a great year. You all make writing very enjoyable, so again thank you all, for all your lovely comments, I promise you I read every one of them, and take everything you say into consideration, so if you have any suggestions that you would like to see, or even critisicms in Nightfall, or any of my other fic's don't hesitate to send them.**

**Spoiler Alert!**

**The latest chapter... … … Sigh! **

**Why not do that shit with the chains earlier. Being an Edo Tensei didn't stop him from using other bull shit jutsu. Then somehow a chain can remove a Bijuu from their jinchuuriki? I have this crazy Idea, revert back to your normal form and stop using the Bijuu's chakra. You can just slip right through the chain links. **

**But seriously It took the entire Akatsuki three days or so to remove the Ichibi from Gaara's seal and store it in the statue, yet suddenly there's this new jutsu, which Zetsu would have had to of known being Madara's will, that can do all nine at once in what I am guessing will be an instant. As I said before Sigh. If he needed the Rinnegan, why the fuck didn't Nagato just use it when Naruto went all Kyuubified? Here's the answer, back then we had a shit ton less plot holes. Again... Sigh.**

**Second issue is with the effects of Sage Mode for Madara, His body was torn apart serious injuries. Sage Mode heals the body 4x faster not 400x faster. He then said it was because of Hashirama's cells. Okay fair enough, except that his healing was a medical jutsu that he invented not because of his DNA otherwise Yamato and Zetsu would be just as hard to kill, granted the explination helped a little. Naruto doesn't even heal that fast with Kurama's help and Sage Mode together, case in point when he was cut during Sakura's pointless attempt to become a useful character and kill Sasuke.**

**Now I know it's only been a few chapters, but at the moment the best to people to fight Madara are Minato, who is baby sitting retard number 1 (Obito). Kakashi should just stab him in that Rinnegan eye, destroy the fucking thing. Obito is dead once Black Zetsu leaves his body anyway. And the second one would be Tobirama. Each can use the Hirashin, so first one moves, get's crushed by a Shinra Tensei, then the other attacks during the five second cool down. (Que random Bull shit where Madara doesn't need any cool down time or something, removing the only weakness of that jutsu.) Sigh.**

**Regadless the fight would be over in an instant hit him with a strong enough jutsu now that he's human again, and he's dead, world saved. It won't happen though. I'm even betting Madara will get the Hachibi and Kyuubi. Naruto will survive the same way Kushina did until he get's either the Kyuubi back, or becomes the host for the Juubi. This arc, which I believe will be the final one in Naruto, feels like one of the old JRPG's where the final boss would take like sixteen hours non stop to fight, then you die just as your about to kill him, and have to go all the way back to the fucking start! It's rage worthy, but at the same time makes you want to finish it all the more. **

**It really needs a resolution arc, that resolves some questions I think many of us have had at some point, like who was Minato's family. Which we won't get it will end after this arc and maybe one or two other chapters wit a one pannel flash forward into the future where Naruto is either Hokage or dead. **


	138. Naruto's Wrath

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 138: Naruto's Wrath**

Naruto stood unmoving as he slowly let his sage mode fade, his eyes returning to their normal purple rippled pattern. "All of them, every single last one of the people in that village, is a liar. They all have large chakra reserves at least at chunin levels. It looks like this place is nothing but a set up, made to lure travellers into their trap for what ever reason. They probably asked for a few of us to stay here to try and capture us as well." He raged.

The sun still shone down on the small village, that had been discovered to be nothing but fake, the small quiet setting was nothing more than a front, a well planned lie. Underneath each building the so called villagers had captives, including Stazia's family, members of Naruto's scattered clan.

"All of them, the children too?" Akimi asked.

"There are no children, no loving families. from the start something felt off about that village, these clues were sitting right before my eyes and I missed them. Think back do you remember seeing a kid in that... that place." Naruto seethed.

Akimi thought back, then more she thought about it the more accurate Naruto's assessment was, in the time they spent in the small village they saw no young children, just one or two elderly teens around their age, nor did she see any couples that looked like they were family. "We still have to keep our calm, at least until we can release all the prisoners. There is no telling what security they have keeping them in if there are trained ninja among them." She said hoping to stick to the original plan and calm the blonde down.

The blonde took a deep breath in and let out a long sigh. "You're right, I guess that means playing along with these pieces of trash for a little while longer yet."

"We still don't know why they are doing it, but it's hard to even think of a good explanation for capturing people and locking them away like this." Akimi said. She was trying almost as hard as Naruto was to keep calm after finding out what was happening in the village. It's a fate she could have shared had her brother not taken her from Kumo when she was a child.

They waited another minute until they were confident that they could deceive the so caller villagers. Now that they knew what to look for everything became so obvious. Those posing as the elderly all had on make up or high quality masks that moulded to the face. For ninja who can conceal their appearance with a simple Henge the use of masks was rare, however in this case it was brilliant. If nobody used any chakra then the chances are the travellers passing by would not care to notice someone using a mask and makeup in their own town.

Barely casting the small hoard of people supposedly out for a night in the bar they returned to the restaurant where they had met the men that asked the Yoinokuchi to kill the escaped Uzumaki siblings, and waited. They waited for several minutes in silence, not ordering anything other than a glass of water each.

Naruto's eyes slid to the door as the same group of disguised ninja entered the restaurant. "Ah you've returned, that is good news. Have the shinobi been dealt with?" A man asked with clear interest.

"Don't worry, that problem is gone now... but we're really exhausted, we could use a place to rest for a few hours." Naruto answered calmly.

The groups eyes widened with merciless joy. "That is fantastic news, and of course we will be more than happy to find a room for the two of you to rest in."

"Thank's we won't need to stay for long, just until we recover from everything we went though, one or two hours tops and we'll be able to move on." Naruto lied setting the bait.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto's clone and Stazia Uzumaki were sitting outside of the village just out of sight of anyone that would be looking out the window of the closest house. "We will need to take anyone out who might get in our way. So no messing around, when we get in there, stay as quite as possible and if we see anyone leave them to me." The blondes clone said quietly.

"But aren't you a clone, one hit and you're done for." Stazia said a little hesitantly.

"Well yeah, but they will have to see me for that to happen, so I don't plan for it to be an issue. I also can't make a noise... in that case." Naruto started to run through hand seals before bringing them together summoning his Katana.

"You can summon a sword?" Stazia stated in surprise.

"Well this sword I can. It's made from this special substance that only I can summon." Naruto explained while examining the glistening perfectly formed blade of his Katana. '_I really should learn to use this thing properly, but so long as I don't get into a fight with a Kenjutsu master I should be fine._'

"Well I don't really understand, but I guess thats alright, special sword that you can't lose no matter how careless you are... Sounds useful." Stazia mused.

"Actually it is rather useful. Seriously the amount of times I've put it down somewhere and just completely forgotten about... it is rather sad." Naruto sighed.

"How did I lose to you?" Stazia said with a deadpan.

"Well I'm stronger than I look." The clone chuckled.

Stazia just shook his head. "Well you're certainly not smarter."

"Hey! Thats not cool, I'm helping you out here." Naruto said with a sweat drop.

"I take what I can get." Stazia chuckled.

"Ah just you wait, I've got this." The clone said jumping to his feet and stalking off towards the closest building.

The small single floor townhouse had no lights on when Naruto's clone slipped inside one of the windows. '_They're being kept in the basement, well then let's head down stairs._' The blonde thought quickly slicing the floor beneath his feet.

He found himself in the a rather interesting position, surrounded by several rather scared looking half naked women. They flinched at the blondes every move. "Uh I guess, Hi wouldn't be an appropriate greeting right about now." He said calmly.

"Wh-Who are you? Please, let us go." A woman in her mid thirties begged.

"Well, that is sort of why I am here, not so much to let you go as to rescue you." Naruto said.

"You're going to get us out of this prison? What about the rest of my family we were seperated after they captured us." Another women said frantically, far louder than Naruto would have liked. Several other women followed suit each wanting to know what Naruto knew.

"Sorry this is the first place I came to. I am working to free everyone in this village, but I don't know anything yet, I'm sorry." Naruto whispered.

Suddenly there was a loud bang on the door. "Shut up in there, don't make us discipline you again."

"You haven't dealt with the guards yet?" One of the woman asked in a hushed gasp.

"Yes, I killed the guards, then walked back upstairs. Cutting a hole in the ceiling, because I thought it would make a flashy entrance, it makes perfect sense." Naruto replied sarcastically. The lady that had questioned him apologised and shrank back now a little afraid that the rescue would go horribly wrong. "Sorry, I will deal with the guards now." Naruto said feeling a little bad about not taking their situation seriously.

Naruto casually approached the large wooden doors keeping the women locked away and drew his blade once more. The Katana cut the lock like butter then flung the doors open, keeping himself hidden behind them exposing the guards outside to the rather odd event. "What the fuck!" He heard one of them yell followed by the sound of feet slowly approaching. He waited until two guards had entered the room before in one swift he liberated their heads from the misfortune of being joined to bodies.

Spinning on the spot Naruto saw that one guard still remained. With one thrust of his palm Naruto sent a burst of shredding wind that burst the guards chest open ripping his heart to shreds. The blonde sighed and lowered his Katana. "Alright, follow closely, but you need to remain quiet and do as I say, there are quite a few more stops I need to make in order to rescue everyone, so I can't come with you, but, there is someone waiting just outside that will tell you where you need to go." Naruto explained.

And so while Naruto and Akimi continued to talk to the villagers, the jinchuuriki's clone was moving from house to house, leaving no one alive to breath word of his presence. Naruto was so careful that he made sure that every kill was instant, making sure there was no chance of his previous victim to alert the next. Silent and deadly, never making a sound save to clean off his blade.

The fake villagers had separated families, at first Naruto thought it was to send the women off to slavery, but it soon became obvious once Naruto came to one of the larger houses that his presumptions were wrong. He had just finished using the Chameleon Jutsu to sneak up on a much larger group of guards, these ones he could tell were far stronger than the guards of the previous homes.

'_I need to wait for them to become a more manageable group, if I wanted to take all of them out in one go it would make too much noise, I don't want to risk it._' He thought as he sat down in the corner of a small room completely unseen.

"Aren't we a little light tonight? These adepts could be a handful if they find a way out of their restraints." One man asked, he had a large sword strapped to his back.

'_Oh shit, did I kill someone that was supposed to be here... if they move from house to house then this plan is going to go downhill fast, maybe I should just go loud and finish this quickly._' Naruto thought gripping his blade ready to drop his jutsu and make sure everyone in the village knew where he was.

Naruto stopped when he was cut off by a woman with short black hair and kunai strapped around her thigh without a pouch. "No not tonight, everyone that isn't essential for guard duty is getting ready for the next set of prisoners. These two will fetch a huge price, the boy seems to have some Kekkei Genkai, and the kunoichi... well lets just say even if she wasn't a shinobi we would get a huge price for her." She said licking her lips.

'How am I supposed to take that, I have mixed feelings right now?' Naruto questioned himself, he had to admit that for a rather heartless slave trader she was quite attractive.

"So why are these two so special, we have some Jounin from Kusa locked under the bar, we didn't use the whole town just for them." The man with the sword on his back asked grabbing a flagon of what Naruto assumed was beer and took a large swig.

The dark haired woman smirked knowingly. "Because of who they were traveling with."

The others waited but after a few seconds it was clear they would have to ask. "Okay fine who was it?"

"Jiraiya one of the Sannin of Konoha. A group of about seven of them showed up earlier on today a few hours ago, they looked like they were in a hurry, but we couldn't let such valuable shinobi escape, they are paying over the top prices for well known shinobi." The woman replied.

"A member of the Sannin? Are you insane, more of us would die then the value of any prophet we would get." A man with light brown hair down to his shoulders that seemed like it had never been cared for.

"You said seven right? But Jiraiya left?" The man with the sword on his back asked a little scared.

"Yeah that's right. He left with most of the others. Why?" The woman asked.

The man placed his flagon on the table leaning forward. "Remember those stories we heard in the Land of Fire about that group... The Yoinokuchi?"

"Yeah what about it, nothing but a load of bull shit if you ask me. Jiraiya one the the legends of the leaf and Itachi Uchiha an S class criminal working together. I saw Jiraiya today with my own eyes and Itachi was nowhere to be seen, it's a shame though, I hear he is quite the looker." The woman scoffed.

The other man waved her off eager to continue his story. "Well I did a little bit of research when I was in the Land of Water, that was where they supposedly became famous if you remember."

The dark haired lady pulled a kunai from her leg strap and began cleaning her nails. "Yeah so?"

"Well, that group is no myth, and the main threat of the group isn't the Sannin or Uchiha." He explained, the woman quirked an eyebrow. "It's a Shinobi in his mid teens, bright yellow hair, and purple eyes with a rippling pattern."

There was a loud clang as the kunai in the woman's hand clattered to the floor, a small trickle of blood running down her index finger. "What did you just say!?" She said urgently, gipping the man's shirt around the neck.

"A teen with yellow hair... I think it was spiky and purple eyes. He's a hero in the Land of Water, the boy responsible for ending the bloodline purge war when he fought and killed the Mizukage." The man choaked out trying to remember every small detail of the boy.

"His name, did they give you a name." She asked shaking the man.

"It's.. Naruto-sama."

"Fuck! We have to go warn the others, even with everyone's help there will be bloodshed if they don't take him seriously." The woman yelled quickly getting to her feet.

"Well you're right about one thing." Naruto said appearing in front of the doorway. "There will be bloodshed, but it won't matter how many of you there are, you're already dead." Naruto said his hands forming a seal as he took a deep breath in. The occupants of the room could only scream as flames shot fourth from Naruto's mouth incinerating everything before them. When the smoke cleared he saw that several of them had attempted to shield themselves with jutsu, the man with the sword getting so far as to begin erecting a stone wall that failed to rise in time. '_I'm almost impressed, they were probably high level Chunin quality. Oh well let's see who they were guarding._'

Behind the door, was the largest group of people so far, each of them had surprisingly high levels of chakra yet none looked like ninja. At least they didn't until at the back of the room chained to the wall he found six Genin. Among this group were a middle aged man and woman with dark red hair. Naruto helped the woman up as it looked like her hands had been broken. In a flash his hand glowed green and the wounds set. "Thank you." She said forming a fist to check the blondes handy work.

"Stazia is waiting outside, I couldn't let him see his family hurt could I. Besides, I'm an Uzumaki too, wouldn't want to be a bad cousin." Naruto replied.

The Uzumaki woman beamed at the blonde giving him a quick hug before she ran off with the others escaping the once well guarded basement. "Hey were's our Sensei?" Naruto heard someone say and turned to find the Genin he had freed did not leave with everyone else.

"They are in the centre of town, I have two more houses to do before I can get to them, go with the others and get to safety, I'll save your sensei's." Naruto explained.

"No way, how do we know you won't just run away!?" Another Genin replied.

"Because I am just a shadow clone anyway. There is no threat of me dying... at least not here anyway." Naruto explained.

"Then we're coming with you! You said it yourself, you're a clone right so that mean-" But what it means was never verbalised as the Genin soon found himself unconscious.

"Sorry but you can''t come with me, it's too dangerous and I need to be completely quiet until everyone is safe and out of this village. Now will you leave or do I have to knock each and every one of you out and drag you to safety myself?" Naruto asked.

The still conscious Genin didn't like the sound of running away but reluctantly accepted knowing that they had little to no chance of winning against Naruto and even less against a town full of the criminals that captured them.

(**Meanwhile**)

"So how's it going?" Akimi asked seeing the real Naruto sitting on a bed quietly in sage mode, his eyes closed as he watched the events play out through his clones eyes.

"Not bad, it's almost done, just three more buildings to go. They are massing in the middle of town getting ready to attack us. So that will be the distraction my clone will need to rescue the two Jounin locked under the bar." Naruto answered.

"So it sounds like the plan worked perfectly." Akimi said taking a seat next to the blonde, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yes the fact that they believe we got rid of Stazia and were traveling with Jiraiya-sensei means that the majority of the village is focused on us, letting the prisoners escape unnoticed." Naruto explained.

"So why not just let us go? Surely it's more of a hassle than they want to capture us?" Akimi questioned.

"I think I heard someone say they wanted shinobi, the stronger the better... they're selling them to someone." Naruto replied.

"Buying ninja? Do they have a death wish? If any of the villages found out about this they would be hunted to the ends of the earth." Akimi said in shock.

"I don't know, something like this can't be kept hidden, and as soon as the Ninja villages find out, they will take action. We shouldn't even need to do anything about them, nothing we can do to them will be anywhere near as bad as what the hidden villages will do." Naruto replied.

"Speaking of things you would do. What do you plan on doing when your clone finishes rescuing everyone?" Akimi asked casually.

Naruto hummed in contemplation. "I'm not really sure... If I had to say, then it would probably something painful."

"Well just make sure it's quick. The sun will be going down soon, and I would rather not spend the night in what will undoubtably become a massive graveyard any minute now." Akimi said flatly.

"Well the numbers are getting up there." Naruto mused counting his fingers.

Akimi chuckled at the nonchalant manner in which Naruto was talking about the men he killed. "We really need a hobby." She replied.

"Yeah but who has the time, it's bad enough that we never get to spend any time alone without some idiots showing up and try to kill us." Naruto sighed.

"Well in these idiots defence, they are not trying to kill us... but it is still a valid point." The kunoichi sighed. Naruto's eyes opened just a fraction, enough that Akimi could tell he was looking at the roof. "How many?" She asked, in a whisper.

In response Naruto held up three fingers. "The rest are surrounding the building incase the others fail, I'm counting well over fifty." He said so quietly even Akimi had a hard time hearing him. The swift release kunoichi nodded and discretely backed up creating a small amount of separation from herself and Naruto.

Naruto remained seated as three kunai sailed into the room impaling into the far wall, each kunai had a tag with a seal attached to the end. Rather than explode like a normal exploding tag, these acted in a chain, the first one let out a bright blinding flash of light while the other two created a smoke screen seconds later.

Naruto had already anticipated such a move however and used a fuuton jutsu to clear the room of smoke before anyone outside could move in. "I was wondering how long it would take for this to happen." Naruto said loudly, he still needed to stall for time as his clone had not finished liberating the prisoners yet.

"It's a foolish man that willingly walks into a trap." A smooth calm voice came from outside.

"Well you have a point there, but which one of us is really walking into the trap now? So while your men prepare themselves for another attempt at capturing us, why don't you tell me why you're doing this? We mean you no harm." Naruto said not letting on that he knew about the prisoners.

"Two jounin level shinobi, there are any number of reasons why we might want to attack you, maybe you pissed off the wrong people, or maybe we just want the prestige of killing you both." The voice replied.

"If you wanted us dead you wouldn't have used a smoke and flash bomb tags. You're stalling, tell us who you're working for and why you want us, and maybe... just maybe I can talk Naruto-kun into leaving some of your alive." Akimi replied confidently.

"You're outnumbered one hundred to two little lady." The voice laughed. Naruto and Akimi looked at each other for a few moments then joined him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just you are going to need a whole lot more than forty people to take us down. Actually Akimi-chan can probably take care of that many herself." Naruto said with a chuckle. "Doesn't look like they are going to tell us who they are working for, guess they are not so bad at their job after all." He added much quieter so only Akimi could hear.

"Then let's have some fun, first to fifty wins." Akimi joked jumping to her feet and heading towards one of the windows. Naruto soon joined her and they were met with a hail of kunai, this time they looked intent to at least injure the couple. Naruto's eyes ripped and the Kunai stopped dead in mid air, hanging for a few seconds before eventually falling back to the ground.

The first of kunai hadn't even hit the ground when the two Yoinokuchi shinobi kicked out of the window and found their first targets. Naruto landed atop two stunned men, a rasengan in each hand. Akimi on the other hand hadn't stopped at all, removing the blades she had chained to her belt, the kunoichi moved through a small crowd like a tornado, tearing apart anything that came in her way.

She soon had to stop as a barrage of fireballs rained down on her forcing Akimi to jump back. The perpetrators were dealt with in an instant, Naruto took exception to they trying to kill his girlfriend and struck with a fire jutsu of his own, a large dragon of fire ran through the group leaving nothing but ashes in it's wake.

Akimi repaid the favour by skewering two more 'villagers' that were attempting the sneak up behind the blonde. The team work of Naruto and Akimi was flawless, not once did one let the other out of their sight, while each moved at blistering speeds. The disguised ninja were in turmoil, it seemed as though as soon as someone was able to launch a counter attack on either of the Yoinokuchi ninja, the other would arrive and see to it that their lover remained unharmed. "That's twenty!" Naruto yelled after only a minute.

"Ha, I'm on twenty six" she said just before slicing through another throat. "Make that Twenty seven."

The show of their lives being nothing but a sport terrified the already disordered shinobi, who seemed to be stuck between the prospect of begging for their lives, running away, or fighting in some vain hope that they were able to take the two monsters down. A large explosion of wind saw a group that had tried to organise tossed through several buildings, if any had survived they would surely be heavily wounded.

"You're falling behind Naruto-kun, I'm going to win!" Akimi yelled her speed and effectiveness with small blades meant she spent no more than a few seconds for a kill, dividing a group and taking them apart with brutal efficiency.

Naruto while by no means ineffective, was more suited to grand displays of power rather that would take out large groups in one go rather than having to slowly take out large groups one at a time. For this reason he found himself trailing farther behind his girlfriend. That was until his clone had dispelled itself. Naruto's attention quickly changed targets and he grabbed Akimi, pulling her flush against him. "Sorry Akimi-chan, game over... Shinra Tensei!" there was a moments pause of what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was no more than a second where nothing seemed to be happening and then in all directions the village exploded outwards with the force of Naruto's gravitational jutsu.

Where there was once a small hill that housed the fake village, now there was a thin crater. "Hey! You did that because you knew I would have won. That's unfair." Akimi yelled in fake anger.

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "I don't remember you saying that I couldn't do that."

"Well it was implied." The kunoichi huffed, folding her arms as she pouted.

"You know, you're so adorable when you pout." He whispered teasingly.

"Oh fine you win. Still I didn't expect you to get rid of the whole village and kill everyone." Akimi said.

"I did it to act as a warning for anyone else that might be interested in capturing shinobi, and I didn't kill everyone." Naruto replied.

"Really?" Akimi asked looking around, sure enough at the very edge of the crater there was a bald man, slowly crawling in an attempt to get away from the two Yoinokuchi shinobi.

"I needed to keep someone alive for interrogation, but I think I will let Tsunade-baachan deal with him." Naruto said slowly walking over to the bald man, stepping lightly on his clearly broken legs. The man let out a scream but his voice was easily recognisable as the man that had initially hired him and Akimi to deal with Stazia. Naruto began very slowly forming hand seals while kneeling down next to the broken man. "So I believe you bit off a little more than you could chew this time. Should have taken Akimi-chan's offer." He said before slamming his palms into the ground.

"Naruto-sama, how may I assist you?" came the croak of a small blue toad.

"Yo I need you to take this man to the Hokage." Naruto said taking out a pad and a pen, quickly writing a note. "Give Tsunade-baachan this." He added handing the note over.

Naruto persuaded the man to go to sleep and the small toad swallowed him with no trouble. "Until next time Naruto-sama."

By this time a crowd had arrived, all those kept prisoner in the village had shown up. "Whoa, damn kid what did you do to this place?" A Jounin from Kusa asked in awe.

"Just making sure it's never used for kidnapping ever again." Naruto replied a little embarrassed, he had once more gone over the top now that he thought about it.

"Well you have my thanks, if you're ever near Kusa, I think I owe you a drink, at the very least." The other Jounin added.

"Thanks for the offer. Will you be alright to travel?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah, we have been gone for a few weeks now and it was only supposed to be a four day mission. If we don't get back soon they might think we're dead." The Jounin replied. Naruto nodded and let the Kusa ninja leave without further thought.

**End Chapter! **

**So another chapter done, first chapter of the New Year. I know Naruto basically just spent this chapter killing people, I normally don't like just having Naruto walk all over his opponents, it can ruin the balance of a story. But in this case I wanted to introduce a new... I guess you would call it a side plot I will be looking at developing in the coming chapters.**

** Still not sure if I want to make it into an stand alone arc, or have it as an on running Antagonist, sort of the curse of only ever writing the the story chapter to chapter and basically having no real plan of where I want to go next. **

**Spoiler Warning!**

**Story moves forward again in order to stretch it out and surprise surprise, It's another Jutsu that has caused it, performed by... you guessed it an Uchiha. It's gone beyond the point of them requiring any skill at all anymore. They just stand still and use their Sharringan/Rinnegan. **

**When Nagato had the Rinnegan, It was a great addition to the story, Now it has become a plot device to idolise the Uchiha even more. This latest development with all the Bijuu being sealed in an instant where it took the entire Akatsuki 3 days to seal Shukaku is evidence of how little thought has gone into the development. **

**Now let's all have 1 guess where Gaara is heading... to Minato who was for some ridiculous reason babysitting the dying retard that caused all this to begin with. If they just killed Obito, stabbed him in the eye or removed it themselves, then a major problem would be solved. Instead Naruto will receive the other half of Kurama from his father, which will give him a power up. I wouldn't even be surprised if it gives him the Rinnegan at this point. He is the opposite half of the chakra, he already had the Yang chakra being an Uzumaki, add pure Yin chakra and it will balance out. That perfect balance of Spiritual and Physical chakra is what supposedly causes the Rinnegan. **

**To be clear I don't think Naruto will get the Rinnegan, I am just saying it wouldn't surprise me. **

**It also seems clear to me that Sasuke used whatever jutsu Hashirama gave to him and there is no way we will get so lucky as to see him die, when they won't even kill off Obito. On a second note, why just leave The Shodai sitting there? why not pull out the chakra rods in his back... 50,000 people and nobody thinks... Oh you know what, let's rescue the one person who has experience dealing with this crazed psychopath. **


	139. Well Earned Rest

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 139: Well Earned Rest**

Naruto and Akimi stood next to a large crater, that once was the location for a group of bandits and missing ninja that were disguised as a peaceful village. Around the young couple, the people who had been held captive gathered each wanting to thank the shinobi who saved them. Some were more forward than others, Akimi took exception to one woman in her late teens giving the blonde a kiss as thanks. She did however resist the sudden urge to harm the perpetrator who had been so bold, even if Naruto could tell that she was furious.

One by one the various families and travellers went their separate ways, until eventually only the Two Yoinokuchi shinobi and the family of Naruto's clansmen remained. "I guess this is goodbye, I owe you more than I have to give, thank you for saving my parents." Stazia Uzumaki declared bowing to the blonde jinchuuriki.

"Ah come on, don't do that last thing I need is people bowing to me." Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"What are you going to do now?" Akimi asked in an attempt to save Naruto from being uncomfortable.

"Can't say, we have never really had a home, we just go where ever we feel and sell sealing scrolls." The man that Naruto and Akimi accurately assumed was Stazia's father said. His clothes were worn and in tatters from being confined for so long, but his vibrant red hair indicated he was every bit an Uzumaki, just like his wife.

"Why not go to Konoha? The Uzumaki clan are close friends with the Senju clan... Or you could go to Ame, their leader is an Uzumaki, I bet if you tell him I sent you, then Nagato will welcome you to join him." Naruto suggested.

"Ame isn't far away, we could at least check it out?" Stazia suggested, questioningly looking towards his parents.

"Well I guess it can't hurt to check this place out, Konoha is very far away, but perhaps if Ame does not work out then we will see if the friendship our clan once received in Konoha is still common place." Stazia's father agreed.

"I bet Nagato will be interested to know we have more family members, Still I kind of feel like the odd man out every other Uzumaki has that same red hair." Naruto chuckled.

"Uzumaki you say? It's been years since I have seen another of our clansmen." The older man said carefully examining Naruto as if he were some prize winning show dog. "Members of the Uzumaki clan are almost always born with red hair. It is due to the overwhelming potency of our physical chakra. But it is not unheard of for an Uzumaki to be blonde, brunette or even have black hair." He added.

"Well that is somewhat reassuring for awhile I thought I was a freak or something." Naruto chuckled.

"Ehem Rinnegan... Not exactly normal." Akimi teased.

"Says the kunoichi with a bloodline limit so rare that Kumo tried to force you into a breeding program." Naruto teased back.

"I guess we're both freaks then." The dark haired kunoichi sighed.

"That just means we have to stick together." Naruto said kindly, he feared for a second that he may have taken his teasing a little too far, but the smirk he was soon met with told him differently.

"I suppose I can live with that." She replied confidently with a short laugh.

"You two are kind of odd." Stazia said a little confused at the Yoinokuchi pairs behaviour.

"You think so?" His mother asked.

"Yeah I mean, they argue and bicker about everything." Stazia answered.

"That is just a way for them to show affection towards one another without anyone else noticing. Although they don't do a very good job at it, one look at either and you can tell just how they feel about each other." The older woman said loudly enough for the young couple to hear and blush furiously in response. "No need to hide anything from us, after all the more Uzumaki babies that are born the better for our clan." The result of this statement was instantaneous, both Naruto and Akimi began spluttering denials and assuring the small Uzumaki family that they were not going to be having any children in the foreseeable future.

"Oh look you're embarrassing them." The older man chuckled, having successfully making the situation so much worse for the two teens.

"Well congrats, you have made another couple feel uncomfortable around us. This is why I can't have any friends." Stazia said apologetically, shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Oh it's not so bad Stazia-kun, these two look like they need to loosen up a little in public. It's so clear that they like each other, but they feel uncomfortable expressing the way they feel about each other in public. What they need is a large dose of humiliation to break their self conscious attitude." The red headed woman said matter of factly.

Both Naruto and Akimi were blushing furiously at the unwanted attention. "You want to run?" The blonde whispered quietly enough that only the Swift release kunoichi could hear.

"I think you know the answer to that." Akimi replied with a whisper of her own.

Naruto nodded. "Well we have to go. I guess we will see you around, we're heading for Ame tomorrow so we might see you there." With that the slightly embarrassed couple took off at full sprint, Stazia and his family couldn't stop them, even if they wanted to.

"Well congratulations, you scared them off." Stazia sighed face palming in exasperation.

"Oh nonsense they were probably just have somewhere else to be, we were nothing but nice to them." His mother said confidently causing her son to groan. "Now I take it your sister is safe?"

Stazia nodded. "She's in a cave where we have been staying. It won't take long to get there."

"Good because it will take awhile to travel to Ame, we can't waste time standing around here." The older man said happily.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Akimi were long gone, they finally stopped their sprint after about ten minutes, but for them that was more than enough time to get far enough away that they could be sure they were alone. They stopped at the edge of a small stream, under the shade of a rather large tree that provided ample shade. Several large rocks lay around which Naruto quickly decided to use as a seat.

"Well at least that's over." Naruto sighed. He lay back on the rock and looked up at the leaves slowly moved with the breeze allowing small speck of unsheltered sunlight to flicker in and out of sight.

"Aw it wasn't that bad." Akimi replied, taking a seat beside the blonde. "Although, I didn't picture having to destroy an entire village when I woke up this morning. On the plus side, we have the rest of the day to ourselves."

"I guess we do, the question is... How should we spend that time?" Naruto said a little cheekily.

"I'm sure we can find something to do. But we won't be doing anything lying here. I remember coming to this area once on a mission with Akaru, we stopped in a small town with a massive hot spring resort. It's not too far from here." The kunoichi suggested.

Naruto smiled and kicked himself up. "Well I think we have earned a little luxury don't you?"

"Most definitely." Akimi replied with a smirk accepting a hand up from the blonde, even if she didn't need it.

(**Elsewhere**)

Jiraiya and the other members of the Yoinokuchi were trudging through the rain, the ground around them was heavily waterlogged, Large puddles covered the roads as the rain fell heavily.

"At least these cloaks are waterproof." Zabuza said pulling his hood over his head.

"I would have thought you would be in your element in the rain." Gaara reasoned.

"Well, it does make most of my jutsu a lot easier to use. But if I'm not in a fight I would still rather be dry." Zabuza answered.

"In a country named for rain, this weather isn't exactly unexpected, but I agree with Zabuza-sama, I will be much happier when we make it to Ame. It can't be long now right?" Haku asked half desperately. She was tired, having to run at full speed for most of the day had left her exhausted and longing for a shower and a soft bed.

Haku was not the only one that was nearing their limit. Fuu and Gaara were not as fast as the others, although Gaara had at times used his sand to keep up. It hadn't been an issue since Naruto and Akimi had left, but even a jinchuuriki can become exhausted from using too much chakra.

"It won't be long now, we passed into the sensory field of Ame about a minute ago." Jiraiya replied.

"How do you know?" Fu asked, she hadn't seen anything that would have indicated that they were approaching any form of civilisation.

"It's the rain." Gaara answered.

"What about it?" Fu questioned.

"There is chakra in the rain. Whoever is using this jutsu, or should I say Nagato is using the rain to sense anyone approaching the village. Only way in undetected would be the river or to tunnel underground." Jiraiya explained.

"That does sound like a very effective barrier, Konoha has something similar with that barrier that surrounds the village. Most of the other villages just use their natural terrain as protection, which would be fine except now everyone from the other villages already know where they are." Zabuza mused.

"True, but unlike Konoha, the natural defences of the other major villages make them almost impossible to attack. Suna is isolated in the middle of a desert. Iwa's at the end of a maze of mountains, landslides and changing climate, means the same path is rarely open year round. Kumo is atop one of the highest mountains, they can see who is coming from all directions. Kiri is surrounded by oceans, you would need a large number of ships to successfully attack their village." Gaara listed.

Zabuza opened his mouth to say something but stopped as they rounded a corned to see the giant city of Ame. Most hidden villages were just that, villages. Ame however was a giant industrial city, built on either side of one of the largest rivers in the Elemental nations. Most of the land around the city was baron from decades of conflicts that had taken place in the country, the latest of which being Nagato's war against Hanzo the Salamander.

"Not exactly hidden is it?" Haku said with a deadpan expression as she took in the sight of the dark towers that loomed over the countryside.

"No, but then again it never was that well hidden. Still the sheer size of it makes it easy to hide, the city itself is like a maze, there are pipes and secret passages everywhere, Hanzo used them to quickly navigate his way around the village atop his summons. In his time an invading army would have had to have a death wish to take a single foot inside Ame." Jiraiya explained.

At the entrance to the city the Yoinokuchi were met with two squads of shinobi, all Chunin from what Jiraiya could guess. What was interesting however is that each member had a line engraved across their forehead protectors that symbolised they were missing ninja. "Hold it right there. Entrance to the city is prohibited, unless we receive express orders that will permit your group to enter. You must all wait here until approval is given."

Jiraiya and the rest of the Yoinokuchi shrugged and nodded in approval, taking a seat in a small shelter that had been made at the check point. A few minutes passed and there was no sign of any signal being given that would allow their entrance into the city. "Hypothetically, what happens if we don't get clearance to enter?" The toad sage asked curiously.

"Then we have standing orders to kill all intruders." One of the guards replied casually as if the answer was a given.

"I see, and out of curiosity, do you know who we are?" Jiraiya pressed.

"That is irrelevant, our mission was given to us by Kami and only he decides who enters this village." The guard replied.

"I think they might have a few screws loose." Zabuza muttered in disbelief.

"Maybe but blind faith can be a dangerous tool, someone who thinks they're given a mission from a higher power would be impossible to reason with or change their mind." Gaara reasoned.

"So is there a time limit on this?... Maybe their way of killing us is to not let us in and simply wait for us to die of natural causes." Gaara said in his usual drone.

"We are told to wait an hour, before dealing with any potential threats attempting to enter the village. Pein-sama cannot be expected to give us his undivided attention." The guard informed the group.

"Well it's good to know there is a time limit for us sitting around here doing nothing." Zabuza sighed.

Gaara nodded his agreement. "Still I hope they send the word through soon, I wouldn't want to have to hurt Nagato's underlings."

His request wish was granted instantly. "That won't be necessary." Konan's voice came out of seemingly nowhere as seconds later the a large flock of origami swans filled the area forming the dark haired Ame shinobi still wearing her Akatsuki cloak.

"Konan-sama!?" The guards yelled in shocked surprise and instantly bowed at their angels arrival.

Konan ignored the attention of the guards and instead turned to face Jiraiya. "Hello sensei, Nagato-kun is waiting for you at the centre tower. I would accompany you, however it can be... irksome at times to travel around the city in a standard manner, my position in this city does not allow for those privileges."

"Well it shouldn't be too hard to find right. Largest tower in the city, near the centre." Jiraiya replied casually.

"That is correct, I shall meet you there. See you soon sensei." Konan replied before dissolving in a flight of paper butterflies.

The Yoinokuchi shinobi waited for a few moments for an all clear from the guards, but they were still bowing to what was now nothing but air. "So uh we're going in, enjoy... whatever this is." Jiraiya said scratching his head trying to understand why they hadn't moved despite it being obvious that Konan had gone.

"Are they going to be like that forever? I kind of feel bad." Haku asked with a deadpan.

"Try not to think about it, it would just be depressing." Gaara replied flatly, lightly grabbing Haku's hand as he turned to follow Jiraiya and Zabuza into the city.

(**Elsewhere**)

"Pathetic!" Madara bellowed as he tossed Sasuke into the ground like a rag doll. Sasuke glared back but had no time to rest as he had to instantly avoid being turned to ash by a fire jutsu. "If you have time to glare you have time to attack. Your movements are sloppy and easily readable." He lectured.

The dark Akatsuki compound did not make for ideal duelling conditions, but that was no excuse for such a one sided fight. Sasuke felt completely outclassed. His Sharingan flared in frustration and a burst of black flames shot towards the elder Uchiha.

Without even taking a step Madara was able to avoid the attack, simply leaning out of the way. "Such a waste of chakra, the Mangekyo Sharingan is wasted on you. If you cannot fight without it, then your potential is limited." Madara said before driving a knee into the young Uchiha's stomach.

"_Looks like Sasuke lost again._" The white half of Zetsu sighed.

"_**Yeah, but you have to give him credit for his persistence.**_" Black Zetsu added.

"Maybe, but things would move a lot faster if Sasuke-kun would just suck up his pride and ask for training, rather than continuously challenging Madara to these pointless duels." Tobi mused.

Tobi along with the rest of the Akatsuki shinobi were sitting back and watching as Madara casually dissected every one of Sasuke's attacks. No movement was wasted and without even activating his Sharingan, Madara could perfectly read every move that Sasuke made.

"Do really expect him to do that? Kid's far too stubborn to do something like that. Honestly, why are you wasting your time on the kid?" Kisame asked casually.

"He has potential. His foolish pride just needs to be beaten out of him." Tobi answered calmly, not even batting an eye when Sasuke was tossed unceremoniously into the wall right behind him. "You should stop for now Sasuke-kun, this is a fight you could not hope to win, none of us could. Madara is in a league of his own."

"In that case, if I can just land a hit on Madara, then I should be at least able to defeat him!" Sasuke replied pulling himself to his feet slowly.

"Ah still want to kill Itachi huh? He's not even your brother anymore." Tobi anounced.

"What do you mean. How could he not be my brother?" Sasuke asked momentarily disabled by the revelation.

"He's no longer an Uchiha, not since that Uzumaki gaki gave him those new eyes. That changed his DNA. That means that he is no longer an Uchiha, he's something new." Tobi explained calmly.

"How do you know that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because it is the same way the very first Uchiha got his powers. An ocular bloodline limit given to the eldest son of the Rikudou Sennin, a physical embodiment of the Sages spiritual chakra. The younger brother inherited his physical energies and they became the Senju clan." Madara said stepping forward.

"So what your saying is that Itachi is in the same situation as the elder brother?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, Itachi was going blind from using his Mangekyo Sharingan so Naruto created some new eyes changing his genetics in the process. We are the last two Uchiha alive." Tobi answered.

"Well it doesn't matter either way. My brother or not, I will still kill Itachi. That is my goal and I will see it completed. Nothing is going to stand in my way!" Sasuke declared.

"It is good to have a goal, it will keep you moving forward. However you need to improve in almost every area." Madara said harshly.

"Then train me! Help me avenge our clan, and my family! I want to kill Itachi and then destroy Konoha." Sasuke yelled in almost desperation.

Madara folded his arms and stared emotionlessly back at the younger Uchiha prostrating himself at his feet. "I will consider it. But first I think I would like to meet this other Rinnegan wielder. He could prove to be a nuisance to our plans, the fact he holds the Kyuubi makes him that much more... interesting." He declared before walking away without further word.

(**Elsewhere**)

"Wow, this place is nice, but how do you think they stay in business stuck all the way out here? I mean the closest major village would be in the Land of Fire... or maybe Ame." Naruto said with an impressed whistle.

The young couple had arrived at a small yet high class resort that was nestled at the end of a small valley not far from where they had stopped after escaping Naruto's new found extended family. The resort was comprised of five large buildings, each one constructed in a different manner. Each building was made in the style of a traditional home in each of the five great nations making each one stand out from the next.

"I heard this place is famous. I'm not sure why but It must have something to do with why all five great nations are represented here, on what I would say is neutral ground." Akimi reasoned.

Aside from the five main compound buildings there were a few smaller buildings surrounding them, they couldn't be seen well from where the two shinobi were, still approaching the resort from the far end of the valley. They could however make out a small building at the the entrance to the resort that had the symbols for the five great nations carved above the doorway. "I think that is probably the office." The blonde guessed.

"Seems like a reasonable guess." Akimi replied. The pair slowed their pace and soon arrived in front of the office where they were warmly greeted by several employees. The next thing the two shinobi noticed was that this resort was incredibly busy, there were large carriages that only the wealthiest of people in the Elemental Nations would be able to afford.

"Ah new guests... and shinobi no less." A young man wearing a very expensive looking suit said exiting the office. He gave the teens a small bow. He had short black hair and eyes that matched, and stood at six feet tall. "I am Hideki Yuuto, nice to meet you." He added.

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Naruto, and this is Akimi-chan." The blonde returning the warm greeting.

"So I take it you are looking for accommodation? We do not often serve shinobi here, most of our clients are wealthy businessmen and the occasional Daimyo, but they often have shinobi bodyguards that make use of the employee accommodation, I am sure we can set you up there for little expense." The man said.

Naruto didn't know why, but the accusation that he couldn't afford to stay in the main resort was somewhat insulting. "That wont be necessary, I have more than enough for a night in one of your more luxurious suites." The blond continued to open the small frog wallet that Jiraiya had given him all those years ago. A small burst of his chakra into a storage seal caused a large handful of notes carefully rolled up to appear. "Need any more?" Naruto asked tossing the money over to the well dressed man.

"No this will be fine, I will have one someone escort you to a room." The manager said still slightly stunned at the large ball of notes in his hand.

The manager walked back into the office and a moment later a young woman with short dark hair and purple eyes emerged wearing a black kimono with white edges emerged. She bowed deeply and respectfully to the two shinobi. "Please follow me, I will escort you to your room. Do you have any preference in style? All five of the great nations are catered for here."

Naruto shrugged, the truth was he felt a little uncomfortable when people bowed to him in such a manner. "I don't think it matters, do you have any preference Akimi-chan?"

"Um no not really the Land of Fire is fine." The kunoichi replied.

"Very well, as you don't appear to have any luggage please follow me." The hostess said flatly.

The path to the building curved around around the end of the valley, passing a large open air hot bath spring and several people that were playing tennis. Everywhere Naruto and Akimi looked there were activities set up, mostly for civilian's.

The Land of Fire resort was a ten story mansion, and the shinobi were taken to a room at the very top that was easily the largest and most luxurious hotel either Naruto or Akimi had ever seen. The building itself had been made from the finest wood from the forests in the Land of Fire. The interior was full of intricately carved wooden designs each lined with bright gold and jewels. Their was a massive king sized four poster bed covered with fine satin.

"Wow would you look at this place... it's amazing!" Naruto yelled in surprise at the size and quality of the room.

"This is one of the executive suits, there are more expensive rooms but they will cost extra." The hostess explained.

"Extra? That was an entire S ranked mission payment." Naruto replied completely stunned.

"By our counts it is actually equivalent to payment for five S ranked missions for a shinobi in one of the five major villages. Even more for lesser villages, as the village takes a higher cut." The Hostess replied.

"Well we don't have a village and work in pairs, so our money distribution is a little different." Naruto explained.

"I see, that would explain why you were able afford a room here, in the past only Kage and the very top brass of ninja have been here. Still to have completed S ranked missions without backing of a village is impressive." The hostess admitted.

"You seem to know a lot about the ninja villages." Akimi said with a hint of curiosity.

"It's our business to know these things. Many of the patrons here come looking for the best place to hire shinobi. We give them the best options for who would be willing to accept their job offer. For that reason all nations are represented and it is considered neutral ground." The hostess explained.

"I had no idea this place was so amazing." Akimi said clearly impressed.

"That's not all, judging by your cloaks and appearance I can guess you are members of the mercenary group the Yoinokuchi. Your group is ranked highly on our list with an almost perfect mission success rate. However you are only willing to take on certain types of missions which makes some of our more... questionable clientele look elsewhere." The woman explained.

"I get it, so this place is like a go between for people looking to hire shinobi. They pay you and you arrange for their missions to be completed while keeping their identities a secret." Naruto surmised.

"Very well deduced, then again that is to be expected from a shinobi. All villages cooperate with us as we deliver clients it really is synergy and everyone wins. Now if you will excuse me, I need to tend to some of our other guests, it would be best not to identify yourselves as shinobi to the other patrons, their guards could perceive you as a threat, and that is quite understandable considering assassination attempts are quite common place here." The Hostess declared, bowing low before leaving the room.

"It's certainly strange... but this place must be really important when you think about it." Naruto sighed falling back on top of the bed.

"Really why is that?" Akimi asked still looking at the door where the woman had left moments earlier.

"Well villages like Konoha get hundreds of missions a day, but somebody has to send them, or travel to the village to request a mission. The people who need the higher ranked missions are often incredibly wealthy and traveling towards a hidden village would instantly make them a target for many missing ninja and bandits. This place is like a hub where all the really important missions come from. It also protects their identities, if a mission gets rejected by a village then there is a risk they will attempt to stop the one who made the request from leaving." Naruto explained.

"They use the contacts of this resort to keep their identities hidden and it's safer than traveling to one of the hidden villages that as the name states are hidden anyway." Akimi summarised.

"Exactly!" Naruto said with enthusiasm, jumping to his feet. "Right so what do you want to do first? I promised you a small holiday, and until tomorrow we can do anything you want."

"Well I am kind of worn out from destroying those bandits, why don't we go check out those open air hot spring baths?" The kunoichi suggested.

Naruto shrugged and offered his hand to help Akimi up off the bed. "A bath first huh? Well I don't really ming but why don't we check out some of those civilian sports first? It would be a shame to have a bath and then need to have another bath right after."

"Aren't they a little beneath us? I mean there is a reason shinobi don't waste their time with them." Akimi replied.

Naruto just laughed and pulled the somewhat reluctant kunoichi towards the door. "Oh don't be a stiff, I bet they can be really fun."

"Didn't you hear what the hostess said? We shouldn't let people know we are shinobi, because of their guards." Akimi replied offering minimal resistance, she was not opposed to the idea of sport, but thought it best not to draw too much attention to themselves.

Naruto paused, his hand on the edge of the door, it was clear to see he was thinking about what his girlfriend had said. "Who cares. It's nothing we can't handle, so what if a couple of rich businessmen have their bodyguards watching us. I want to have some fun!" Naruto declared and without further hesitation, threw open the door.

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry the chapter is late, I have been slack. Truth is I was just catching up on watching a few Anime that I had been meaning to watch for awhile. **

**On the note of Anime. What is the deal with Main characters being completely useless, or spineless. It will be a long time before I can stomach another story with some loser that miraculously ends up with a Harem of ladies that all seem to love him for no believable reason. The leads in these shows are always spineless that regardless of the situation or their characterisation become blubbering babies anytime they are in a so called "romantic" situation. This is because any deeper less superficial story or relationship would trouble the oh so effective money making scheme of showing a whole bunch of boob and panty shots. I like the odd Ecchi scene as much as the next man, but eventually something has to give, these stories never have a conclusion and the MC is always to much of a little bitch to either pick one or stand up for himself. **

**Then there is the all to common Tsundere characters that mercilessly beats on the main character and nothing happens, no backlash. Is there anyone out there in the real world who would actually be willing to take the type of abuse some of these characters get? Even if it is an Anime, just once I would like someone to stand up and not take the other characters shit would be an absolute breath of fresh air into what has become a stale relationship plot device used to stall development.**

**With that said there are exceptions to this rule if the characterisation and story are well enough done. Even though I am no fan of Rom-com slice of life; Toradora was a great series. **

**I realise this has been more of a needless rant on Anime in general rather than about my fic so I do apologise. **

**To make it up to you out of the Anime I watched over the last two weeks I would definitely recommend: **

**_Katanagatari_: I really liked the Monogatari series, but I never got around to watching this one, Now that I have I must sat that I liked this even more.**

**_Shiki_: This is a Vampire story done right.**

**_Spice and Wolf_: Okay so I had seen this anime before, but it had been such a long time I wanted to watch it again.**

**_Code Geass_:**** I was put off this anime for a long time mostly because of the plot, it was a Mecha (Not a fan of the Genre) and to be honest the whole Britannia is the enemy thing. (I'm english so the whole thing seemed a little Xenophobic.) With that said the writing is masterfully done and made the story enjoyable. **

**Spoiler Alert.**

**That last chapter just pissed me off. For weeks I have been saying they should kill Obito and destroy his Rinnegan. Didn't happen, what does happen however is he/black Zetsu steals the other half of the Kyuubi and then runs away without anything happening because they waited too long. Once more logic has been thrown out the window. They should have killed Obito and crushed that Rinnegan eye while they had the chance, but noooo that would be something that smart people do, and apparently we live in a world full of plot holes and flowers where no matter how many times you do something unbelievably stupid it's okay because in a few minutes your idiotic mistake will be trumped by someone else doing something stupid. **

**Now Madara has both halves of Kurama, both Rinnegan eyes and nobody even trying to stop his plan. No everyone is more concerned about saving Sasuke, king of emo's. And predictably their only hope is some mysterious stranger who has appeared in front of said super emo. I almost wouldn't be surprised if Naruto dies and Sasuke finishes the fight as the hero. I don't think there is anything more that needs to be said at this point.**


	140. Relax

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 140: Relax**

"So I've been here less than an hour, and I am already sick of this rain." Gaara said in a drone.

The Yoinokuchi shinobi walked through the crowded streets of Ame, their hoods up to shelter from the downpour. Giant towers that rose high around them which dulled any natural light, meaning that even though there was still several hours of daylight left it was no brighter than the twilight that would normally signal the end of the day.

"Strange, rain has never bothered you before, what is so bad about it this time?" Haku queried, glancing over to the ichibi jinchuuriki, although she couldn't see his face while his hood was up.

"It's obvious isn't it?" Jiraiya replied.

"I don't think so, I can see no adverse way this rain is any different from normal." Haku answered quickly.

"Maybe not to you or I. But Gaara is a little different not because he is a jinchuuriki, it's his unique Ninjutsu that is being affected by Nagato's rain. To control sand like Gaara does, requires constant chakra manipulation. On top of that as I am sure you are aware, he covers himself in sand to form a near impenetrable armour. I am guessing that if you combine the natural way that water makes sand heavier and then have that rain soaked in chakra as potent as Nagato's, then it must be rather difficult for him to hold up that armour." The toad sage explained.

"Right. Not to mention, that it makes it impossible for my sensory skills to work properly. So if we could, it would be nice to get out of the rain soon. How far are we from the tower?" The red haired jinchuuriki asked.

"Not long now. But I do hope Nagato has somewhere to keep our prisoner, judging from what I have heard, he was never really a big on keeping them alive in the past." Jiraiya answered. He laughed as Karin flinched, clearly frightened of where they were heading. "Don't worry your safe, so long as you don't try to escape that is. Then again with all this rain you wouldn't get far."

"Heh sounds like an interesting game to me, would be interesting to see how far the little lady gets, she's a sensor type after all, so she might stand a chance." Zabuza smirked.

"I won't try to escape I promise." Karin shuddered. She knew that no matter how well she could sense those around her, if it came down to it, there was no way she could escape from the Yoinokuchi shinobi.

Once more Zabuza and Jiraiya broke out in laughter at the poor kunoichi's expense. "Lighten up. Like I said before, you're not in any danger with us, we were just messing with you." Jiraiya chuckled in a light hearted manner.

'_Who the hell are these people! Half the time they are nice then a few seconds later they are terrifying... Are they doing this on purpose, to unnerve me so I will spill secrets about Sasuke-kun?_' She thought still incredibly confused.

She had no more time to contemplate what was going on as there was a large influx of flying paper in the form of origami butterflies that converged to form Konan who was standing next to someone that she had never seen before, but she had heard about this man so many times she instantly knew who it was. His stoic features and sleek black hair in the same raven black as Sasuke's, the only thing that was different to how Sasuke had described him were his eyes. Rather than being as black as onyx, they were a dark blue, that seemed to stand out to Karin more than anything.

"How was the summit?" Itachi asked passively as he walked out into the rain to greet the Yoinokuchi shinobi.

"Rather eventful to be honest. But it could have been worse." Jiraiya answered. He looked up at what would have to be the tallest tower in the city, made with charcoal black coloured steal, with thick pipes that protruded in all directions running around the city. He guessed that they were there before Nagato moved in. '_They are about the size of the Salamanders that Hanzou used to ride._' He thought to himself.

"We're at war. In normal circumstances that is a result that couldn't become much worse." Gaara added casually. Zabuza and Haku couldn't help but chuckle at the truth behind the Ichibi jinchuuriki's statement.

"So where is Naruto-kun? Didn't he leave the Land of iron with you?" Itachi queried.

"Well we did leave together, but on the way here we discovered a rather... unique village, I thought it might be a learning experience for them. They are probably done by now, but I wouldn't expect them to arrive here until tomorrow." Jiraiya explained.

"Regardless. let's not wait around out here. Nagato has prepared rooms for you, even your... guest." Konan interrupted. She waited a few seconds before turning and entering the large tower beckoning the others to follow.

(**Meanwhile**)

Naruto and Akimi were having a blast, the resort activities were mostly designed for civilian's but that didn't mean that two shinobi couldn't join in. So far they had a rather competitive game of tennis where in the end they couldn't control themselves, starting out they decided not to use any chakra, a prospect that failed miserably. It was their overly competitive behaviour with each other that made any hopes of keeping the fact they were shinobi hidden all but impossible.

Now however the two shinobi were walking hand in hand towards the large open air hot spring baths. Akimi had a rather smug look on her face. "I told you I would win." She teased.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck smiling. "Does it count as winning if you hit the ball so hard it explodes and we have to stop playing?"

"Of course it does I was winning at the time so there is no denying it. I won." She declared triumphantly, pumping a fist into the air in celebration.

"Well I guess I can't win all the time, the Akatsuki must be disappointed to have missed such a rare event." The blonde joked.

The dark haired kunoichi laughed in response. "Yes I am sure they would have used that chance to recruit the kunoichi that successfully defeated their biggest threat. But of course I would have to turn them down."

"Well I will just have to hope this war doesn't come down to a game of tennis that would be bad. Then again, it would probably mean that less people will get hurt." The blonde mused. They opened the door to the bath house that was as luxurious as their hotel room. There was a thin mist of steam that filled the room, however it was not so thick as to obstruct their vision, which was immediately drawn towards the counter where two of the maids sat in conversation.

"Oh my, guests and it's the shinobi who were making such a racket outside earlier no less." A maid with short brown hair said calmly, she had a kindly smile but her lime green eyes, held a hint of distrust that was directed towards the young couple.

Naruto didn't care though, he casually approached the maids with a friendly wave. "Hi are you two running the baths?"

The closest maid smiled and nodded. "Yes, were you looking to take advantage of the open air hot springs? Although I believe the suite you are staying in has it's own private in house natural hot spring bath that would be more quiet and intimate." She queried.

"Really? I had no idea." Naruto said arching an eyebrow.

"Oh yes it's just connected to your bedroom. These should be a sliding door that will lead out into a small open hot tub, it's mostly designed for couples though if so if you were looking for single baths then we might be more to your speed here.." The maid replied.

"Huh I guess this was a little bit of a waste then, wanna check out the bath in the room then Akimi-chan?" The blonde proposed.

The sound a private bath together was rather appealing to the kunoichi who did not take long to accept Naruto's offer. "Sure let's go." After a final farewell and thank you to the maid that had helped them they turned to leave, heading back towards their room in the Land of Fire section of the resort.

About half way to their destination however when they found a small group standing in their way. "Can I help you?" Naruto asked calmly despite the rather cold glares they were receiving. '_Great here we go, what do these guys want?_'

'**Fool! Don't you remember that maid that showed you to your room warned you what would happen if you made a spectacle of yourselves. They are probably here to warn you off attacking who ever it is they are acting as glorified babysitters for.**' Kyuubi lectured harshly.

'_Oh it's you. What do you wan't I was kind of hoping that I would have a few days of peace._' Naruto groaned.

'**Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.**' The fox replied, not sounding very sorry at all.

Naruto's attention was drawn from the Bijuu as the small group began to surround the two Yoinokuchi shinobi. "It's not often shinobi stay in a place like this. So we have to consider you a threat to our employers." Naruto could not see who had spoken as they now stood behind him.

"Oh please, if I really wanted them dead I wouldn't have wasted so much time playing around. They would be long dead by now. So why not just drop it and take me at my word that we will leave them unharmed." Naruto replied, not breaking his stride as he walked.

"You expect us to trust a shinobi? Sorry but I think you will find that your word means nothing. We are all shinobi as well so we know lies and deceit are one of the best tools at our disposal." the same man yelled back. He clearly didn't like how neither Naruto or Akimi were taking him, or the other ninja bodyguards seriously.

"I really don't want to have to deal with this tonight." Naruto groaned. '_Oh well I guess it can't be helped._' He added in thought coming to a halt and pulling Akimi in closer to him. "I'm sorry about this, but I assure you that nobody you are here to protect will be harmed, at least not by us... Shinra Tensei!" In an instant it was over. Whatever the others had been expecting from the two shinobi it wasn't the unstoppable wall of gravitational force that hit them. Naruto paused for a moment, making sure all the aggressors were unconscious before continuing on towards their hotel room.

'**Well that was far from entertaining, and here I was hoping for a decent show. Oh well maybe next time.**' The Kyuubi sighed.

'_You were expecting a different result? They were all Chunin, on long term missions nothing I couldn't handle easily._' Naruto replied.

'**Hopes and expectations are often different. This is the result I expected, but I had hoped for a better show.**'

'_Well looks like this time I get to disappoint you. I might try a little harder to keep them around for your amusement next time. But then again, Itachi wouldn't be very happy with me for toying with my opponents again._'

'**That is the last thing I want, you running around making us both look weak... No those idiots that would be so ignorant as to take you on without being aware of who they are facing deserve what they get.**'

'_Ah you're so confusing... does nothing make you happy!?_' Naruto asked in shock.

'**Such as? Not much to be happy about being sealed up for the past one hundred years.**'

'_Yeah I guess you do have a point there, unfortunately letting you out would not end well for me. Still I would like to do something, so if I think about something, or you tell me something else I can do for you I will._'

'**Trying to be my friend again?**'

'_Yeah why not? I would be much stronger if we could learn to work together._'

The large fox began to laugh. '**I genuinely thought you would have given up on such a impossible request, I hate all humans. That includes you!**'

'_Doesn't mean I can't change your mind. You just wait I know we can find some common ground. I can wait._'

'**Then prepare to wait for awhile.**'

Kyuubi shut the connection off which was fine by the blonde as they had arrived back at their room. "Are you alright, you've been quiet since we were stopped by those chunin?" Akimi asked as she opened the door to their room.

"It's nothing, I was just having a quick conversation with Kyuubi that's all. Now let's go check out that hot tub it's been a long day so I could use a soak." Naruto replied cheerfully.

Akimi nodded readily. "Sounds like a plan to me." They were surprised by the ample size of the bath, easily large enough for them both and then some. "Whoa this place really is amazing"

"Yeah not bad at all." Naruto added. Discarding his Akatsuki cloak as he went to test the water.

"I'll go grab some towels, I'll be right back." Akimi said grabbing Naruto's discarded cloak before heading back inside. She came back a few minutes later in a soft bath robe, a second tucked under her shoulder for Naruto who had made himself comfortable, discarding his clothes with reckless abandon. "What a mess, did you even care where you threw your clothes?" She asked shaking her head with a small grimace of a smile.

"I didn't want to wait, once I tested the water it was perfect, felt like a shame to let it go to waste." Naruto explained offhandedly as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Now hurry up and come join me... did I mention how amazing the water is at the moment."

"Yeah give me a sec, you're so impatient." She sighed. Rather than jump straight in as Naruto had evidently done, she placed the their towels at the edge of the hot tub and pulled her hair up into a tight bun before carefully removing her robes. Despite having seen her wearing nothing in the past, Naruto couldn't help but blush slightly at the sight of her spotless porcelain skin. "You're staring." She said with a smirk.

"Oh sorry, guess I was just stunned. It's feels like some sort of unbreakable Genjutsu that I would never want to end." Naruto replied, unashamedly not looking away.

The kunoichi sighed as she slowly slid into the water next to the blond. "Well you were right, this is nice." They stayed in silence, each enjoying the comforting warmth of the water, it was by no means an uncomfortable silence, rather it signified how at ease they were with each other that no words needed to be said, they just sat and watched the last dying light of the day slowly fade away.

Dim garden lights automatically came on around the bathing couple once more illuminating the small yet quaint garden, yet not enough to obstruct the view of the stars in the night sky. "This is really peaceful, we should definitely come back here once the Akatsuki have been dealt with." Naruto said, finally breaking the silence. "We can bring everyone along it would be a great place for a celebration."

"Yeah." Akimi replied a little underwhelmed.

Naruto cast her a concerned glance. "Is there something wrong? I thought you were having a good time." He asked a look on concern on his face.

"I am having a good time, but talking about coming here with everyone when the war is over... We don't even know if they even have an army, or how they plan on fighting us. That masked bastard can't fight everyone by himself." Akimi said casting Naruto a worried look. "I remember when we were younger it was just after Jiraiya took us in. Akaru challenged Itachi to a spar and was defeated... badly, it wasn't even a contest now that I think back. Still at the time I couldn't believe my eyes. I had never seen my brother lose in a one on one fight, but then again I had no idea what Itachi was capable of at the time. I'm a little worried we might be in a similar situation now."

Naruto sighed and nodded. "There are a lot of unknowns, and you're we could be walking right into a trap and to be honest I am a little worried as well." The blond admitted. He looked down almost ashamed with what he had just said but at the same time a steely determined glint shone in his eyes. "But if I cant believe that we will make it though this war and be able to enjoy more nights like this together with our friends... then why bother fighting. You may not have known what Itachi was capable of back then, but Akaru did. He would have known Itachi's reputation and abilities, but he wanted to challenge him anyway, no point in giving up without trying. So I will try my hardest to keep as many people safe as I can." He declared confidently.

Akimi smiled and pulled the young jinchuuriki into a tight hug. "Thank you." she whispered quietly into his ear before leaning in once more this time for a light yet passionate kiss. "I won't let anything happen to you Naruto-kun, I want to come back here with you, every year until we're both too old to travel and we have a large family to ca-." She was stopped mid sentence by Naruto pulling her into a tight embrace, his lips effortlessly claiming hers and letting out a possessive growl.

(**Lemon Warning!**)

If Naruto was hoping for a response, he wasn't left waiting for long, Akimi greedily returned the blonds fevered ministrations while allowing him entrance to her mouth for only a second before they began a duel with their tongues, each pushing for dominance over the other without wanting to give an inch. In no time at all however the duel turned into more of a dance, while still not admitting defeat their movements were in sync as if they were guiding the other where they wanted rather than fighting against them.

It was Naruto that finally yielded. Allowing the kunoichi the entrance that she craved and immediately setting off to explore everything that her tongue could reach. Her soft yet triumphant moan caused the blond to stiffen slightly in enjoyment.

Akimi's hands explored her lovers back, gliding to reacquaint herself with familiar territory, leaving slight scratches with her nails as if to mark the area as her own. Naruto meanwhile had moved one hand to cup her well endowed chest, while the other began to attempt to release her long dark hair from the tight bun she had tied. "Mmm wait let's not do this here." Akimi moaned half berating herself for asking to stop when she felt so content and all round amazing.

It didn't seem to get through to Naruto who used the slight withdrawal from their heavy petting to take control. He slid her effortlessly through the water positioning them both so that the kunoichi was straddling his waist. She could feel his readiness, pressing against the underside of her thigh and bit back a moan in anticipation. She opened her mouth to begin once more to suggest they move to a more comfortable environment but that just invited another passionate kiss that made her forget about even the slightest bit of resistance.

Akimi slid her hands down the jinchuuriki's chest, the very tips of her fingers tracing the solid pecks and well toned abdominal muscles, marvelling at how well built he was even by shinobi standards. Her exploration didn't stop there however, gliding her hands down into the water and softly gripping his now fully erect member and lightly stroking it. Naruto relaxed a bit enjoying the added stimulation and didn't even argue as Akimi pushed him back so he was sitting on the edge of the bath with only his ankles still in the water. His confusion didn't last long however as she took him into her mouth, her tongue massaging his member. "Oh fuck me." He moaned falling back to rest on his arms as she continued her service.

There was a audible plop as she pulled back, the tip of her tongue tracing the edges of the head. "Don't be impatient, I'm only just getting started." She teased. Before once more taking him all the way to the back of her throat before bobbing back and fourth, her lips and tongue stroking him in a steady rhythm.

Naruto groaned as Akimi continued her teasing, his arms that were supporting himself were getting weak as he felt his lust rising. "I can't take much more, Akimi-chan I'm close." He admitted through tightly shut eyes and clenched teeth. The kunoichi just smirked and began to increase her tempo. "Oh fuck I'm going to cum!" It was not much of a warning, Akimi felt his shaft twitch slightly and soon felt his hot seed coat her mouth, she pulled back slightly to avoid choking and continued to lightly tease the head of his dick, inviting more cum into her mouth.

Once she was satisfied that he was finished, she pulled back making a show of playfully swishing his cum around in her mouth before swallowing. "I couldn't love you more if I tried." Naruto huffed.

"Well thats good because I was just thinking the exact same thing." Akimi replied. Naruto pulled her close and claimed her lips, he didn't even mind that he could taste himself on her lips. In fact that just turned him on even more, knowing that she loved him, that this exquisitely beautiful was his and his alone.

That thought took hold and with a possessive growl he spun her around so she was sitting in his lap. "Hey what are you doing?" She asked.

Naruto leant forward and nibbled lightly on her earlobe. "Repaying the favour." He guided one hand to cup and massage her breast while the other slid down in between her legs, his fingers sliding between her moist folds, wet with her own juices.

Akimi moaned as she felt two fingers enter her, he began lightly spreading her lips as he pumped his fingers. "I can't take it anymore, fuck me!" She demanded grinding against Naruto's waist making him erect again.

"Who's being impatient now." Naruto chuckled.

"I don't care, just hurry up." She pouted. Her impatience got the better of her and stood up despite Naruto's continued teasing.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked curiously.

"To dry off, then to the bedroom, and you're coming too. It's uncomfortable out here." Akimi replied l making a show out of slowly bending over to pick up her towel giving the blonde a full view from behind. Knowing there was no changing her mind now, Naruto quickly rushed over to join her, picking her up bridal style before running back to the room. "Wait your still wet, it will ruin the bed."

"Nah I'm good watch." Naruto replied confidently. Akimi quirked an eyebrow as nothing seemed to be happening before a thin tunnel of wind erupted around them, that acted as a blow dryer. "See, told you. I don't need a towel." He added confidently as he slid open the door to their bedroom before tossing the young woman unceremoniously onto the centre of the bed, using a small amount of gravity manipulation to cushion her landing incase he had thrown her too hard.

As soon as the swift release kunoichi landed he was crawling like a predator on top of it's prey. He stopped at her waist and began to torment her lower lips with his tongue, every so often he would just permit a small lick of her entrance for a taste of her sweet nectar, or to the bundle of nerves above. He basked in the revelry he felt as each time he would move a little deeper Akimi would moan a sweet note and she would grab a fistful of the bedsheets, or her back would arch inviting him deeper.

Eventually his teasing became to much and she reached down and gripped his hair this time forcing him to comply to her wants and needs to which Naruto was readily willing to oblige. "Oh kami... more." she begged Naruto lapped at her velvet walls massaging deeper where he found would cause a larger reaction.

There was a deep knot building in the pits of Akimi's stomach, she knew what it meant and begged for her climax, as her breathing became ragged and shallow. The blonde pulled back for the briefest of moments tracing her walls as he retreated. Once reaching the apex he instantly latched onto her clit, ever so lightly pinching the small bud between his lips. Akimi gasped at the sudden burst of pleasure and she climaxed when Naruto quickly returned his attention to her folds, greedily lapping up her juices.

Each stroke of his tongue sent another wave of pleasure throughout the kunoichi's body and her chest heaved with laboured breathing. "Amazing." She panted while Naruto finished up and moved up the bed to join her. She could see his readiness and the anticipation sent a small shiver down her spine. "Come here." She begged with a voice filled with lust, once Naruto had complied she pulled him close and forcefully kissed him. "I'm ready now, no more playing around." She whispered.

"Alright, I guess that I wouldn't want to keep you waiting." The blond chuckled in reply as he positioned himself. They shared a passionate kiss portraying all of their shared love as he entered her though it was somewhat lessened by Akimi raking her nails across Naruto's back causing him to lightly wince though he found the pain somewhat enjoyable, like it was badge of honour.

Naruto set a slow pace at first, basking in the feeling or tight walls constricting him, pulling him in deeper. Akimi moaned in both pleasure and frustration with each slow and measured thrust. For awhile she was fine with the slow pace, they both busied themselves, with locked lips while their hands freely roamed the other. After awhile however Akimi was quickly wanting more, and she could tell that Naruto was as well, she bucked her hips to make her desires known.

While the blond was more than willing to indulge the swift release kunoichi he made her wait just for the briefest moment casting an eye down to her lusting form, smirking before rapidly thrusting with a lack of any abandon.

She squealed in delight as each thrust sent waves of pleasure through her body, once she regained some small measure of composure she began to match his strikes sending them both to new levels of euphoria. "Akimi-chan, I'm close." The young jinchuuriki groaned.

"So am I. Don't stop... Together." The kunoichi replied through panted breaths. Rather than slow down, Naruto began quickening his tempo, trying to push Akimi over the edge, with great success, she could feel her release moments away. "Naruto-kun I'm cumming!" She shrieked, raking her nails along the blonds back while her toes curled and her eyes rolled back involuntarily.

Naruto bit his bottom lip trying in vain to last, but Akimi's walls constricted him as her juices flowed out violently milking him of the last of his resistance. Akimi felt another intense wave of pleasure rock her like a bolt of lightning as she felt his seed shoot out coating her readily waiting insides.

They shared a passionate lip lock as Naruto rolled to the side, he did not want to make the beautiful creature beneath him uncomfortable by putting his weight atop her slender frame and he repositioned the two of them so that she was lying with her weight on his torso, still connected at the waist. "Oh I have wanted to do that for days." He sighed contently.

"That makes two of us, I'll have to thank Jiraiya-sama for giving us some time to ourselves." Akimi replied snuggling into his chest and loving the warmth of the young jinchuuriki's body.

"Only problem is, now we both are going to need another bath." Naruto chuckled, kissing the top of his lovers head. "Care to join me?"

Akimi smirked and nodded. "I would love to."

**(Lemon End!)**

**(Later That Night)**

Deep within the seal Kyuubi rested, his awareness of the outside world had been subconsciously blocked by his warden during his private time, but now he was able to watch over his container again. Not that there was anything interesting to report on. Naurto and 'the woman' as was how the fox referred to Akimi were both asleep resting peacefully in each others arms.

The Kyuubi deciding himself to be content that they were both safe for the time being lowered his head onto his paws and began to close his eyes. The fox was moments from joining his jinchuuriki in a peaceful slumber when he felt it... Chakra so foul that it could only belong to one person.

'**Naruto wake up! We have a big problem!**" The fox roared doing everything that he could think of to gain his hosts attention.

A moment later A rather annoyed looking Naruto entered the room that contained his cage. '_What is it? I'm trying to sleep._'

'**Madara Uchiha!**'

**End Chapter!**

**Sorry this chapter is super late, there has been some family Issues, I would rather not go into that have prevented me from writing, and unfortunately I can't promise you that my normal quick updates will resume just yet. I do ask for some patients as I am sure you can understand that sometimes unavoidable issues come up. I assure you I have not abandoned my fics. So don't worry.**

**As for this chapter... not really all that happy with it, my mind hasn't really been on the ball and this chapter was written over an entire month and it's still not as long as some that I have written in an afternoon. I think I have some decent direction again to progress this story forward and next chapter we will see the first meeting between Madara and Naruto, something to look forward too at any rate. Yes it was mostly a nonsense chapter for a lemon, but I needed a filler to bridge the gap to what happens next, and that was to be honest the easiest thing I could think of lol.**

**(Spoiler Alert)**

**Chapters have actually been quite decent in recent weeks. Still the whole transcendent reincarnation Is a little weak, but that is very minor and it's a none issue, as I was saying they have actually been interesting chapters. Gai has been kicking ass, But really he should have died from that last attack, Nobody dies, they even said Neji was still alive at some point a few hundred chapters ago, Even in Dragon Ball Krillin used to die... Constantly. **

**On an unrelated note, what kind of asshole is the Rikudou Sennin anyway? He just sit's back and watches the reincarnation of his sons kill each other for like a thousand years. Only thing forcing his hand to do something to stop it is the fact that Madara full on crotch punched the system when he stole the younger brothers power from Hashirama. Still despite my belief that Sasuke should really have died, as I tire of everything revolving around the Uchiha clan, I am really looking forward to the two of them taking on Madara. I wonder what new powers the Rikudou gave them, Maybe each gave the other their powers, we'll end up with Naruto and Sasuke with the Rinnegan. But with how Madara is at the moment its almost a hollow victory. **


	141. The Anomalies

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 141: The Anomalies**

Naruto's eyes shot open wide, the bedsheets barely covering his torso and that of Akimi, who was using his chest as a pillow. '_What do you mean Madara... you mean that fake, Tobi?_' The blond thought, still laying on his back while scanning the room with his eyes darting quickly, as if half expecting the masked Akatsuki ninja to appear at any moment.

'**No this is the real Madara, I am sure of it.**'

'_How is that even possible, shouldn't he have died something like a hundred years ago? the Shodai Hokage killed at the valley of the end. At least that's what Itachi taught me._'

'**I don't really know but I am sure it is him, I would know his dark chakra anywhere.**'

'_I can't feel anything though._'

'**Trust me he's here. Just a short way to the north, he also knows you're here. He's suppressing his presence.**'

Naruto frowned, he was unsure what to make of this development. '_I should probably check it out. It seems to be more than just some coincidence._' He decided, slowly he began to slide out of the bed untangling himself from Akimi light embrace trying his best not to wake her.

Escaping Akimi's grasp and getting out of bed took him longer than he was proud to admit, letting out a sigh as he pulled on his clothes. As he slowly approached the door however Akimi appeared behind him wrapped in the bedsheets. "Naruto-kun, where are you going?" She asked with a yawn.

"I felt a strange chakra spike." he lied not wanting to worry the kunoichi. "I didn't mean to wake you, sorry."

"It's alright, I was just shocked when I woke up and you weren't there. If you wait a minute I'll come join you." Akimi suggested.

Naruto didn't like the sound of that, if he was really going to meet someone like Madara Uchiha, he didn't want Akimi to get too close him. He didn't know all that much about the man but he was a the great rival of the Shodai Hokage, someone who was known as the god of shinobi. "Don't worry about it Akimi-chan I probably won't be out long, you go back to bed."

"Uh okay, but if you don't come back soon, I'm going to come join you." She replied. '_There is something wrong here. He's a little jumpy, it's not like Naruto-kun at all._'

"Yeah I won't be gone long I promise." The blond replied, not sounding at all convincing. Realising this fact, he walked over to Akimi and gave her a quick kiss, as if to reassure her that nothing was wrong before he left their hotel room through the closest window. '_Right, so where am I headed Kyuubi?_'

'**Like I said, head to the north, I can't say how far from here, but he knows you are here I am sure of it.**' The large nine tailed fox replied.

'_What makes you think that?_'

'**He attempted to summon me, that's how I initially caught on he was here.**' Kyuubi replied casually.

Naruto landed on the branch of a tree and took a knee. '_Then this is a trap. It cannot simply be a coincidence that he would show up here, and then try to summon you. If this is how he wants to introduce himself why not just flare his chakra, on that note I still can't feel it from here._'

'**Well a trap is a distinct possibility. There is nothing that could involve that man, that could be positive. As much as I hate most humans, it has nothing on the hate I have for Madara Uchiha. It is Because of Madara I was enslaved, captured, and then sealed away for the past hundred years.**'

'_Then tell me why should I go there?_'

'**If you don't go there, then he will come here. Do you really want that, there would be nothing left of that hotel at all. Your little holiday would be over early.**'

Naruto sighed realising that he actually had a point. '_I guess there are a lot of innocent people there that could get caught in the crossfire if things go sideways. Oh Kami, what am I thinking listening to you._' He thought before kicking off from the tree following the Kyuubi's directions carefully.

In the end Naruto came to a stop in front of a narrow valley, high vertical cliffs cut off all moon light and it was clear Madara was attempting to channel Naruto inside. "Well this isn't half obvious." he muttered sarcastically to himself. Earning a dark chuckle from the fox. "Hey Madara, I am not going in there, so you better just come out!" He beckoned.

"Hahaha, well it's good to see you have some common sense. I take it my little pet told you where I was." A low masculine voice chuckled. Slowly, from the pitch black of the valley a man no older than thirty appeared clad in blood red body armour in the style of a samurai. He had long black spiky hair like a mane, running all the way down to his waist. His dark expressionless eyes staring down the young Uzumaki.

"I've gotta say, for someone that's over a hundred years old you look pretty good." Naruto replied with a smirk.

Madara chuckled and smirked to match that of the blond's. "So you're the anomaly huh... interesting."

"Says the dead man. If you ask me, that's more of an Anomaly than I am." Naruto replied. '_What does he mean by anomaly? Must be about the Rinnegan, it is a bit of a shock to see it for the first time._'

"I guess you do have a point, we are both anomalies in this world. If we worked together we could rule this world, nobody could touch us." Madara mused slowly examining the young jinchuuriki. "You have something that belongs to me, I came here to get it back. Why not hand it over?"

"Really, and what would that be?" Naruto asked.

"The Kyuubi of course. It's not nice to steal someone else's pet. So I will ask again, why don't you hand Kyuubi over to me? Being an anomaly you could even survive, if you use those eyes of yours... That is if you have developed them enough. Still I wonder where you got eyes like that."

"Well I am going to have to turn you down. For one, I have no desire to rule the world. But to be honest, the main reason would be... you expecting me to hand Kyuubi over. That's never going to happen, so sorry." Naruto replied, he still had a casual tone but had slowly positioned himself, incase the ex Uchiha patriarch decided to attack.

"Then it seems like our discussions will have to end here for the time being. As much as it pains me to kill someone with such potential, I can't let you get in my way." Madara said calmly, completely self assured in his own ability to follow through with his threat.

"Then bring it on old man, I'm not going down without a fight." Naruto replied.

They both moved at the same time each catching the other with a fist to the jaw and were rocketed in opposite directions at the same time, spinning in mid air so they would land safely on their feet. Madara having a larger frame was able to regain his composure before the blond teen, and used that to gain a small advantage to put Naruto on the back foot.

Naruto was faster, but Madara's experience meant that they were equally matched, or so it appeared. Madara had a vicious smile, it was like he had never had so much fun in his life. Naruto was able to use this to his advantage, sliding around Madara's extended arm and using his slightly smaller and more nimble frame slipped under his legs and kicking the long raven haired man in the back.

Madara used his arm to vault up, regain composure, and land on his feet. Naruto had attempted to follow up on the attack and ran face first into a spinning leg of the older man. Like Madara, Naruto readjusted himself in mid air skidding to a halt and ready to counter any attack. Madara however hadn't moved, so Naruto spat out a small amount of blood.

"Now this is exhilarating, I haven't had this much fun since I fought with Hashirama. but you will eventually have to take this fight seriously. You can't defeat me like this." Madara said confidently.

'_Well didn't he die the last time he fought with the Shodai? It makes sense he wouldnt have had much fun since then._' "You're one to talk, you haven't even activated your Sharingan yet." Naruto replied sharing the Uchiha's confidence.

Madara chuckled, nodding his agreement. "Well once more I guess you do have a point. So what do you say we take the gloves off then?"

"Fine by me, let's do this! Fuuton: Great Breakthough!" The ground broke up under the immense force of Naruto's jutsu. Madara though ran through hand seals faster than Naruto thought was even possible and spat out a giant ball of fire that enveloped Naruto's jutsu and easily overpowered the wind. In response Naruto erected a giant wall of water to protect himself.

Madara forced himself through the water and his eyes morphed "Amaterasu!"

'_Oh Shit!_' "Shinra Tensei!" The black flames hit the invisible barrier of gravity and exploded back into Madara's face. Naruto jumped back laughing "I can't believe he fell for that!"

"Fell for what?" Madara said calmly, despite still being on fire.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. '_What the fuck!?_'

The flames dispersed and Madara's charred features almost instantly healed themselves. "Oh, you mean the gravity jutsu... I wouldn't really consider that working, but if I had wanted I could have easily avoided that attack, I just didn't see much point in it." Madara chuckled darkly.

"You're an Edo Tensei." Naruto replied in mild shock.

"True... To tell the truth, this was not how I was expecting to be revived. But I suppose that it is better than nothing." The Uchiha said casually.

"In that case this fight is as good as over, I don't know who summoned you, but taking me on was a mistake. I have no desire to fight an Edo Tensei for someone who is too much of a coward to fame me themselves." Naruto replied.

Madara gave the blond a quizzical look but simply shrugged it off. "Well it's good to see that you're confident. But everyone I have met that spoke like you I have killed... but fine I will play along."

Naruto's body sparked and he shot forward in a flash. Madara's eyes widened as Naruto reappeared with the palm of his hand on the Uchiha's forehead. "Human Path!" Madara stood with wide eyes but his stunned look soon turned to a smirk. It was now Naruto's turn to look surprised, nothing was happening. He was trying to remove the Edo Tensei's soul and end the jutsu but it didn't work.

"Well... That was uneventful." Madara laughed before kicking Naruto in the stomach. This time the blond couldn't readjust and sound himself slamming into the cliff face.

Naruto coughed up some blood as he pulled himself to his feet. '_What the hell, why didn't my jutsu work? If he's an Edo Tensei, then how come I couldn't remove his soul from the fake body?_'

'**I don't know, the human path worked when you used it on the two Senju years ago.**' Kyuubi replied equally surprised.

"You look a little confused... perhaps you were trying to, oh I don't know, remove my soul?" Madara said with a smirk.

Naruto gave a weak smile. "Well now that you mention it."

"Hahaha. It seems that the one who summoned me foresaw you trying to use that particular jutsu. He came up with a rather ingenious method to stop the soul removal jutsu of the Rinnegan, I must say I was impressed." Madara chuckled.

"So, who did summon you? They obviously put a lot of thought into countering my jutsu." Naruto asked.

"I didn't ask his name, but it's a pale man with silver blue hair, always wore glasses." Madara answered truthfully.

"That doesn't really ring any bells... Obviously not someone that I ever considered to be a threat." Naruto mused, rubbing his chin while trying to think about who that could be.

Madara laughed at the still casual approach the blond had to his predicament. "Hm, yes in a fight the man is certainly nothing special, below average for sure. Hm... well the only other feature I can think of were his slitted eyes... like a snake."

This rang a bell with the blond. '_A snake? But Itachi killed Orochimaru, he sealed him with his Susanoo. In that case it must be, Kab... uh Kabuto was it?_'

'**That would explain why you can't use Human path. When you were in his underground hideout there was that weird experiment of his, you couldn't use Human path on him either.**' Kyuubi mused.

"That's it!" Naruto said in understanding. '_Thanks Kyuubi._'

'**Save it fool, this is not going to be an easy fight, stay focused.**'

"You figured out who summoned me?" Madara asked with mild interest.

"Well yes I did. But I also know why my soul removal jutsu didn't work." Naruto explained. Madara arched an eyebrow but at the same time he didn't say anything. "An anchoring seal, a powerful one, he anchors your soul with others to a specific part of your body, being an Edo Tensei, it could even be inside your body."

"I'm impressed, but it's more than one seal. The man that summoned me used several anchoring seals, they must have required the life force from a number of people with higher than average chakra levels." Madara explained.

"So he kills a bunch of people and steals their chakra and life force?" Naruto surmised. '_That complicates things... there is no telling just how many anchor seals he has. Also using life force chakra, that's an advanced form of Senjutsu... does that mean that a cut rate shinobi like Kabuto has become a sage?_'

"From my limited understanding, that is indeed how it works. In any case, we have gone off topic. I believe I was in the middle of taking my Bijuu back." Madara said with a smirk.

"Then you were in the middle of failing. But thanks for indulging me." Naruto replied, a smirk forming on his face as dark orange pigment formed around his eyes than gained a slightly golden hue.

"Sage mode. You really are full of surprises." Madara replied growing even more interested in the blond anomaly.

'_This is the best option I have at the moment. His soul has been anchored to an indestructible body, and I am not competent enough in Fuinjutsu to seal him that way._' Naruto thought, slightly worried.

'**You could use my chakra, it is similar in many ways to the natural chakra used in your sage mode.**' Kyuubi suggested.

'_I don't want to go that far yet. I need to see more of what he can do, besides I don't want to give away my full strength this time. I still can't get a proper read on this guy, I wan't to see more of what he can do first._' The blond reasoned.

'**You cannot toy with Madara Uchiha, Naruto! It will end badly for you.**'

'_I'm not toying with him, if I jump in using your chakra and make a mistake it could be all over for me. Besides, despite what he has said I don't think he is here to capture you... at least not today anyway._' Naruto replied. "So Madara, why are you really here, I don't believe that you're simply after the Kyuubi, also find it hard to believe that a legendary shinobi like you would allow yourself willingly to be controlled by someone like Kabuto." He asked trying to prove his point.

"You really think that is the case? Perhaps you underestimate Kabuto... he was able to resurrect me, or does that mean nothing to you?" Madara answered flatly.

Naruto took his response without any degree of seriousness, he didn't even believe that Madara believed what he was saying. "He's nothing but a useless waste of space, hiding behind someone else's talent. All of the credit for his work goes to Orochimaru, he was the real... I guess the word would be genius. Don't get me wrong he was a real creep no doubt about it, but he was smart, he had all sorts of data on you... and lot's of others as well. Is that his game, he'll release an army of freaks like you that can't be killed?"

"I couldn't tell you even if he does have such a plan. The first thing I did once I was resurrected was to fight control from him, he has been recovering ever since from sever chakra exhaustion." Madara answered honestly.

"Sound's like he didn't want to give up control." Naruto chuckled.

"I hadn't thought about it, nor do I care in the slightest. Like you said he is a waste of space, he was beneath me, why would I allow him to even have the thought of being able to control me. " The old Uchiha said.

"Then why didn't he just end the jutsu?" Naruto queried.

Madara nodded, impressed with the blond's knowledge. "In the end he did. But I knew that hack Tobirama quite well, I had very little time for him, but his fuinjutsu was a thing of beauty, equal if not better than the greatest members of your own clansmen. I was able to use the Edo Tensei for myself while keeping the same body that had been provided along with his handy little seals. Granted I am not as strong as I was when alive, but it is still more than enough to deal with you in good time."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "But not today, right? If you were serious, then you wouldn't be wasting time with this little conversation when you know as well as I do that I have help on the way."

"Yes, there is very little possibility of this being settled tonight, it's as you say this was just a little greeting between myself, and someone who if given time I may even consider to have enough potential to become my equal. Those eyes mask you as such." Madara said darkly.

'_Equal... huh?_' Naruto thought, a slight frown appearing on his brow.

'**Don't let him get inside your head fool! You will only end up making more mistakes.**'

'_No there is definitely some meaning in what he just said. Akimi will have noticed my chakra by now, that that means she be here soon. I would also put money on Madara having an exit strategy to leave quickly in case things fall in my favour. If I want to find out what he meant then I need to act now._' Naruto thought, he slipped off his Yoinokuchi robe before he began channeling chakra into the palms of his hands, spinning it to form a rasengan.

Naruto shot forward in a blur, ready to impale the long haired Uchiha with his jutsu. Madara didn't even bother to move as Naruto came close a large spectral arm appeared and blocked the strike with ease. "That's a rather impressive jutsu, it would cause considerable damage if it had hit me that is." Madara said lazily. While Naruto's rasengan continued to be stopped by his Susanoo.

"Then try this on for size!" Naruto yelled and started channeling wind elemental chakra. The rasengan began to screech and soon began to shred through the spectral arm. Madara raised a brow, somewhat impressed that the blond was able to achieve.

In the end Madara was forced to jump away to avoid being torn to shreds. Naruto responded by switching to Asura path and sending a wave of exploding projectiles at the former Uchiha clan leader. Once more a spectral arm grew to shield Madara from harm. He then decided to go on the offensive jumping forward ready to swat Naruto away.

Being more nimble than the Uchiha, Naruto was able to vault out of the way before breathing out a torrent of flames that engulfed the Susanoo arm, and gave Naruto time to get behind the Edo Tensei shinobi. '_There his backs exposed!_'

Naruto spat out a volley of thin senbon like blades of wind directly at Madara's back but just as they were about to strike their target, Madara spun out of the way. He had perfectly anticipated Naruto's attack, and had even predicted where the blond would move next without even needing to see with his Sharingan. As he spun he released a giant ball of fire right where Naruto was about to land.

In response Naruto created a clone and used it to toss his real body to safety. "Phew that was close, your judgement is spot on." Naruto said cheerfully.

"You're still not showing me everything, do you think you can defeat me by hiding most of your strength boy? At this rate I won't even break a sweat." Madara said with no small level of scorn.

"Well the way I see it you're the one who came here looking for a fight, so why should I be the first one to take this fight seriously." Naruto reasoned. '_He's still so calm, I know I am hiding a lot of my strength... But it's just like he said he doesn't even look like he is trying at all._'

'**It's not like you are trying either. This is Madara Uchiha, he is on a completely different level to anyone you have, or will ever meet. To have a chance against him you will need to fight him at your full strength.**'

Madara stood, his calm expression not changing. '_This kid isn't bad at all. I haven't been this excited since the last time I fought Hashirama, he has the exact same feeling about him... I am going to enjoy killing this one... My time here is almost up though, we're going to have to do this another day.' _

Naruto thrust his arms out and formed two Rasenshuriken, one in each hand. He then took off at high speed, he knew that with the Sharingan Madara would be able to follow his movements quite comfortably. '_Time to take things up a notch._' He thought putting on an extra burst of speed, while releasing the first of his jutsu.

Madara jumped out of the way, but that played perfectly into Naruto's hands. The blond tossed the second jutsu to where he knew that Madara would land. The older Uchiha took a play out of Naruto's book however, as he formed a clone to pull himself out of the way.

In response Naruto sped toward Madara, wind wrapping around his arm. Madara's eyes widened in excitement. '_Fuuton manipulation at such a high level... impressive._' He thought, shooting a large wall of fire at the blond.

Naruto reacted instantly, absorbing Madara's jutsu. He shot through the flames without stopping and released the wind around his arms forward, ripping up the ground. Madara slammed his hands to the ground to erect a large wall of stone, but it was no match to the power of Naruto's jutsu, powered by his sage mode.

Madara was cut up, by the jutsu he could no longer avoid. Rather than looking shocked however, Madara grinned triumphantly. "Oh yes... show me more! Let me see how strong you really are... do not disappoint me Naruto Uzumaki!"

'_Does he have a screw loose?_' Naruto wondered.

'**I don't think he has a single one that isn't.**' Kyuubi scoffed.

Naruto and Madara both turned their necks as they felt a new arrival. "Naruto-kun! What the hell is going on." Akimi yelled. She was already on guard, she knew that if Naruto had taken his weighted robe off and entered sage mode, then they were not to be taken lightly. "Who is this?"

Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Uh hey, nice timing Akimi-chan. This would be Madara Uchiha."

"You're kidding me right?" The kunoichi asked.

"Oh it's really him alright. At least, it's an Edo Tensei version of him." Naruto replied.

Madara lowered his guard, looking a little bored. "Things are getting a little over crowded, but as you said, we were never going to resolve anything here today."

"What you telling me it's over already?" Akimi replied, looking like she had just showed up a far too late to a party.

"Sorry Akimi-chan, this was just the first round, I'm sure we will meet again." Naruto said.

"What are you talking about, you're just going to let him go!?" The kunoichi asked indignantly.

"For today at least. I'm taking a small vacation." Naruto answered. '_Truth is, if the fight continues now, I doubt I would win. I have no way of ending his Edo Tensei, it's better if this fight ends now._'

"I look forward to finishing this later." Madara replied.

Behind Madara a spiralling vortex opened up and Tobi appeared. "Have you had your fun?" He asked calmly.

Naruto contemplated attacking the masked Uchiha, but decided against it. Madara nodded and turned his back on the two Yoinokuchi shinobi. "Yes we're done here, lets go." He turned slightly, so he met Naruto's gaze. "Next time we meet you will die." With those final words Madara and Tobi disappeared.

Naruto let out a deep sigh and relaxed his stance. "Why did you just let them leave?" Akimi asked, she was still a little confused with the situation.

"Because I don't think I would have won. This way I at least have some time to think of a counter to his Edo Tensei. Human Path didn't work at all this time, thanks to Orochimaru. He was looking for a way to counter my Rinnegan, I guess this was his answer." Naruto admitted, slowly walking over to where his white robe lay on the ground.

"Uh, didn't Itachi kill Orochimaru?" The kunoichi queried.

"He did, it seems Kabuto has taken over from the old snake." Naruto answered, sliding his robe back on. "Let's head back to the hotel, I need a shower."

"So I basically came all the way out here for nothing." Akimi sighed.

"Well I'm sure our fight would have continued a little longer if you didn't show up, so that is at least something." Naruto chuckled.

Akimi sighed and fell into step beside the blond as they slowly walked back towards the resort where they were spending the night. "So, what was Madara Uchiha like?" She asked eventually.

"To tell you the truth, I still don't have a very good read on him. He was hiding too much for me to gauge the full depths of his abilities. But it's clear that he's on a completely different level to anyone I have ever faced before." Naruto admitted.

"You can beat him, I know you will." Akimi said confidently.

Naruto smiled and put an arm around the kunoichi's waist, pulling her close to quickly kiss her forehead. "Well at the moment, I'm not so sure. If that fight continued I probably would have lost. I need to get stronger. It's even more important now that I master using Kyuubi's chakra." He admitted.

"But why would he leave then, if he could have won." Akimi asked, hearing Naruto admit that he could have lost to Madara was a shock.

"He never intended to fight me for real today. I think Tobi and Kabuto must have told him about me, I guess he wanted to find out for himself." Naruto deduced.

Akimi nodded at the blond's reasoning, but still seemed to be quite confused. "It still doesn't explain why they ran away. We were alone, surely they wouldn't get a better opportunity to attack, they are after your Bijuu aren't they?"

"That's true, he also gave me a bit of intel on what the Akatsuki's plan my be, so logically it would have been in their best interest to keep fighting and hope they could defeat me as I am now. That just leads me to believe that he's confident enough to let us have these advantages." The blond admitted.

"Then we will have to make them pay for that little slip up wont we." Akimi replied with confidence, she was not going to be intimidated by the appearance of Madara.

Naruto chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, I agree. I will make that zombie pay for not seeing this fight through to the end today, But I am going to need some strong sparring partners."

**End Chapter!**

**So that was a first meeting between Madara and Naruto, I was contemplating just having the pair talk, but that would be a bit of a info drop and chapters like that can end up like a shopping list of plot ending in an overload plot dump with no time to react to any one piece of information. So I decided to go the rout of letting the two of them test each others abilities. **

**No chapter this week in the cannon, but with any luck things will resolve rather quickly now, I am growing a little tired of the constant power up plot developments, it doesn't even explore the full strength of one before they power someone else up and we get no real explanation as to just what that adds to their strength. **

**For example in the next chapter of the cannon (Spoiler Warning) we will most likely see Madara get his other Rinnegan eye, or Sakura by some insane plot hole be able to stand up against him. Either way one character would get a power up, two chapters after Naruto and Sasuke did. Now there is a chance neither will happen, but it's not likely.**


	142. Nagato's Tower

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 142: Nagato's Tower**

"Did you have your fun?" Tobi asked casually. The masked Akatuski ninja was walking a good ten yards behind Madara, along one of the many underground passageways of the Akatsuki headquarters. The walls were dimly lit, meaning that whenever Madara would walk in front of a light he would cast a long shadow across the small path.

"It wasn't a matter of fun. I simply desired to see what has become of shinobi in this age. That boy is like me, we're anomalies. But unlike myself, he lacks the kind of rival that I had in Hashirama, his growth has been stunted because of that." Madara replied.

"Not to question you, but for a sixteen year old his abilities outclass those of any of the current Kage." Tobi replied.

"Oh yes, there is no doubt he has amazing talent, I was just saying that he should be even stronger, if he had a rival... a genius that even Hashirama and Myself would have been strugling to compete with." I wonder why he has no real rival in this age. In the past the Senju representative and Uchiha would have been fighting, just like all of those that came before us. That boy... Naruto Uzumaki, he has had no rival, yet at this stage of his life his development is far beyond where we were." Madara queried.

"So what do you think is different? It's true he has had remarkable trainers, but I had questioned why his growth was so rapid myself." Tobi questioned.

Madara stoped on the spot, turning to look at the masked Uchiha. "It looks like I will need to do some light reading... where is the tablet now?"

"It's in the old Uchiha compound, in Konoha." Tobi replied.

"I have very little desire to return to that village, but Rikudou's Tablet may hold some answers about why we have such a strange anomaly to deal with." Madara replied.

"I can take you there, if you wish that is." Tobi suggested.

Madara paused in thought for a moment but soon turned on his heals heading in the other direction. "Not right now, I wish to think first on the best way to proceed. The truth is, when I first was revived I had suspected that the boy you brought me, Sasuke, was the Uchiha representative of this age. But when you compare their current skills that can't be the case, Sasuke may be talented but he will not reach the same level as that Uzumaki boy."

"Talking to you now makes it sound like you are worried about him," Tobi chuckled.

"Know your place, he is still far from my level of ability. Even in my current, limited state I am confident that I would win... even still, he was hiding a significant portion of his strength. The question is, how much?" Madara replied with a slight frown.

The masked man let out a deep sigh, even with all his spying, the truth was he couldn't give the Uchiha elder a reasonable response that would satisfy. "There is no easy answer to that question, he defeated Nagato who was my strongest soldier. But I did not personally witness the fight, I also believe that he has improved significantly since that encounter. He was able to land a hit on me before I could use my time space migration."

Madara smirked at the masked mans admission. "Yes I could see he was hiding at least that much, as you are, there is no chance for you to defeat that boy. We may need to rely on this stupid war you started after all. At least this new age isn't boring, he might not be Hashirama, but just maybe he can entertain me for awhile."

"And what of Sasuke?" Tobi questioned

Madara paused in mild contemplation. "What of him?"

"Do you still plan on training the boy? He may not have the ability to challenge the Uzumaki brat, but he is still strong enough to help us, if he can be... tempted to see things our way," the masked man explained.

"Why not, it beats sitting around and doing nothing," Madara replied flatly. The long haired Uchiha gave his masked counterpart a calm nod before stalking off into the shadows.

(**Elsewhere**)

Naruto and Akimi slowly entered their hotel room, the blond was clearly on edge from his encounter with the Edo Tensei Madara. Akimi herself looked to be worried by how serious Naruto was. "What's wrong?" she asked, her normal playful attitude giving way for genuine concern.

"I was just thinking that we shouldn't stay here." Naruto replied a steely glint in his eyes.

"But you chased Madara away. Why should we leave?" The kunoichi questioned.

"He might come back with back up. At the moment there is too much we don't know. We should also report the fact that Madara Uchiha is running around to Jiraiya-sensei and the others." Naruto explained calmly, now satisfied that the Uchiha wasn't about to jump out of nowhere and attack him.

Akimi could see the logic, they would be much safer with Jiraiya and the other members of the Yoinokuchi in Ame. "Well it's almost dawn anyway, if we leave now we will get to Ame in time for breakfast."

"That's what I was thinking, I would also like to get some training in, I need to improve he was too calm, it was almost like he didn't consider me a threat to him at all." Naruto replied. He clenched his fists in frustration, he hadn't gotten a gauge on Madara's real strength at all.

'**No point in beating yourself up over it Naruto, Madara is a freak of nature, not unlike you. However his heart is closed off and desires nothing but power.**'

Naruto's eyes widened at the kind words. '_Kyuubi?_'

'**Well obviously unless you have someone else speaking inside your mind?**' The fox replied sarcastically.

'_That was probably the nicest thing you have ever said to me, I was surprised._'

'**Yeah well, necessity demands it. I am well aware of why it is you face, I will not allow myself to be used by that man again. If that means cooperating with you, then I will accept you as a partner.**'

Naruto grinned happily at the suggestion. '_I knew you were not all bad Kyuubi. Let's kick that zombie bastards ass!_'

'**We are not friends Naruto, however I will accept that you are different from other humans. For now we will be partners, I will aid you in your future battles, but that is all.**'

'_For now I guess that will do, but I'm not giving up on you Kyuubi, I believe we can be friends,_' the blond declared confidently.

'**We'll see,**' the fox replied casually before shutting off their connection.

Naruto smiled and began collecting their belongings, that had been thrown haphazardly around the hotel room earlier in the night. "You ready?" He called, checking on the kunoichi who had been cleaning their bedroom.

"Just about, I'm checking everything one last time I don't want to leave anything behind." Akimi replied from the other room.

"Alright, I'm almost finished in here, the sun will start coming up soon so we should be out of here before then," The blond called back. Ten minutes later they were gone, stopping only briefly to pay their bill at the main office. Afterwards the pair didn't stop as they ran across the countryside towards Ame, the sun starting to rise in the sky.

At the border of the Land of Rain dark clouds could already be seen in the horizon and it was no surprise that when they could see the tall towers of Nagato's village in the distance the rain was already falling hard. "Well Nagato certainly knows we're here, this rain is saturated in his chakra, must be a sensory jutsu." Naruto mused, he looked down to see his reflexion staring back at him from a puddle.

"Does he use this all the time? By the looks of this place they haven't seen any sunlight in a year." Akimi replied as she assessed the rather bleak landscape, not a tree was growing and all the grass was brown and devoid of life.

"Doesn't help that this country was the sight of some of the most fierce fighting in the last two shinobi wars. things just don't go back to being green after that. It could take a hundred years for this place to fully recover." Naruto sighed.

The village came closer and they soon found themselves at the border of a large river that ran around the large city of Ame. "So this is where Nagato lives... I have to say it's impressive." Akimi said with a low whistle.

Naruto nodded is agreement while walking along the banks of the river. "Yeah definitely the largest city I have been too in awhile, there are a few civilian cities that come close though." He stoped to look down at the water, the ripple patterns from the rain and heavy cloud cover stopped all reflection from it's surface. "Well, we could probably just walk across the water into the city, but it might be better to go to the main entrance seeing that we're guests and all."

Akimi quickly agreed but they didn't have to travel far a small origami butterfly floated past her head, circled Naruto for a brief moment before it was joined by a torrent of the paper insects. "We were expecting you to arrive later Naruto-kun," Konan's disembodied voice replied, while the butterflies converged to form the blue haired kunoichi.

"Hey Konan, I didn't know there was a time limit, but anyway we have something we need to report to Jiraiya-sensei, it's important." Naruto replied calmly.

Konan arched an eyebrow but soon shrugged off her curiosity, chances were that she would find out what was so important soon enough. "Very well then, come with me, there is no need to walk the rest of the way," Konan ran through a set of hand seals blisteringly quickly and summoned a giant origami bird. "This will take you to the tower, I will see you soon Naruto-kun."

"Uh can that thing really support both of us?" Akimi asked quite skeptical, the bird was after all made of paper.

Konan just gave a single stiff nod and dissolved in the same fashion in which she arrived, the butterflies dispersing and fluttering back towards the city. "Well worst case scenario is that the bird collapses in mid air, if that happens then I'll just summon us another one," Naruto declared happily, hopping onto the back of the paper summons.

Akimi still looked somewhat hesitant but followed the blonds lead. The instant the speedy kunoichi was on the bird it took off at a blistering speed, soaring high up into the air to the elated enjoyment of Naruto, Akimi on the other hand who had not found a comfortable place to sit was clinging to the blondes back with everything she could.

The bird rose high above the city and began to circle around the outside giving the young couple a birds eye view of the complex series of tunnels that ran throughout the village. Suddenly the bird shot straight into the city, elegantly weaving in between buildings, just narrowly missing the cold metal that would result in them crashing and falling a hundred feet to the city streets below.

Naruto let out a exhilarated cheer as the bird slipped between two thick pipes before spinning to squeeze through a gap between a few more. Suddenly the the paper bird jerked upwards along the side of what was probably the tallest building in the village, looking up Naruto could see the tops of the surrounding buildings getting closer, but just before they arrived Konan's summons shot into a large opening and almost as suddenly as their trip started the bird landed in a large room that overlooked a large portion of the city.

"Konan gave you the express trip I see." Nagato's voice traveled across the room moments before a door seemed to grow from a wall to allow the elderly looking Uzumaki to enter. Behind Nagato, Jiriaya, Itachi and Konan arrived to greet the two late arrivals.

"Thought you two would show up a little later than this, but don't tell me those villagers gave you so much trouble you didn't get any time off?" Jiraiya asked casually.

"No we stayed in a hotel last night but we left ear- Wait a minute you mean that you knew that village was a fake?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Of course, all the signs were there for an experienced spy master such as myself." Jiraiya replied, as always never afraid of self promotion.

"We spent hours cleaning that mess up, we could have been done in a few minutes if you had just told us!" Akimi raged.

"Ah but then you wouldn't have learned anything, and what kind of sensei would I have been then?" The Toad Sage replied.

"Well as annoying as that was, we did the job in the end. Still that isn't why we came here early, there is some new information that I think everyone should hear," Naruto replied not wanting to get into the fake village at the moment. "It would just save time if I told everything that happened in one go, you're head of the Joint Shinobi Task-force so you can relay the information to the people that will need it far better than I can."

"Alright, the others are finishing their breakfast, I'll instruct them to meet up in your office when they are done Nagato." Konan suggested before her body dissolved once more into a swarm of butterflies.

"She really likes doing that... Is it even faster than walking?" Akimi questioned.

"Marginally, but it depends on where she has to go, to travel across the city, then it is the fastest way, going one floor downstairs however... about as fast as if she was running." Nagato answered in an off hand manner, he had seen her disappear so many times now that it was no longer an interesting occurrence. "Follow me, my office is on the next level up." He added indicating for the group to stay close.

It soon became apparent to Naruto why. The walls would open up into doorways whenever Nagato approached, and would close behind him almost immediately. Naruto had used a jutsu similar to this, but the ease in which Nagato could freely remove any obstacles in his path showed a level of mastery that he had not been able to achieve.

They continued to walk in a straight line until they came to a small room in the centre of the building, there room was completely black except a spiral staircase thats individual steps let out a light glow. The moment Nagato placed his foot on the first step it began to ascend, a new stair appearing from the solid floor to replace the last. '_Well now he's just showing off._' Naruto thought with an amused smirk.

Nagato's office was not as grand as Naruto had been expecting, in fact if he had to put a word to it, then it would be depressing. The same cold grey as so much of the city gave the room an oppressing feeling there was no real desk or chairs however Naruto assumed that Nagato could manipulate this building well enough that should the need arise he could create some easily enough. There were a few dull lamps scattered across the wall but the main source of light came from a large glass door that opened up onto a large balcony that overlooked the village.

"It's uh nice." Jiraiya mused with a deadpan.

"Decoration was never one of my strengths Jiraiya-sensei, and I was restricted to a mobile platform for the last few years the only person who has been in this room other than myself has been Konan." Nagato replied as if just now realising how inadequate this arrangement was. "Perhaps we should have picked a different room for our meeting?"

"No this place should be adequate, considering that most of your own shinobi have no idea what you look like suggests that there is little chance of our conversation being overheard by unwanted ears." Itachi reasoned.

Naruto who was still expecting Nagato to somehow manipulate the room to create them some chairs and a table was left disappointed, but that soon vanished upon the arrival of Konan and the other members of the Yoinokuchi. "Who the hell designed this building, it's like a maze." Zabuza huffed in annoyance.

To Naruto surprise it was Jiraiya that answered the former Kiri ninja. "That would been Hanzou, he designed the upper levels of this tower so that only he and those closest to him could easily navigate the halls. It would give him time to prepare a proper greeting to any potential assassins. He told me himself on one of the few times I met him after the war, I had never seen it with my own eyes before though."

"Yes unless you know the way around it is almost impossible to find your way on these upper levels, thats why I prefer a more direct approach," Nagato added. He had no real problem with navigating the halls, but he found it to be much quicker to just create his own paths.

"As interesting as this conversation is, perhaps we should get down to the reason why we were brought here," Itachi proposed calmly.

"Itachi is right, lets get down to business." Jiraiya readily agreed, turning to face Naruto. "Well, you better get started, I don't want to waste the whole day standing here when there is so much that I could be doing," he added, which Naruto translated as, 'Hurry up gaki I want to see what the women are like in this city.'

Naruto nodded and began to speak. "So the mission you sent me on was a trap..." The blond went on to recount the events of the mission in the small fake village not leaving out any detail.

Jiraiya sighed once Naruto finished the first part of his story. "So you found a couple of Uzumaki's huh, didn't sound like they were shinobi though."

"They weren't but they have knowledge in sealing. Once they were free we suggested that they either head to Konoha or to come here, they were just a small family of traveling salesmen, but any ninja village would find their skill in Fuinjutsu a valuable asset." Naruto replied.

"You are missing the big picture here," Zabuza interrupted the small conversation. "Those villagers weren't just looking to traffic civilians into slavery like I thought, they were after ninja, they even captured a Jounin, that's a one way ticket to having every ninja out for your blood. They were also trained somewhat to defend themselves, that suggests that the person behind this village is a powerful shinobi."

"I thought the same thing. That's why I sent everything I could to Tsunade-baachan and Konoha, I don't really want to be burdened with this investigation I can have them do it for me," Naruto answered casually.

"Look that isn't even why we wanted everyone here, it's because of what happened last night." Akimi interjected.

"Really and what happened last night?" Jiraiya asked with a slightly perverted grin.

"We met Madara Uchiha." Naruto answered. He was met with a group of rather skeptical looks. "Not Tobi, this was the real Madara Uchiha... well when I say real he was dead but he had been resurrected with an Edo Tensei," he explained further.

"Edo Tensei, who is using that jutsu? Only Orochimaru went so far as to study that particular kinjutsu." Jiraiya said suddenly far more interested in the story.

"Well it appears he taught his little pet Kabuto quite a bit. It would also appear that he has joined up with the Akatsuki, I couldn't tell you why, but Madara is definitely after the Bijuu." Naruto replied.

"They still have the Gedo Mezo, I can summon the statue, but cannot control it, not now that several Bijuu have been sealed inside. However Zetsu and Tobi appear to be able to control it." Nagato said calmly.

"That's odd isn't it?" Naruto queried.

"They both knew all of the secrets of the statue when they showed up quite a few years ago. He attempted to prove that he was in fact Madara Uchiha by controlling the statue. While I knew he was not who he said he was, his knowledge of the Rinnegan and unique set of skills were unquestionable," Nagato reasoned.

"So who is that masked man then? Have you ever seen him without his mask?" Haku asked, she was beginning to feel out of her depth in this conversation, but she was not the only one, both Fu and Akimi also looked like they were at a loss for how they could possibly help.

"No he never showed me his face, I only ever saw a mask." Nagato lamented.

"We are getting off topic again." Itachi informed the group, wanting to know more about Naruto's encounter with the former Uchiha patriarch.

"Oh right, so last night, well it was more like really early this morning, anyway Kyuubi woke me up. When asked him what was wrong he told me that Madara Uchiha was waiting a short distance to the north," The blond continued.

"And you believed the fox? Naruto, it could have been a trap." Gaara questioned in an almost disbelieving tone.

"Well yeah I thought about that, but if that was the case then wouldn't the fox have picked something a little bit believable? To say that Madara Uchiha suddenly just appeared sounded a little far fetched, but I gave the fox the benefit of the doubt and went to check it out." Naruto answered honestly.

Itachi nodded accepting the progress so far. He guessed, having heard the stories of Madara Uchiha as a kid, that upon being released into the world once more the old Uchiha would try and summon his favourite instrument of destruction, the Kyuubi which must have alerted the Bijuu to his presence. "Then I take it Madara, or at least an Edo Tensei version of Madara was there waiting for you."

The young Kyuubi jinchuuriki nodded in response. "Yeah, he told me that he wanted the Bijuu and when I refused we fought... well when I say that we both attempted to hide as much of our true ability as possible, I am not even sure how strong he really is."

"Why didn't you use the Human path on him? Edo Tensei are not strongly bound to their bodies it would have taken less than a second to remove his soul and end the jutsu." Jiraiya said reprimanding his pupil for forgetting something so important. "You stopped the Shodai and Nidame Hokage with the jutsu almost four years ago that way."

"I tried." The blond sighed. "There is a seperate seal on the corpse that is anchoring Madara's seal to the body. Orochimaru had been working on it before he died, remember the opponent I told you I faced in his hideout when Itachi killed him? I guess Kabuto knew how to use the seal as well, and now he is use it in collaboration with the Edo Tensei."

"It makes sense, Orochimaru would have seen how his plan had failed when he attempted to assassinate Sarutobi-sama and wanted to find a way to counter this particular weakness. It must mean that he was planning to use the jutsu again around Naruto-kun or Nagato, if he was aware he had the Rinnegan." Itachi concluded this was unsettling news, the Edo Tensei had so few weaknesses that closing off even one made it seem almost impossible to defeat.

"It certainly makes Kabuto one of the top targets in this war, he won't be able to control too many Edo Tensei at a time, but there will be some that he can summon that would work with the Akatsuki without being forced." Jiraiya mused, he had done a small amount of study into the jutsu himself, not because he wanted to perform it, but knowledge is power, Orochimaru had used it once, so he wanted to know how to stop the jutsu should he try again.

"The problem is killing him would not end the jutsu, he needs to end the jutsu himself, I have a way of forcing him to do so... in fact if I do, we could turn him into an asset in our war effort." Itachi informed the group. '_It would mean I have to use Shusui's eye, I had planned on using it to save Sasuke. I will have to wait and see who becomes the bigger threat,_' The stoic Uchiha thought calmly.

But as calm as he pretended to be Itachi knew he had a very difficult decision to make. He had tried to tell himself to give up on his brother, but they were still flesh and blood... or they were before Naruto gave him his new eyes changing his DNA. He had decided against using the gift his best friend had left him all those years ago the last time he met Sasuke, he had hoped that he could make his foolish little brother forget about revenge, Naruto and Jiraiya had made him realise just how foolish he had been to focus Sasuke solely on his death. The last resort was Shisui's eye, the power to completely control anyone, to change their outlook completely, It was something that if Itachi was being honest he never wanted to use. The only weakness to the jutsu was the time it needed to cool down after a single use, ten years.

"We're not entirely certain to what extent Kabuto is working with Tobi, if any at all. At this point all we can really do is wait, I will pass this information onto the other Kage though, they will need to be informed of this development." Jiraiya said calmly. He wordlessly summoned five small toads, each a different colour that matched the five different elements. He quickly wrote a brief report and gave a copy to each toad. "You know what to do." The toads all gave Jiraiya a very military like salute before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Well that solves that, but you were wrong about one thing." Naruto replied.

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Really and what would that be?"

"We don't just have to sit around and wait... we can train, in fact Nagato, I was hoping you would spar with me. If we have to fight someone like Madara Uchiha, we cant rest and just hope we are all strong enough as we are." The blond answered with a determined glint in his eye.

Nagato smirked quite happy to indulge the younger Uzumaki. "Alright, but I hope you take it easy on an old man," he chuckled knowing he had lost none of his strength despite his appearance.

"You wish, I want to see what you can do when you're not dividing your strength between the six paths." Naruto smirked.

"Wait a minute, no way you two are doing this alone, count me in!" Jiraiya cheered wanting to test himself once more against his student that he was sure had surpassed him long ago.

"Then you can count me in as well." Itachi added with a rare smile.

"I think I will sit this out, It would be conter productive for me to involve myself in that fight," Gaara said calmly.

"Ah come on Gaara, you are considered a S rank ninja in almost every Bingo book we have seen," Naruto replied not wanting to dishearten his friend.

"Perhaps, but I know when I am out classed and without relying on Shukaku who I cannot control I would be unable to suitably compete with you." Gaara admitted.

"Yeah the kids right, as much as I like a fight, I'm not that crazy." Zabuza said pulling out.

Naruto nodded in acceptance and looked over to Akimi, Haku, and Fu. "We would, but let's face it Naruto-kun, you four are out of our league... at least at the moment," Akimi admitted sadly.

Haku was the next to speak. "We will find a place to train by ourselves. Would you like to join us Konan?"

The blue haired origami user thought bout it for a moment, she wanted to watch Nagato's spar but in the end decided that training with the others would be a nice change. "Very well, I will join you," she said with a smile. "There are large training areas a short distance outside of the city, but for safety we should head further out."

"Agreed, it will be weird to fight seriously with my own body again, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited." Nagato replied.

**End Chapter!**

**Been away due to family issues so sorry the update has been so late. This chapter should get me back into things with any luck. While I can't say a lot of much significance happened I felt it was important to help set the scene and to break things up I will have a small fight next chapter between Nagato, Naruto, Jiraiya, and Itachi. Not sure how I will work it yet, but I am sure I will think of something I always do, even if it isn't perfect. **

**Spoiler Warning!**

**Things are just getting ridiculous, can we please just have a fight and get this arc over with? The war as been going on for what almost three years worth of chapters. It's almost as long as the whole rest of the story and it's quality continues to lessen. Then we have the fact that all this supposedly has happened over one day... it's just like the supposed 5 minutes it took planet Namek to blow up. You sit there thinking it has to end soon... but it doesn't, it's like going to a music recital and every child is playing the same fucking song, badly, and you just want it to leave but you cant because that would be 'rude'. **

**Now don't get me wrong, I have liked certain things, even if they were unnecessary. Kaguya was a welcome change from the incessant Uchiha worship we have had for the past 200 chapters, but her strength is so disproportional to anything else that it's just a license for him to write in more and more plot hacks. I mean if she can create multiple dimensions like where she sent Sasuke, why not just fuck off into one of them herself and leave Naruto and the others alone? It's not like they can follow her, makes no sense to me. **

**Then we have black Zetsu, his involvement in the story has been so marginal and pointless before this point that I am glad he is able to do something, however he is basically just another one dimensional character that is shoved in to extend the plot slightly. **

**Many of the ideas are not bad, but they are being thrown at us like a grocery list with no time to develop a proper understanding of one idea before that changes and becomes something else, before we are even given a clear understanding of what one development can do. I mean we haven't been given a proper explanation on the extent of Naruto's strength after receiving the Senjutsu of Six Paths. It just got trumped immediately by Madara receiving his other eye and then again when he was absorbed or taken over be Kaguya. **

**Okay long rant today I'm sorry, anyway until next time, see ya.**


	143. Rejuvination

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 143: Rejuvenation**

"How far out of the village are we going?" Naruto asked. It was a good question, because when he turned his head back in the direction they had come, he could no longer see the giant towers that identified the hidden village of Ame. On reflection Ame was not much of a hidden village, the sheer size of the city meant that staying hidden was all but impossible. Some villages, like Takigakure held great pride in the fact that only those who were from the village could find the secret entrance, not that it had stopped Naruto in the past.

"While I admit we are a fair distance away from the village already, experience with you has taught me that there is quite a lot of collateral damage. I would prefer if that didn't include my city." Nagato replied honestly.

Jiraiya and Itachi seemed to be on a similar page as they both voiced their approval of moving still further away from Ame. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad right?... Right?" The blond said almost pleadingly. His only response however was silence. "Oh you guys are assholes," he huffed in frustration.

Jiraiya broke out in jovial laughter and gave his young pupil a pat on the back. "It's not just you, we don't want the Ame Shinobi to be able to see our fight, they still think Nagato is some all powerful god, so it wouldn't do us any good if they saw us all fighting."

"Chances are they would jump in, if that happens it's likely that they will get hurt. Thats not something that we want," Itachi added calmly.

The continued on for another half an hour, all that they could see in every direction was a barren wasteland. "Yeah well you can't get anymore isolated than this," Naruto said a little depressed by the whole scene. "So how are we gonna do this?"

"Free for all, everything allowed... but it would be for the best if there is no killing," Nagato replied flatly. The four shinobi each looked at one another for a few seconds before they all jumped away from each other at the time, the area where they were once standing exploded with four jutsu converging on each other.

'_Alright, I should go after Jiraiya-sensei first, before he summons Fukusaku-sama and Shima-sama, it will be hard to defeat him if he enters sage mode, their coordination together is flawless,_' Naruto thought.

'**No time for that Naruto, the former Uchiha and your clansmen are coming straight for you,**' The Kyuubi warned.

'_So much for a free for all,_' The blond thought leaping to the side as large dragon made of water descended on his hiding place. Naruto leapt forward jumping over a large boulder where he found himself in total darkness. "Genjutsu."

"Well I didn't really make it hard for you to figure out this time," Itachi said in a drone.

"Yeah this one is, but the two more that you stacked this one on top of aren't," Naruto chuckled. He placed his hands together and began gathering chakra. "Kai."

Naruto was once more back in the real world only to find himself face to face with both Itachi and Nagato. "Shouldn't you two, I don't know, be trying to kill each other or something?"

"Not yet, we just agreed to take out the biggest threat first," Nagato replied.

Naruto sighed in frustration. "I don't know if I should be flattered or pissed about this."

"Probably a bit of both," Itachi shrugged, a small smirk indicating how much he really enjoyed the blonds indignation.

Naruto scowled unsure how likely it would be for him to defeat both Itachi and Nagato, he didn't really like his odds. Naruto thrust both arms forward and sent a giant gust of wind at the two older shinobi.

Nagato absorbed the chakra without blinking while Itachi quickly raised a wall of water, that rippled with the force of the blonds jutsu but was able to hold strong. Naruto knew that there was no chance that his attack would actually hit the two older shinobi, but used the attack to distance himself from the pair.

'Your plan sort of backfired on you didn't it,' the Kyuubi chuckled darkly as his container was now weaving in between two Katon jutsu fired by the two S class shinobi he had tried to leave behind. '**And do you know the best part?**'

Naruto sighed in resignation, knowing that the fox would tell him anyway. '_What?_'

'Never mind**, you'll see in a second.**'

Naruto was getting ready to yell at his Bijuu when a rather familiar yet unwelcome roar could be heard. '_Oh you gotta be shitting me,_' the blond thought earning a roar of laughter from the fox.

"Oodama Rasengan!" Jiraiya yelled descending from above to trap Naruto between the three shinobi.

"Shinra Tensei," the blond said, his arms extended around him. The barrier blocked the jutsu but he still found himself trapped, all possible avenues blocked off. The six paths abilities could be countered by Nagato, Itachi's ability to analyse any situation and and skill with Genjutsu possibly made the Uchiha the biggest threat to him. Lastly on Jiraiya's shoulder sat Fukusaku and Shima, meaning that he was almost unbeatable in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. "So we're really doing this huh?"

"Well you wanted a challenge, but you better pick up the pace or this will be over quickly," Jiraiya chuckled.

'**Three on one huh... well I guess it's time to teach you how to use my chakra then,**' Kyuubi said almost eagerly.

Naruto took in a deep breath but had to admit if he was even going to put up a fight against all three of his so called friends. A sudden burst of chakra flooded the area, he was now bathed in a shroud of golden chakra, "You ever have that feeling that you can do anything? Right now I really feel like I could take all three of you on!" the blond said with a small smirk.

'**Don't get cocky, gaki as you are right now all you can do with that shroud is greatly enhance your speed and strength, you haven't done anything yet, focus and imagine the cloak as an extension of your body, you should be able to use the cloak itself to fight.**'

Naruto was unsure how to do as the fox ordered just yet so instead he used his enhanced speed to slip through the minuscule gap between Jiraiya and Itachi. The Uchiha and Nagato were both able to follow his movements, but seeing them and stopping them are two different things.

"Damn kid's faster than Minato, this could be kind of difficult," Jiraiya said his gaze turned to where Naruto was now standing, his face a picture of calm concentration.

"Any idea what he's doing?" Nagato questioned.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Naruto-kun hasn't really had a chance to practice with this transformation, we should stay on guard," Itachi replied.

Two giant claws of golden chakra emerged from Naruto's Bijuu cloak and sped like astral projectiles towards the three shinobi, arching out in an attempt to wrap them in his chakra. Jiraiya acted first erecting a large wall of Mud reinforced with Senjutsu chakra. This spiked the others into life, Itachi and Nagato both split off from the group to make it impossible to trap all three of them.

Naruto's chakra claws went through the toad sages wall like a hot knife through butter, wrapping themselves around Jiraiya, only with a little too much power, he was ripped to shreds, the claws were like knives, cleaving everything in their path.

Despite the shock at the damage he had caused Naruto was not worried about his godfather, the small remains left dissolved into mud as the chakra claws retracted back into his shroud "Uh sorry about that, not really sure how to use these things yet."

Jiraiya reappeared from the ground in the same place he had stood just a moment before, he was unsure whether he was angry, impressed, or simply interested in this new ability his young apprentice had. "I thought we agreed on not trying to kill each other," He called out in mock indignation.

"Let's just say I had faith that you would be able to escape," Naruto replied somewhat apologetically. '_Alright, I've at least separated them, now time to take advantage,_' he thought creating two clones. One clone flew towards Jiraiya while the other made straight for Itachi. As his clones engaged the two members of the Yoinokuchi Naruto's real body sped forward to attack Nagato, moving so fast it was as though he simply appeared behind the red haired Uzumaki.

Nagato's eyes widened, even with the Rinnegan he could barely track Naruto's movements, it was only out of instinct that he rolled forward, his arm transforming as he moved, as he rolled back to his feet Nagato fired several rockets from his wrist.

Naruto's perceptions increased several times over by both the Rinnegan and the use of the Kyuubi's chakra, this made it appear that the explosive projectiles were slow and would be easy to avoid. The blond decided however to use this as another chance to use his chakra claws. His first attempt had only been a minor success, he had hoped to grab and hold his targets in place, unfortunately they tore right through Jiraiya's clone.

This attempt didn't go much better, the claws out from his fox mode cloak and attempted to grab the rockets, unlike last time Naruto attempted to slowly and gently wrap his targets up. What he failed to calculate however was the forward momentum of Nagato's rockets, they exploded almost as soon as they made contact with his claws.

Surprisingly when the smoke cleared there was no damage done to his cloak, his claws were still intact. '_They work well as shields,_' the blond mused.

'**You're given a weapon that could quite literally pierce or crush any opponent and you marvel at how it can be used to defend yourself? You are an odd one Naruto,**' The fox spoke firmly.

'_Well I don't_ _really need anymore weapons, but having extra ways to defend myself if the worst happens are always useful. There is no point in having a powerful weapon if you die and can't use it,_' Naruto reasoned.

'**Perhaps you have a point, either way this isn't the time to discuss semantics. Go on the offensive, it's time for your second lesson, use the chakra claws to form jutsu.**'

'_Sounds interesting..._' Naruto replied, in the palm of the chakra claw a large ball of fire appeared slowly taking the form of a dragons head, the dragon slowly opened it's mouth and sent a massive wave of fire cascading out of it's mouth towards his fellow Rinnegan wielder.

"I'm not one for complaining, but didn't you say something about not trying to kill us... because you have already killed Jiraiya-sensei's clone and I would rather not join it," Nagato said staring intently at the giant wall of flames closing in on him.

"Oh don't go trying to play the weak old man routine, I know you better than that," Naruto scoffed as his clawed hand shot out towards his fellow clansmen following closely behind the flames.

Nagato shrugged knowing his ploy had failed. "Well you can't blame me for trying... Shinra Tensei."

The invisible wall of gravity shot forward clashing with the large chakra claws, the elemental jutsu slowly fading against the invisible pressure. The Bijuu cloak however did not, the two immense chakra's clashed fighting for dominance and much to Nagato's surprise the bright golden fox claw began pushing through the barrier. '_Amazing nothing has ever been able to get though my Shinra Tensei before, is this what the strongest Bijuu's chakra can do._'

In the end Nagato was forced to drop the jutsu and was only just able to roll out of the way as the chakra claw came crashing to the ground ripping the earth apart like it was nothing. Nagato let out a sigh of relief but soon found himself on the run again as the chakra claw burst out from the ground behind him, having tunnelled underground.

(**Naruto and Jiraiya**)

"What I'm not worthy of facing the real one? Oh why do my apprentices always treat me this way?" Jiraiya wailed, anime tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Ah well, I'm being a little bit extra rough with Nagato, the Rinnegan gives him a far easier way out, I still don't have very good control over my Bijuu cloak so Nagato will be a better opponent for the boos to try out new things," Naruto's clone reasoned.

"Naruto-chan has a point Jiraiya-chan," Fukusaku pointed out from his left shoulder.

"Quiet you old fool we have to concentrate, clone or no tha Kyuubi cloak makes this difficult," Shima croaked from the other side. What followed was the two elderly frogs bickering back and forth until it descended into nothing but a loud melody of croaks.

"They uh, they do that a lot don't they," Naruto mentioned with a deadpan expression.

"Yeah, I've gotten used to it," Jiraiya replied with a deadpan of his own. "So how are we going to do this?"

"Well as long as you have Fukusaku-sama, and Shima-sama here, a Ninjutsu duel sounds like the most fun," The blond replied. Naruto knew he was playing into Jiraiya's hands skill wise, in sage mode with the two toad sages, Jiraiya was probably the strongest Ninjutsu user alive. The ability to effortlessly create three part collaboration jutsu, enhanced with Senjutsu was no easy feat and Jiraiya excelled at the art.

"Sounds good to me," Jiraiya replied a feeling mildly confident, He was without a doubt that Naruto had surpassed him in strength long ago, but in straight Ninjutsu Jiraiya still held his own, even holding the advantage with his knowledge of jutsu. "Out of curiosity, which path is this clone?" '_No matter how much of an advantage I have, if I'm fighting against Preta path then all the jutsu in the world won't make a difference, he would just absorb them,_' he added as an afterthought.

"Animal path, Deva and Preta are a little unfair if we're trying to have an even match," Naruto's clone replied calmly.

Jiraiya nodded and instantly began running through hand seals. "Senjutsu: Goemon!" Jiraiya spat out a thick jet of toad oil, while Fukusaku and Shima both finished their own hand seals. Fukusaku provided an immense gust of wind while Shima added fire.

The three jutsu combined flawlessly, the oil boiled and expanded forming a tidal wave that threatened to overwhelm the young teen. Naruto's first instinct was to use his strongest element, wind to funnel the tsunami away from him, but somehow he knew Jiraiya would be expecting that. Knowing he had less than a second to act the blond slammed his palms to the ground and a large incredibly thick dome of earth rose around him. '_I sure hope this holds,_' He chuckled as the boiling oil crashed with tremendous force against the dome.

"Well would cha look at tha Jiraiya-chan, a Doton jutsu was able to withstand our collaboration, the Kyuubi cloak is no joke," Fukusaku beamed.

"Could you at least try and sound disappointed? We're trying to win this aren't we?" Shima replied a little shocked herself to see the stone wall slowly collapse to reveal Naruto perfectly unharmed.

"Well no sense waiting around for him to strike back," Jiraiya added. He jumped high into the air, while the stone dome continued to collapse. "Oodama Rasengan!" He roared driving the giant spinning ball of chakra down to where the blond was standing, or at least where he was standing when they came in range.

Naruto, in an almost inhuman show of speed, effortlessly shot out of the way, spinning once he was safely out of harms way and taking in a deep breath. "Katon: Fire Dragon!" he spat out a giant ball of fire that soon took the appearance of a giant dragon as it flew towards the toad sage.

He may have caught Jiraiya off guard with his impressive speed but Fukusaku and Shima were more than ready. The grey beaded toad erected a massive wall of water while Shima used a Fuuton jutsu to cut a small trench into the ground to shelter Jiraiya. The Toad sage took the hint and continued Shima's work.

The field was now filled with hot steam brought on from the two powerful jutsu. That made visibility difficult even for Naruto. '_May as well use this water while it's here,_' "Suiton: Rain Senbon!" the mist solidified and elongated Jiraiya couldn't even erect a defence as the steam had surrounded him already. The water Senbon hit their target with trained accuracy, Naruto being careful not to hit any vital area's.

Naruto was just about to relax a little when Jiraiya once more collapsed into a pool of mud. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he had to jump high into the air as the real Jiraiya shot up from the ground under his feet Rasengan in hand.

Not giving Naruto any time to recover from the shock Shima breathed out a large ball of flames, the teen couldn't run this time, he was in mid air and the Katon jutsu was fast approaching. Taking a deep breath in of his own Naruto spat out a stream of water to douse the flames.

Jiraiya wasn't ready to let Naruto relax just yet however, he fell to the ground on all fours, the ends of his spiky hair standing up like a porcupine. "Sage Art: Needle Hair Senbon,"

Naruto rolled out of the way, but the stream of senbon was constant, never giving up for a second. No matter where he moved Jiraiya's constant bombardment would follow him. "Oh why did I have to get this job!?" the clone whined as he avoided the incredibly sharp blades of hair.

(**Naruto vs Itachi**)

While the other clone and Jiraiya were engaged in a Ninjutsu battle, he and Itachi had been facing off in Taijutsu. Or at least a rather unique form of it. Itachi was using his modified Susanoo along with the Uzugan to keep pace with Naruto who was shooting around him like a golden blur. Naruto would dart in trying to land a hit and shoot back to a safe distance a second later.

The cause of this was the fact that Bijuu cloak or not, one hit from his Susanoo's sword would mean he was finished. The liquid blade that was the sword of Totsuka was Itachi's ultimate trump card, and he would normally reserve it as a last resort. The reason behind this was the sheer magnitude of chakra required to wield the powerful sword on top of the already draining Susanoo meant that he could not fight for long once he had reached that point.

"I can't keep this up much longer Naruto-kun, I appreciate that you wanted to increase your reflexes while using your Bijuu cloak, but I am at my limit," Itachi admitted. Itachi was never ultimately the most adept at Taijutsu, Jiraiya would often point out that this was the one facet of the three major ninja arts that he needed to improve on. That rarely mattered however, such was the Uchiha's skill in the arts of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu that it was so rare for anyone to get in close enough. Even then he had his Tanto for Kenjutsu.

His skill in Genjutsu alone made him one of the most feared shinobi in the world as it stood only Naruto had ever been able to break free from this Tsukuyomi and that was only with months of training, and the aid of the Rinnegan.

As things stood in their little duel, neither Naruto nor Itachi had landed a single hit, but if things came down to a test of stamina, then Naruto would always win.

"I thought those new eyes I gave you increased your chakra capacity?" Naruto asked speeding around behind Itachi in a single fluid movement before aiming an attack at his blind spot only to run fist first into the reflective mirror shooting the blond backwards several feet.

"True, but I cannot stay in this form forever. Your rules restricted me to my most draining jutsu and another five minutes and I will begin to suffer from chakra exhaustion," Itachi admitted, his Uzugan tracking Naruto's movements with increased precision as he became adjusted to Naruto's incredible speed. 'I have one chance at winning this, but chances are it will leave me spent,' he thought as one eye quickly scanned the landscape.

He found his target and decided to act, following Naruto's movement his eye focused on a large boulder, drawing it towards himself from the exact place he expected Naruto to attack from. His situational awareness was spot on, Naruto arced his run just as he had expected and he missed the large boulder fell from the sky, slamming into the glowing blond and crushing him into the ground but surprisingly not making the clone disperse.

When Naruto looked up he came face to face with the edge of Itachi's sword. 'Heh, I totally forgot you could do that with those eyes," He chuckled.

"Looks like I win this time Naruto-kun, you best not fall for a trick like that in the future," Itachi lectured, breathing a sigh of relief as he lowered his Susanoo.

"Man I can't believe I lost!" The blond pouted picking himself up from under the boulder.

"If we were fighting for real then I doubt you would have," Itachi replied calmly.

"Whatever, I may be stronger but theres no way you could know for certain that I would beat you. You're Itachi Uchiha, the biggest badass the Uchiha clan has ever known," Naruto laughed happy that he could earn a small smile from the man he saw as his older brother.

"That remains to be seen Naruto-kun, There is Madara Uchiha a man that could only be bested by the Shodai Hokage himself, and unless I find myself extremely unlucky I hope I never have to test your theory against Madara," Itachi replied smiling none the less.

Naruto nodded, if he was being honest he hoped that he never ran into the deceased Uchiha again, even if he already knew it was just wishful thinking. "Yeah, I met him and I didn't like what I felt, he was able to completely hide his chakra signature... even from me, though that may have something to do with the weird seals he has that prevent me from using Human path."

"His appearance is certainly troubling, but it seems like Orochimaru was preparing something along these lines when we infiltrated his hideout. I guess that Kabuto has taken over the reins from his old master," Itachi said darkly.

Naruto nodded, he still found it hard to believe that he had faced Madara, or that someone like Kabuto would have any chance at controlling him. Then again Orochimaru had summoned a weakened version of the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage's several years ago. "Ah, it's not worth thinking about, but seeing as I'm still... well intact do you wanna go again?"

Itachi shook his head, if he reactivated his Susanoo then there was a chance he would need several days rest to recover, he may not be sickly anymore, but that didn't mean he could just use his Kekkei Genkai like that. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but I really am tired, it was not a ploy to distract you. I am impressed with the durability of this clone however, it seems the foxes chakra will act like body armour preventing anything from harming the clone inside the shroud."

"Ah alright then, so which fight do you wanna watch? Jiraiya-sensei has my other clone on the ropes to the east and Boss is still trying to get the hang of the chakra claws up north," the clone explained.

"You do realise that we were going to attack you three on one right? Why would I go there to simply watch?" Itachi questioned.

"For the same reason you can't fight me anymore, you're too tired now, right?" Naruto replied with a cocky grin.

Itachi huffed lightly but returned the smile. "You do have a point there, I wouldn't mind seeing just how you use those chakra arms of yours."

The clone nodded and began to lead the way. "I'm still working on it, but essentially I just have to picture the cloak as an extension of my body, the hard part if the fine control, pretty much everything I have tried to pick up has been crushed, but it's keeping Nagato-Ojisan busy."

"I'm sure it is," Itachi mused with a smirk.

(**Naruto vs Nagato**)

The once red haired Uzumaki was panting, he had not trained his own body in such a long time that it was an unfamiliar experience to be pushed so hard. He still had an almost endless supply of chakra, but he was for all intensive purposes, in the body of an old man, he was mostly skin and bones and Naruto wasn't letting up on his assault.

"Enough of this... Summoning Jutsu!" Nagato summoned a large bird that rose high into the air. He allowed himself a moments rest but soon found out that even up in the air he was not out of the reach of Naruto's arms. The golden clawed arms rose high into the air forcing the bird to weave around them to avoid being crushed.

"You can't run forever Nagato-Ojisan!" Naruto yelled out as light hearted banter.

"And you can't expect me to be caught by the same trick used over and over again!" Nagato replied in equal spirits. He would never admit it, but Nagato couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun. A fight where he wasn't trying to kill his opponent or force them to submit to him, just a friendly spar... granted in this spar one wrong move could cost them their lives but such was the respect they both held for the others abilities that they were confident that wouldn't happen.

'_Yeah I've almost got him right where I want him, you sure this will work?_' Naruto thought as he watched Nagato on his summons narrowly slip past one of his arms.

'**Of course I am, don't disregard my ability Naruto!**' the large fox snapped in his mind. '**On my mark expand the size of the claw and force him to land.**'

'_Fine, but this better not kill him, I would rather not waste all my chakra reviving him again._'

'**If you kill him then that will be due to your ineptitude to grasp the concept that we have been working on for the past fifteen minutes!**' There was silence between the pair for a few moments as Naruto found himself unable to argue with the foxes logic. That changed however when Nagato's summons dove down between two clawed fingers. '**Do it now!**'

Nagato spun from his seat on the bird to see the large claw grow in size, a second one acting the same, the Uzumaki began scanning for a way out but could only sigh when he saw there was none. '_He got me, not a bad little trap,_' he thought as he was forced to land, dispelling the large summons as it was just in the way now.

The chakra claws slowly shrunk, gently wrapping themselves around the old man like they were wrapping a mummy. "Got him," Naruto said with a small sigh.

'Well of course you did, it was my plan.'

'Well I don't know the full extent of the jutsu I can perform with your chakra yet so being able to plan something like that is a little hard,' the blond scoffed defensively.

"Shinra Tensei!" Nagato yelled trying to force the claws from around his torso to no avail. 'This is insane... well there is one more option, but I'm not sure how well it will work,' he thought but decided to try it anyway.

Nagato activated his Preta path and began absorbing Naruto's chakra, there was such a limitless supply that he was sure that it would have no effect but the result stunned Naruto so much even the clone fighting Jiraiya lost concentration and got hit by a powerful jutsu due to what he was seeing.

Nagato's body began to fill out, the aged decrepit skin seemed to firm, his hair that had been drained of its colour that identified him as an Uzumaki returned in full and by the time Naruto released his clans men he was staring at a full rejuvenated Nagato who was no older than thirty.

"What the fuck," both Uzumaki balked in unison, their faces matching stunned masks.

"How did this happen?" Nagato asked the look of disbelief still etched on his face.

Naruto shook his head, "I have no idea," he admitted. '_Yo Kyuubi, do you know what's going on?_'

'**No this development is as much a surprise to me as it is you, seems like your chakra when combined with mine has the ability to not only heal but regenerate others,**' the fox replied, but silently he was in deep thought about what this could mean, '_**I'm almost certain you're the one father spoke of now, but that doesn't mean I will go ease on you Naruto,**_' he thought privately.

**End Chapter!**

**I guess this classifies as a cliff hanger, although there is not much that it is leading into from this point. Next chapter will probably wrap this arc up and we can head on towards the war, maybe with one more minor arc to fill out the gap between now and Gaara and Fu heading off to the Island to learn how to control their Bijuu. **

**Okay yeah I know that's not technically how the Edo Tensei Nagato recovered his younger body in the cannon, but I think it still fits, at least it will with how I want things to play out in this story. Also the chances of Nagato attempting to use Human path on Naruto in this are slim to none, and did you really want Nagato to remain an old man who looked like a strong breeze would knock him over, or are you glad he can go back to his kick ass self. Honestly in my opinion there have been three well written Antagonists in the cannon; Itachi, Orochimaru, and Nagato. The rest of them have been rather one dimensional, even my favourite ones Hidan and Kakuzu. **

**I can't even consider Tobi (Since the end of Pein arc) or Kabuto, as I spent most of the time just wishing they would die and leave the story already. Especially Kabuto, can't remember hating a character more than him, not really sure why, he works alright as a subordinate but as a main antagonist he just shits me. Maybe it's because they have had so many chances to kill him in the past and have not done it. (Sorry if anyone likes him) **


	144. Gears Turn

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 144: Gears Turn**

"Nagato, what happened to you?" Konan asked. She had come out to greet the others as they returned to Ame. She had a shocked look of disbelief on her face as she stared in shock at the once more young Nagato. Her shock was quite understandable, just this morning Nagato had been a shell of a man, his hair snow white and his body aged and despite his healed legs was still weak.

"Well to be honest I'm not sure, it has something to do with me absorbing Naruto's chakra," Nagato answered honestly. His entire body had returned to that of a man in his early thirties, at the peak of his physical condition. His hair once more identified him as an Uzumaki, with it's blood red terraces that hid his Rinnegan from view.

Along with Nagato, Jiraiya, Itachi and Naruto were all equally confused as to the older Uzumaki's sudden rejuvenation. None of them could come up with a decent explanation as to why Nagato was young again. "It may have something to do with the way Minato created Naruto's seal," Jiraiya guessed. "He only sealed the Yang chakra into Naruto which is more physical energy. With Naruto now able to purify the beasts chakra he may be able to transfer the rejuvenating ability."

Naruto didn't think the hypothesis held up to scrutiny but it was the best explanation he could think of, and the fox itself was being less than helpful on this issue, demanding that Naruto figure it out for himself.

"It may be annoying to now know why it has happened, I am glad to feel like myself again, it has been such a long time since I truly felt like myself, it looks like I owe you my thanks again Naruto-kun," Nagato said with a small sincere smile gracing his features.

"You don't owe me anything, I didn't even know that I could do that, so no need to worry about thanking me. It was just a happy accident, thats all," the blond replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Still you have done more for me than you should have, it goes without saying that Ame will join you in your war with Tobi, it is the least we can do," Naruto replied firmly, making sure Naruto knew this point was not up for debate.

"Glad to have you on board Nagato," Jiraiya said happy that a new member of the joint shinobi alliance had been found.

Nagato smiled and nodded his thanks. "Our position in the elemental nations will mean that we are a strategic position that the enemy will likely attempt to capture. The fastest route from Iwa to Kumo, is right through Ame, so our cooperation will save several days off message travel between the major villages and we can act as a go between safe haven for teams out on the field."

"Perhaps this is not the best place to discuss tactics Nagato-kun. We should return to the village and then we can talk in a more secure location," Konan suggested.

"I agree, while it does not seem likely that we will be attacked in a place like this, it doesn't mean that people are not listening," Itachi reasoned.

They were all in agreement that Konan had a point and slowly the group made their way back towards the tower that Nagato called home. On their way back they ran into the other members of the Yoinokuchi that were equally as surprised to see the new and improved Nagato.

Haku, Akimi and Fu looked a little worse for wear while Gaara and Zabuza were still relatively unscathed, only Zabuza looked a little tired with a few scratches in his clothes. "So how did your training go?" Naruto asked Akimi with a quirked eyebrow.

The kunoichi huffed folding her arms, "I don't wanna talk about it."

Zabuza broke out in laughter overhearing the swift release kunoichi. "Those three challenged Gaara and I to a little three on two match."

"We would have won if it wasn't for Gaara and his stupid sand," the dark haired kunoichi huffed bitterly.

"Uh but that's how Gaara fights. That's like saying you would have won if the other team wasn't more skilled," Naruto mused.

There were several things a good boyfriend should say in these sorts of situations... that was not one of them. "You're supposed to be on my side, Baka!" Akimi yelled in frustration. She was quite prideful and didn't like admitting that she had lost a fight, she had to concede that no matter how hard she tried that Naruto would always be several steps ahead of her, but losing to Gaara and Zabuza while she had Haku and Fu to back her up was tough to take.

"So what happened exactly? With your speed you should at least be able to give Gaara a run for his money," Naruto replied looking do do some damage control.

"Not when he uses his sand as a platform to fly, it made my attacks too predictable and I had to attack over long distances because of the field we were fighting in," Akimi replied.

Naruto had to admit it was a perfect strategy against a close range fighter like Akimi. "So you decided to take on Zabuza while leaving Gaara to Fu seeing as she can fly?" he questioned.

"Well yes and no, thanks to Gaara's sand I couldn't get anywhere near Zabuza every move I made he was able to counter it, to block me off," Akimi answered still not very happy about the experience.

"Wow Gaara, you must be pretty good with that sand to compete with three A ranked kunoichi and help Zabuza at the same time," Naruto said genuinely impressed by the progress that his friend had been making.

"I can't let you get too far ahead of me now, can I?" Gaara replied with a genuine smile of gratitude at the compliment.

"Even if I did, I would still need everyone's help. The way I see it, there is no point in being strong if you have nothing to fight for," Naruto replied.

"Well said Naruto-kun," Itachi said with a proud smile at the young man.

(**Meanwhile**)

"Again, you think you can defeat your enemies if you can't even land a finger on me in training?" Madara taunted his new pupil. He could tell that the younger Uchiha had potential, quite a lot of it. But all the potential in the world means nothing if you don't work hard and are always looking for the easy way around things.

Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration, the man before him hadn't even activated his Sharingan yet while he was now almost running on fumes. It had been like this for almost six hours none stop, he was unable to even graze the Edo Tensei.

"Well maybe you aren't worth my time, the boy with the Rinnegan would wipe the floor with you at this level," Madara mused taking a seat atop a large wooden pole that rose from the ground under his feet.

That did the trick, Sasuke had an inferiority complex, to his brother and to the young blond his same age that Itachi had deemed to be more worth his time. Lightning sparked into life around his hand and he shot forward at Madara with purpose. Madara though was less impressed, as soon as Sasuke came within range a large tree branch grew out of the side of the pole Madara was sitting on, slamming into Sasuke's chest knocking him backwards and ending his jutsu.

Sasuke rolled back onto his feet and his eyes morphed into his Mangekyo form, sending a massive wave of black flames at Madara, they hit the man and he caught flame but soon the black flames turned bright golden and large pheonix rose from the flames. "Genjutsu!" Sasuke spat in frustration quickly releasing the jutsu to feel Madara's presence directly behind him.

"You wouldn't be trying to kill me now would you Sasuke," Madara asked in a hushed hiss that made the hairs stand up on the back of the younger Uchiha's neck.

Sasuke spun on the spot, drawing his katana in a single motion ready to cleave the zombie in half. His blade passed straight through the man and a second appeared on the opposite side of the other. "Stop hiding in Genjutsu and come out and face me!"

"Why would I do that, when you are so willing to lose your temper and do what I want you to do?" both Madara clones asked rhetorically. '_It seems that you were right about this one Tobi, he's so easy to manipulate, a foolish boy who has had his heart darkened by a thirst for revenge, but if he doesn't learn to control his emotions then he is of no use to me._'

Sasuke attempted to release the Genjutsu only to see the Madara clones double in quantity, each time he attempted to escape the Genjutsu the more times the clones would simply duplicate. 'What the hell is the deal with this damn jutsu!' he raged as each Madara seemed to be taking it in turns to mock him, calling him weak, insignificant, and all forms of degrading taunts. Sasuke's fists clenched, he could feel his nails begin to dig into his skin, then it hit him, he knew how to get out of the Genjutsu. Sasuke removed a kunai from a holster on his leg and stabbed himself in the side of his leg.

Instantly the Genjutsu faded and much to Sasuke's ire he saw Madara sitting once more atop the large pillar of wood that Sasuke thought he had destroyed. "I must say that was a little unorthodox, but I guess I can't expect you to overpower my chakra," Madara said lazily, ignoring the worried cry that came from one of the spectators at the site of blood running down the side of Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke ran through hand seals in a blur before spewing out a giant ball of fire that rose to fill the room around him. Madara lazily ran though seals of his own and a wall of water rose around him filling the room dousing the flames before they ever posed a threat to the older Uchiha.

Sasuke was not to be deterred however, running forward drawing his blade waving in and out of new beams of wood that rapidly rose around him, he slipped between two beams as they attempted to trap him and in less than ten seconds he was already within striking distance of Madara. However that was nine seconds too slow, his blade struck the man and a victorious smirk crossed Sasuke's lips, but it faded almost instantly as Madara turned into a wooden dummy.

The younger Uchiha shot a thin bolt of lightning directly behind him where he expected Madara to appear, and he was right. Madara was indeed standing a short distance behind Sasuke and was able to avoid the strike by simply bending his neck to the side while the jutsu flew past destroying a pillar not to far behind him.

"Why!?" Sasuke yelled in frustration. "Why can't I hit you!" he roared.

"Why?.. It's because you are weak Sasuke. But don't feel too bad, nobody is strong enough to compete with me, only Hashirama, but even he is nothing compared to me now." Madara replied darkly. "However compared to my old friend you are nothing but an ant, something unsightly that should be crushed."

Sasuke didn't take this well and once more shot forward this time engaging Madara in a bout of Taijutsu, or to be more accurate he threw punches while the Edo Tensei Uchiha casually weaved in between them. They continued like this, with Madara not throwing a single hit back in retaliation or only blocking when it was absolutely necessary. The time passed in a blur and several hours had passed when they finally broke apart. '_Not one hit landed, what kind of monster is this guy?_' Sasuke wondered his arms dropping in defeat.

"What giving up?" Madara asked still looking the same as they had started. Sasuke's response was to drop his head as his fists seemed to unclench themselves. "Thought so." the older Uchiha said as he slowly walked right up to the demoralised junior. He slowly leant forward to whisper into Sasuke's ear. "Know your place."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt Madara's fist embed itself in his naval knocking the wind out of his lungs. But Madara wasn't finished there, he grabbed the back of Sasuke's shirt to stop him from falling on the floor before kneeing him in the face breaking his nose. The beating continued for a few minutes until he was sure Sasuke had lost the will to stay conscious. '_That should break him of his misplaced pride, now I will rebuild this little brat in my image,_' he thought before walking away while Sasuke's friends ran across the room to check on their fallen leader.

"Was that really necessary?" Tobi asked when Madara reached the door.

"I will not waste my time training someone who is working for their own agendas. It can lead to problems later on, if they decide their agenda is different to my own. I needed to break his spirit first, then I can train him properly and he will follow my orders without question. I doubt you have had much agreement out of that boy in the past without offering him something in return am I right?" Madara replied.

"I guess not, but making him forget about Itachi will not be an easy task. I had been using our conflict with the Yoinokuchi to get him to work with us as we we will no doubt run into his brother at some point." Tobi reasoned.

"That doesn't bother me, it will just mean one less member of that traitorous clan to deal with. Our job is to collect the Bijuu and that's all, I will accept nothing less." Madara said firmly.

Tobi nodded and began following after the long haired man. "I agree... Now that you have faught them both how do you think Sasuke compares with the Kyuubi jinchuuriki?"

"They don't compare, had I been fighting like that against the Uzumaki brat, then I would have been decimated, even with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan he will not be able to compete with that boy, but then again I want to rip the Kyuubi out of the seal myself, and watch as the light leaves that petulant little rodents eyes." Madara said with a sinister smile.

"I'll have to remember that you have claimed him for yourself then, but it will make isolating him difficult in the war, we will have to see how they are going to operate when the war starts," Tobi said calmly.

"When will that be, we are already well behind schedule on capturing the Bijuu so I hope you don't intend to wait for very long," Madara questioned.

Tobi sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. "Not long now, we just need to wait for the villages Zetsu has taken over to get their forces ready. Then we can launch the first strike, we have the advantage that they have no idea where our hideouts are... Although many will have been compromised by Nagato's betrayal."

"Another unforseen development, he was supposed to die using the outer path to bring me back to life, that doesn't seem likely now," Madara replied.

"Well as you have seen we have had a rather large wrench thrown into our plans. This was a necessary step to achieve our goal," Tobi said calmly.

(Ame)

"So Ame has ten thousand battle ready shinobi. That will take our total numbers up to about eighty five thousand, and if we can call on some of our old allies, then that number will improve again. More importantly are the new trade routes that open up with Ame's inclusion in the alliance, not only will it be easier to travel between Iwa in the west and Kumo in the east with ease, we will be able to avoid potential difficulties in dealing with shinobi from the Takigakure," Jiraiya said drawing a few paths on a large map of the Elemental Nations.

It was late at night bordering on the early morning when Jiraiya, Nagato, Itachi and Konan were standing around a large table in an otherwise empty room, the only light was focused on the map that had a few places marked as of tactical importance, the main ones being the five main hidden villages, the land of Iron and Ame.

"Fast movement between Nations will be important, and coordinating a battle plan between the Kage is vital." Nagato said indicating areas of potential risk in trade routes.

"We should work on agreeing safe passage agreements if nothing else from the land of forests to guarantee that trade between Konoha and Suna is not disturbed. That would assure that we have safe internal trade routes between Kiri, Kumo, Suna, Ame and Konoha. That would leave only Iwa that is separated by several nations." Itachi recommended.

"I agree, but it also might be a good idea to attempt to deal with the Land of Hot-springs as well. The main roads of the Land of Iron and Ame are close to their border, if there are several shipments of food and weapons heading back and fourth on a regular basis they may see it as an opportunity to take some supplies for themselves and blame it on the Akatsuki." Konan added.

Jiraiya nodded his agreement. "They are both good idea, but I need to bring this up in the next Kage meeting which will be held in Konoha.

"It Is a good choice of location. It's the best place to conduct the meetings for now, as it is central to the rest of the big five villages, that way no Kage is away from their village for long." Itachi reasoned.

The toad sage grinned. "I hope you will join us at the meeting as well Nagato-kun, your input is just as valuable as any of the Kage and your inner workings of the Akatsuki will be valuable to pass on to the others."

"I may not be given a warm welcome in Konoha sensei." Nagato admitted knowing that if they knew he was the man that destroyed a large portion of the village they would turn on him faster than Naruto eats ramen.

"Nobody will recognise you as Pein, the only people that know that fact are Tsunade, the old man, Kakashi, and a few of her most trusted Jounin.

"Besides they will be too busy glaring at my personal adviser." Jiraiya chuckled knowing the type of reception that Itachi would get when he stepped for inside the village again.

"So I am to act as the sacrificial lamb in Konoha once again." Itachi deadpanned.

Jiraiya laughed and gave the stoic dark haired man a pat on the back. "Oh lighten up Itachi, you'll live longer. What's the point in living if you don't have any fun, I'm sure you learned at least that lesson from Naruto by now," the toad sage said with an exasperated sigh.

Much to everyone's surprise, especially Jiraiya, Itachi smirked in response. "Relax it was a... joke."

"No way, I don't believe it. You two have done something to Itachi and replaced him with a clone haven't you," Jiraiya said pointing an accusatory finger at Nagato and Konan.

"I can assure you I am very much myself Jiriaya-sama," Itachi replied his persona quickly returning to normal.

Jiraiya sighed somewhat satisfied that it indeed wasn't an imposter. "Phew. I know I told you to lighten up, but it's just creepy when you try to mess with people."

"I will try and keep that in mind," Itachi smirked.

Jiraiya shuddered but his attention was soon drawn back to the map below them as Konan was tapping the table impatiently. "Sensei did you never grow up?" she asked rhetorically.

"Aw don't be like that Konan-chan," the white haired man said with a mock pout. In an instant however he became serious again. "The big problem as I see it is the use of Kabuto's modified Edo Tensei."

The others nodded their agreement. "If Naruto-kun is correct in saying the Human path won't work against them it leaves us a little short, what do you know about the jutsu sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Not as much as Kabuto or Orochimaru, there are certain areas of Fuinjutsu that I never really devoted myself to learn, and anything that needed sacrifices was straight on the do not use pile. I do know that the only way to stop and Edo Tensei is to set their soul free, or seal it away. Immobilisation seals should do the trick, but they are not easy to apply and to be honest there are not that many people who can make them," Jiraiya admitted.

"Then it seems that we will all need some Fuinjutsu lessons." Itachi reasoned.

"I can bind and seal with my Origami jutsu, but I may still need the right seals," Konan informed the group.

"Good you are in the same boat as Gaara, his sand can act in the same way," Jiraiya added.

"Well apart from the basics my knowledge in sealing is not that advanced I am afraid, I will need to learn how to seal an Edo Tensei.

"Right I'll organise to teach all of the Kage at the next summit meeting, then they can organise to teach it to members of their villages. Every team that goes out in the field should have someone that knows how to seal an Edo Tensei, without it they can only hope to flee from the battle." Jiraiya sighed, he was already regretting the fact that he agreed to be the leader of the alliance.

"There is a lot to do, but I have faith in you Jiraiya-sensei, we won't let Madara and Tobi succeed," Nagato replied.

"I know it's just things seem to be snowballing on me now, we can't afford to stay here more than one more night. We need to head to Konoha, then I would like to head back to the main Yoinokuchi hideout, my sealing supplies are there so I'll need to start the final part of Naruto's training, I was kind of hoping I could put this off, because once I am done there is nothing left I can teach him," Jiraiya admitted a little sadly.

"Then that means you have done your job perfectly," Itachi interjected. "It is the duty of a sensei to impart their student will as much knowledge as they can so they can survive in the world, you have done that and then some with Naruto-kun."

"I guess but it will still feel like he doesn't need me anymore," Jiraiya sighed.

"So if we're heading off tomorrow will I be staying behind to add protection for Nagato?" Itachi asked.

Jiraiya thought about the request for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I think you should stay for a few more weeks. We can meet up again when Nagato comes to Konoha for the Kage summit meeting."

"Very well I will make sure that no harm comes to either Nagato or Konan," Itachi said flatly.

(**Two Days Later**)

Naruto and Jiraiya walked through the gates into Konoha, the rest of the Yoinokuchi were sent on ahead back home. "Hey this place is looking pretty good again, they really got to work fixing everything up," Naruto mused. Indeed the majority of the damage caused by the attack from the Akatsuki was now repaired, the destroyed buildings replaced with brand new buildings that were almost exact copies.

"Well they weren't going to just sit around doing nothing, but I suspect that Tenzo has been working overtime on this," Jiraiya agreed.

As they walked through the streets they were greeted by happy villagers on every side, some were almost bowing to show their reverence to the two Yoinokuchi shinobi. "Well if Baa-chan didn't know we were here before, she does now," the blond said with a smile.

"I'm guessing you're right, Naruto," came a new voice and Kakashi dropped into the street. "I'm here to take you to see Tsunade. Think of it as a precaution so you don't jump through her window uninvited."

"But that's our thing, who enters through doors," Jiraiya replied in shock.

"Well don't say that I didn't warn you," Kakashi replied with an eye smile.

"I think that after all this time Jiraiya-sensei knows what to expect," the blond chuckled.

Kakashi chuckled in response. "Well you might have a point there."

"How have things been here since Tsunade got back from the summit?" Jiraiya asked as the three shinobi continued their slow progression through the hidden village.

Kakashi shrugged. "Hard to say, most of the village don't know what is going on, and only the higher ranking shinobi have been told, those in charge of key wartime assets are really busy so it wouldn't surprise me if a few of the smarter members of the village have put the pieces together."

"It can't stay quiet for too much longer now, we have no idea how the Akatsuki will strike at us, or who they may have recruited to help them, people need to know what's coming," Naruto said darkly.

"That's true, but it has only been a few days, we don't want to put to much stress on the younger shinobi so early on in the proceedings, they have never experienced a war before, they don't know what it is like to experience losing a comrade on an almost daily basis." The cyclops replied.

Jiraiya who was deep in thought couldn't help but agree with the silver haired Konoha ninja. "He's right Naruto, letting the younger generation live a few more days in peace is the best thing for them at the moment, when a proper Jounin meeting is called their sensei's will begin training them harder so they are as ready as they can be for whatever they might encounter out in the field."

"Maybe you're right, I was young when we joined the civil war in the Land of Water, and then again that was our choice to join the rebellion," Naruto sighed.

'**It doesn't matter either way, if you choose to go or it's forced on you. War is coming, so if you ask me they are better to tell everyone now and let them work on improving as much as possible before it's too late.**'

Naruto looked down in thought. '_Both sides have a valid point, I'm glad I don't have to make that decision._'

'**You may not have to make those types of decisions yet, but I have seen wars Naruto, and they look to the strongest to lead when things go wrong. I doubt that it will be too long before they put you in charge of a large group of shinobi,**" the Kyuubi replied.

'_Well Itachi is my teammate, so I would imagine we will work together in the same way that we did during the war in the Land of Water, you can't deny that we were effective in ending that war._'

'**Maybe for now, but things can change quickly in this world.**' The Kyuubi replied honestly.

**End Chapter!**

**Probably just a few more chapters before I can get into the start of the war, still figuring out the best way to work things out as it will be very different to how it has worked in the cannon, I don't want to draw any section out for too long but it will probably still be a relatively long war. Lot's of fighting but I don't want to ignore the character development and plot. **

**I may have gone over the top with how I dealt with Sasuke in the chapter. But I figured Madara wouldn't accept Sasuke's attitude towards only going after his own goals and not caring about anyone else. And let's face it Madara was able to destroy all of the Kage so defeating Sasuke wouldn't have been too big an issue. I know it might seem like I was bashing Sasuke in this chapter but that was not my intention at all.**

**Spoiler Alert!**

**So now Obito has some weird ability to just contact Kakashi from the grave. Now don't get me wrong, I like Kakashi, he is one of the few characters in the cannon that have grown as the story has progressed, unlike someone like say Sakura who despite anything that happens essentially becomes a fan girl again at the drop of a hat. Despite that, this latest development makes so little sense I can't even begin to understand what logic is behind it, except for Kishimoto's go too; 'The Sharingan did it!'. **

**At least it wasn't some flashback chapter telling us how depressing Obito's life was for the twentieth time; we get it you want us to feel sorry for him, well guess what... I don't he was a dick that cost thousands upon thousands of people their lives, he got what he deserved only it happened probably 20 - 30 chapters too late.**

**And now they are facing some giant blob that seems to be a combination of all the Bijuu I guess Kaguya's body was destroyed by Naruto's jutsu and the power formed some floating ball of chakra. Her arm and black Zetsu was ripped off by Naruto but they should kill that asshole as quickly as possible as she needs him to steal Naruto and Sasuke's chakra. Then again that would be an intelligent thing to do, and if they had been smart 80% of this could have been avoided if they had been smart. **

**Meanwhile Sakura if doing what she does best... Being useless. Although for once there is not that much she can actually do, and at least she isn't crying...yet. The most depressing part is, it's not going to end soon, we still have no idea what the Edo Tensei Kage are doing, that's gonna take at least six chapters to explain with most likely disappointing consequences. **


	145. The Request

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 145: The Request**

"You have to got to be kidding me. What do you mean you fought with Madara Uchiha!?" Tsunade yelled angrily. Her voice could be heard almost half way across the village, the windows even seemed to shake with her window.

Jiraiya and Naruto both flinched at the Godaime's rage. They were currently in the middle of explaining the recent developments and organising a meeting to be held in Konoha with the other Kage. The report had gone somewhat well, that is until the point where Naruto informed the Hokage about his encounter with the deceased Uchiha clan leader. "Well I wouldn't call it a serious fight, we were both holding a lot back," Naruto said sheepishly.

"That's hardly the point Naruto. Madara Uchiha is a monster, I may have been young boy, just barely starting out as a shinobi when he deserted, but even still I remember him well," Hiruzen sighed.

Tsunade nodded, grabbing a bottle of sake and pouring herself a large drink. "That's only half of the problem. If what you suspect is true, then Kabuto will have joined the Akatsuki and we will have no idea how many more Edo Tensei summons he will use against us."

"Well he will be restricted in who he summons, if they are willing to work for the Akatsuki then he could summon as many as he wants. But there wouldn't be that many shinobi past or present that would side with them over the five great Ninja villages and the samurai from the Land of Iron." Jiraiya mused.

"That's true, he would need to control the reanimations of all those who wouldn't freely join the Akatsuki. Depending on how strong the shinobi are he may only be able to control around ten at a time." Hiruzen added, he had studied his Sensei's jutsu religiously, even if he would never use such a jutsu himself he wanted to know how all jutsu worked. As far as the Sandaime was concerned, knowledge was power.

"So adding to the pressure of organising our shinobi into squads that will work with shinobi from other villages we now need to make sure at least one person in each squad it taught how to create a stasis seal," Tsunade sighed in frustration.

"Is that going to be good enough? Stasis seals can be overpowered by a stronger chakra source, which when you think about it would be likely targets for Kabuto's Edo Tensei, no point wasting the energy needed to control someone on a weak shinobi." Jiraiya queried.

"Sounds like that could be a bit of a problem," Naruto added calmly.

Tsunade and Hiruzen nodded in agreement, the two Yoinokuchi shinobi had a point. "While I gree with you that it is probably not the best or easiest seal to apply, you need to wrap most of their body first before it works. However if an Edo Tensei can be weakened by forcing them to regenerate they will not be able to overpower the sealing. Also the Stasis seal is the only seal we can effectively teach to a large number of shinobi in a short period of time." The Sandaime explained calmly.

They all knew that there was no way they could teach the fine art of Fuinjutu to a significant number of shinobi in what would at most be only a few months. They could however teach them how to make one seal to a satisfactory level. Most shinobi in the village despite having no real understanding of Fuinjutsu could still make a basic storage scroll if they needed too. It was Naruto who voiced his first concern. "So where do we start? I mean lets face it, you three can't exactly teach everyone at once." Naruto had some basic Fuinjutsu knowledge but he didn't know how to make the stasis seal they were talking about.

"Well it's not just the three of us who know how to perform that seal, and I will be teaching you Fuinjutsu personally over the next month, until the next summit meeting." Jiraiya answered.

Naruto had mixed feelings on the issue, on the one hand he was thrilled to be learning from Jiraiya again, but on the other hand Jiraiya could probably teach hundreds of people how to perform the required seal in that time. "Isn't that a little short sighted? I mean it will probably not take me a whole month to learn one seal, and you could do more here than just teaching me."

"Well you're right, but I'm not just going to teach you one seal. Naruto at the moment Fuinjutsu is the last ninja art I have left to teach you. We are going into a war and I want you to be prepared, I will not fail you like I did my students before," Jiraiya replied determined that for once in his life he would not be a failure.

"Besides, we can cope without the pervert here. There are several shinobi who can already easily create the seal we need. It's a simple matter of splitting them up into small groups and once one group has finished learning the seal, they can go on and teach the next group, more teachers means more people can learn. In a month we can have half the village taught how to seal an Edo Tensei away," Tsunade said with a look of complete determination.

"I guess that would work," Naruto replied. He was reasonably satisfied with Tsunade's plan, he had planned to use this time to gain better control over his Bijuu mode, but he knew that in the long run that wouldn't help him take down Madara.

"Now that, is settled, I have drawn up a list of potential shinobi that can join the special forces. I would suggest an infiltration specialist and a tracker, one should be either Neji Hyuuga or Hana Inuzuka," Tsunade said placing a stack of files on the table. "A for the others... I would say that you should consider Tenzo, due to his ability to help calm Bijuu and Anko, probably the best infiltration specialist in the village, and her in depth knowledge of Orochimaru would be valuable in finding Kabuto."

"Well It's not going to be my call, ultimately it's you're decision on who you send to join the black ops division during the war. But if you're giving us a choice then I will leave it up to Itachi, he's going to be the commanding officer of the division," Jiraiya replied.

Hiruzen hummed at Jiraiya's choice "Well Itachi certainly is a capable choice, he was one of the youngest Anbu captains in Konoha's history. However several shinobi may be hesitant to work under the command of a missing nin, particularly one as infamous as Itachi."

"Then tell everyone the truth, there is no more loyal shinobi than Itachi, he deserves to be seen as the hero he is," Naruto said firmly.

"It would not look good for Konoha if we did that," the Sandaime replied, reluctant to agree to the young jinchuuriki's suggestion.

"Then pass the blame on to Danzou, and Uchiha clan," Jiraiya suggested.

"Well the extent of Danzou's underhanded dealings haven't all been released yet, and for some reason the village also seems to know about what he and Orochimaru did to his arm. If we reveal the Uchiha coup attempt then we can make it seem like the massacre was ordered by Danzou alone, which is in part true. I ordered that those responsible be killed, but was indeed Danzou ordered the whole clan be taken care of," Hiruzen said calmly.

"I don't want to do anything that could destabilise the village with a war approaching, but I will consider that option. Is there anything else you want to discuss?" Tsunade replied.

"Did you manage to pull anything out of the man I sent you that was trying to kidnap shinobi and people with high levels of chakra?" Naruto asked.

"Not much, but it does seem like there are more of those villages scattered around the elemental nations. He had no information on who was behind the whole thing," Tsunade replied.

Naruto nodded but he couldn't hide his disappointment, he had hoped this would have been a one time thing and who ever was responsible would have been caught by now. "Well I was hoping for more but I guess I understand, I probably should have kept more of them alive."

"No point, I know how these places work, nobody in the village would have been in direct contact with the man responsible anyway, best they could hope for would be a middle man," Tsunade said, grabbing a new bottle of Sake after discovering the one in her hand was now empty.

"So how do we go on from here? With the war coming up it's not like we can drop everything and focus on some missing shinobi." Jiraiya questioned.

"I sent a memo to every village warning them of the possibility that there shinobi might be targeted by hunters. It's the best we can do at this time and all Jounin and Chunin have been briefed on the situation," Tsunade answered honestly.

Afterwards the meeting had seemed to run it's course and Naruto and Jiraiya took their leave, jumping out of the window. Jiraiya was the first to speak once they had landed safely in front of the Hokage tower. "Well that went well, so we should be able to catch up to the others by sundown no problem... or..."

"I am not going to the hot springs with you just so you can perve on the kunoichi," Naruto said, quickly cutting the elder sage off before he could finish his thought.

"Kami you're such a buzz kill," Jiraiya whined.

"I just don't understand why you need to peek on women at bath houses, why not just go to a strip club or something, it's not like they don't have them in Konoha, all of the vices can be found here, although it's a lot smarted to gamble out of the village where it's safer to cheat," Naruto replied casually walking away towards the village gates.

"Hey where are you going?" Jiraiya asked calmly.

"You said yourself, we can catch up to the others by tonight if we leave now. Although that just means we will catch up as we make it home," Naruto replied.

"Yeah but don't you want to do something in the village, I know you like the ramen stand here, we can get some lunch first before we leave if you want," Jiraiya said jogging to catch up to his apprentice.

"Well I am a little hungry, but you're buying." the blond chuckled.

"Sure thing, I think I can afford that. You know it's been awhile since we were out on a mission together' even one as straight forward as this. Then again you always did work better with Itachi," Jiraiya sighed as the pair changed course to head toward the centre of the village.

"That's not true, there is no difference in how well I work with you or Itachi, it's just Itachi's more focused on completing his mission as quickly as possible while you tend to mess around, kind of like now, with you buying lunch rather than heading home early," Naruto explained.

"He never did know how to have any fun," Jiraiya chuckled.

"Some people would call it professionalism," Naruto replied dryly.

"Well those people are wrong," the toad sage replied with a pout.

"Well that makes everyone then," Naruto muttered under his breath just loud enough that he was sure Jiraiya could hear him.

Jiraiya hung his head in self pity. "Why must my apprentices always torment me so,"

"In our defence you do make it very easy," the blond smirked.

The pair continued to bicker in a friendly manner as they made their way across town, only stopping when someone would greet the pair, as both were hailed as hero's in Konoha. But it was not until they arrived on the street where Ichiraku's was found that they ran into anyone that Naruto knew, team Asuma minus their sensei exited a nearby restaurant as the two Yoinokuchi shinobi were passing. "Whoa look who it is," Ino said in surprise.

"What's so surprising about them being here? They have been in the village a lot recently," Choji reasoned.

Shikamaru wasn't paying attention to his team and purposefully approached the two shinobi. "Excuse me Jiraiya-sama, do you mind if I borrow Naruto-sama for awhile?"

"Huh sure why not," Jiraiya shrugged.

"Hey wait, what about my ramen?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Well the ramen stall isn't going anywhere, I'll see you when you get back," Jiraiya answered with every intention of not being there when his student returned.

"Oh man, fine," the blond huffed in mild annoyance. "So what do you want Shikamaru?"

"Not here, I want to get everyone together first, explaining my request more than once would be troublesome," the lazy Nara answered. Naruto shrugged but had to admit he had a point, that did sound 'troublesome'. "Ino can you go find Sakura and Sai?"

Ino was a little confused as to why Naruto was walking over to them with Shikamaru and seemed just as confused by the request. "Uh well I guess I could find forehead, but why?"

"I'll explain later. Choji I wan't you to go get Kurenai-sensei's team, they usually train together at this time in training ground eight, there is something we need to discuss, When your done there find team Gai." Shikamaru said flatly.

Choji would never question his best friend when he became serious and the siting of Naruto and Jiraiya had definitely made the young Nara genius just that. "Sure thing Shikamaru, where should we meet you?"

"Theres a clearing in training ground three that is being used to store materials needed for the repairs on the village when you find everyone bring them there," Shikamaru replied casually.

"So what ever this is you have clearly thought it over," Naruto mused his arms folded behind his head as he and the Nara walked casually through the streets.

"Well I won't say that this is a spur of the moment thing, but I just needed the right opportunity to bring it up. I think most of our group will be on board but it might be a little hard to convince Sakura and Ino," Shikamaru replied.

"I really don't know what you have in mind, but why am I involved? I mean you want me to meet with all the people you graduated with, I'm getting that part but as for why... I have no idea," Naruto mused.

Shikamaru sighed not really knowing where he should start, this was a sore point for his graduating class. "It's somewhat of a request. I wonder, what do you think of Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Itachi's brother? Nothing too highly, he abandoned his village, and friends at the drop of a hat to join up with Konoha's biggest traitor, and now he's joined the Akatsuki from what I hear. Not really someone I would put much trust in," Naruto replied calmly.

"I believe we are in agreement there, he has committed many crimes against our village, yet in spite of all of that he is still a comrade," Shikamaru sighed.

"You know if he really has sided with the Akatsuki his life is forfeit in the five great nations?" Naruto reasoned thinking Shikamaru was going to ask him to spare Sasuke's life.

The lazy genius nodded calmly his face showing no signs of distress for the blonds words. "Yes I know, and with war coming his chance of redemption has come and gone, he is nothing but a criminal now."

"You know about the war? I thought only the higher ups have been told so far?" Naruto queried.

"My father is the Jounin commander, besides I can see it, when ever I look at the senior shinobi, they are far more serious, even more so than usual, not to mention shinobi have been recalled from long term missions and weapons have begun stockpiling in various areas of the village," Shikamaru replied, his face a stony mask not giving away hos own feelings on the issue.

Naruto nodded with new found respect for the pineapple haired teen. "Well I must say I'm impressed, not many people would be able to see that deeply into what is going on around the village. Hell I doubt I would have been able to put all those things together, not that I would ever be looking for them. You know you would make a good Hokage one day."

Shikamaru allowed a small smile at the praise, he knew he was not the strongest shinobi in the village, not even close but he was proud of his ability to see things that most others could not, which made him a dangerous opponent. "Thank you for your support, but I am not Hokage material, although I could see myself as an adviser to someone who is worthy of the position."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but at the moment there is probably only Kakashi, Gai and if your really stretch it Asuma, who are capable of being Hokage, not that Tsunade-Baachan is going anywhere," Naruto replied.

"Well this is also Jiraiya-sama... and yourself," Shikamaru said flatly.

"We're not Konoha shinobi though," Naruto protested, whilst still being flattered that Shikamaru considered him worthy of the title.

"You were born in the Land of Fire and that is enough to earn the title. Tsunade-sama was not an active shinobi when she took over the reins as Godaime, and your little group cant go on forever, and then what?" the Nara questioned.

Naruto hadn't thought about that if he was being perfectly honest, they were a group of outcasts that had been brought together by Jiraiya. '_Well Zabuza and Haku have a village they could return to in Kiri. I guess Jiraiya-sensei, Itachi and I still consider Konoha to be our home, and I guess both villages would be more than happy to accept Gaara, Fu and Akimi, although there would probably be some political backlash from Suna and Taki,_' Naruto thought as he contemplated Shikamaru's question.

'**Do you want to be Hokage?**'

'_Huh, oh hey Kyuubi. I don't know, I definitely wanted to be Hokage when I was a kid. But really, I haven't thought about it in years,_'

'**Well if you did, then your group would almost certainly disband. However you would then be in a position to help make some changes to this world. Then again you have to win a war first,**' the large fox reminded him.

"I don't know what will happen in the future, I don't really want to spend long hours worrying about what might happen or planning things that will have no effect on what will happen now," Naruto said finally replying to Shikamaru's question.

"Fair enough, I can see how that would be troublesome, especially if things didn't work out the way you wanted them to," Shikamaru said, nodding his agreement while they entered the training ground where they would meet the others. They broke up and the Nara hopped atop a large stack of cut wood ready to be moved into the village and he turned his attention toward his favourite past time, cloud watching.

Naruto on the other hand took a seat and began to meditate, he found to to be a relaxing way to pass the time in the past. '**So what do you think they will ask of you?**' the Kyuubi asked no sooner than Naruto had closed his eyes, when he opened them he found himself sitting cross legged in front of the foxes cage.

'_I don't know.' _Naruto admitted truthfully._ 'I thought it would be to spare Sasuke's life, but from Shikamaru's reaction that might not be the case. Last time we saw Sasuke he was bordering on insane, his obsession with Itachi is dangerous. Not someone that will just walk away and admit he is wrong._'

'**Heh, good thing too. I will not be sad to see him and all the Uchiha burnt off the face of this earth,**'

'_Don't you feel that way about all humans though?_' Naruto teased.

'**Most of them yes, but I hold particular resentment towards the Uchiha clan.**'

'_Because of Madara?_'

'**Partly.**'

'_You shouldn't blame an entire clan for the actions of one person._' the blond lectured.

'**This world will be better off without those eyes, they cause nothing but misery,**' the fox scoffed ignoring what Naruto had said.

'_They're not all bad, I mean Itachi turned out alright,_' Naruto replied.

'**He's also not an Uchiha anymore, you changed his DNA when you gave him those new eyes. Still I admit Itachi was the least detestable Uchiha that I have met, mostly because of how many Uchiha he killed,**' the fox chuckled darkly.

'_See I knew you were not all bad, if you can hate some people more than others, then you are certainly able to like some people as well._'

'**You consider the fact that I hate certain things more than others as proof that I can become your friend? Foolish boy you need to learn that some things cannot be changed,**' The large fox lectured glaring down at the teen.

'_You're right there are some things in this world that I can't change, no matter how hard I try. But not this, I don't know why but I can feel something from you that tells me this isn't one of those things. You may be bitter and angry at being sealed and losing your freedom, but you are not evil, and I don't believe any of the Bijuu are, far from it._' Naruto replied his steely eyes meeting the foxes glare in intensity, neither giving an inch.

In the end it was the fox that broke his gaze first. 'This conversation is over Naruto, the Konoha shinobi are starting to arrive,' the fox scoffed cutting off their connection and sending Naruto back to the real world.

Naruto smirked knowing he had gotten under the foxes skin before opening his eyes. He opened his eyes at the same time that team eight minus Kurenai were arriving. "Yo Shikamaru what's all this about!?" Kiba asked loudly from atop Akamaru's back.

"Kiba, it seems you're as troublesome as ever." Shikamaru sighed knowing his time cloud watching was up. "Wait till everyone else gets here, it won't be long now."

"He's right you know, two more groups of shinobi are already approaching us," Naruto said casually from where he was still meditating.

"Whoa, what's he doing here!?" Kiba yelled in shock.

"I asked him to be here of course," Shikamaru replied.

"It is an honour to see you again Naruto-sama, I hope we are not taking up to much of your time. I am sorry for my teammates rudeness," Shino said with a respectful bow.

"Ah don't worry about it, I'm not big on the whole formality thing, and I don't like being treated like I am different to anyone else," Naruto replied a little embarrassed at the greeting from someone who was his same age, they had grown up together if he hadn't left Konoha they may have graduated together.

Not long after that Ino and Choji both arrived, with the rest of the group Shikamaru asked them to assemble. "This better be good Ino pig, I'm supposed to be helping Shizune organise the hospital shifts for next month." Sakura said loud enough so that she was sure the rest of the group could hear.

"Well this involves your team more than anyone so yes I believe this is important," Shikamaru said suddenly all business.

"Everyone is here now, so can we get to it already, I was going to have a free lunch before you roped me into this," Naruto added.

"Yes of course. "I asked everyone here to discuss Sasuke Uchiha," Shikamaru said flatly.

"Sasuke-kun? What about him?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"To tell you that we have to give up hoping that he will come back, reports say that he has joined the Akatsuki and now we need to forcefully stop him," Shikamaru informed the group.

"You're saying we need to kill Sasuke-kun!?" Ino gasped in disbelief.

"No way!" Sakura yelled in protest.

"Use your brains, every member of the Akatsuki now has a kill order on their heads from all of the great ninja villages, there is no excuse for joining the Akatsuki," the lazy genius replied.

"You're wrong he wouldn't go so far," Sakura whimpered in denial, tears forming in her eyes.

"Well this is touching and all that, but can we get to the point?" Naruto said lazily. "I'm not here to listen to everyone's issues in dealing with the truth. You asked me here for something so lets hear it," Naruto said, it wasn't that he wasn't empathetic to how they felt, he just wasn't here to listen to their denial.

"You're right Naruto, I want to ask you to let us deal with Sasuke, he's our problem and we should make it right for ourself," Shikamaru said.

"No deal," Naruto said flatly.

"Do you mind if I ask why?" Shikamaru asked with a sigh, he knew it was very unlikely that he could change the blonds mind.

"Two reasons, first and probably most important is that I can't guarantee anything, if shinobi from any of the villages see a member of the Akatsuki they're ordered to kill them if they think that it's possible at the time. Then there is the fact that if anyone has a right to have the first crack at Sasuke it would be Itachi," Naruto reasoned. "Now don't get me wrong, I get where you're coming from. You think it's your fault that Sasuke left in the first place so you want to make amends. But you can surely relate to the fact that in war you can't always choose you opponents."

"He has a point Shikamaru," Hinata said timidly, earning a nod from Shino and Sai.

"Of course he does, I wanted everyone else here to hear it. To steel their resolve, and be able to do what needs to be done," Shikamaru replied.

'_He used me. He knew I would never accept, so he used that to let the gravity of the situation sink into his friends. I would be pissed if I wasn't impressed._' Naruto realised, ignoring the Kyuubi laughing in the back of his mind.

"Actions have consequences, Sasuke is a criminal and his punishment has already been decided by the higher ups of all the major villages. We can't let sentimentality get in the way, if we do it could cost us and others their lives," Shikamaru lectured the group. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this Naruto. It's troublesome, but please let me buy you lunch to make up for it."

Naruto couldn't stay mad at the lazy genius, he was just doing his best for his friends who seemed to be taking the news in different ways. Most of them while visibly upset at the prospect of seing someone they once called a friend die, they were focused and accepting of the situation. Ino and Sakura were faring the worst out of their group, unable to hold back the tears. "It's alright Shikamaru, I get it."

**End Chapter!**

**I may have made Naruto a little cold at the end, but it will serve a purpose later. Naruto is not that involved with the other shinobi in Konoha save for Kakashi and Tsunade, so he was less likely to agree to their request.**

**Spoiler Alert!**

**Please for the love of all that is good in this world please tell me that it's over. Granted it was a little anticlimactic in the end, they couldn't even land a hit on her for the last 10 chapters, then suddenly the most pointless character for at least 600 chapters of the cannon shows up and does what Naruto and Sasuke couldn't do... although in truth Naruto did hit her once. **

**Question is what happens next... **

**Do they do a few chapters and then end the manga with that leaving most of the crap we have actually wanted to know about unanswered, Like what actually happened to the Uzumaki and Senju clans, who were Minato's parents will they pair Naruto off with someone, personally I would prefer it to be Hinata to Sakura. **

**Or do we get another arc? Maybe a time skip to when they are older, Still need to resolve the whole Naruto vs Sasuke thing. Personally can't see it being a good ending unless Sasuke actually dies, he deserves it, you can't do a complete 180 in personality in an instant after killing a Kage, trying to capture a jinchuuriki, and trying to kill both Kakashi and Sakura who I am sure will be more than willing to forgive her crush just because it's Sasuke and the laws apparently don't apply to the Uchiha clan, then again their main bloodline is the ability to create plot holes. **

**Okay personal bitterness aside, I am finally looking forward to see what happens next again. Even if there are only a few chapters left. **


	146. The Seal in the Painting

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 146: The Seal in the Painting**

"Kami it feels good to be back here, seems like an age since we have been able to rest," Zabuza sighed as he pushed upon the hidden cave entrance to the Yoinokuchi's main hideout. The cave that seemed to have no windows suddenly sparked to life, lights lining the walls sensing the return of the shinobi that called the hideout home.

"How does it stay so clean even when nobody is hear to clean it... come to mention it Naruto, Itachi, and Jiraiya-sama aren't exactly the type to clean... well anything," Haku mused.

"Naruto-kun told me once, he said the cave sort of cleans itself thanks to some seals that Jiraiya-sama placed in every room." Gaara replied casually, well casual for the red haired jinchuuriki. It still sounded like a drone, but those that knew him well enough could tell the difference.

"Wait... Jiraiya-sama has seals in every room... like including our bedrooms?" Fu asked hesitantly.

Gaara shrugged not really knowing the answer for sure. "Well I would assume so, I mean I never have to clean my room either so that would mean that it's at least in my room."

"Oh please tell me thats the only seal that's placed in here. Jiraiya-sama is a complete pervert how do we know he hasn't been peeking on us when we're sleeping or something." Fu replied.

"He wouldn't do that," Akimi answered flatly.

"How do you know?" Fu asked still a little cooly.

"Because, Jiraiya-sama doesn't peek like that, he wouldn't consider it a challenge," the swift release kunoichi said flatly, yet with all the confidence in the world.

"Like you know him well enough to know that," Fu said, pointing an accusatory finger at the dark haired kunoichi.

"No I guess I don't," Akimi admitted openly. "But Naruto-kun does, and I know him better than anyone," she smirked, knowing it was a rather sore spot for Fu. The tanned kunoichi simply scowled and stalked off.

"That can't be good," Zabuza said just above a hushed whisper, but it carried in the cave so that all the remaining members of the Yoinokuchi could hear.

"It's nothing," Akimi huffed and stalked off herself, heading upstairs towards Naruto's room.

"Yep, definitely not good," Gaara deadpanned.

"So we taking bet's?" Zabuza asked earning a simple nod from the red head.

"Zabuza-sama! That's horrible, i'm disappointed in you too Gaara-kun," Haku lectured, only to find the two shinobi already in a corner going over odds, she had been completely ignored. "Oh come on!" she yelled in exasperation.

Her humiliation was then compounded as a large sign made out sand rose between her and the two men reading 'Quite, betting in progress.'

'_This would be funny if it wasn't so serious,_' Haku sighed as she cast an eye in the directions both kunoichi had stormed off. '_They did say they would fight it out when they came back, but they have been so civil since then I had hoped they would let it all blow over. It looks like they were just pretending everything was fine between them._'

(Meanwhile)

"So kiddo, what did the Nara want?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto stalked into the ramen stand.

"To use me to scare the other shinobi into realising something they should have known long ago," Naruto deadpanned. Jiraiya burst out laughing at the blonds response. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing really It's just I'm always impressed with the members of the Nara clan. And that Shikamaru is considered a genius even amongst members of their clan. Even at his age the only thing separating him from his father is experience," The elder toad sage replied.

"You knew all along didn't you," Naruto said suspiciously.

"Of course, because just like the young Nara, you still lack experience," Jiraiya answered jovially before grabbing a mouthful of ramen and sliding his young charge a bowl that he had ordered before he arrived.

Naruto readily accepted his sensei's offering and began to chow down. "So is there anything else we need to do here in Konoha?" he asked after slurping down a particularly large mouthful of noodles.

"No not particularly," Jiraiya admitted slowly.

Naruto could see his hesitance, and had a fairly good idea as to why. "You know it's getting kind of late, even if we leave now we won't get home until around midnight. Why don't we stay here for the night."

Jiraiya smiled, clearly in agreement with his young charge. "Well thats sounds reasonable, that is if you stand being away from Akimi-chan for that long," he teased.

"I'm not some lost puppy that starts pining after a short time apart," Naruto scoffed.

"Really because since we got back from Iwa the two of you have basically been attached at the hip, and I am sure there has been many times where that is literally and not just figurative," Jiraiya chuckled enjoying the soft embarrassed blush spreading across the blonds cheeks.

"We were apart lots since then... like when I infiltrated the Kage summit," Naruto replied. "Besides the real reason you want us to stay here is so that you can go get drunk with Baa-chan," he scoffed taking the offensive.

If he was hoping that his sensei would deny that, he was sorely mistaken. "What of it? We won't have many more chances to have nights like this before the war, and then who knows what could happen. No matter how much you want to, you can't save everyone, and when you're the one in charge you have to live with the knowledge that you are sending men and women, that may have families and friends at home, out there to die."

"Well if someone has to do it, then I'm glad that it's you Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said genuinely. "So should we go find an empty training ground to erect a temporary house to stay in?" Naruto asked changing the subject.

"Actually I have a better idea," Jiraiya replied finishing his bowl of ramen before spinning on his stool and casually exiting the stand.

"Hey wait up!" Naruto called out quickly picking up his own bowl and downing the remaining noodles and broth. It didn't take long to catch up to Jiraiya who was just casually strolling away from Ichiraku's. "Where are we going?" the young jinchuuriki asked, a little irritated at his sensei's sudden actions.

"You'll see," Jiraiya replied.

"Why am I not filled with confidence," Naruto deadpanned.

"Oh don't worry, you will definitely find this interesting," Jiraiya replied confidently.

"I swear if we end up camping above some bath house I will make you regret it," Naruto scolded but followed after his sensei.

"Now that's an idea, but this is different. I promise," the toad sage declared.

"What do they have a nude beach around here now or something? Admittedly that would be kind of impressive, considering we are several days travel away from any ocean," Naruto mused with a small smirk.

Jiraiya face palmed, '_Damn kid, no respect at all for his beloved sensei._' "Just shut up and follow me," he said finally, jumping up onto some nearby rooftops and taking off at a much faster speed across the village. Naruto sighed and quickly followed after the older sage.

They passed just outside of the walls of the village to the north and traveled a short distance until they could look out over the whole village before Jiraiya slowed to a walk. He pushed through a small overgrown patch of forest and revealed an old run down home a large spiral was carved in the centre of two large doors. "What is this?"

"This is or I guess was, the Uzumaki clan home in Konoha. Your mother lived here before she married Minato," Jiraiya explained.

"Wow how come I didn't know about this place?" Naruto asked.

"Because it was common knowledge that you were the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and certain people in the village deemed that it was too much of a risk to let you live this far outside of the village even if we are technically in the Senju grounds at the moment. Maybe they just didn't want you asking questions so they let you believe you were just some orphan," Jiraiya answered with a shrug.

"Yes, well that really worked out well for me," Naruto replied sarcastically before closing the distance to open the door. The room he entered was surprisingly clean yet it seemed to be relatively untouched in many years. The room was large almost like a hall at the far end of the hall there was a sealing circle and at the very far end a large demon like mask sat as if it was overlooking the room. "What's with the mask?" Naruto asked, something felt off about the mask, it felt as if it was staring right through him.

"I'm not sure, I could never get an answer out of Kushina or Mito-sama about that one, she just said it was a precious clan heirloom," Jiraiya replied following the blond into the house.

Naruto nodded and decided to move closer to take a closer look, he was so intrigued by the devilish mask that he extended a hand to grab it, however he was stopped at the last moment. '**An interesting artefact indeed, but I would avoid touching it Naruto.**'

'_Kyuubi! Do you know anything about this mask?_' Naruto asked in surprise.

'**More than most, but not as much as some, there are things in this world that even I do not know,**' the fox replied calmly as Naruto retracted his hand.

'_So... what is it?_'

'**That is the Shinigami mask, supposedly it summons him, but I have never seen it myself. The last time I met him, he ripped my chakra in half and stole your fathers soul. Not exactly a friendly meeting. Still the Uzumaki clan seems to have some connection to the Kami of death, but I have no idea what it is. Although it might explain your abnormally long life spans.**'

'_Heh maybe you're right. He doesn't sound like someone you would want to summon. At least not without a damn good reason,_' Naruto sighed and turned to away from the mask casting a final glance at the menacing yet still somewhat beautiful mask. '_Still though, I wonder how the Uzumaki clan got there hands on something like that._'

'**It could be a clan affiliation, just like how the Uchiha are associated with Susanoo... the Uzumaki are connected to Shinigami? But your guess is as good as mine I'm afraid,**' Kyuubi said honestly.

Naruto smiled, it was becoming much easier to talk with his prisoner and hoped that with time they could soon become friends. "So Jiraiya-sensei what are we doing here? I mean sure this place is interesting but its a little run down I mean one of my makeshift stone homes would probably be more comfortable," Naruto asked loudly so his voice would travel throughout the house to what ever room Jiraiya was currently in.

"Around here somewhere there should be a small seal. Your mother left all of her sealing equipment hidden in this house somewhere," Jiraiya's voice traveled to Naruto from down the hall.

The blond shrugged and decided to help him, his Rinnegan was quiet talented at finding seals, they stood out like a sore thumb, when he was actually looking for them that is. Channeling a little chakra into his eyes the blond immediately froze, every wall was covered in hidden seals none of which were designs that he had any knowledge of. "So uh sensei how large would this seal you're looking for be?"

"Not sure, although your mother had a tenancy to go overboard with things so I'm guessing it will be extravagant," Jiraiya called back.

"Did you check the hallway for hidden seals?" Naruto asked slowly following the pathway of the seal trying to find the point of origin. It was a surreal experience for Naruto, while the hallway was undeniably pitch black the energy left in the sealing matrix lit a path that only he could see. Although he was sure members of the Hyuuga clan would be able to see it too.

"No I haven't why did you find something?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto didn't respond as he was busy tracing the pathways. The seals circulated around a large room that stood in the middle of the house with the corridors on all sides and they converged on a large painting of the Shodai Hokage and a very beautiful woman with her long red hair tied up into a bun. "Hey Sensei I think I fouind something," He called out inspecting the painting closer. "This must be Mito Uzumaki huh," Naruto said to himself.

'**Yeah that's her, stuck up bitch,**' Kyuubi grumbled.

'_Well she does seem very stoic compared to the Shodai, but you're just annoyed she was the first one to seal you,_' Naruto replied. The fox growled in response but really he had no response to his young jinchuuriki's statement. "It's funny, the people in Konoha know quite a bit about Hashirama, but nothing about her, or my mother for that matter."

"Because of who and what they were," Jiraiya said quietly, as he came around the corner behind the blond. "She was a very kind women, even if I didn't know her that well. I only met her on the few times I had to go see Tsunade-hime for team meetings. She was a bit older than I am now but very kind and every member of the Senju clan treated her like royalty... I guess that came with the territory of being married to the god of shinobi."

Naruto smiled, he didn't know much about his clan but he was glad that there were people like Mito in it. "There is a seal that runs all the way around this room and the pathways converge here, what ever it is the trigger is activated here," Naruto said slowly removing the picture from the wall.

As soon as he placed the picture on the ground the seals began to glow. "Whoa, look at that," Jiraiya gasped. "This seal is so complex I can't don't even know where to start."

"Then it's doing it's job,"

Both Naruto and Jiraiya spun on the spot at the new voice and were shocked to see a young red haired Mito looking exactly the same as she did in the photo. "Wha-" Naruto tried to speek but the words just wouldn't flow.

"You want to know what's going on?" she guessed earning a slow nod from both sages. "I am a memory, nothing more. I cannot touch you so don't be afraid."

"So this seal creates an image of you from your memories?" Naruto guessed.

"Very good, but that's not all it does," Mito replied.

"There is a hidden chamber here, this room that the seals surround is the entrance," Jiraiya said confidently.

Mito nodded her response but her eyes never drifted from Naruto's face. "I only open the chamber for an Uzumaki."

"Well you're in luck. My mother was an Uzumaki," Naruto declared.

"Yes I know, I was rather fond of Kushina when I was alive, it was a shame we had to seal the Kyuubi into her. And even more of a shame that the fox is now a burden that you must carry," Mito said stoically.

"Nah, he's not so bad, I mean it can't be fun being trapped inside a seal for decades on end, so it's no wonder he's angry," Naruto replied with a sheepish smile.

Mito's expressionless face threatened a smile but the spector seemed to regain composure before that point. "Tell me boy what is your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," the blond replied happily.

"Then tell me Naruto Uzumaki, are there people in your life that you cherish, more than life itself?" Mito asked her voice flat.

Naruto thought about the question for just a moment but he already knew the answer. "Yes, there are many people I would gladly die for. People that I love more than anything."

This time Mito did smile. "Then you are you are worthy of being the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. And you are also worthy of entering my sealing chamber." The walls began to glow and the room in the centre of the clan house began to rise revealing a long dark stairway that spiraled underground.

The spectral figure of Mito began to fade but she still began to talk. "It was nice to meet you Naruto Uzumaki. You remind me a lot of Hashirama-kun," she said with a genuine grandmotherly smile as her body finally disappeared.

Naruto couldn't explain it but he suddenly felt incredibly happy but also sad at the same time. "I wish I could have talked with her more," Naruto sighed.

"Then you should have taken longer answering her question," Jiraiya replied.

"Why was that so important?" Naruto asked.

"Because it wasn't just enough that you were an Uzumaki, but you had to be an Uzumaki that she approved of. She wanted to hear your answer to her question."

"Oh but what if I had lied?" Naruto asked.

"It wouldn't have worked, not on Mito-sama. She was feel other peoples emotions, you can't lie to someone like that, they will know," Jiraiya declared. "Now what do you say we go check this place out."

Naruto cast one last glance to the spot where Mito had disappeared and then nodded. "Yeah let's go." once they were a few steps down the dark stairway the entrance seemed to close and there was and the stairs seemed to disappear under their feet. But instead of falling they found themselves in a large white room.

"Amazing, this must be a pocket dimension capable of sustaining life. No wonder nobody was able to break in here," Jiraiya said in awe. "Uzumaki sealing method is really something else."

"Yeah. So what do you expect to us to find here?" Naruto asked.

"Well if you're going to learn sealing what better place to start that right here? You know the basics well enough and being an Uzumaki you should be able to take to this like a fish to water," Jiraiya replied.

"You say that, but I didn't understand the seals that created this place at all, and I don't even know where the scrolls are," Naruto replied. As if the room was responding to his desire a large library seemed to rise up from the ground and extend the pocket dimension.

"Well what do you know, I wonder what else this room can do?" Jiraiya mused. "Hey Naruto, ask for something else,"

"Well I guess a Desk and some seats would be a nice," Naruto replied. Again as if appearing from nowhere his request was granted.

"So the room will grant your requests huh. There has to be a limit to what you can ask for though. I wonder if it will work for me... I want to see inside the Kunoichi's bath house in Konoha!"

Nothing happened for a few moments but then writing began to appear as if in mid air. "_**This room can only provide that which has been stored inside.**_"

"Well that sucks," Jiraiya pouted.

"Did you really expect it to work?" Naruto asked with a deadpan while looking for some intermediate level sealing scrolls. The scrolls had reference markings on them, often grouped by topic and difficulty with initials indicating the level with _**B **_– standing for Beginner and _**M**_ – indicating that it was a master level scroll. Certain areas Naruto had discovered had levels above even that of Master level, the time-space Fuinjutsu section for one had no scrolls below master level.

"Well now that you seem settled I'll let you get to work," Jiraiya said in a matter of fact tone.

"You're just going to leave me here for the night?" Naruto asked flatly.

"Oh no, after seeing how amazing this place is you're going to spend the next month here doing nothing but learning Fuinjutsu," Jiraiya replied

"What! I can't stay here a whole month! For one where would I sleep?" Naruto yelled. Once more the room responded a large king sized bed appeared out of no where. "Oh well thanks a lot room," Naruto sighed sarcastically.

"Good send a clone out to get food as you need it. Well good luck kiddo, i'll come back to check on you later," Jiraiya replied then after looking around realised something. "I need the exit."

A stairway appeared and the moment Jiraiya stepped a foot on the first stair they both disappeared. "Kami, his idea of training doesn't change much. He gives me a task and wants to see how I approach it first before helping out. I guess this is a little different though, I already know the basics of Fuinjutsu so I should be able to learn what I need. But still a month of nothing but learning how to seal. It shouldn't take that long to learn how to seal away a Edo Tensei," Naruto sighed as he browsed another row of scrolls.

'**There is another way, to defeat them you know,**' Kyuubi sighed.

'_Huh there is?_' the blond asked.

'**Of course, the major problem that I can see here is that the Edo Tensei regenerate,**'

'_Well I suppose so, not being able to kill them means the only way to stop them is sealing,_'

'**Not true, the answer is in regeneration itself. If you completely destroy the body then there is nothing to regenerate,**' the fox replied.

'_You do realise that is insane right? Besides even my most destructive jutsu doesn't have enough power to completely destroy a person._'

'**No but I do, a direct hit from a Bijuudama wont leave a trace of anyone. Along with my chakra, you gain the ability to perform our ultimate technique.**'

Naruto couldn't say that he wasn't interested in what the Bijuu was saying. '_Well it would be a good trump card to have up my sleeve, but this is the better option for now_.'

'**Fine if you say so, but as far as I am concerned you wont be able to seal Madara. Someone like Madara has to be crushed, removed from this world completely,**' Kyuubi said firmly.

Naruto couldn't help but agree with the fox. '_You're right, and I plan on learning the Bijuudama but first things first. If I'm going to spend a month here, then I may as well master this stuff,_' the blond replied finally finding a scroll that he could use to begin his training.

(**Meanwhile**)

Jiraiya was arriving back into the village, the afternoon sun casting a orange glow over Konoha as he landed on the windowsill of his favourite Kage's office. Tsunade didn't have to even look up from her desk to know he was there. "I thought you had gone already Jiraiya," she said expressionlessly.

"Is that anyway to treat someone who decided to stick around just to see you?" Jiraiya replied with a fake pout.

Tsunade scowled at her former teammates actions. "Oh shut up and get in here," she said already pulling out a rather large bottle of sake and a couple of cups from a storage seal she had under her desk, pouring each of them a cup before downing her own instantly.

"Thought you'd never ask," Jiraiya replied, his mood instantly back to normal as he accepted the cup she offered him and swallowed it's contents equally as quickly.

"So why are you still here anyway, don't you have someone to teach sealing too?" the Godaime asked flatly.

"Well yeah, but as I was having lunch I had an idea, one of my most brilliant if I might add," Jiraiya replied with a smirk.

"Well you can add it to the list of... well lets face it its a fairly short list," Tsunade scoffed causing the over exuberant toad sage mope once again. "Oh grow up Jiraiya, you can't act like a teenager all your life," she said offering him another cup of sake. She knew why he acted this way, it was his coping mechanism, a way to deal with the life he had lived but at the moment she would rather talk seriously. "Anyway, what's this fantastic Idea that you had?"

"Kushina and Mito-sama's old sealing room in the old Uzumaki building just outside the village. What better place to learn how to use Fuinjutsu effectively than there," Jiraiya said triumphantly.

"Not bad, only an Uzumaki can enter that room, and even then it's up to Mito-obaasama if she is going to let you in," Tsunade mused.

"So you tried to get in yourself?" Jiraiya asked.

"Tried and failed, I'm apparently pure blood Senju genetically," Tsunade said sadly.

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow "So when you tried to enter..."

"She rejected me, then disappeared. I saw my grandmother for the first time in years and all she said was 'no'," the Godaime explained.

"That must have been hard," Jiraiya sighed downing another cup of sake.

Tsunade shrugged taking a downing a drink of her own. "It's not so bad, I mean at least I got to see her, even if it was only for a few seconds. I guess I was just not meant to access the archives of the the Uzumaki clan."

"Archives? I thought it was just a sealing room," the toad sage said in shock.

"No not at all, in fact that room has many entrances throughout the elemental nations, each with a different guardian and their own trial to gain entrance. Each time a new entrance is created the one that creates the entrance becomes a new guardian," Tsunade explained.

"Wow I had no idea, do you know how many entrances there are, or where they are for that matter?" Jiraiya asked.

"Not a clue," the Godaime replied. "Although I would guess there is at least one in the old ruins of Uzu."

The information was all that Jiraiya really needed to hear to get him to start formulating a plan. "This could be useful, Naruto could use the different entrances to travel around the elemental Nations without any risk."

"I admit it is an interesting idea. The problem is that you can only use entrances that they have unlocked, and we have no idea where any of the other entrances are," Tsunade replied. Jiraiya had to admit that did put a bit of a downer on his plan. The pair continued to drink long into the night before they both ended up falling asleep at the Hokage's desk.

At that same time Naruto was still hard at work analysing and copying seals that he thought might be useful. "Damn this is difficult, even at this level there are things I don't understand," he sighed.

"Then perhaps I can be of assistance." Naruto spun in his chair to find Mito standing behind him.

"What the... how do you keep doing that!?" the blond said in shock.

**End Chapter!**

**Alright needed a chapter to ease myself back into this fic after a little over a month off for work. I wanted to incorporate the Uzumaki shrine where Orochimaru took Sasuke. I found it incredibly frustrating that a place like that existed and nobody told Naruto. Also found it annoying that there was no explanation as to why the Uzumaki clan can not only summon the Shinigami, but also have a mask with the ability to remove souls from his stomach, by the end of the Manga in something like three weeks the only clan we will know anything about is the Uchiha clan. **

**Spoiler Alert!**

**The balance of this Manga just seems to fall apart for the sole purpose of facilitating Sasuke to be a moody little bitch that needs an ass kicking. Seriously he has the Rinnegan for a day and he's supposedly just as adept at using it as the Sage of Six Paths. Meanwhile Naruto can't even control his sage chakra mode properly. Madara was using the Geodama floating behind him as weapons that destroyed anything they touched, changing shape and absorbing jutsu. While for Naruto they are nothing but floating decorations. Of course as with all plot holes in this arc... they can do it because they're Uchiha. **

**Also Naruto who is supposedly the fastest person alive thanks to Kurama's chakra, yet he is matched so easily for speed by Sasuke with no explanation as to why. Even if he can follow his movements Naruto should still be too fast for him. **

**The fight between the two really needs to end next chapter so we can get at least one chapter to wrap everything up. Still with about two chapters left the only way to get an even halfway decent ending is to have Sasuke die with a like 100 pages per chapter. The end of the chapter where Sasuke absorbs Naruto's chakra and is going in for the kill was predictable, but still all the more annoying when if Naruto just started channeling Senjutsu chakra Sasuke would have turned into a toad and died. Although being the Cannon Sasuke would have instantly figured out how to control Senjutsu just because apparently he can. **

**One thing that shits me most about Manga in general is the number of shockingly horrible endings often leaving so many sub plots unresolved. It can actually ruin a perfectly good series if the ending is badly done. Now I'm not saying to leave nothing up to our imagination but there are certain things that if left unanswered is just poor writing, the best stories give at least some closure to any open sub plots. **

**Also the Idea of completing the story in the last movie is, (in my opinion anyway) a poor choice. It's like allowing yourself to do a half assed job at the finish of the manga because it will be completed elsewhere.**

**Personally I don't think any of the Naruto movies have stood out as great stories that added anything to the series, so trying to end everything with a movie is not only risky but it's like a giant FU to the readers that have for many years followed the story week in week out.**


	147. Fuinjutsu Training

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 147: Fuinjutsu Training**

"You've made a mistake, now you need to start again," Mito said passively.

Naruto sighed his head hitting the desk he was sitting at with a loud thud that echoed through the endless space of the Uzumaki pocket dimension. How long had he been in this room already? it had to have been at least been a few days now. Jiraiya would show up every so often to give him food but otherwise he had no contact with the outside world. The paper he was working on was immediately scrunched up and discarded, replaced instantly by a new sheet. "How many more?" he asked weakly trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Until I am satisfied that you have grasped this concept, then we will move on to the next area of Fuinjutsu," Mito replied calmly, her features were expressionless, that was until Naruto's attention turned back to the seal designs he was currently learning. Then she allowed a small smile to appear on her graceful features, only once she was sure he wasn't looking.

For hours at a time Naruto would not move from the desk. Just as he thought he was starting to get the hang of one technique, Mito would introduce the next. It was enough to fry even Naruto's hardheaded brain, and he ended every day mentally exhausted. '_She makes Jiraiya-sensei look like a saint,_' the blond thought desperately while the apparition scrutinised his latest seal.

'**I'd keep those thought's to yourself. That witch can feel your emotions.**'

'_Maybe, but she's not the real Mito is she? She's just a memory preserved in this room using time space Fuinjutsu,_' Naruto reasoned.

The fox seemed to scoff at Naruto's logic, he had first hand experience of the terror that was Mito Uzumaki. '**Suit yourself but if she gets angry you're going to regret it,**"

'_What the hell did she do to you to make the great Kyuubi turn into a scared little kit,_' Naruto chuckled internally.

"May I ask what is so funny? The last seal was passable but nowhere near good enough. You can laugh once you perfect it," Mito said stiffly, a soft yet evident glare directed at the jinchuuriki who caught the look just out of the corner of his eyes.

He paused for the shortest of moments, silently wondering if this is what it was like to be lectured or disciplined by a parent. His only experience with having a real family had been so short he never got to experience this particular part of growing up. Sure Jiraiya would occasionally punish him, but that was more along the lines of him taking his training to the next level. "It was nothing Mito-sensei, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, be busy working on that chakra suppressing seal," she ordered without hesitation.

'**I told you not to get her mad,**' the Kyuubi laughed deeply.

'_Alright you might have a point on that one,_' the blond replied while turning his attention back to the seal design.

(**Meanwhile**)

Jiraiya was sitting in the windowsill of the Hokages office while Tsunade sat with her arms folded, impatiently tapping her fingers as she waited. "You seem a little stressed," Jiraiya chuckled.

"I sent Kakashi to round up a team to deliver a message to forest country, but that was almost an hour ago," Tsunade fumed.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Did you really expect things to go quickly when you send Kakashi for a job like that?"

"Well no, but it's not like he has to go on the mission, I just wanted him to inform the team that they were being summoned, oh why didn't I just send an Anbu," the Hokage sighed.

Jiraiya didn't get a chance to answer as the door opened and four shinobi walked in, two Jounin and a two chunin. "You sent for us Hokage-sama?" Ebisu asked with a bow.

"I did." Tsunade replied. "Two hours ago," she added beneath her breath with only Jiraiya hearing her. "I have a mission to for the four of you. You are to deliver a message to the Daimyo of the land of forests we need to secure the main trade routs for transport."

Ebisu bowed low in response. "Of course Tsunade-sama, but if I may ask; isn't sending two jounin and two chunin a little over the top for a simple delivery mission? Surely it is no higher than a C rank, my team could deal with this issue no problem."

"Because the trade routs are only part of the mission, we need those paths secure because of the upcoming war, the Genin have not been informed about this yet. Also because of the importance of this mission it's possible that you will be targeted by Akatsuki operatives," Tsunade answered firmly indicating that her choice of team is not up for any more debate.

"Y-you think the A-A-Akatsuki might target us?" Ebisu stuttered.

"It's possible. But whats the problem; you are a Jounin aren't you?" Jiraiya asked casually.

"Well yes, but we're talking about coming up against elite S-ranked shinobi, surely someone like Kakashi or Gai would be more suitable," Ebisu said as calmly as he could muster. Ebisu had earned his position as a Jounin in Konoha but the facts were that against the likes of Kakashi and Gai he was a push over.

"Relax Ebisu, the possibility of that happening is slim to none. We have to balance our forces at the moment, our elite Jounin are preparing in their own way. It would be a misuse of resources to send them at the moment," Tsunade replied.

"Very well, Tsunade-sama. I am sorry I questioned your judgement," Ebisu answered with another bow.

"That's fine, but you're already two hours behind schedule so I would recommend you get a move on," the Hokage informed the newly assembled team who seemed to hearing this little fact for the first time, in an instant all four of the shinobi disappeared obviously rushing to prepare. "I hope you're happy Kakashi," Tsunade said with a scowl.

"Well now that you mention it, this is quite entertaining," Kakashi said appearing outside the window that Jiraiya had claimed as his seat.

Tsuande rubbed the bridge of her nose in obvious frustration. "I have half a mind to send you on the mission with them. But unfortunately you're needed here with the next Kage meeting taking place in Konoha I can't have my best shinobi out of the village."

"You think I'm the best in the village? I'm flattered," Kakashi replied with one of his famous eye smiles.

"Settle down, you win by default. Jiraiya and Naruto aren't classified as Konoha shinobi, Sarutobi-sensei is too old, and Gai is too frustrating to keep around for any extended period of time," Tsunade sighed.

"Speaking of Naruto, shouldn't you be checking on his progress soon, Jiraiya-sama?" the copycat asked in his usual lacklustre manner, blowing off the insult.

"Not much to do really, I can't get in unless Naruto opens the door, and he can only open the door when his teacher let's him take a break," Jiraiya replied casually. If Jiraiya was being honest, he had wanted to teach Naruto Fuinjutsu himself. But the presence of a Uzumaki seal master as a teacher is too much of a good opportunity to pass up. '_This must have been part of their secret to producing so many world class masters at Fuinjutsu_,' He thought in reflection. 'A_ room containing all of the knowledge of the Uzumaki clan, and spirit's that act as both guardians and teachers to prevent that knowledge falling into the hands of someone outside the clan, or a clan member that they do not deem worthy from accessing the information. It's genius._'

"I almost feel sorry for him," Kakashi chuckled withdrawing a copy of Jiraiya's famous book series from a pouch in his Jounin vest. "What about the rest of your group? Do you think they are going to be alright without you there?"

Jiraiya hummed in thought. "I don't think there will be an issue, they can look after themselves without any supervision. At least without Naruto around I we wont have to spend ages fixing the landscape around our base."

(**Meanwhile**)

Akimi and Fuu glared at each other neither softening their stance for an instant. Around them a large area of forrest was scorched and several large craters now littered the landscape. On the sidelines three shinobi clad in white robes watched the proceedings with a deadpan. "We're going to get blamed for this," Haku said expressionlessly to which Zabuza and Gaara both nodded. "But you're not going to stop them?" she asked earning a shake of the head in response.

Suddenly both kunoichi charged, Akimi was far faster than Fuu so they didn't quite meet half way, Fuu however was highly adept at using Genjutsu on the fly and was using the illusions to mask her movements well. Akimi who narrowly avoided a spinning kick from the petit jinchuuriki retaliated with a blistering flurry of punches that missed wildly allowing the slower Fuu to land a powerful kick into the swift release kunoichi's back. "That was pathetic, Can't you tell the real me from a Genjutsu?" the mint haired girl laughed tauntingly.

Akimi slowly began to stand, lighting crackled around her as if in warning. Fuu opened her mouth ready to taunt the dark haired young woman again but soon found herself thrown back through several trees from a powerful hit to the chest. "Who's pathetic now? You can't even stop a straight attack like that, you're much too slow," Akimi said returning Fuu's taunting.

"Wow I barely even saw Akimi move," Haku said in awe. '_But this isn't good, things are getting too serious now, they could actually hurt each other if they're not careful._'

Suddenly there was a massive explosion of chakra as Fuu returned to the clearing her features seemed more insect like and her eyes were completely orange. Once more the two kunoichi engages in a taijutsu spar, Fuu was now much faster than before, but despite this fact she was still no match for the swift release kunoichi when it came to speed, however the strength of her attacks was significantly magnified each blow that Akimi blocked still pushed her back.

"We can't let them keep this up, Fuu's using her Bijuu's chakra this isn't good," Haku said.

"I know, but we can't stop them now," Zabuza replied.

"Why not?" Haku demanded sternly.

"Because, if they don't get this out of their system their resentment will only grow, it's best to let them fight now were we can step in if things get too dangerous rather than have a potential disaster later on," Gaara replied.

"Also we have money on this," Zabuza added as if that was a good enough reason to watch his comrades beat each other into submission.

'_Damn it, she's just not giving in,'_ Akimi thought as she rolled back as Fuu, crashed into the ground where she had been standing, her Bijuu cloak starting to form two wings on the mint haired kunoichi's back.

Akimi was a little hesitant now, she really didn't have any overly powerful attacks that could stop a Bijuu if Fuu lost control. She was more suited to hand to hand combat or confronting multiple enemies with her speed with precise telling blows.

"This is getting interesting, It will probably end soon, one way or the other," Zabuza said thoughtfully.

"I agree, Fuu can't match Akimi for speed or skill in Taijutsu so she's been using Genjutsu to counter and mess with her perception. But it seems like she's going far a different tactic now," Gaara added as they felt the chakra spike once more as the second wing of chakra finished forming.

Fuu's attacks were now more wild, they were easier for the speedy kunoichi to counter, but each strike was several times more powerful and the Bijuu cloak absorbed most of the damage. "Damn, I can't keep this up, that damn chakra shell stops any of my attacks from being affective, I'm going to need to use Ninjutsu," the swift release kunoichi said after kicking Fuu through a tree just to have her stand back up as if nothing had happened.

The fighting intensified, Akimi was now striking with her chain blades, channeling her charka though the blades and in between those strikes she would fire quick long range attacks to help maintain her distance. Fuu let out a loud screech and spat forth a large amount of chakra that hun in the air for a few moments before it began compressing. "Gaara that's!" Zabuza said suddenly losing his enthusiasm for the fight.

"A Bijudama, if that hits Akimi will not survive, this isn't just a match anymore. We have to stop it!" Haku said desperately.

Gaara nodded and he and raced forward, sand springing up from all around them, he had a large reserve stored incase the Yoinokuchi headquarters was ever attacked. The sand slammed down on both Fuu and Akimi who were not paying attention, the Chakra Fuu was gathering exploded outwards, but harmlessly up into the sky. While pinned down Haku covered the ice with a thick sheet of ice reinforcing the barrier. "Enough both of you, this stops now!" Gaara said commandingly.

Akimi had the sense to look ashamed while Fuu was still receding back from her Bijuu transformation. "I'm sorry I guess we took things to far," Akimi said sadly.

"You don't have to be friends, but you're still allies, what would Naruto and Jiraiya-sama say if they saw this," Gaara said in his monotone drawl.

"Gaara-kun is right, you have to stop this. Let Fuu tell Naruto how she feels," Haku added.

Akimi looked outraged at the mere thought. "What there's no way!"

"Do you really think the kid is going to drop you because someone else tells him they like him? If you have so little faith in him, then maybe he should," Zabuza scoffed.

"Now you are both going to repair all the damage you have done." Gaara said before releasing the pair from his sand with Haku's ice following suit.

"He's right, Fuu. I won't stand in your way if you want to tell Natsu-kun how you feel. But it wont change anything, he's mine and thats it." Akimi said flatly.

Fuu didn't answer, she just got to her feet and began using Doton manipulation to fill the craters that were created from their battle.

(**A Few Weeks Later**)

"Again!" Mito demanded, as Naruto effortlessly ran through a string of various high level seals.

'_Damn I thought I had them all done perfectly, I guess it wasn't fast enough for her,_' the blond Uzumaki sighed as he picked up his pace. His development had been nothing short of astounding, Mito drove him incredibly hard. And for what was essentially only drawing, he was still exhausted by the end of each day.

"Better, soon we can start work on creating seals with charka manipulation. Your father was very adept in this particular art. By the end he only needed a few hand seals to perform high level seals though touch alone," Mito explained.

"Yeah well they did consider him the best seal master Konoha had seen since the Nidaime Hokage, it's only natural," Naruto sighed.

"Hm, Tobirama, was probably the smartest man I had ever met, the amount of Joinin and Kage class jutsu he created was astronomical. But you are wrong about one thing. Your mother was the better seal master, while your father was talented, little Kushina-chan was very gifted with fuinjutsu," Mito replied with a smile. "Anyway, enough wasting time, back to work!"

Naruto groaned but turned his attention back to the books. '_How much longer do I have left of this? If I was to guess I would say, a week at most._'

During the past few weeks Jiraiya did little other than loiter around the Hokage's office and conduct his research around parts of the village. Today he was sitting in Tsunade's windowsill casually while she filled out paperwork and drank Sake. "You seem a little distracted," Jiraiya said in a semi serious tone.

"What are you talking about, I haven't even looked up from my work," Tsunade scoffed.

"Precisely, normally you lounge around all day and get nothing at all done," Jiraiya laughed.

"Well I am getting my work done now," Tsunade bit back.

"Why don't you just tell me whats wrong? It will be easier than having me sit around here all day probing for answers. Unless you would like me to do some real probing?" The toad sage replied getting a lecherous grin.

"Shut it pervert," Tsunade spat throwing a large paper weight at her old team mate. It said a lot about the situation that Jiraiya didn't simply let the projectile hit him like normal. "You're being a real pain in the ass today you know that."

"Then tell me what's bothering you and I'll go somewhere else," Jiraiya replied.

The Hokage sighed and lowered her head in defeat. "Fine, it's Ebisu's group. It's been two weeks and we have had no word from them since they entered the the Land of Grass."

"Hm that is off protocol, two weeks... even a Genin team would be back by this time," Jiraiya sighed. He sat it deep thought for a moment. "That is troubling, have you sent word to the Land of Grass, maybe they have some ideas. They could at least tell you if they have left the village or even if they never even arrived. Or I can contact some of my informants in that country perhaps they know something."

"Actually I am expecting an eagle from the Land of Grass any minute," Tsunade replied.

"So you're keeping yourself busy until you have the right information then," Jiraiya rightly assessed.

"Right, so shut up and let me concentrate on my work," Tsunade snapped irritably. Jiraiya didn't respond he just silently retreated back to his place in the windowsill and sat there relaxing both waiting for news.

The hours passed slowly, neither saying a word. Every so often Shizune or a Jounin would drop by handing over more papers or giving a mission report but there was still no sign of a message. As the sun began to set Tsunade discarded the last sheet of paper on her desk and she unconsciously crushed her Sake cup. Jiraiya was about to speak when in a large hawk flew in through the opposite window and landed on The Hokage's desk, a large scroll container attached to its back.

"That's a little large for a simple message scroll," Jiraiya said suspiciously as Tsunade removed the scroll from its back. As she took it out she stared at the scroll suspiciously. "A storage scroll... you might not want to open that."

Tsunade's expression hardened and she channeled her chakra into the seal. There was a brief moment when she didn't believe what she was seeing but after taking a deep breath it had to be true, four heads sat on her desk each with a Konoha forhead protector. Below them sat a picture of the headless bodies of the Konoha shinobi strung up on a large wall painted black with a red cloud at the top. To the side stood the leader of the Hidden Grass village holding their four heads. "What the hell is this!?" Tsunade roared slamming her fist into the desk shattering it into tiny pieces.

"Looks like it's the Akatsuki's first move, they needed a larger army, so they brought in some of the smaller villages," Jiraiya said darkly while still maintaining a calm exterior.

"They won't get away with this!" Tsunade seethed.

"No, but don't make any rash moves, your best bet would be to send warning to the other members of the alliance, we don't know how many other villages have joined the Akatsuki. While you do that I'll get my contacts working in overdrive to figure out what happened and just how bad this situation is," Jiraiya said calmly.

"Good do that, I'll send word to the other villages. Shizune!" Tsunade called out and the short haired assistant opened the door with a smile before seeing the state of the room, she quickly held her hands to her mouth to stop her from verbally reacting. "I need you to get me Inoichi, they may be able to find out if any information has been taken from their bodies. Also when this room is cleaned up I want you to send for Team Ebisu, they deserve to know what happened to their sensei," Tsunade sighed.

Word about what happened to the group in the Land of Grass spread around the village in the following days, by the time the Kages began arriving for the summit meeting, the shinobi of Konoha were more than ready for a war. "Your reports saved two groups of my shinobi that were calling for support from the lesser villages," A said after greeting Tsunade and the other Kages who had arrived.

"Yes it came just in time. But I was unable to save a team I sent to Takigakure, they have fallen to the Akatsuki as well," Oonoki grunted.

"As Samurai we do not have the same contact with other villages as you ninja, but several of our trade routs are now less than safe due to the betrayal of many of the smaller villages," Mifune grumbled.

"While it's not ideal, the lesser villages only have small military forces, their numbers will not be that much of an issue for us to deal with. However the locations along certain trade routs will make things more difficult just like Mifune-dono said," Jiraiya sighed. No fewer than Ten villages had sided with the Akatsuki, many seemingly changing in policy over night according to his spy network.

"So Mei-dono and the former Akatsuki scum are the last to arrive," The Kazekage spoke taking a seat in what was large war room with a scaled map of the Elemental Nations in the centre. Various areas were marked red or green depicting safe zones or high risk, enemy territory.

"Mizukage-dono, has a long way to travel and unlike the rest of us must rely on transportation. Besides the summit is not scheduled until tomorrow so they are hardly late, besides, I think you will find the trio from Ame have just arrived," Tsunade said, her hands folded under her chin while a paper butterfly fluttered into the room and landed on the table.

A minute later and two very uncomfortable Chunin guards walked in followed by Nagato, Konan and Itachi. "Welcome Nagato, I trust the people of Konoha didn't give you are hard time?" Jiraiya asked.

"Not at all, most of the attention was on Itachi," Nagato replied with a slightly apologetic smile.

"You are certainly looking a lot less... ancient than the last time we met," Tsunade said slightly stunned at the now young red haired Uzumaki.

"Yes I haven't felt this healthy in years. I was expecting to see Naruto here as your bodyguard Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato said calmly.

"He's still learning Fuinjutsu, but he'll be here tomorrow. For now though, I am confident with out a body guard seeing as how you're borrowing Itachi," Jiraiya replied in a casual manner.

"I'm sure you will, Jiraiya-sensei. Besides Konoha is your home territory, it would be foolish for anyone to think they could get away attacking you here," Nagato replied honestly.

"Well that is somewhat true. But I'm not on the books as a Konoha shinobi, I haven't been one for years. Still, I do consider this place to be home," the toad sage explained.

"Lets retire for now, I'll have my Jounin show you to your rooms for the evening before we meet for dinner," Tsunade said calmly. She knew the more they discussed now they would just have to go over again tomorrow during the Kage summit.

The guests all agreed to this and were one by one led away by Konoha shinobi, to a nearby hotel soon only Jiraiya and Tsunade were left. "So do you want to come with me to get the kid? His head is probably ready to explode after a month of none stop Fuinjutsu training," the Gama Sennin asked.

"No it's alright, you go. By the way Jiraiya, we wont be waiting anymore, after the summit Naruto, Gaara and Fu will travel to meet up with Killer Bee for training on how to control their Bijuu. Naruto needs to learn how to use his Bijuu cloak to its full potential, if he completes this task I have no doubt that we will win this war," Tsunade said flatly.

"So soon? I thought we would have a few more months. I guess with recent developments there is no time to waste," Jiraiya sighed. '_Sorry Naruto, looks like theres not going to be any time to rest for awhile,_' he thought before bidding his former teammate goodbye and hopping out the closest window.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as his quill dropped into the ink and he completed his last seal. "Done!" he cheered in triumph

"Well I would hardly call you a funijutsu master at the level of some of the old Uzumaki seal masters, but you have shown skill in getting this far in such a short amount of time. As much as I would like to keep you here for longer until you have mastered paperless seals, we have run out of time. What you know so far should be sufficient enough until you are ready to return here for more training," Mito explained coldly.

"Yeah i'll be back, once the war is done I'll come back and finish learning everything you know, just watch. Thank you for everything Mito-sensei," Naruto replied with a bow.

"You have nothing to thank me for boy, it is my job as guardian of this entrance to train any Uzumaki who I deem to be worthy of entrance. Now go, Jiriaya-kun is waiting for you," Mito said allowing a small smile to grace her stoic face.

**End Chapter!**

**I'm alive! Sorry about the massive wait for this chapter, I've been overseas on holiday then when I got back I have just been so busy, lifes little F-U's I suppose. Anyway, a verry belated Happy New Year to all my readers and though things have been really hectic I'm hoping they will calm down soon. Hopefully enough to end this Fic sometime this year. I probably have three – four main arcs left with the odd filler thrown in here and there. But I'm sure I'll end up dragging it out longer than that. **

**I started this chapter in November, that's how busy I have been, most of the time I have had free to write I honestly haven't felt up to it. Still as long as things took it's done in the end, not one of my best works by any means but I got it done. Again sorry about the long wait and I hope to get back to everyone that has Messaged me in my absence as soon as possible. Thanks for Reading. **


	148. Final Preparations

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 148: Final Preparations **

Naruto relished the feel of the cool breeze on his face upon exiting the hidden room in the old Uzumaki shrine. Naruto hadn't noticed how such a small thing could change how the world feels. In the training room no matter what background that was put up, there was always something that made the scene feel unnatural. "Kami it feels good to be out in the real world again," He smiled.

"Yeah a month in seclusion will do that to you," Jiraiya chuckled patting his young apprentice on the shoulder. "Now you better rest up, I need you to act as my bodyguard tomorrow for the kage meeting. It's only a formality of course."

"So no day off huh," the blond huffed.

"Get used to it, we're at war now. The most valuable assets aren't allowed to rest," Jiraiya sighed.

"Well I guess I was expecting to be busy but I guess things are moving even faster than I thought huh," Naruto replied already guessing something had changed while he was learning fuinjutsu.

"Boy you have no idea, there is a lot to catch you up on. Lets go grab a meal and I will tell you all about it," the toad sage said guiding Naruto out of the Uzumaki clan home. On the way out Naruto noticed the small demonic mask that had caught his attention on the way in and quietly lamented that he didn't ask Mito about it. He quickly contemplated returning to the room, but shook off the thought, after all it was only a mask.

Naruto sighed in content, a quick trip to Ichiraku's was enough for Naruto to feel refreshed and relax a little, even with the rather disturbing news that Jiraiya had told him about many of the the smaller hidden villages seemingly siding with the Akatsuki. "Sounds like there is a lot to discuss tomorrow," he said seriously as he downed the last of his noodle broth.

"Not really, most of its all been settled. Theres just a few key points that need to be fleshed out, it really shouldn't take all that long. We need a location for our the alliance headquarters," Jiraiya explained.

"Why not just use a hidden village?" Naruto asked.

"Hm it's best that we don't do that, there is a village hierarchy and a separate one all together for the joint shinobi task force. Using one of our hidden villages could confuse these roles. Plus shinobi villages are not the most secure locations they are supposed to be hidden but the truth is that the locations of the villages are quite well known now," Jiraiya replied.

"Well that makes things a little bit difficult. So that means you need to find a site that is easily defended and already has trade pathways," Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded proud that Naruto had quickly thought of several important factors they needed. "You're right, but there are several places in every major nation that could fill that role, so we aren't short of options."

They continued to discuss the movements of the Akatsuki and potential strategies for the war for awhile. Soon though they decided it was probably time to get some rest so they made their way to a hotel where the other Kage and village leaders were staying. Naruto hadn't had such a good nights sleep in well over a month. The cumulative mental exhaustion from Mito Uzumaki's slave driver like training methods, and by the time he woke it was already closing in on noon.

"Well look who's finally awake, I was beginning to think I would have to go to the meeting all alone," Jiraiya smirked as the blond exited his room rubbing the back of his head and eyes to show he hadn't yet fully woken up.

"Whatever I'm up now and it's not like you really need me there anyway," the jinchuuriki groaned.

Jiraiya shook his head in response, knowing that Naruto's behaviour was mostly because he was still half asleep. "Now don't be like that, the meeting involves the jinchuuriki as well. So if you look at it like that you are the perfect representative for the others."

"Well what about Gaara, he's better at the politics than I am. Now if you need something destroyed I'm your man," the blond suggested half heartedly while searching the fridge for something to eat. The day was in full swing as the blond had what could only be considered a very late breakfast, he could see several shinobi still helping with the reconstruction of parts of the village after the attack of the Akatsuki.

The young blond had barely enough time to finish a piece of toast before he was being dragged out of the apartment and downstairs to where the other village leaders were waiting with their bodyguards. "You're late Jiraiya-dono," the Kazekage grumbled.

"A few minutes isn't a big deal Kazekage-dono," Mei said with a sweet smile directed at the Yoinokuchi pair.

"I agree, there is no point getting worked up over something so trivial," Nagato added.

"Whatever let's just get going. The sooner we iron out the details the sooner we can head back to Suna," the Kazekage said flatly, already walking towards the exit of the hotel flanked by Temari and Kankuro.

"Well he's cheerful," Naruto deadpanned.

"Well there is no change from the usual then," A said with a slight chuckle.

After some more casual greetings the leaders and their bodyguards followed after the Kazekage and made their way towards the Hokage tower where the meeting would take place. They entered a large dark room where Tsunade sat waiting with Hiruzen and Shikaku along side her. Large banners hang from the ceiling with a kanji representing each nation and one other for Jiraiya as the head of the alliance.

Once everyone had found there seat Jiraiya decided he should probable start proceedings. "Well I guess its time to get this show on the road. Our top priority should be a location for a permanent joint shinobi headquarters," he said sheepishly.

"Actually if I may, I have some thoughts on that topic," Shikaku said in earnest from his seat beside Tsunade.

"You let your bodyguard speak for you Hokage-dono?" the Kazekage asked.

"Ah but Shikaku isn't a normal bodyguard," Jiraiya said immediately. "He's Konoha's Jounin commander and if he has a strategy, then we would be completely foolish not to listen."

"I agree, both Tsuchikage-dono and I have experienced this mans strategies first hand in battle," A said honestly.

"Very well, lets here what he has to say," the Kazekage sighed, in all honesty he didn't care either way, it was a matter of respect, this was supposed to be a meeting of leaders rather than a free for all where every opinion is heard.

"Right, well first off I believe that the task force headquarters should be located in the Land of Lightning. There is only a small border protected by the Land of Iron for land access and to the west the oceans are controlled by the the Land of Water. Similarly we already know that the island where the jinchuuriki will be training is a movable island controlled by Kumo shinobi," The Genius Nara said in a matter of fact tone.

"Maybe, but if its in terms of terrain thats easiest to defend surely the area around Iwa in the Land of Earth would be a better bet," Oonoki suggested.

"That's is true, and I have considered the Land of Earth for that reason. However when you look at the nations that have sided with the Akatsuki, there are three bordering nations that could be considered Akatsuki territory, the safest trade rout would take us all the way around into the Land of Wind. I also think keeping all the Jinchuuriki safe should be our first priority. As such I think I have the perfect place in mind right here," Shikaku said taking out a large map with a few key areas marked.

"You have been busy Shikaku. I only told you to think of a spot for the headquarters, but looking at this you have marked other strategic locations and defensible positions," Jiraiya said as he analysed the detailed map.

"I had some extra time so, I took the liberty of making a few extra notes," Shikaku said before his finger drifted to a large circle around a deep bay off the west coast of the Land of Lightning. "This spot here is perfect. If we can bring the movable island to this location a short distance inland there is an old fortress twenty miles inland right here," he added, his finger gliding to the edge of the circle where a small X was marked. "It would take little work to refurbish and fortify the fortress, it is also visible from the bay, meaning it would only take a few minutes to deploy more units to the island should the Akatsuki strike at the island in search of the jinchuuriki."

Everyone had to agree that the lazy genius made some good points. "I agree, however it will take quite awhile to get Turtle Island to the bay. So while it travels the jinchuuriki will need extra protection on the island. Bee, Yugito, and two other Jounin are already there but with more Jinchuuriki, the more of a deterrent will be needed," A said in deep thought.

"Well I like it. It gives us a strong ground to work from. It's also deep within our own territory. The Land of Fire is too central in the elemental nations, it would represent too great a target for the enemy to resist. There is also the fact the hidden villages around the lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth," Tsunade replied.

Mei nodded, also in agreement with Shikaku's choice. "I also concur with the choice, the only safer option would be somewhere in the Land of water, but we are also far too isolated to be effective as a base of operations for the war."

"Well what about the rest of you? Any other propositions?" Jiraiya asked, ready to put an end to this topic, when he saw no objections he was more than happy to make it official. "Right now that we have that settled it makes things much easier. Seems like our goals are pretty straight forward now."

"You seem pretty sure about that Jiraiya-dono," Mei said slightly confused.

Jiraiya leaned back in his chair casually to reply. "Well yeah, first things first we need to start the Jinchuuriki's training and set up the alliance headquarters. Then several other command centres in the positions marked on this map, defensible areas areas and strategic locations along trade routs we will need to keep open."

"You can never under estimate the value of a controlling strategic locations. They can win or lose you a war, be the difference between ten casualties and ten thousand," Mifune said earning nods of agreement from most of the shinobi in the room.

"Well then how about we discuss how we should approach the issue of the villages that have sided against the alliance?" Oonoki suggested

"Why not just destroy them? the alliance has the numbers, and several powerful shinobi who could accomplish such a task," Nagato asked passively, he really had no interest in discussing a war that hadn't even started yet, he usually left most of the politics to Konan.

"Well that is certainly an option we have to consider," Jiraiya replied. "But if possible we should give them a chance to surrender without bloodshed first,"

"What they killed some of our best shinobi!" A roared in annoyance.

"That's true. Which is why we will make them pay five times the value of each shinobi killed, and have them transfer every Genin below a certain age to our custody with the option of joining our ranks," Jiraiya explained.

"What village would ever accept those terms?" Oonoki asked with a scowl.

"These are smaller villages, given the two options of pay up or face destruction, the choice is obvious, they are facing the combined might of the five great nations as well as the Samurai and Ame," Mei reasoned.

"When you put it that way, I guess it does make sense," Oonoki grumbled leaning back in his chair.

"I doubt any of the villages will accept the terms," Tsunade replied.

Jiraiya nodded, he'd had this conversation already. "Tsunade-hime is right, from what I have been able to learn of things so far, their was a massive change of policy in each village at around the same time. I think that means that someone from the Akatsuki has infiltrated each village and is either forcing the leaders to join them, or the leaders are already dead and the leaders are someone else in disguise."

"Well it wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened," the Kazekage spoke remembering Orochimaru's deception several years ago at the Chunin exams.

"So the chance to surrender is a ploy to see if your hunch is right?" Oonoki mused. "I agree that this is a good idea... But once you have your answer dividing our forces between the different villages when we still don't know the true location of where the Akatsuki are hiding is an issue."

"We will focus on one at a time, our first target should be here and the land of Hot Spings. It borders the Lands of Iron, Fire, and Water. However it is isolated to the other countries that have turned against us. If we move from the east and head from there across the Elemental Nations we can focus on one priority target at a time. Also an attack on their allies might force the Akatsuki to make a move themselves," Jiraiya reasoned marking the small country on the map.

"The other villages could use that as an opportunity to hit back at us, we can't leave our own villages undefended," Tsunade replied.

"That's to be expected, we will leave it up to your better judgement on how many of your shinobi you wish to commit, bear in mind the more you can send the faster we can move onto other villages," Jiraiya replied.

The Kages nodded in agreement "Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Oonoki asked.

"The only thing left on the agenda is the nominations for the special task force run by Itachi, Have you all decided?" Jiraiya said calmly.

"I have the list of candidates to send here. My recommendations are, Chojuro, a member of my personal guard, and Tsurugi, the head of our Hunter nin division," Mei said handing their files over to Itachi.

"Bee has to be a member because he is one of the Jinchuuriki, I would also suggest the former Nibi jinchuuriki Yugito Nii," A said with authority.

"We have many good options, but seeing as everyone seems to be giving us their opinion I would suggest taking Akatsuchi, and Kurotsuchi," The Tsuchikage said in his typical grumbling style.

"The same applies for me, Temari and Kankuro are easily the best options," The Kazekage, Asahi said firmly.

"Well as for Konoha, if we are stating our choices I would recommend Anko Mitarashi and Neji Hyuuga. Anko has past experience with Orochimaru so she may have insights into the tactics Kabuto puts into place, where as Neji's Byakugan would be invaluable to infiltration teams," Tsunade added.

"Samurai do not operate in the shadows like you shinobi so unfortunately we do not have any suitable options I'm afraid," Mifune said honestly yet showing no remorse.

"Ame has a very small shinobi force, so we cannot offer any options either. However I can offer the use of Ame as a central command centre for the task force," Nagato calmly added.

"We will take that into consideration. There is a chance though, that because of the strategical location of the Land of Rain that Amegakure will become a high value target for the Akatsuki. They will also be interested in getting revenge on you personally Nagato," Itachi said in thought as he casually canned some of the files that had been handed to him.

"That's true, which also means that having a high number of shinobi that strong in the village could deter potential attacks," Nagato suggested.

"I think that it's a decent option. Ame is easily defensible, and multiple escape routs for those that know the way if things get a little too dangerous. It will also serve as an official sight to pass on messages out into the field, most of the time the members will be in different nations in our Yoinokuchi hideouts," Jiraiya mused.

The village leaders continued for a few more hours discussing several other issues. Naruto sighed once the meeting finally ended. The sun was just starting to set which meant it was around three. "There is probably enough time to make it home before it gets too dark if we leave in the next hour," he said once he was outside. Along side him stood Jiraiya and Itachi.

"That may be a good idea Jiraiya-sama," Itachi agreed. "Not only am I not welcome in Konoha, there is only a few days left now until Naruto and the other jinchuuriki need to be at the port to travel to Turtle Island and meet up with Bee."

"Good point, let's head home," Jiraiya replied.

They wasted little time heading across the village after saying a quick goodbye to Tsunade and the other leaders. They sped through the tree tops in silence on their way home. "I thought you would be staying with Nagato and Konan," Naruto asked Itachi after a few hours on the road.

"I'm acting as the bodyguard for you and the other jinchuuriki until we meet up with whoever Konoha is going to send. Once that job is done I'm going to return to Ame, Nagato and Konan will be staying for a few more days in Konoha, probably trying to make amends with Tsunade and Hiruzen-sama," Itachi replied passively.

"I didn't realise I needed a babysitter," Naruto replied in a huff.

"It's not like that Naruto. like it or not, you will be considered the Akatsuki's top target, because of that they will be willing to risk a lot in order to capture you," Jiraiya replied.

"In other words the bodyguards are there to sacrifice so the jinchuuriki can escape if necessary," Itachi added.

"No way am I leaving anyone behind," Naruto said with certain finality.

"I don't think you would turn and run either. It's not in your character to leave someone behind, but that's our mission regardless," Itachi replied.

Naruto frowned slightly at this, he didn't like the idea of other people sacrificing themselves to save him. War be damned there was no way he would let someone else die just to save his skin. "It's not going to happen. If we are attacked, then I will deal with it," he said, his voice void of emotion which the two elder shinobi knew meant that their young friend was very serious.

"Well the chances are nothing will happen while you train, so hopefully it won't be an issue at all," Jiraiya said with a smile, hoping to put the topic to bed. It seemed to do the trick as they fell back into a comfortable silence, picking up the pace as the full moon began to rise.

(**Several Hours Later**)

"Is it just me, or does something seem a little different?" Naruto asked with a deadpan as they landed at the edge of a small section of woods that were scattered around their main hideout.

"No it's definitely not just you," Jiraiya added, his face a match of Naruto's. The three of them were at a loss for words as the area surrounding their hideout seemed to have been trashed, as if a large scale fight had taken place then been repaired not too long ago, the grass and trees were still showing signs of a a fight, most notably large sections of woods that had been there before they left were now gone.

A horrible thought suddenly struck the blond. "You don't think it was the Akatsuki do you?"

"It's doubtful. If the Akatsuki had attacked, why has the damage been mostly repaired," Itachi mused.

Jiraiya shook his head, Itachi was right, if the Akatsuki attacked why would they try and make the area seem like nothing had happened to outsiders, it was never going to be enough to trick someone who knew the area as intimately as the Yoinokuchi members. "Why don't we get inside and see for ourself, I'm sure we will find out what happened one way or the other," the toad sage sighed, he wasn't really worried, there were enough members of the Yoinokuchi to hold off an attack, if it was really serious there would have been a lot more damage done... and probably a few large areas of nothing but sand.

Upon opening the door to their hideout they found that everything seemed to be more or less perfectly normal, Akimi was sitting on the couch in the main area watching a movie, Naruto never could see the appeal in actors pretending to be Ninja, but the princess Gale movies still sold really well and as Akimi had told him before the stories were really good.

"We're home," the blond sighed, it had felt like an age since he had been in this room, so much had happened since he left yet when he stood here everything felt like it would never change.

"Naruto-kun!" Akimi squealed happily jumping up from the couch to give him a hug. "I've missed you," she whispered before steeling a quick kiss. Forgetting that they had an audience, Naruto quickly returned the embrace and deepened the kiss.

A loud cough from Itachi reminded the couple of where they were, then their faces reddened considerably when they heard the tell tale signs of Jiraiya's pen on his notepad scribbling fiercely taken notes at a frantic pace. "Maybe you should save that for later," the raven haired young man suggested, his features as stoic as always.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment while the kunoichi glared daggers at Jiraiya who had hastily hidden his little notepad of inspiration. "Right, I guess I got a little carried away," the jinchuuriki chuckled.

"Oh don't mind us, it was a great reunion really, if I throw a little more content I'll have a great scene for my next novel," Jiraiya said happily.

"Well at least it was just a kiss, and nothing more, but you use us as characters and you will pay dearly!" Akimi said threateningly.

"Who do you think I am, there is no way I would use my precious student in a novel," Jiraiya replied, his face full of childlike innocence.

"That face does not exactly breed confidence in me," Akimi replied with a deadpan.

"Yeah it reminds me more of a kid who's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar," Nartuo added apathetically.

"Do you both really have so little faith in me?" Jiraiya asked pretending to be crying.

"Absolutely none," the two teens said flatly. "At least not in this case."

Joking aside the three were glad to be home, not long after the incident at the entrance the other members of the Yoinokuchi came to see what the commotion was, ending in a large celebration that they were all back together even if it was only for a few days until Naruto, Gaara and Fu were due to travel by boat to the Land of Lightning.

While most of the group were digesting that they would soon be broken apart again Jiraiya and Zabuza were sitting at a table with a large bottle sake between them. "You seem a little more relaxed than the others," Jiraiya said, casually downing his cup before pouring another.

"No more than you are, the swordsmen of the mist are designed for war, this is my element. The others are not all that surprised either, they already knew it would start soon. My guess is they don't like the fact everyone is going to be separated soon," Zabuza replied.

"Well it's not the end of the world, at least not yet," Jiraiya chuckled.

"So what happens after the war?" Zabuza asked, his cup pausing at his lips before he downed the contents in one go.

"Hm well that is the question isn't it. The Elemental Nations will have no more need for us once the Akatsuki is gone. At first I took Naruto with me and retired as a Konoha shinobi for his own safety. Then Itachi joined us and soon after Akimi and Akaru, although that was mostly a coincidence. I had always planned to take Naruto back to Konoha when it came time for him to become a shinobi," Jiraiya admitted.

"But you heard rumours about the Akatsuki's plans?" Zabuza guessed.

"Well there was that and he became too strong too quickly. If he returned to Konoha, there would be a chance he would end up another Itachi or Kakashi, they both were forced to see and do too much while they were young and not ready. I wanted Naruto to be happy and have a somewhat normal childhood," Jiraiya answered.

"You consider traveling around the Elemental Nations with some of the strongest shinobi alive is normal?" Zabuza asked with a smirk.

"Well no, but there were still times when I let him be a kid. I think he turned out alright," Jiraiya replied.

"Well he's not as messed up as some so you could have done a lot worse," Zabuza admitted, thinking back to his own rather disturbing childhood in the village that was then known as the Bloody Mist.

"So what happened outside, it looks like it was a pretty heated encounter," Jiraiya said despite already having a sneaking suspicion.

"A small disagreement, nothing more," Zabuza answered calmly.

"Hm looks like it was a little more serious than that. If I was a betting man I would say that those two are still fighting over Naruto," Jiraiya said casting a sideways glance out of the corner of his eye to where Fu and Akimi were keeping their distance from each other. "The mood between those two has been bad since we came back from Iwa."

"I'm guessing it was probably even longer than that, but you're right. We had to stop them from turning this place into a crater," Zabuza answered before downing another cup.

"Will it be a problem?" Jiraiya asked, this time not as a concerned friend, but as someone who was contemplating how it might effect the war effort.

"I don't think so... But with kids, you can never know for sure," the Demon of the Mist answered in a care free manner.

Jiraiya's brow furrowed in deep thought, he didn't want to risk any infighting. "Maybe I should keep them separated for awhile, it shouldn't be that hard with how busy everything is going to be."

Zabuza didn't answer he simply grabbed the bottle of sake and poured himself another drink.

**End Chapter!**

**Lots of little things in this chapter but I'll start moving faster from now on in the story, Next chapter will be traveling to Turtle Island, I don't think I will go into any real detail on what happens, it was really a pointless filler arc after all. Still not as bad as the memories of the past arc after Pein, but it was still pretty damn bad. **

**After the Bijuu training, I will probably move away from cannon events almost completely. I think it's well documented how I felt the last few years of the cannon were, so I have no desire to follow them in any depth. There will be certain things I will keep but expect things to be very different. If that means it will be good or not, I don't know I just want things to be a little more believable. Which will probably mean character deaths in the future. **

**Should be a Chapter of A Price for Peace next week so the next chapter will be in two – three weeks. Until next time see ya!**


	149. Set Sail

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 149: Set Sail**

Naruto had a rather bored look on his face as he gazed down at a map laid out on a large wooden table in the back room of a tavern. A dull echo of muffled noise betrayed just how busy this bar behind them was. Around the table sat the three jinchuuriki and Itachi all sat around the table while Akimi waited just outside the door to prevent any potential eavesdroppers.

The small group of Yoinokuchi ninja had arrived in the small port town of Nami the day before and were supposed to rest for a day until the escorts from Konoha arrived to take over from Itachi and Akimi, who had decided that one escort was not enough to protect three jinchuuriki.

"What the hell is with this rout that the Kage have mapped us to take?" the blond Uzumaki asked, not really expecting an answer. "They are sending us all over the Land of Water. It will probably take a month to get there," he added in frustration.

"I agree with Naruto, this seems somewhat excessive," Gaara said in his usual drone. The red headed former Suna ninja sat across from Naruto as they sat analysing the map.

"It's a misdirect," Itachi explained passively. "The Akatsuki have many spies all over the elemental nations, so moving by boat makes you harder to track. The long rout taken with many stops is designed to confuse any potential trackers of your final destination."

"Fine but what's with these stops here?" Naruto asked pointing to a two of the cross marks on the map that had been circled.

"They're rather specific hidden villages that you are going to investigate, it's highly unlikely that the Akatsuki will have targeted them but we need to find out for sure, their position in the Land of Water makes them of interest should the Akatsuki target Kiri, It's likely that you will be staying there for a few extra days," Itachi explained.

Naruto sighed in acceptance. "Why didn't Jiraiya-sensei just explain this himself. I mean don't even know what villages these are?"

"Neither do I, I'm afraid Naruto-kun. There are a few hidden villages that have sprung up in the Land of Water because of the effects of the Kiri civil war, most have barely a hundred shinobi a piece," Itachi said suddenly wondering why Jiraiya had not passed that information on.

"Well at least it might be interesting talking about it solves nothing," Fuu suggested, she was not as interested in the rout they were going to be taking, or how long it would take. She had become a little impatient over the years of working with Zabuza. She did however find the prospect of seeing a new shinobi village intriguing though.

Naruto nodded in agreement, he always found the other shinobi villages to be fascinating, and the chance to see a few more even if they're small was not to be missed. "Seems kind of odd though, Jiraiya-sensei sending us somewhere and not give me any information on what we're going to find while we're there. He's always so careful to scope everything out before sending people in."

"It is odd I'll admit that, perhaps the time frame we are given to work around means Jiraiya-sama didn't have time to be as thorough as he would have liked," Itachi mused.

There was a bang at the door and a rather frustrated Akimi entered the room, "I'm not doing this anymore, if I have to stand out there while another drunk old sailor tries to hit on me I am going to tear this place to the ground!" she yelled in anger, loudly enough for everyone in the bar to hear. Naruto for his part scowled at the thought of some old pervert trying to pick up his girlfriend.

"Well it's not like you had to come on this mission anyway. If you didn't want the crappy jobs assigned to non essential shinobi, then you shouldn't have come along," Fuu scoffed.

'_Yeah and let you try and seduce Naruto-kun, no chance in hell. It's bad enough that I will have to leave with Itachi when the team from Konoha shows up,_' The former Kumo kunoichi thought bitterly. "I don't mind the doing the boring jobs. But this is pointless."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I agree, come on Itachi, we're not giving away anything important and besides there is nothing left to cover anyway," he said standing up from the desk and exiting the room slowly walking out of the room, an evident glare on his face as he gazed around the bar, searching for any signs of the ones responsible for making the swift release kunoichi uncomfortable enough to barge in on their meeting. The many groups of sailors seemed to shrink under the intimidating steely gaze of the Rinnegan.

Back in the room Gaara and Itachi both smirked at the slightest hint of killing intent that was leaked by their fellow Yoinokuchi shinobi. "Maybe we should go make sure he doesn't scare them to death," Gaara droned.

"Leave him be, it will give them something to brag about," Akimi said, with a smirk.

"Are you sure you're not just enjoying seeing your would be suiters sweat?" Itachi said, the corner of his lip twitching ever so slightly into a smirk.

Akimi's grin grew broader unable to mask her mirth. "Well I won't say that it has nothing to do with it," She admitted.

Slowly Naruto dropped the minuscule level of killing intent, finally satisfied that the message had been sent... 'Akimi was off limits'. However his attention soon shifted to four large chakra signatures that were entering the village. "Well it's about time," he said, still somewhat grumpily.

"Indeed it is. We have wasted far to much time here doing nothing," Itachi said flatly walking out of the secluded room behind the blond.

"So that means our escort has arrived right?" Fuu guessed. She was not as good of a sensor as Itachi and her fellow jinchuuriki.

"Yeah, we can finally get going, if the team from Konoha is here then the boat should be arriving soon as well, if it's not already here." Naruto said, his mood improving somewhat. "I can't wait to see what you guys can do once you can control your Bijuu's chakra."

"I'm sure it will make my sand manipulation even better," Gaara mused.

"That would not be a big surprise at all," Itachi replied stoically.

Without further discussion the Yoinokuchi shinobi hastily made their way out of the small bar and into the busy streets of the seaside town. The late afternoon sun basked the village in an amber glow that shone off the ocean, vacationing families bustled from store to store, completely ignoring the five powerful shinobi that walked in their presence.

They met up with the Konoha team at the outskirts of the town, four Jounin sat waiting patiently for the Yoinokuchi shinobi to arrive. Naruto immediately recognised Tenzo and Miteo Gai, but the other two were slightly harder to place if not somewhat familiar. A young woman in her mid to late twenties with long purple hair tied back in a pony tail, and a man with black spiky hair and dark orange glassed that hid his eyes.

"Yosh our Jinchuuriki comrades have arrived!" Gai boomed loudly as soon as the Yoinokuchi shinobi came within sight.

"Why did I let Kakashi-sempai talk me into this. I'm supposed to be guarding Tsunade-sama, not sitting around being tortured by Gai" The purple haired kunoichi groaned at the exuberant outburst.

"We needed a kunoichi on the mission in case the rest of us are not permitted entrance into Nadeshiko village. Kurenai is on maternity leave, Shizune is needed to set up the field hospitals, and Anko is on another mission. You were the only other option," Tenzo explained.

"Nadeshiko village, that village really is behind the times," The purple haired woman sighed.

"They have their way of doing things and we have to respect that," Tenzo pointed out.

The young purple haired woman didn't have time to respond as the Yoinokuchi group came to a stop beside them. The dark haired man in glasses tensed up slightly at the proximity of Itachi, but when he saw that none of this fellow Konoha ninja were worried he relaxed. "Wow, looks like Tsunade-Baachan is going all out to protect us," Naruto said with a friendly smile. "How's it going Tenzo, I figured you would be here,"

"I'm well, thank's for asking Naruto," the Mokuton user replied.

Itachi walked forward to address the group of Konoha shinobi. "I will hand their protection over to you now, see that no harm comes to any of them," he said beofre bowing slightly and turning to leave. "It's time to go Akimi-chan, you will be needed in the set up of the Shinobi Headquarters."

Akimi looked torn, not wanting to leave Naruto's side. She quickly ran forward and stole a kiss. "I don't know if it's even possible, but you better get even stronger on this trip," She whispered as a blush began creeping across her face. She took a deep breath to compose herself before loudly stating. "I love you!"

They had said that to each other many times before, but most of the time it was when they were alone, this time they were in front of both friends and comrades. Naruto could tell she was expecting an answer, there was no way she would let him live if he didn't. "I love you too Akimi-chan, I won't be gone long. I'll be back before you know it," he beamed.

They embraced one last time, seemingly lost in their own little world while savouring the taste of the others lips, before a loud coughing from Tenzo forced them apart. "I'm sorry but we are on a fairly tight schedule. The boat we are taking is one of Kiri's finest, it should be in port by now and we don't want to make them wait," he said quickly moving on so that the teens would not be any more embarrassed than they already were.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment but still managed his usual grin. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," he cheered.

"Yosh, that's the spirit my Youthful companion! I will race you to the boat, and if I lose I will walk around the deck on the tips of my fingers until we reach our first stop," Gai yelled in exuberant fashion before he charged off in the direction of the ocean.

"Well there he goes, we better follow before he does something foolish," Yamato sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Naruto meanwhile was torn, he didn't exactly care about a race, but the prospect of watching the excessively eager Taijutsu specialist walk around a moving boat for hours on end was a very intriguing prospect. '**I say you should do it, it might be interesting,**' came a rather bored voice in the back of the blonds mind as he started to make his way across the village.

'_You do realise that just by having you think it's a good idea, means that I probably shouldn't do it right?_' Naruto replied with interest.

'**The thought, had crossed my mind,**'

'_I am surprised that you even have an opinion about something like this, are you perhaps going soft on me?_' Naruto teased.

The large fox huffed, although it did not seem to hold as much anger as usual. '**Not a chance Naruto! I'm just bored. We should be preparing to fight Madara, not going on a trip around the country side.**'

'_So its "We" now is it,_' Naruto chuckled with a smirk.

'**When it comes to Madara Uchiha it is. For this war I will cooperate with you,**'

'_Alright then for now we can be partners. But I'll still win you over, we will be friends in no time at all,_' Naruto replied with a grin.

'**Why are you so set on that?**' the fox questioned.

'_Because I think that this world can change. There is so much hatred that causes conflicts, I want to try and change that just like Jiraiya-sensei. But how can I change the hatred in the world if I can't even get through to you. I don't believe that you're evil, just misunderstood. There has been so much bad blood between humans and Bijuu simply because we don't understand each other._' Naruto said.

The Kyuubi was taken aback by the blonds response. '**You want to change the world?**'

'_Well I want to be able to end the circle of hatred we have been going through, and I really would like to help you and the other Bijuu. You and the others have been treated like weapons, sealed away against your will, and branded as demons. If the legends are true, then you were all created by the Sage of Six paths, and if that's the case I think you were supposed to be guardians, supposed to guide us, not demons that are supposed to be feared._'

'**You really are an interesting one, Naruto. Not many will share your views,**' The fox said flatly.

'_Because they have not been educated. They're ignorant but it's not entirely their fault_,' Naruto replied.

'**It will take more than that to solve anything, but I will admit I find your goals to be interesting. For now we will be partners until we deal with Madara and the Akatsuki,**' Kyuubi declared. There was a moment of calmness, neither party needing to say anything while Naruto and the other shinobi jumped over the last few rooftops. '**Well looks like the weird green man won. If you tried you could have won,**' the fox added just as Naruto landed aside a large war ship with bright blue markings with the Kanji for water and symbol for Kiri raised on flags atop the highest point on the ship, it was clearly the only vessel at the harbour that was fit to carry shinobi.

"Ah it seems I have won our most youthful race Naruto-kun," Gai said in his traditional nice guy pose.

"Well I wasn't really racing, but okay," Naruto replied with a deadpan.

"With an attitude like that you are beginning to sound like my eternal rival Kakashi. I should have known that hip cool attitude of his would infect the younger generation!" Gai wept in dismay before his attitude again did a one eighty. "This just means that I must work even harder, I will not lose to you Kakashi!"

'_I think he's bipolar,_' Naruto thought, his face a stunned mask.

The rest of the group arrived at this scene and shook their heads, only imagining whatever conversation the two were having. "We're not supposed to get separated Gai, our mission is to protect the jinchuuriki at all costs," Tenzo said, his face becoming gaunt and haunting, almost lifeless as it stared at the green clad Jounin. Even Naruto had to admit it was an intimidating and impressive feat, considering that it wasn't a genjutsu.

Gai however was unaffected. "Yosh, you are right Tenzo. My youth got the better of me, but don't worry, I will be a perfect guard for the rest of the journey or upon my return to Konoha I will climb the Hokage monument one hundred times with both hands tied behind my back!"

Unfortunately for Konoha's sublime green beast, his promise was broken not thirty seconds after the large war ship left port. "Did you guys know he suffered from sea sickness?" Gaara asked stoically.

"Well yeah," the man with spiky dark hair admitted.

"Then why was he chosen to come on this mission?" Fuu queried?

"The way I heard it was that he defeated Kakashi-sempai in a dual where the winner was given the mission. Oh by the way I haven't had a chance to introduce myself, I'm Aoba Yamashiro Tokubetsu Jounin," the dark haired man said.

"That's not what happened, Gai challenged Kakashi-sempai, and he won. But it wasn't a duel, it was a thumb war," The purple haired woman said in a matter of fact tone.

"Really Yugao? Kami that sucks. I would have thought Kakashi-sempai would want this mission," Aoba sighed shaking his head in disappointment at the senior shinobis laziness.

The name suddenly clicked something in Naruto's head. "I know you now, you're Nek-"

"Don't finish that sentence Naruto-kun!" Yugao warned, quickly cutting off the blond. "Anbu code names are forbidden from being revealed, even if we know who they are," she added in a softer, more gentle voice. She had often watched Naruto when he was young. At the time she hated the task, not because she disliked the boy, far from it. The problem was that she felt it to be a job beneath her status as one of the top kunoichi in the village.

"Ah sorry, I guess when you don't live in a shinobi village little things like Anbu protocol are not picked up," the blond apologised. Naruto leant on the railings of the ship as it sped out of the port, so far none of the sailors had approached the group of shinobi apart from telling them to board.

"We should probably find our cabins... and maybe let Gai sleep for a few hours," Gaara suggested.

"That's a good idea," Tenzo agreed. "Aoba you should probably carry Gai, unless you want to leave him here, but that leaves the possibility that he will be swept overboard. At which point you will be the one diving into the ocean to save him," Tenzo's gaunt face caused the tokubestsu Jounin to pale and quickly ran to hoist the incapacitated Gai up onto his shoulders.

Naruto's room was a little small for his liking, but considering that they were on a boat designed for war, with enough room for literally hundreds of shinobi, he guessed it was probably one of the larger rooms. It also helped that he didn't have to share with anyone, the Konoha shinobi minus Yugao were sharing a much larger room that had become their official meeting and planning area for the various stops on their trip.

Their first stop would be two days later, there was a large trading company on an Island to the south west of Water country, they needed to deliver a request for a constant stream of food and other essential supplies to be delivered to the future sight of the shinobi headquarters. During the time spent on the ship Naruto decided to practice his Fuinjutsu. '_It's a shame I didn't have time to start on time space seals while I was with Mito-Baachan,_'

'**Why waste your time on something so complex? The only real practical uses of that style of fuinjutsu is to transfer jutsu to another dimension, your father used one to absorb my Bijuudama on the night you were born**.' Kyuubi sighed in a rather bored tone.

'_That sounds kind of useful to me. Besides what about the Hirashin? It made Tou-san famous,_' Naruto scoffed.

'**You have the Rinnegan, your Preta path can absorb every jutsu that is thrown at you. As for the teleportation jutsu that your father used... With your application of my chakra you are already so fast that even to trained shinobi will not be able to keep up. Even the Raikage will not be able to match your speed,**'

'_It would still be useful, being able to instantly transport anywhere I could fight every battle in this war. Maybe there was some information on how to create it in the Uzumaki compound. Mito-baachan said that Tou-san and Kaa-san both used the room,_' Naruto sighed.

'**You would have better luck looking in the Senju clan compound,**' the fox replied.

Naruto was confused, unsure what the Bijuu meant. '_Senju? But wasn't the Hirashin Tou-sans?_'

'**Hardly, it is actually a time space Ninjutsu created by the Nidame Hokage. Your father improved the jutsu by adding Fuinjutsu as an anchor to remove the need for hand seals or the time needed to focus on a destination,**' The fox explained.

'_How do you know so much?_'

'**You really are an idiot aren't you Naruto? I was sealed in both Mito and your mother, I saw both Tobirama and Minato perform that jutsu countless times. If it makes you feel any better, your fathers version of the jutsu was far superior to that of the Nidame Hokages.**'

'_That oddly does make me feel better._' Naruto admitted, if not somewhat begrudgingly.

The Kyuubi smirked. '**It's human nature, children always want to hear good things about their parents,**'

Naruto couldn't help but smile. '_Thank's Kyuubi, I owe you one. See I knew you weren't all that bad,_'

The fox huffed and shut off their connection causing Naruto's smile to grow as he finished an advanced storage seal, designed to store anything from enough food to survive two to three months in the field, to corpses for claimable bounties.

Naruto spent most of the time improving the speed in which he could create barrier and containment seals. He could really see how useful they could be on the battle field. A well placed seal could change the outcome of a battle, potentially saving thousands of lives.

Still after two days Naruto was ready to get off the ship and stretch his legs. Gai seemed to have similar thoughts, as soon as the ship pulled into port the Taijutsu specialist was out on dry land, eagerly stretching in preparation for some training. "Yo Gai, mind if I join you, I could use a good workout," Naruto asked already getting a sense of foreboding at his decision.

"Yosh, that is most Youthful Naruto-kun! Your flames of youth burn brightly so I must work even harder to match them!" Gai cheered.

Naruto blinked slowly a few times trying to decipher exactly what the Konoha Jounin had just said. Meanwhile the other shinobi were looking at the blond like he was crazy. "Um, thanks?" he said eventually.

"Then we will start with one thousand pushups, the loser will do a thousand more!" Gai replied firmly.

Before Naruto could respond Gai fell down and began, he was at ten before Naruto decided that he wasn't lying about the extra push ups he would have to do if he lost. "Shit, what have I gotten myself into," he spat quickly dropping to the ground to join Gai while the others laughed at his predicament.

"Is Naruto-kun going to be okay?" Fuu asked a little worried.

"Hard to say, Gai's training style is legendary, and it's likely that he will push himself even harder if he's training with someone he respects as much as Naruto," Tenzo said knowing that whatever happened they wouldn't be stopping until at least one of them is unable to continue, or the ship was about to leave. '_With those two I'm betting it's going to be the latter,_' he thought with a deadpan.

"We should go, our destination is in the next town over," Yugao suggested.

"Yeah, let's go. The longer I watch those two the more I think I don't train enough," Aoba said at the same time as Gai cheered because he reached the two hundred mark.

"No you're fine, they're the ones that have the problem," Yugao said flatly. "So what about you two? Are you staying here or are you going to come with us?" she asked the Yoinokuchi jinchuuriki.

"Um... I think I'll stay, just incase they need anything," Fuu said hesitantly.

"I think I'll come with you, even if I wanted to, that type of training isn't for me," Gaara admitted.

Several hours later and Fuu was starting to wish she had gone with Gaara and the Konoha shinobi. Naruto and Gai hadn't so much as stopped for a drink of water, their training was becoming more and more ridiculous by the minute. They were currently standing on the tips of their fingers atop the ocean performing what Fuu could only describe as inverted chin ups.

If she was hoping to get some time alone with the blond she was going to be disappointed. By the time the other members of their group returned Gai and Naruto still hadn't taken a break. The Konoha shinobi were not even remotely surprised. "How did the mission go?" the Nanabi jinchuuriki asked.

"It was pretty straight forward. The chance to supply the combined armies of the five great nations and Samurai is not something that can be passed up. If he refused the offer whoever decided to take it up would make more than just a fortune, the contacts alone would be worth more than their weight in gold," Tenzo explained.

"It will make them a target though, and it will take more than one company to supply the whole army," Gaara mused.

"That's true, many other companies are being contacted with similar offers, and teams of shinobi will be posted to protect the supply lines," Yugao answered casually. She then noticed Naruto and Gai who were hanging upside down from the branch of a tree performing sit ups. "They're still going at it huh?"

Fuu nodded, "They haven't stopped, even for a moment. It's like watching the latest princess gale movie, it just doesn't end no matter how much you want it to."

"Well they're going to have to stop soon, we need to be back on the boat in under an hour," Aoba said really not wanting to be the one to put a stop to his training.

"So out of curiosity, who's winning?" Tenzo asked mildly interested.

"Naruto-kun is up by one, but it looks like Gai will win this round," Fuu answered earning a disappointed groan from the group.

"This is exactly how he started with Kakashi-sempai. Now there wont be a moments peace, every time we stop Gai is going to challenge Naruto again," Yugao cringed.

Gai cheered as he finished the exercise and Naruto had to start another round of the sit ups. "Yosh, this is my win my most youthful opponent, that makes us even at thirty six a piece."

"Alright hurry and finish up Naruto. We have to move out, we're on a tight schedule," Tenzo said indicating the now restocked vessel.

Naruto answered by nodding then doubling the his speed stunning even Gai. "He was holding back?" the green clad ninja said in shock.

"Makes sense, I mean he's almost as fast as Akimi even without using his Bijuu cloak. Besides I once saw Naruto and Jiraiya spar for two straight days, and still not be tired," Gaara mused, completely unaffected by the revelation.

"Then my victories are meaningless!?" Gai complained.

"Well I didn't want you to feel bad, besides you seemed to be really enjoying the competition," Naruto said completing his second thousand in record time before flipping down and landing on his feet with a smile.

"I cannot accept this as a draw. You win this round Naruto-kun, but the next time we stop I challenge you to a most youthful contest, anything you chose. I will defeat you next time," Gai said striking a nice guy pose.

(**Meanwhile**)

Itachi and Akimi were arriving in Konoha, the remaining members of the Yoinokuchi had relocated to Konoha so Jiraiya could stay in contact with the other Kage's until the headquarters were completed.

Jiraiya was sitting in the window of Tsunade's office when the pair walked in accompanied by Shizune. "Ah welcome back you two, how was your trip?" the Hokage asked.

"It went well Tsunade-sama, I do have a question that I wouldn't mind answered now that the mission is over though," Itachi replied.

Jiraiya perked up at this, Itachi had never questioned a mission in the past. "Sure what is it?"

"I want to know why you didn't want Naruto to know about the hidden villages they would be visiting?" the stoic Uchiha asked.

Tsunade also seemed confused about this revelation. "That does seem kind of odd Jiraiya, why would you send Naruto to a hidden village without telling him what to expect?" she asked, highly suspicious at this point.

"Well, it's not that I didn't want him to know, it's more that I didn't want them to know who would be there," Jiraiya replied.

"That doesn't make any sense," Tsunade said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What are you hiding... speak!"

Jiraiya paled slightly, knowing that the look in her eyes promised pain if he lied. "Well it's kind of a long story... after Minato died I was ordered to increase my spying activities to make sure Konoha was safe from any potential threats. Unfortunately that also took a lot of time away from be being able to do any research."

"If you're looking for any sympathy, you're not getting any," Tsunade said with a blank expression.

"Well I wasn't particularly looking for it, but it's always nice," Jiraiya replied hopefully. "Anyway, after I had spent a few days undercover in Kiri I moved on to some of the outlying hidden villages, most never noticed that I was there. But it was a little difficult to move around unnoticed."

"Nadeshiko village," Tsunade said knowing exactly why Jiraiya would want to spend time in that particular village. "They caught you didn't they."

"After about a week, it is incredibly hard to stay unnoticed in a village populated almost entirely by women. Well needless to say they chased me for days, until I lost my tails. All except one, a young woman. She was much stronger than the others and an expert tracker. She left me with no choice, I had to fight, it lasted about twelve hours, from sun up to sun set," Jiraiya explained as if recalling a fond memory.

"She was able to keep up with you for half a day?" Tsunade asked in disbelief.

"Well I wasn't really trying that hard, it would have been a shame to harm her," Jiraiya admitted. Tsunade scowled and had to fight the sudden urge to pummel her former teammate. "Anyway, that was when I discovered Nadeshiko villages rather strange form of courtship."

Tsunade's face was an evident scowl now. "The women of Nadeshiko village marry the man that defeats them in combat. Jiraiya if you are about to tell me that you're married I am going to destroy you!" she raged.

Jiraiya let out a nervous chuckle that did nothing to lessen the killing intent that the Hokage was leaking. "Um don't worry Hime I'm not married, I was able to talk my way out of it," Jiraiya replied.

"How did you do that?" Akimi asked, while some form of realisation was dawning on Itachi's face.

"I made a deal with her," Jiraiya replied, he was about to explain the deal when he realised just how Akimi might take the news and he once more became nervous. "Well now you know the whole story, I'm gonna go... I heard there was a new vantage point to peek on the hot springs from."

"Jiraiya, what deal did you make!?" Tsunade demanded. Jiraiya mumbled something inaudible before once more turning to jump out the window. "Oh no you don't, stop right now and answer me right now!"

Jiraiya's shoulders slumped in defeat but he was getting ready to run, "Well, you see, at the time Minato had just died and from what I knew so had the orphans in Ame, so I reluctantly turned down the tempting invitation to marry her and in exchange promised that my apprentice would marry the future leader of the Nadeshiko village."

"Oh," Tsunade said with a small sigh of relief until the full realisation dawned on both her and Akimi. "You did what!?"

"Well I gotta go, bye," Jiraiya said with a wave, taking off in an instant leaving an angry Tsunade and Akimi swearing that he would suffer a pain worse than death for what he did.

**End Chapter!**


	150. The village of Kunoichi

**I don't own Naruto, and I don't think I ever will.**

**Nightfall**

**Chapter 150: The Village of Kunoichi**

"So... Tough day huh?" Kakashi said lazily, not looking up from the small orange book in his hands. Despite his detached almost apathetic tone, there was a hint of mirth as he eye smiled.

"Yeah, I've had better," Jiraiya said with a deadpan. The toad sage was currently tied up from his shoulders, all the way down to his ankles. He was left and hanging upside down in a tree overhanging a waterfall, where Jiraiya had frequently conducted his research. "So, I uh, I don't suppose you could help me down? It would really help me out."

"Well I would... but I don't want to get on the bad side of Tsunade-sama, or Akimi for that matter. Not after what they did to you," Kakashi replied, casually flipping to the next page of his beloved erotica. "Besides, why can't you just get yourself out of there? It's not like you need hand seals to use a Substitution jutsu."

Jiraiya sighed and looked a little depressed. "It seems Akimi-chan decided to take advantage of Naruto's seals. She slapped me with a chakra suppressing seal, I can't use any chakra until the I can over power this seal, it probably still a few more hours." the toad sage sighed. He had to admit though, the application of the Fuinjutsu with her incredible speed was a powerful combination.

"So what exactly did you do to piss the both of them off so much? I've never seen them like that before," the copycat asked passively.

"I let them know about a certain promise I made years ago to a kunoichi from Nadeshiko village, that involves Naruto, or to be more accurate my apprentice." Jiraiya explained a little embarrassed at the whole situation.

Kakashi's lone eye widened slightly, already putting the pieces together. "I can see why that would make them mad. Why would you do something like that?"

"Well at the time Minato had just died, I had no desire to ever take on another apprentice. I just saw it as a way to avoid that villages stupid laws," Jiraiya sighed.

"I guess it would be a difficult situation. They don't like being flat out denied, and if the other kunoichi don't consider you worthy, they will kill the suitor," Kakashi mused.

"Yes, but I think they might be biting off a little more than they can chew with Naruto. There is no telling how he will react to the news, that's why I didn't inform anyone on the mission of the situation," Jiraiya explained.

"I'm guessing he's not going to be very amused. So who did you say he would marry?" the scarecrow queried now wishing he was on the mission, if only to see everything unfold for himself.

"The future leader of the village, she's Naruto's age so it's about this time the Kunoichi of Nadeshiko leave the village in search of a shinobi strong enough to defeat them," Jiraiya explained.

"Well looks like they're in luck, there is a boat load of strong shinobi heading there right now," Kakashi chuckled while thinking about Gai being forced to marry, it had been a long time since he had seen his so called rival even on a date, mostly due to his overly exuberant attitude. '_Now I'm starting to feel more sorry for the kunoichi._'

"Chances are there's more than just one boat. Certain shinobi, often missing nin, actively seek out the kunoichi from Nadeshiko. Most of the time these are weaker shinobi who wouldn't be able to survive if the others found them unworthy anyway." Jiraiya replied, a slight breeze causing him to lightly rock from side to side.

**Meanwhile**

Gai was struggling with his sea sickness, it was a recurring theme where the only time he gets any relief was during the scheduled times that the ship would stop to either resupply or if they needed to make contact with a war asset. It had become the job of the most unfortunate Aoba to stop Gai from falling off the side of the ship, he often had to jump into the water to retrieve the delusional green clad shinobi.

"He's got to be the worst possible choice for a body guard on this type of mission," Naruto groaned as he saw Gai once more stumble towards the railings of the ship.

"Damn that lazy Kakashi-sempai, I can't get any rest because of him," Aoba sighed. The Tokubetsu Jounin got up from his seat to chase after Gai who was once more leaning a little to far over the railings for comfort.

"Fifty Ryo says Aoba is going to need another change of clothes," Yugao smirked as the group of shinobi watched Aoba try and pull Gai away from the edge.

"It's happened almost every time, why would we take that bet?" Gaara asked. And sure enough there was the sound of Gai throwing up followed by a low groan from the Tokubetsu Jounin. "Case in point."

"Well what else are we going to do, at least when I'm guarding Tsunade-sama I get to listen to all the mission reports and I often get to go home early," Yugao sighed.

"Well we still have quite a trip on our hands, so you won't be home for awhile," Naruto replied.

"Yeah way to rub it in kid," Yugao sighed.

"So when's the next scheduled stop? Many more days of this and either Aoba or Gai will be dead," Naruto chuckled as a loud angry groan from the floors below signified that Gai had once more ruined Aoba's uniform. "Or at least he will be out of clean clothes."

Tenzo chuckled and pulled out a small map. "Unfortunately it's not for another two days. But it's a much longer break, two or three days this time," the Anbu captain said before folding up the map.

"What are we stoping here longer for?" Fuu asked her interest piqued. "It only takes a few hours to resupply the ship," she added.

"It's a much larger island, so it will take us longer to make contact with the potential asset. It's also a shinobi village that might be unwelcoming to us. We have to schedule extra time incase something goes wrong," Tenzo replied.

"In other words in case the Akatsuki got there first and they're under their control," Gaara droned.

"That's one possibility. Also the village we're going to is not the most welcoming towards certain shinobi, Yugao and Fuu should be able to enter without much fuss though," Tenzo replied in a matter of fact tone.

"I still don't get it... Oh whatever, sounds like it might at least be somewhat interesting," the blond jinchuuriki sighed, he was getting a little bored being stuck on the boat for the last few days the chance to see a new shinobi hidden village was to good to pass up.

"Chances are we're just going to get a rejection letter. Nadeshiko has a history of avoiding the conflicts of other villages, they are only concerned with their own customs," Yugao scoffed.

"Have you been to the village before Yugao?" Fuu asked, noting her displeasure at the mention of the village.

"No not personally, but a... friend of mine once defeated a member of their village in combat once. Hayate had to get out of the Land of Water pretty quickly after that," Yugao explained.

"So they took offence to one of their shinobi being defeated and came after him? Sounds like they're sore losers," Naruto chuckled.

"Well... Something like that, but whatever you do, do not start a fight while on the island," Yugao replied more directed at Naruto than anyone else.

"But how am I supposed to know what their shinobi are like if I can't fight?" Naruto pouted.

"Do you really believe that's a good idea? We're asking them to join our alliance not start a war. The truth is, they have neither shinobi of incredible strength or great numbers," Tenzo said honestly.

"Then why are we going there then? It sounds like a waste of time to me," Naruto sighed in disappointment.

"Because most of the higher ranking smaller village's have fallen to Akatsuki control. We need to sure up our numbers so the couple of thousand soldiers we could add to our force could be important. Even if our chances of success are slim to none of success," the Mokuton user sighed.

"I guess Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't send us here if there wasn't at least a chance of success," the blond agreed. "Well I'm going to work on some seals to pass the time, I'll see you guys later."

(Elsewhere)

"Pathetic, even after all my training is that all you can do!?" Madara said with a scowl as he beat his opposition down with ease.

Sasuke coughed out a little blood as he pulled himself to his feet. "It wouldn't be so one sided if you let me use my Sharingan," the younger Uchiha scowled.

"Is that so. Then can you explain why I didn't need to use my dojutsu to beat you completely? If you are what's left of the Uchiha clan, then I'm glad they have been wiped out," Madara replied, folding his arms in disappointment.

Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration, "You don't know what you're talking about, after all you went and got yourself killed by the Shodai Hokage, you're no less pathetic than I am!"

Madara laughed at the young Uchiha's declaration. "Hashirama was a real shinobi. He was the only man who could stand toe to toe against me, the only person worthy of being my rival. Compared to Hashirma, you are nothing but an insignificant speck," he declared, not finding the disrespect shown to his old friend amusing.

"Whatever," Sasuke scoffed trying to ignore the rather threatening glare and killing intent that was radiating from the Edo Tensei Uchiha. "Let's just go again, I have to be able to at least land a hit on you if I ever hope to kill Itachi and avenge the Uchiha clan!"

"If you really desire more punishment, then come at me!" Madara scoffed not even bothering to get into a stance as he sidestepped Sasuke's first attack. "Your attacks are slow, you haven't healed and you rely to much on the Sharingan to predict your opponents movements," he lectured grabbing Sasuke's arm as he attempted to engage Madara in Taijutsu, throwing him haphazardly into the closest wall. "As I said... pathetic. We're done for the day." he said with some finality, walking off leaving Sasuke to get over another loss.

As Madara walked away Tobi appeared next to the retreating Edo Tensei Uchiha. "Did you need to be so rough? He will be an important asset in the war," the masked Uchiha asked.

"He deserved it, the kid as some skill but, he is far to focused on something so pointless," Madara scoffed.

"Maybe, but the boy's target, his brother, was considered a genius that even rivalled you yourself," Tobi said trying to gauge Madara's response.

Much to Tobi's surprise Madara smirked, "Well that is an interesting development. And here I was thinking that only that Uzumaki boy would prove interesting."

"Well Naruto-kun is certainly the most powerful of our targets, he will require some special preparation in order to capture the Kyuubi from him," the masked man mused.

"Well tricks aside I desire to test the true depths of his abilities. His control over the Rinnegan is very impressive, and he doesn't seem to rely solely on it's powers" Madara replied almost eagerly.

"Admiration aside, he poses a very real threat to our plans," Tobi reasoned.

"That's true, but I am confident that I can deal with him when the time comes," Madara answered. "Now how is the preparation for the war going on?"

"Well the Zetsu army is ready at a moments notice, however there is still some resistance from the villages we have taken, many of their shinobi and civilians are not in agreement that a war against the five great villages is anything short of suicide," Tobi answered.

"Then you let them know who's in charge," Madara said firmly.

"You might be right. But I found in Kiri that going too hard to force changes can end badly," the masked Akatsuki ninja replied.

"None of the smaller villages have the numbers to go against their leaders, you put the pressure on them and they will fold. If not send squads of Zetsu there to wipe out any signs of insurrection before they take hold," Madara ordered.

"Very well," Tobi said with a light bow before disappearing in a vortex.

(**Several Days Later**)

"Sweet land, oh how I've missed you!" Gai cheered once the green clad ninja had successfully stumbled off the ship.

Naruto and Gaara both watched the scene a little dumbfounded, "He recovered so quickly," Naruto said with a deadpan.

"I guess the sickness is mostly psychological," Gaara mused.

"He's always been like that, the moment his feet hit dry land he's fine," Tenzo sighed, "It doesn't effect him when he's water walking though, which is kind of odd."

"It's not really that big of an issue. We have a job to do so let's get going," Yugao said in a very businesslike fashion.

"No time to relax then huh?" Fuu said, a disappointed pout forming as she slowly descended the ramp behind the Konoha kunoichi.

Like most of the islands in the Land of Water, this could be considered a paradise, and being one of the larger islands also attracted a large number of tourists, the beach was lined with resorts filled with mostly civilians, and large market stalls were spaced out on the roads of the small beachside village. "Not bad, if we survive the war we should come back here to relax," Naruto said with a smile.

"Yosh, that is a most youthful idea Naruto-kun, My team would love to join in on such youthfulness," Gai said eagerly.

'_What does that even mean?_' Naruto thought with a sweat drop at the Konoha Jounin's exuberance.

'**I don't know, to me everything that man says is complete gibberish,**' Kyuubi scoffed causing Naruto to chuckle.

The group stood out like a sore thumb, seven shinobi in combat gear in a village comprised predominately of civilians would do that. "So how do we get to the hidden village?" the blond asked feeling a little out of place.

"The quickest way would be to follow the river that feeds into the ocean, it will lead right to the entrance to Nadeshiko village according to Jiraiya-sama," Tenzo explained.

"Isn't there a more conventional method? That might be the easiest, but it's also the way Jiraiya-sensei sneaks in. if we want them to trust us, then approaching undetected is probably a bad thing," Naruto said as they continued on towards the outskirts of the village.

"I was thinking the same thing, which is why we are meeting a guide who will take us to the village just up ahead," the Mokuton user casually agreed.

"Why didn't Jiraiya-sama set up a meeting for us?" Yugao asked a little disappointed in the man who was supposed to be in charge of the joint shinobi army.

"Well in fairness we never let people know where we're going to be if we can help it," Naruto said casually.

"Besides, if the Akatsuki got wind of a meeting in a relatively small village involving three of the four remaining Jinchuuriki, I'm guessing it would be an opportunity too big to pass up," Gaara said defending Jiraiya's tactics.

"Those opportunities work both ways, we could end this war before it even starts," Naruto said confidently then the image of Madara perfectly reading all his moves played through his mind. "On second thought, maybe it's best if we're all not isolated against the Akatsuki, we still don't know their full strength," the blond said shaking the feeling of uncertainty that the deceased Uchiha gave him.

The rest of the group eyed Naruto curiously for a minute, Naruto was always hup for a challenge and they didn't doubt if he was forced to he would take on the remaining Akatsuki shinobi all by himself, and probably win. So seeing the blond err on the side of caution was a little strange to say the least. They were all drawn out of their stupor as a small group of what appeared to be traders began waving at them from just up the street. "These must be our guides," Tenzo said as they approached.

Their guides were three woman, all in civilian clothing. They sat atop a large carriage filled to the brim with fresh produce along with other trade-able goods. "You must be the shinobi from Konoha here to seek an audience with Shizuka-sama," the young woman who sat closest to the side of the caravan said with a warm smile.

"That is correct. I am Tenzo acting squad leader and this is my team Yugao Uzuki, Miteo Gai, and Aoba Yamashiro," the Anbu captain said calmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Isui Fuguki and these are my sisters Kahen and Itoma," the same girl replied and the other two waved back happily. "But you did not introduce everyone, who are these other three?" she asked.

"We are stopping here while on another mission. Where we are acting as the bodyguards for these three," Tenzo replied earning a derisive snort from Naruto who didn't like the thought of having someone else fight for him. Still he couldn't really argue that was the job given to the four Konoha shinobi after all.

"Really, but they are shinobi as well aren't they?" Isui asked her curiosity piqued, at why shinobi would be guarding other shinobi. "I mean you can tell by how they're standing."

"Well yes, they are all highly capable shinobi from the organisation known as the Yoinokuchi. They are also VIP's of the newly formed Joint Shinobi Task Force and have been given extra security while they travel to their destination," Tenzo replied calmly.

The three women were all taken aback at the name of the jinchuuriki's organisation. They were all quite famous in the the Land of Water after all, even amongst civilians. "Oh my I didn't realise we had such famous shinobi in our presence. May I ask your names?" Isui asked and her sisters leaned forward in anticipation.

"Of course, I'm Naruto, this is Gaara and finally we have Fuu," the blond said in a happy tone. Gaara and Fuu both gave the three tradeswomen a polite greeting which was returned.

"It's an honour to meet you all. Now I'm sorry to cut our greeting short, but we really must get a move on, we need to deliver this shipment to Nadeshiko before midday or we will lose our bonus," Isui said apologetically, earning no complaints from the shinobi the large horse drawn carriage took off at pace meaning the ninja had to jog to keep up.

They traveled a fair way inland, until the ocean could no longer be seen, the tropical paradise that was the seaside village had been replaced with thick rainforest and tall pillar-like stone formations covered in trees. As they were approaching noon the cart began to slow down to a light trot almost walking speed. Try as they might to relax the shinobi knew they were being watched which kept off of them on edge, surely word had reached the leaders of the village that they would soon have guests.

"We're almost there, you should be able to see the village from atop this incline," Isui said cheerfully. She was right as they reached the top they could see that not too far in the distance was a village perched atop two large pillars of stone, the larger containing what looked to the majority of the village while the second pillar held a massive palace. Bridges connected the two islands and the entrance to the village which they were fast approaching. A large river intertwined the stone formations like a snake.

'_So that's how Jiraiya-sensei was able to sneak in, probably using a toad to mask his presence,_' Naruto thought casually.

They were greeted at the gate by four kunoichi who eyed them suspiciously. "I guess this is where we leave you, good luck," Isui said cheerfully as she and her sisters were granted entrance without second thought, while the shinobi were halted.

"State your business here," one of the kunoichi said somewhat aggressively.

Without delay Tenzo produced an official looking scroll with the seal for Shinobi on the lock. "We are here to seek an audience with the leader of the Nadeshiko village under order of the commander of the Joint Shinobi Task Force; Jiraiya of the Sanin.

The name Jiraiya was well known in Nadeshiko, he was a man to be feared, respected and reviled, all in equal measure. "What is the purpose of this meeting?" the kunoichi asked skeptically.

"That is a matter to be discussed with the village leaders, not blurted out at random," Tenzo replied, his face gaunt like a ghost causing even the Konoha ninja to shiver a little.

"Very well, wait here. We do not allow men into our village as a rule, and certainly not foreign shinobi," the kunoichi replied before wordlessly signalling one of her companions who disappeared in a Shunshin.

Naruto figuring that they might have to wait awhile went to rest under a nearby tree and he was joined by both other jinchuuriki, the Konoha ninja however remained in place not wanting to do anything that might be considered unprofessional. '_I sort of wish I could join them, or make some seats for us to wait it out, but I guess that wouldn't be fully respectful and we want to be allowed in. Then again, if Kakashi-sempai was on this mission he would have had his book out by now and gone to join them... we would also probably be three hours late,_' Tenzo thought repressing the need to deadpan at his former captains less than professional behaviour.

About ten minutes later the kunoichi returned this time with another kunoichi who towered over the others, Naruto guessed she was almost as tall as Jiraiya. She had a slender physique with an angular face that was framed with short brown hair and dark almost black eyes. She wore a short, red, backless full body suit, along with arm-length gloves and a light orange sash and a long blue green skirt. The most noticeable addition was a long Katana that was strapped to her back. '_Interesting, I wonder if she's the one in charge,'_ Naruto thought as he studied the new arrival, he could tell she was much stronger than the four gate guards.

"So these are the shinobi who wish for a meeting with Shizuka-sama," She said stiffly as she examined the four Konoha shinobi. "What was Jiraiya-kun thinking, he knows all to well that men are not welcome here."

Her harsh examination of the Konoha shinobi was broken by the sound of laugher. She scowled slightly as she turned to find the source. "Jiraiya-kun? I've heard women call Sensei a lot of things, but that's a new one," Naruto chuckled.

"Are they with you?" the woman said stiffly.

Tenzo face vaulted silently cursing the blond for his outburst. "I'm afraid so," he admitted.

"Then you may enter, the apprentice of Jiraiya-kun is an unexpected site to see," the tall woman said before turning and issuing everyone to follow.

Naruto and the others were met with looks of intrigue and whispers as they were guided through the streets of the village, Naruto instantly noticed one thing, there were next to no men in this village. Those that were there were kept out of sight for the most part, but Naruto could tell from his sensory ability that most were shinobi around Jounin level.

"We need to pass over to the palace, any weapons on your person must be handed over before we enter," the Amazon declared strictly once they reached the edge of the main village. Everyone handed over their kunai and shuriken, reluctantly Yugao even surrendered her Katana. "That just leaves you," she said approaching Naruto.

"I don't carry any weapons," Naruto admitted.

The tall brunette was stunned at this admission. "What? Not even shuriken?"

"No, if I need weapons I create them," Naruto replied.

"What does that mean?" she asked slightly taken aback.

Naruto thought about her question for a moment then shrugged. "Well there's this," he said before his right arm transformed and a stream of projectiles shot up into the sky before exploding.

The Amazon was immediately on guard and several other kunoichi landed around the blond with swords drawn but Naruto assessed them with a lazy almost bored fashion. "What kind of trickery is this?"

"It's not trickery, it's the most basic form of Yin/Yang release. It's one of the Six Paths of the Rinnegan," Naruto replied indicating his eyes.

'_Amazing, to think Jiraiya-kun's apprentice would have such an impressive ability. But Yin/Yang release... surely that isn't really possible,_' the Amazon wondered. She paused for a few moments deciding on how she should proceed but decided that there was little harm in allowing them to continue, after all inside the palace they would be outnumbered considerably. "Very well, it looks like it would be impossible to confiscate such an ability, everyone follow me."

The palace was impressive for what appeared to be a small shinobi village, it wouldn't be far out of place for a Daimyo. Still while large it was clear this palace was old, '_Probably liberated from one of the old clans that joined one of the the five great villages. Just like how the Uchiha and Senju clans have hidden outposts all over the Land of Fire,'_ Naruto thought causally.

They were led into a large marble hall at the far end sat a teen kunoichi flanked by two guards. she seemed very disinterested in the current situation. It wasn't until they were brought up closer that Naruto got a good look at the so called leader. She was a fair-skinned girl, despite being seated Naruto guessed she wouldn't be that much shorter than himself. She had emerald green eyes, that was the first thing that the blond noticed, they stood out like stars against her black waist-length hair that was styled in a Hime cut and tied up in a high ponytail. She wore a very formal light green kimono that still allowed for free movement. Naruto also noticed the kimono was ruffled in a few places.

"So these are the Konoha shinobi. I'm surprised you allowed them all to enter Tokiwa, just sending in the kunoichi would have been sufficient and satisfied our villages rules," the village leader said a little dispassionately.

"That's true Shizuka-sama, but they brought with them someone of great importance," the now named Amazon, Tokiwa said firmly. She walked over to where Naruto stood, a little to the side of the Konoha shinobi. "May I present Naruto Uzumaki, the apprentice of Jiraiya of the Sanin and your fi-"

Tokiwa was unable to finish her sentence as at the mention of Jiraiya shizuka had thrown a hand full of kunai directly at the rather uninterested Naruto. The blades never hit their mark as they hit an invisible wall and fell to the ground. "Well that certainly is an interesting welcome," Naruto said silently contemplating his next move. "Think wisely before your next action, because it could be your last," he added his tone becoming more serious by the second.

"You... I don't approve, I will never approve!" Shizuka said currently looking for an answer for how naruto had blacked her attack without so much as lifting a finger.

"Enough! Shizuka settle down, this will be settled in the duel," Tokiwa declared with some authority.

"Duel? Am I missing something here?" Naruto asked his guard was still up but he was now more confused than anything.

"You are to duel Shizuka-sama for her hand in marriage," Tokiwa said calmly.

Naruto blinked dispassionately for a few seconds as what the amazon said failed to sink in. "WHAT!?" He yelled, while the rest of the traveling party was having similar reactions.

"We have an agreement with your Master, Jiraiya-kun, that his apprentice would marry the leader of our village, that would be you Naruto Uzumaki. But the laws of village state that the members of Nadeshiko are to marry the shinobi that defeats them in combat. You are to duel Shizuka for her hand in marriage," Tokiwa declared.

"What kind of stupid rule is that? It's complete idiocy, and if you think I am going to marry someone I don't even know, then you have another thing coming," Naruto declared not amused at the current situation.

"You are not in a position to negotiate, you will duel Shizuka, or we will refuse to cooperate with any request that Jiraiya-kun has proposed. Not only that we will be forced to take action on you and your allies," Tokiwa said firmly.

"I'm not getting married you crazy old hag!" Naruto yelled.

"I agree, I have no desire to marry this man, or any man... I will never lose to anyone!" Shizuka added.

"Shizuka, listen to reason. If this is because of that man... he was not worthy of being your husband, that is why the elders had him taken care of," Tokiwa replied, she sounded slightly melancholic but still kept up her unyielding position.

Naruto caught on to what was going on. "You killed someone she loved?" Naruto stated in accusation. He felt a pang of empathy for the young leader.

"It is our law. Your relationship with Sagiri was never going to be allowed, he was a merchant,not fit to be part of our village, he was killed for that reason," Tokiwa replied dispassionately.

Naruto was getting angry now, he could sense that quite a few kunoichi had moved into position around the palace. "What kind of messed up place is this? If one of your kunoichi are defeated by a violent criminal, that's fine as long as their strong enough, but if two people love each other then it's not allowed... what bull shit!" the blond seethed, his chakra began cracking the ground.

"I did not make the laws, they are designed to keep this village safe," Tokiwa said trying to stay calm under impressive pressure of the young jinchuuriki's chakra.

"Then that Law needs to change. I will fight your duel if I must, but I won't marry Shizuka, I already love someone else, and I'm governed by nobodies laws, and if you think you can force my hand... Well you're welcome to try, but it won't matter," Naruto declared.

"You're right, it won't matter. Because I wont lose, not to you, not to anyone. I have trained every day so that I would never lose!" Shizuka said her face determined.

"That's fine, so long as you fight nothing else matters, we won't have to take any action," Tokiwa responded passively. "We need to go to the arena."

The Konoha ninja all had slightly exasperated looks on their faces as they were shuffled along almost as if they were prisoners. '_We didn't even get the chance to ask for their assistance in the war,_' Tenzo sighed with a deadpan.

It seemed as though word had spread through the village as a large crowd was gathering as they passed through the village. Soon they would be at the far end of the village where a large circular arena stood. '_This is pointless, sure it looks like she has some skill, but judging from her chakra levels as well as reaction time with those kunai I can win this fight without any effort at all,_' the blond sighed.

It was surprising though that by the time they arrived at the arena it was almost full. Naruto and Shizuka were split from the group as they were hoarded out into the arena. "I'm sorry but I can't afford to let you beat me, I promised myself that will never lose and I will never love again. That means that you will have to be defeated, and unfortunately as we are inside the village the elders will probably have you killed once you lose. Please know that I hold you no ill will and I'm sorry," she said as she mentally prepared herself for battle.

Naruto however was calm as could be, "Never love again huh? That's kind of sad. I feel sorry for you," he sighed, his arms folded behind his head as they walked out into the centre of the arena side by side.

"Don't be, I should be the one apologising for getting you into this mess," Shizuka replied.

"This is pointless, let's just get it over with," Naruto sighed, while he always enjoyed a good fight, the situation he was put rather spoiled the mood.

The two split apart, moving to opposite sides of the arena before an announcement rang over the whole arena. "A duel will commence for the rite to marry our leader Shizuka-sama. The challenger is Naruto Uzumaki, apprentice of the Sannin Jiraiya!" A loud cheer rose up from the crowd and the blond scowled at the thought, he had already told them he wouldn't marry her, their insistance on marriage was becoming quite frustrating.

'**Perhaps you should just blast your way out and make a run for it,**' the fox suggested.

Naruto nodded in agreement, '_The thought has crossed my mind, but I don't want to leave the others high and dry, I'm sure they can handle themselves just fine, but I would rather not risk it._' there was no more time for their conversation however as loud buzzer rang signalling the start of the match.

**End Chapter!**


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